Event Info
BRIC JazzFest Night 3, featuring
- Reggie Workman
- Allysha Joy
- Lakecia Benjamin
- Amir ElSaffar and Lorenzo Bianchi-Hoesch: Inner Spaces
- Joaquin Pozo
- A special jam session honoring the legacy of multi-instrumentalist Casey Benjamin curated by NYC party and live music experience The Jungle, a collaboration of DJs, musicians, and artists delivering a stimulating sonic experience that traverses the African Diaspora, embracing Latin, Jazz, Afrobeat, Amapiano, Percussion, Brazilian, Caribbean, House and Soul.
Born from a vision of celebrating jazz’s richness and potential, BRIC JazzFest has become a Brooklyn institution. As Steve Pisano of Feast of Music declared after the inaugural event in 2015, “BRIC has established a new festival destined to become a fixture.” This October, we’ll reach a momentous milestone: the 10th annual BRIC JazzFest.
This year’s theme celebrates a decade of resilience, artistic growth, and genre-bending exploration. We champion the evolution of jazz, fostering opportunities for rising stars like Brandee Younger, who has transformed from a “young and new” harpist in 2015 to our esteemed 2024 Artist Curator. Her innovative and ever-expanding artistry embodies the spirit of the festival.
Just as BRIC JazzFest inaugurated the newly renovated BRIC House in 2015, it has become a cornerstone program, woven into the vibrant tapestry of Brooklyn’s cultural scene.
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About the Artists
Reggie Workman, a native of Philadelphia, is a multi-faceted bassist, bandleader, composer,
community organizer, educator, producer, and soloist-composer with dancers & actors. He is
recognized as one of the most original and technically gifted bassists in jazz and American
contemporary music. His playing style spans between Post-Bop to futuristic concepts. Workman
has invented and “sculpted” his own “sound -specific-scape” and is currently writing music for
small groups, strings, and orchestra. Reggie tours develop new music/art curricula and
workshops and present varied configurations of the “Reggie Workman Sound.”
Workman is a faculty member and professor at The New School's COPA. Three of Workman’s
collaborations are sure to become classics: “Summit Conference” & “Cerebral Caverns”
(Arkadia Records), “Great Friends Project” (Evidence Records). Reggie Workman is an NEA
2020 Jazz Master recipient and was named a Living Legend (by African-American Historical
and Cultural Museum in Philadelphia), the Eubie Blake Award (Brooklyn, NY), Living Legend
(Mid Atlantic Award), etc.
Workman has recorded and performed with the giants of jazz, including John Coltrane, Art
Blakey, Eric Dolphy, Max Roach, Gigi Gryce, Mal Waldron, Roy Haynes, Wayne Shorter,
Freddie Hubbard, Red Garland, Abbey Lincoln, Alice Coltrane, Geri Allen, Marilyn Crispell, Cecil
Taylor, Sam Rivers, Roscoe Mitchell, Trio Three and Great Friends as well as new talents such
as Jason Moran.
Reggie is currently collaborating on a Documentary Film about his unique life experience,
theater readings and productions (Dos Worlds, Ophelia), work with Trio Imagination and
re-establishing a collaborative Brew Trio with Gerry Hemingway (Percussion) and Mia Masaoka
(Koto). His own "Suite Tristan" (for dancers) has been re-recorded and he is currently
collaborating on two autobiographical books. Reggie Workman, in tandem with choreographer
Maya Milenovic Workman, has been awarded a 2020 Guggenheim Fellowship for music
composition, the organization announced on April 9, 2020. On August 20th, 2020 The National
Endowment for the Arts, in collaboration with SFJAZZ, honored 2020 NEA Jazz Masters Bobby
McFerrin, Roscoe Mitchell, Reggie Workman, and Dorthaan Kirk—who is the recipient of the
A.B. Spellman NEA Jazz Masters Fellowship for Jazz Advocacy— with the nation’s highest
honor in jazz.
Well versed in poetry and performance, Allysha Joy’s potent lyricism, unique musicianship and
incredible vocals have garnered legions of attentive fans the world over.
Seamlessly forging her own sound as singer, songwriter, keys player and selector, Joy is well
known as 30/70’s lead vocalist and with a heavy line-up of collaborations over the years, she has
marked her place across continents, expansive projects and genres.
In 2022 Allysha brought a brand new amalgamation of her poetic practice to the forefront, with
the release of her self-produced sophomore album ‘Torn : Tonic’ on First Word Records. Staunch
and broken, poetic and vibrant, this second album encapsulates the pain and the remedy, and
celebrates an incredible selection of feature artists; including Ego Ella May, Julien Dyne, and
Dancing Water, as well as her debut as a producer.
On the live circuit, Joy has performed alongside the likes of Sampa the Great, Ezra Collective,
Children of Zeus and KOKOROKO as well as performing at notable festivals such as We Out Here
and Montreux Jazz Festival. Maintaining a monthly “Australian” radio show on Gilles Peterson’s
Worldwide FM and compiling the VA compilation ‘They’re Energised’ for UK Label CoOp
Presents, Allysha continues to provide platforms for “Australian” artists to reach global
audiences, seeking opportunities to connect music and music lovers around the world over.
