Photo by Elizabeth Letizell
Audio By Carbonatix
To listen to the wild and vivifying art jazz of Paris-based Franco-American Eva Blanche is to hear music at a crossroads — a cross-genre reinvention that places the dramatic flair and sense of narrative from her years as a playwright in a sonic blender with her nearly four-octave vocal range and a host of elemental building blocks ranging from classical, rock, and trip-hop to jazz, show tunes, and cinema scores. (Oh, by the way, she often performs on taisho koto, a traditional Japanese instrument that exists in roughly the same neighborhood as the dulcimer.)
Blanche has received much praise overseas, but the perfect venue to debut her eclectic, preconception-obliterating music stateside eluded her — at least until Bayfront Jazz Days came calling with an invitation to play Women in Jazz, a one-day contemporary jazz festival to held this Saturday at the Miami Beach Bandshell featuring a lineup as scintillating and beguiling as any cast Blanche could dream up for one of her plays.
Which is to say, after rising alt-pop sensation Neska Rose takes the stage, attendees will be treated to performances by Prince protégé and bass innovator Nik West, five-time Grammy nominated saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin, and acclaimed Steinway pianist and provocateur Connie Han.
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“Some people in the comment sections online have said this is not jazz,” Melrose Media co-founder Amos Rozenberg — the co-founder of Melrose Media, which established Bayfront Jazz Days to “bring jazz to beautiful bays and waterfronts across the United States” — tells New Times. “But it is the opposite, it is jazz, a music that is in perpetual evolution. And for us the definition of jazz is a musical language that reflects the vibes of an era, not something you’d put in a museum. At Bayfront Jazz, we’re bringing together artists who push boundaries, both musical and emotional.”
Rozenberg knows of what he speaks: As founder and CEO of Paramax Films, he’s spent the last quarter century producing, directing, and distributing live jazz and classical concert films, including Chick Corea, Zubin Mehta, Martha Argerich, and more. And his partner at Melrose Media, Manuel Molina, not only has promoted concerts at seminal venues in Miami and New York City (Hard Rock Hollywood, Olympia Theater, James Knight Center, Gramercy Theater) but has been…the honorary consul of Belgium in Miami for the last two decades.
So, you know, we’re definitely in “only in Miami!” territory.
“We wanted to create an event that not only showcases incredible musicianship but also tells an important story about the powerful women leading the evolution of jazz,” Rozenberg says. “This isn’t just a concert; it’s a celebration of strength, creativity, and the vibrant future of the genre. The Miami Bandshell provides the perfect open-air backdrop for such a momentous night of music.”
Women in Jazz. 4 p.m. Saturday, November 22, at Miami Beach Bandshell, 7275 Collins Ave, Miami Beach. bayfrontjazz.com. Tickets start at $29 and are available via Dice.
