by BBP on Jun 21, 2016
Brooklyn Bridge Park, the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy and Brooklyn Bodega, the team behind the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival, are pleased to announce the inaugural edition of a new free music series, Bridge Grooves, which will take place on two consecutive Wednesdays in July. Performances will take place on the panoramic Harbor View Lawn at Pier 1.
On July 20, Brooklyn’s own PitchBlak Brass Band and Grammy-winning trumpeter Maurice Brown will each perform, following a set by DJ OP! Afro-Cuban music legend Larry Harlow will headline the July 27 concert, which opens with a performance by DJ Ray Suave.
“In a relatively short amount of time, Brooklyn Bridge Park has become a centerpiece of New York City. We are thrilled to help bring Bridge Grooves to fruition,” says Wes Jackson, President of Brooklyn Bodega. “I have no doubt the series will bring the funk and the love to Pier 1, and will be a highlight of the summer.”
Bridge Grooves continues the successful partnership of Brooklyn Bodega with Brooklyn Bridge Park, which has hosted the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival since 2011.
“Bridge Grooves is a fantastic addition to our summer programming lineup and a great way to celebrate summer at Brooklyn Bridge Park,” says Regina Myer, Brooklyn Bridge Park President. “With such great performers, we know these concerts will be enjoyed by people from Brooklyn and beyond.”
Nancy Webster, Executive Director of the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy adds, “Join us and kick back and groove to some great music at Brooklyn Bridge Park this July.”
Schedule of performances:
PitchBlak Brass Band
Maurice ‘Mobetta’ Brown
DJ OP!
Thursday, July 20
7pm
7-8: DJ OP!
8-8:45: Maurice “Mobetta” Brown
9-10: PitchBlak Brass Band
PitchBlak Brass Band, a Brooklyn based, Hip-Hop infused ten-piece brass band, marries the sounds of tubas, trombones, saxophones and other typically non-hip-hop instruments in the spirit of The Roots and some of rap’s iconic live bands, to deliver an energy that samples, loops and breakbeats can’t always capture. The group’s blend of soundscapes and lyrical exuberance creates a grand adventure in listening, one that can hold the attention of music fans across a wide spectrum of taste.
Grammy-winning trumpet player and producer Maurice ‘Mobetta’ Brown is widely celebrated for his soulful melodies. On his critically acclaimed sophomore release, The Cycle of Love, he combines those melodies with traditional be-bop and hip-hop, producing a sound in which neither genre is watered down. In 2011, he toured extensively with the Tedeschi-Trucks Band. He also recently released a remix album, produced a track with Talib Kweli (“Self Savoir”) and is working with the legendary Prodigy (of Mobb Deep) on a forthcoming project. With a staggering, original sound, Brown continues to explore and expand all musical boundaries.
DJ OP! is a founding member of the heralded I Love Vinyl Party and a co-partner of the long established Afrokinetic party in NYC. Additionally, DJ OP! is a resident DJ at the award-winning speakeasy Bathtub Gin and the hip Royal Palm Shuffle Club, both located in NYC. As a purveyor of all things soulful, OP!’s sets include hip-hop, r&b, reggae, pop, rock, and classics to house, future soul, and various electronic genres from the UK and musical flavors from Africa. OP! has been instrumental in shining light on various sounds of underground, popular, and global vibes, championing good music on the world stage from South Africa, Puerto Rico, Canada, and points around the United States.
More about the July 20 artists:
PitchBlak Brass Band: pitchblakbrassband.com
Maurice ‘Mobetta’ Brown: mauricebrown.net
DJ OP!: thedefinitivesound.com
Larry Harlow
DJ Ray Suave
Thursday, July 27
7pm
7-8:30: DJ Ray Suave
8:30-10: Larry Harlow
Larry Harlow is a living legend of Afro-Cuban music. A graduate of the prestigious NY High School of Music and Art, he excelled on oboe, flute, bass and the instrument for which he is most famous, the piano. Although jazz and the stylings of Art Tatum were his first love, his growing exposure as a teenager to the music and culture of the New York Latino community fascinated him. This led to a 1957 trip to Cuba, where he began an intense two-year study of Afro-Cuban music in all of its manifestations, from West African based liturgical repertoire to popular dance styles. Over the course of his career, he has produced more than 250 albums for various artists and over 50 albums as a leader, including the Grammy-nominated La Raza Latina, a Salsa Suite, in 1978. Mr. Harlow, as a Governor of the NY chapter of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS), was responsible for making the organization take notice of the contributions of Latin musicians, which helped to establish the first Latin categories in the Grammy Awards and eventually the Latin Grammys as well. He was inducted into the International Latin Music Hall of Fame in 2000 and received a Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008. He still performs regularly with a variety of lineups and formations, most notably the Latin Legends of Fania.
DJ Ray Suave is native of Brooklyn, NY and has been a DJ since 2009. Best known for spinning Latin music, he also spins hip-hop, reggae, soca, house, and Top 40 among other genres. DJ Ray Suave is a mobile DJ that provides his own professional sound system and lighting.
More about the July 27 artists:
Larry Harlow: larryharlow.com
DJ Ray Suave: soundcloud.com/djraysuave
About Brooklyn Bodega
Brooklyn Bodega is made up of various creatives, event producers, and thinkers who share a love and passion for Hip-Hop Culture. They are dedicated to Hip-Hop education, advocacy and preservation. The Bodega Agency is a boutique marketing and branding operation under the Brooklyn Bodega umbrella. With over 20 years of collective expertise, the same marketing muscle that promotes and executes New York City’s largest Hip-Hop event, The Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival, makes itself available to like-minded brands, artists and movements. Services include Online Marketing, Public Relations, Content Creation, Event Production and much more. For more information, please visit brooklynbodega.com.
