Sign up or log in to MY NTS and get personalised recommendations
FOOD Present “The Jazz Passengers” featuring Roy Nathanson
New York, 13.09.24
The Jazz Passengers loom large in the creative history of New York's Lower East
Side. In the 40-odd years since their founding, their uniquely downtown mission of
"cross-cultural exchange" has enlisted everyone from Jeff Buckley and Debbie Harry to Nick
Hakim and Onyx Collective. Their signature blend of avant-garde jazz, 80s funk, world music,
and 20th-century classical, coupled with lyrical provocations that range from the wistful and
tragic to the vaudevillian and absurd, is a snapshot of the frenetic, syncretic New York of
yesteryear: a living memory, a yearning we all have for something just out of reach. The Jazz
Passengers embody that same energy - the energy of a scene and style that they helped
create, and that has left an indelible mark on the culture of the city they call home.
Co-founder Curtis Fowlkes passed away in August of 2023 (his NYT obit is here, and worth a
read: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/12/arts/music/curtis-fowlkes-dead.html ); recorded
shortly before his death, Big Large: In Memory of Curtis Fowlkes is a heartfelt tribute by The
Jazz Passengers to their brother, a New York original – and it is imbued with all of the humor,
drama, swing, groove, and chaos that have been hallmarks of their work from day one.
FOOD is a label project founded by Isaiah Barr, Spencer Murphy, and Lucien Smith, and is
named in honor of FOOD, the legendary artist-run cafe of early-70s SoHo.
The Jazz Passengers loom large in the creative history of New York's Lower East
Side. In the 40-odd years since their founding, their uniquely downtown mission of
"cross-cultural exchange" has enlisted everyone from Jeff Buckley and Debbie Harry to Nick
Hakim and Onyx Collective. Their signature blend of avant-garde jazz, 80s funk, world music,
and 20th-century classical, coupled with lyrical provocations that range from the wistful and
tragic to the vaudevillian and absurd, is a snapshot of the frenetic, syncretic New York of
yesteryear: a living memory, a yearning we all have for something just out of reach. The Jazz
Passengers embody that same energy - the energy of a scene and style that they helped
create, and that has left an indelible mark on the culture of the city they call home.
Co-founder Curtis Fowlkes passed away in August of 2023 (his NYT obit is here, and worth a
read: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/12/arts/music/curtis-fowlkes-dead.html ); recorded
shortly before his death, Big Large: In Memory of Curtis Fowlkes is a heartfelt tribute by The
Jazz Passengers to their brother, a New York original – and it is imbued with all of the humor,
drama, swing, groove, and chaos that have been hallmarks of their work from day one.
FOOD is a label project founded by Isaiah Barr, Spencer Murphy, and Lucien Smith, and is
named in honor of FOOD, the legendary artist-run cafe of early-70s SoHo.
Roy Nathanson Instagram