At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, alto saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin forged ahead with the March 2020 release date for her third full-length album, Pursuance, which pays homage to the genius of John and Alice
Coltrane. The ambitious album went on to be listed in Amazon Music’s best songs of 2020 and was named one of the albums of the year by the 2020 NPR Music Jazz Critics Poll.

There are very few artists whose sound can capture the sentiments of a generation. The Brooklyn born and raised vocalist and flautist, Melanie Charles, is one of these artists. Over the past couple decades, she has made a name for herself through dynamic engagements with jazz, soul, and R&B. Her bold genre-bending style has been embraced by a range of artists including Wynton Marsalis, SZA, and The Roots.

In this highly anticipated collaboration, acclaimed South African jazz vocalist Vuyo Sotashe and GRAMMY-nominated pianist Chris Pattishall come together for their Harlem Stage debut.

Catch the world premiere of Partido at the Harlem Stage Gatehouse, presented by tap dance and live music company Music From The Sole, which explores the convergence of percussive dance and live music with contemporary African-American and Afro-Brazilian culture. Partido is a reflection of lead choreographer Leonardo Sandoval’s experience as an Afro-Brazilian immigrant and artist in the United States, connecting tap with styles like samba and house dance through shared rhythms and footwork.

Catch the world premiere of Partido at the Harlem Stage Gatehouse, presented by tap dance and live music company Music From The Sole, which explores the convergence of percussive dance and live music with contemporary African-American and Afro-Brazilian culture. Partido is a reflection of lead choreographer Leonardo Sandoval’s experience as an Afro-Brazilian immigrant and artist in the United States, connecting tap with styles like samba and house dance through shared rhythms and footwork.

Heralded as the “Tina Turner of Guinea,” singer and songwriter Natu Camara has established herself as an impassioned performer whose commitment to social justice has solidified her unique presence in global music. Her years leading West Africa’s first all-female hip-hop group, the Ideal Black Girls (IBG), in the early 2000s inspired an entire generation of girls to believe Guinèya Moumonèra, meaning It’s Not a Shame to Be a Woman — which was the name of their multi- platinum opus advocating for women’s rights.

Heralded as the “Tina Turner of Guinea,” singer and songwriter Natu Camara has established herself as an impassioned performer whose commitment to social justice has solidified her unique presence in global music. Her years leading West Africa’s first all-female hip-hop group, the Ideal Black Girls (IBG), in the early 2000s inspired an entire generation of girls to believe Guinèya Moumonèra, meaning It’s Not a Shame to Be a Woman — which was the name of their multi- platinum opus advocating for women’s rights.

In this performance of Eastman’s 1974 work Femenine, which The New York Times describes as “meditative, kaleidoscopic, [and] eventually ecstatic,” 10 musicians from the Harlem Chamber Players and the Talea Ensemble pay tribute to Eastman’s work as an important statement to the community and commitment to solidifying Eastman’s place in the canon.

Pianist/organist Matthew Whitaker returns to Harlem Stage following his 2018 Harlem Stage Emerging Artist Award to celebrate the release of his third and latest album, Connections.

Brooklyn choreographer Drew Dollaz’s newly choreographed small ensemble work, IMPERFECT, commissioned in collaboration with Harlem Stages, is anchored by original works of spoken word artist Steve Connell with creative direction by dance theater director Chisa Yamaguchi.

Harlem Stage celebrates our Afrofuturism series with Craig Harris’ Nocturnal Nubian Ball for Conscientious Ballers and Cultural Shot Callers, two consecutive outdoor concerts presented in partnership with Bryant Park, Harlem Historical Parks, and Jazzmobile and a virtual presentation in the fall.

Harlem Stage celebrates our Afrofuturism series with Craig Harris’ Nocturnal Nubian Ball for Conscientious Ballers and Cultural Shot Callers, two consecutive outdoor concerts presented in partnership with Bryant Park, Harlem Historical Parks, and Jazzmobile and a virtual presentation in the fall.