Singer-songwriter Lisa Fischer is successfully traveling the music terrain’s spiraling road, having won a Grammy for her 1991 hit single “How Can I Ease the Pain” from her debut album “So Intense.” She was a background singer for Luther Vandross for 22 years and later during that period, she toured with The Rolling Stones, often performing duets with Mick Jagger, as did her former bandleader, Tina Turner. Like jazz and blues vocalist Catherine Russell, she has effortlessly hurdled genres of R&B, rock, and jazz as a background and solo vocalist.
On July 16-19, Fischer will bring her eclectic song stylings to the Blue Note (131 West 3rd Street), featuring the Orrin Evans Trio with bassist James Genus and drummer Mark Whitfield Jr., for two shows nightly at 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.
The singer has collaborated with Evans in the past, together they brew a soulful concoction of R&B, gospel, rock, and blues with Fischer’s versatile vocals flowing inside out of Evans’ imaginative piano arrangements — leaning into their shared roots in Black American Music. For reservations, visit bluenotejazz.com.
The walls of 92NY will vibrate with their Jazz In July: Echoes of Miles festival July 15-25, celebrating the legacy of futurist Miles Davis on his centennial, with 25 rousing artists building on his genius.
The esteemed drummer Gregory Hutchinson arrives at 92NY’s Kaufmann Concert Hall on July 18 with music from his just-released Warner Music album “Kind of Now-the Pulse of Miles Davis,” A penetrating reconstruction of his take on such Miles’ classics as “Black Comedy,” and covering Miles’ bebop origins through the fearless electronic “Bitches Brew.” He will be joined by a fierce supergroup of invigorating young voices: trumpeter Marquis Hill, tenor saxophone Walter Smith III, guitarist Emmanuel Michael, pianist Aaron Diehl, and bassist Matt Brewer. Performance time is 7:30 p.m.
On July 21, the 92NY welcomes the creative duo of Aaron Diehl and John Patitucci. A first-ever evening of duets from renowned artists bassist and composer John Patitucci and pianist-composer Aaron Diehl. They will come together for an evening of inventive playing, introducing resourceful ideas for the moment and beyond. Diehl has a boastful tone and harmonic flow that stands out like the summer sun; he has the sophistication of Tommy Flanagan with the curiosity to dive deep into masters like Jelly Roll Morton or Art Tatum.
Patitucci’s longtime work with Chick Corea in his legendary Akoustic and Elektric Bands established him as a premier artist. The influence of Miles, with whom Corea worked in the late 1960s and on the pivotal jazz-fusion albums “In a Silent Way” and “Bitches Brew,” flows through Patitucci’s inventiveness.
Artistic director Aaron Diehl described Jazz in July as “all about creating a communal space where musicians and concertgoers can come together to experiment with artistic honesty and vulnerability, drawing open-minded, open-hearted audiences into their worlds and taking them on a journey,” he stated during an interview with WBGO. This idea, he noted, comes directly from Miles Davis, whose skill in identifying musicians and how they might work together inspired his own curatorial vision. For tickets and complete schedules, visit 92ny.org.
The third annual Tilles Jazz Fest, produced by Tilles Center for the Performing Arts in collaboration with Jazz at Lincoln Center, kicks off on July 18. This one-day event will take place on four indoor and outdoor stages across the Long Island University Brookville campus, with performances starting at 1 p.m. and grooving into the night! A cross-genre of artists will include Buena Vista Orchestra; prominent percussionist, composer, and historian Bobby Sanabria & Ascension; Jarien Jamanila Trio: Coltrane at 100 Celebration, and Kal Ferretti Quartet Celebrates Miles Davis Centennial.
Visit the Swingin’ Kidz Zone, with a live instrument petting zoo. Participants can make their own instrument to take home, and more; children 12 and under are free. For more information, visit tillescenter.org.
It’s not unusual for entertainers to have a one-name moniker, but in the art world, Souleo has distinguished himself as one of Harlem’s creative art curators. His latest curation is the Children’s Art Carnival in Harlem: The Making of Contemporary Artists at Wallach Art Gallery, Columbia University, now through September 13.