Allysha appears on releases from Rhythm Section, Total Refreshment Centre, Future Classic, First
Word and Brownswood. Her 2018 debut album ‘Acadie : Raw’ on Gondwana Records won ‘Best
Soul Album’ at the Music Victoria Awards, was nominated for ‘Best Jazz Album’ at the Worldwide
Awards, and featured in many end-of-year lists, including Bandcamp’s Top Soul Albums.
Allysha’s lyrics weave together a heartfelt mix of love, power, wonder, anger, faith and hope for
change. An artist that presents a palette of intricate grace and optimism, whilst unafraid of adding
uncomfortable truths. An incredibly powerful live performer; Allysha’s husky vocals sonically sync
with her formidable Fender Rhodes playing, whilst her influences are a solid base of jazz, hip hop
and R&B; all glazed with the unique special sauce the Melbourne / Narrm soul scene has become
known for globally.
Lakecia Benjamin (Pronouns She/her) is a 3x GRAMMY nominated New York-based saxophonist, arranger, composer, and educator. Her music offers a unique meld of R&B, several strains of jazz, and funk. Her warm, resonant tone — that has been compared to Johnny Hodges — lends itself to any form of music she chooses to play. In addition to honing her chops early with Clark Terry and later Terri Lyne Carrington, she is also a noted accompanist for vocalists — among them Gregory Porter and Theo Crocker. Retox, her 2012 leader debut, offered a beat-conscious set of soul and funk covers and originals produced by Ben Kane. Benjamin played on “Right on Brotha,” the closing track from Robert Glasper’s Everything’s Beautiful in 2018, a collection of reimagined Miles Davis tracks. Her sophomore date, Rise Up for Ropeadope, contained a Prince-inspired series of original jazz-funk jams. In 2020, she released Pursuance: The Coltranes. The widely acclaimed set contained six tunes each by Alice and John Coltrane, with Benjamin leading a large cast that included former Coltrane sideman Reggie Workman. In 2023 she returned with the star-studded Phoenix. Produced by Carrington, it wed jazz, funky soul, R&B, and hip-hop with an all-star cast. The album brought upon three GRAMMY nominations and universal praise.
Benjamin was born in New York City and raised in Manhattan’s predominantly Dominican Washington Heights neighborhood. She played recorder in grade school and junior high where she also began writing songs and lyrics. She won admission to the Fiorello LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts. It was there she began playing saxophone in earnest. She picked it up quickly and after graduating joined the renowned jazz program at New York’s New School University.
At New School she studied with jazz veterans including Billy Harper, Workman, Buster Williams, and Gary Bartz. Bartz proved an important mentor. He introduced her to training technical exercise techniques while facilitating her interest in the music of jazz saxophonists including Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, and Jackie McLean. She also played in and performed with Clark Terry‘s Young Titans of Jazz, and some of Workman’s ensembles. While struggling to make ends meet, she won paying gigs with Missy Elliott and Alicia Keys, widening her approach. These influences made their presence known on Benjamin’s Motema leader debut, Retox, in 2010. The unusual set included Benjamin’s Soul Squad band backing a number of singers and rappers in a host of originals and covers, some of which didn’t feature her horn at all. She explained in an interview that she didn’t want to be heard as merely an instrumentalist and soloist, but as an arranger and bandleader, too. She also won opportunities to play and tour with a wide array of artists including former Coltrane drummer Rashied Ali, the David Murray Big Band, vocalist Vanessa Rubin, and guitarist James Blood Ulmer. Her deep jazz roots and reputation for hard yet innovative work, made her a first-call sidewoman, arranger, and horn section leader, and she landed a touring gig with Anita Baker.
In 2015, she was part of the star-studded cast that played on vocalist and arranger Charenee Wade’s Offering: The Music of Gil Scott-HeronandBrian Jackson. In addition to Benjamin, some of its other participants included Marcus Miller, Christian McBride, Malcolm Jamal-Warner, and Lonnie Plaxico. The following year she was invited by pianist Robert Glasper to participate in the sessions for his Miles Davis tribute, Everything’s Beautiful; she appeared with Stevie Wonder and DJ Spinna on the set’s closing track, “Right on Brotha.”
In 2018, Benjamin issued her Ropeadope debut album, Rise Up, leading a large ensemble in a savvy jazz-funk update for the 21st century that included not only players but singers and rappers. In the aftermath, she played dates in and around New York, joined Porter’s road band, worked with Carrington, and was a featured musician and arranger for comedy star Craig Robinson. In addition to performing, Benjamin also became an educator, teaching at Jazz atLincoln Center and at Jazz House Kids.
Benjamin turned heads with her third album — and second from Ropeadope — by leaving R&B and funk by the wayside. May 2020’s Pursuance: The Coltranes is unlike any other tribute project. Its 13 tunes were equally divided between compositions by Alice and John and offered sometimes radical reinterpretations. The outlier was “Going Home.” Composed by Benjamin, its lineup included bass clarinetist Marcus Strickland and string group Rootstock Republic. In addition to Benjamin’s alto were the selectively featured horns of Bartz, Steve Wilson, Greg Osby, and Bruce Williams, harpist Brandee Younger, violinist Regina Carter, bassists Workman, Plaxico, and Me’Shell Ndegéocello, and vocalists Dee Dee Bridgewater, Jazzmeia Horn, Zakiyyah Modeste, and Dudley Perkins. The set was greeted with global acclaim by critics upon release, and subsequently charted at streaming.
