The Bryant Park Accordion Festival Accordions Around the World Finale takes place on Friday, August 16,2019, from 5-10:PM with:
Rey Vallenato Beto Jamaica
Los Texmaniacs
Fedor Chistyakov
Aces of Rhythm
Toot Sweet
Host Mickela Mallozzi (Emmy Award-winning host of Bare Feet with Mickela Mallozzi)
The Accordion Festival, a five-hour finale to the Accordions Around the World series at Bryant Park, features the the wide range of this often-overlooked and little-known instrument. This special event features Toot Sweet (Avant Garde Cabaret), Aces of Rhythm (Tango from Argentina), Fedor Chistyakov (Russian Rock & Roll), Los Texmaniacs (Texas-Mexican Conjunto), and Rey Vallenato Beto Jamaica (Vallenato from Colombia). The evening will be hosted by Emmy Award-winner Mickela Mallozzi, host of the PBS travel and dance series Bare Feet with Mickela Mallozzi.
Ariana Hellerman, the series curator of Accordions Around the World, says, “Accordion is often confused for yesteryear kitsch in America; but, in many parts of the world, it’s one of the most important instruments that convey the sound of the region. In New York, we are lucky to have access to many of these cultures. In addition to showcasing the versatility of the instrument and providing an intimate and accessible performance experience for audiences and passers-by alike, a priority for Accordions Around the World is to give communities where the accordion is played, a space and platform for sharing their cultures in the heart of Manhattan. We aim for the artists in this series to be reflective of the city.
This year’s Accordion Festival is particularly special; for the first time we feature conjunto tejano, music from the Texas and Mexico border. Los Texmaniacs, annointed by the legendary Flaco Jimenez as the next generation purveyors of conjunto, join us direct from San Antonio. We also have El Rey de Vallenato, a winner of one of the most important accordion festivals in the world, Colombia’s El Festival de la Leyenda Vallenata, which was an inspiration for the creation of Bryant Park’s Accordions Around the World series.”
This series is part of Bryant Park Picnic Performances presented by Bank of America, presenting world-class music, theater, and dance performances in Midtown Manhattan. All Picnic Performances are free to the public and designed to be enjoyed casually – no tickets required. At each show, the park lends out 250 free picnic blankets for audience members to relax on while enjoying the show on the Lawn.
Accordion Festival Artists:
Rey Vallenato Alberto “Beto” Jamaica is one of the leading vallenato and cumbia players in Colombia. Since winning the prestigious Professional Leyenda Vallenata Festival competition in 2006, he has become known as Rey Vallenato Colombia (“The Vallenato King”). His music is a vibrant mix of cumbia, paseo, porro all wrapped into his infectious accordion-driven vallenato. Originally the music of herders who combined Spanish minstrel and West African griot traditions, Vallenato, native to Colombia’s Caribbean Coast, is one of the country’s most popular folk music forms.
Annointed by the legendary Flaco Jimenez, Grammy Award winners Los Texmaniacs are the new kings of Tex-Mex. Combine a hefty helping of conjunto, simmer with several parts Texas rock, add a daring dash of well-cured blues and R&B riffs, and you’ve cooked up the tasty Texmaniacs groove. Founded by Max Baca in 1997, Los Texmaniacs combines the traditions of Tejano music with elements of blues, rock, country. They have performed at The Smithsonian Folklife Festival, International Accordion Festival, Kennedy Center and more. They received a Grammy Award for Border Y Bailes in 2010.
Since the early 1990’s, Fedor Chistyakov has been known as the songwriter, front singer, and accordionist for the band Nol’ (Zero), a cult model of Russian rock music. His unique manner of singing and the fact that he played button accordion, an instrument atypical of rock music at the time, made the band stand out, to the extent of being featured as exemplary in Western documentaries on Russian Rock. He is a composer, arranger, multi-instrumentalist musician, whose creative interests embrace rethinking classics and producing experimental instrumental music of many genres and styles.
Aces of Rhythm, co-founded by producer and singer Pablo Pereyra and Grammy-winning bass player Pablo Aslán, pays tribute to the music and the style of legendary band leader, Juan D’Arienzo. Known for his very strong rhythmic condition, with noticeable emphasis on the four beat times, in the words of Tango historian, José Gobelo, “D’arienzo gave tango back to the dancers´feet,” capturing the interest of a younger generation. The septet plays D’Arienzo’s original arrangements that have been transcribed from his original music. They made their debut at Midsummer Night Swing at Lincoln Center on 2017 and play the last Sunday of the month at the Astoria Tango Club in New York.
Toot Sweet is the original cabaret soul project of Mary Spencer Knapp (of Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 Broadway fame) that expertly melds French chanson, funky pop, and psychedelic rock. Echoes of Edith Piaf, Patti Smith, and Talking Heads can be heard in Toot Sweet‘s addictive melodies, gut-chucking rhythms, and offbeat harmonies. Toot Sweet has released three full-length albums and has been a constant in NYC’s DIY scene, making it an unexpected and ever-evolving live experience.
Professional dancer and trained musician Mickela Mallozzi is the four-time Emmy Award-winning host and executive producer of Bare Feet with Mickela Mallozzi, a dance travel series airing on PBS. From rediscovering her family’s roots in Southern Italy to dancing tango in Buenos Aires, the series covers Mickela’s adventures as she experiences the world, one dance at a time. She has been featured in The New York Times, Travel Channel, Dance Magazine, USA TODAY, and Forbes.
About Bryant Park Corporation:
Bryant Park Corporation (BPC), a private not-for-profit company, was founded in 1980 to renovate, finance and operate Bryant Park in New York City. BPC is funded by income from events, concessions and corporate sponsors, as well as an assessment on neighboring properties, and does not accept government or philanthropic monies. In addition to providing security, sanitation, and horticultural services, BPC offers restaurants, food kiosks, world-class restrooms, and a wide range of free events throughout the year. The Midtown Manhattan park is visited by more than 12 million people each year and is one of the busiest public spaces in the world. BPC’s website, bryantpark.org, offers more detailed information and a schedule of upcoming events.
Location and Directions:
Bryant Park is situated behind the New York Public Library in midtown Manhattan, between 40th and 42nd Streets & Fifth and Sixth Avenues. Take the B, D, F, or M train to 42nd Street/Bryant Park; or, take the 7 train to 5th Avenue.
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