With this fourth iteration of its Uptown Triennial series, the Wallach presents an exhibition that traces the impact of this community arts center through 30 of its affiliated artists. For over five decades, the Carnival has been a seminal cultural force in Harlem — a place of creativity and learning where social history, especially Black identity and culture, is taught alongside art-making techniques.
The exhibition presents work by the program’s founder, Betty Blayton, as well as instructors, students, and interns like Jean-Michel Basquiat. The wide array of media, including painting, prints, photographs, quilts, ceramics, sculpture, and assemblage, is representative of the range of art-making workshops and learning activities that made up the curriculum over the years. Photographer Carmen de Jesus contributes photos from the Million Youth March, advocating youth empowerment while Milagros Batista created a handmade coat celebrating Black is Beautiful and the Grandassa Models.
Souleo, who’s been curating distinct Harlem art exhibits since 2012, says this project began three years ago when Blayton came to him with this concept to celebrate the many artists who came through the Arts Carnival program. “We wanted to highlight how the Art Carnival has transformed the many lives of those who participated in the program from teachers to students,” said Souleo. “Over the years, this program reflects a community connection and celebration of our children.” For information and visiting hours, visit childrensartcarnival.org.
What better recognition for a native son of East Harlem than a street named in his honor: Eddie Palmieri Way on East 112th Street and Park Avenue. The pianist and composer changed the groove of New York City and the world with his rich tone, flagrant trombones, singing flute, and melodic percussive beats, now known as “the Palmieri sound.” His Latin rhythms spoke to joy, passion, injustice, and hope.
The NEA Jazz Master, who transitioned in 2025, recorded over 40 albums. The recipient of 11 Grammy awards, he pioneered the Salsa movement; introduced the Latina singer La India to the music world; and shaped the sound of Latin jazz, expanding the spectrum of Afro-Caribbean music. “Having a street named for my father is such an honor for me and my family,” said Eydie Palmieri. “This is our culture, where we came from. La Marqueta is right down the block where my parents and the entire community shopped.” The Palmieri brothers are holding down the block where they were born. Eddie Palmieri Way is now officially linked to Charlie Palmieri Way (named in 2014).
The occasion was beaming with friends, fans, a host of politicians, and musicians paying tribute to one of the country’s most prolific Puerto Rican musicians. Devoted band members from his various ensembles performed as the Eddie Palmieri Experience Tribute Band and included Karen Joseph Flute, Nelson Gonzalez, Little Johnny Rivero, Ruben Rodriguez, Orlando Vega, Jimmy Bosch, and Donald Harrison Jr., who recorded five albums with the maestro. “People made me laugh out loud with all the experiences they shared with me about my dad,” said Eydie. “What I experienced on his special day was beyond words.”
In the late 1950s and early ‘60s, Latin music, mambo, and cha-cha were happening in the Black community, particularly in East Harlem and the Bronx, both then hotbeds for Latin music, and the home of many Latino musicians, including the Palmieris (who moved to the Bronx). In the Edenwald projects (home of Jerry and Andy Gonzalez, and Juan Rodriguez), carrying Eddie Palmieri and Miles Davis albums guaranteed instant hip status.
Going to see Eddie in the Bronx at the Concourse Plaza, Savoy Manor, or the Carlton Terrance, and downtown to Manhattan Center, Palladium, Corso, or Hotel Diplomat was a must. When his salsa anthem “Azucar par ti” (Tico Records 1965) came on, whether live or in the blue light party room, everyone rushed to the dance floor as if it was covered with 20-dollar bills. During our phone interview, Eydie noted how much Eddie loved “Azucar.” In 2009, the album was added to the United States National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress for being “culturally, aesthetically, or historically significant.”
“Our father’s passion was to perform — he loved teaching and mentoring others,” said Eydie. “This has been a tremendous year. He received the 2026 Trustees Grammy Award and now this, I know he’s smiling down on us, my family is so pleased.”d the 2026 Trustees Grammy Award and now this, I know he’s smiling down on us, my family is so pleased.”