In January 2023, Benjamin released Phoenix on Whirlwind Recordings. The 12-track, mostly original set was performed by her septet and produced by Terri Lyne Carrington. Phoenix featured many guests including Dianne Reeves, Georgia Ann Muldrow, Patrice Rushen, Wayne Shorter, Wallace Roney, Sonia Sanchez, and Angela Davis. The album led to three GRAMMY nominations, and universal praise
Amir ElSaffar
Amir ElSaffar is an Iraqi-American santur player, composer, trumpeter, and vocalist working at the intersections between jazz, Western classical, and Maqam music of Iraq and the Middle East. An expert jazz trumpeter with a classical background, ElSaffar has created techniques to play microtones and ornaments idiomatic to Arabic music that are not typically heard on the trumpet. He is also one of the few musicians in his generation to master the centuries-old Iraqi maqam tradition, which he performs actively as a vocalist and santur (Iraqi hammered dulcimer) player. As a composer, ElSaffar has created a unique microtonal harmonic language that merges the Arabic maqam modal system with contemporary Western harmony.
ElSaffar tours internationally with several ensembles, including his six-piece Two Rivers Ensemble and 17-piece Rivers of Sound Orchestra, which combine elements of jazz, contemporary music, and Maqam. ElSaffar has received commissions in the US, Europe, and the Arab world, including compositions for symphony orchestras, string quartets and small chamber ensembles, large and small jazz ensembles, Middle Eastern music ensembles, as well as hybrid projects with Raga, Flamenco, and Subsaharan African trance music, and was the composer-in-residence of the Transcultural Music program at the Royaumont Foundation in France (2016-2019). ElSaffar is a recipient of the Doris Duke Performing Artist Award (2013), United States Artists Fellowship (2018), and a Hodder Fellowship at Princeton University (2020-2021). He is currently composing his first opera, Ruins of the Encampment.
Lorenzo Bianchi-Hoesch
Lorenzo Bianchi Hoesch is a composer and sound artist whose work spans pure electronic music, theater, dance, soundtracks, and interactive installations. His compositions often focus on creating new connections between distant elements, collaborating with artists outside Western aesthetics, such as Ballaké Sissoko and Amir Elsaffar, or incorporating environmental recordings into sound installations, such as those for the Musée du Quai Branly in Paris. Bianchi Hoesch has composed for contemporary dance, working with choreographers like Michele di Stefano and Richard Siegal, and uses 3D sound and holophonic composition to immerse audiences in unique soundscapes. His commissions include prestigious institutions like Ircam-Centre Pompidou, Venice Biennale, and the Gothenburg Opera.
Bianchi Hoesch holds degrees in both architecture (Italy) and composition (France) and has made Paris his home. He founded Ornithology Productions in 2022 and has been an associated artist at Ircam from 2019 to 2023. In addition to his performances worldwide, he is a professor of Electroacoustic Composition at the Conservatory of Montbéliard, France, where he continues to explore the intersections of sound, movement, and space.
The Jungle Worldwide presents a global fusion of sonic experiences curated by multidisciplinary artist Kwesi Abbensetts, Reiki Master Daoud Abeid, and culinary artist Anya Peters, alongside a collective of amazing musicians and DJs. This experimental community blends DJ mixes and live performances into a liberating experience.
At The Jungle, liberation reigns supreme. Diverse rhythms from the African Diaspora—Latin, Jazz, Hip Hop, Afrobeats, Brazilian, Caribbean, House, Soul—permeate the airwaves. Skilled drummers, saxophonists, flutists improvise and jam along live leaving all feeling free by the end of the night.
The Jungle hosts intimate live performances, showcasing emerging musicians and artists. This unique platform holds space for their artistry to be appreciated in an up-close and personal setting. From seasoned performers to burgeoning creatives, The Jungle fosters an environment where diverse talents merge and original music is celebrated.
“Fiery, lyrical, and impossibly virtuosic”– such has been called master Cuban percussionist, Joaquín Pozo’s style. Christened “El Pulpo” (The Octopus) because it is said his two-handed style rivals the eight hands of four drummers, Pozo comes from a lineage of Cuban musicians influential in the development of Afro-Latin jazz sound. The Havana-native, recent Harlem-transplant holds the distinction for his singular style, a uniquely melodic approach to the congas. Over the past 35 years, Pozo has honed his traditional and popular chops mastering folkloric forms like rumba and modern forms like jazz. As a bandleader and sideman, his music has led him across four continents and his discography spans a dozen recordings. As a highly revered composer and educator, Pozo’s musical mastery and versatility puts him in a league of his own. After hearing his instantly recognizable reverberations one understands why Joaquin Pozo’s sound has been imitated yet never duplicated.