Speaking of Sweetback we’ve just heard from Mr. Melvin Van Peebles that a 52-minute documentary shot by Mr. Samuel Thiebaut and containing cast interviews, BRIC residency footage, and excerpts from the two-night’s performances at the Maison des arts de Creteil in Paris will air on ARTE/MEZZO in June.

But back to the hear and now, it’s going to be a multiple-personality throw-down at Southpaw this Thursday with our esteemed Master Blaster, Greg Tate, over on the Left Coast, this hit will have Flip, Karma, Bruce and Mikel handling the conduction chores.  It’ll present a rare chance to witness all the different personalities and textures the Arkestra Chamber can present at the flick of a gesture.  Be a witness.  Ya Heard!

Dedicated to the memory of the souls lost and to the survival and rebirth of Haiti and her people, the album is a free download offered in exchange for your donation to the Haitian aid organization Zanmi Las­ante (Partners in Health).

Musical contributions by: Satch Hoyt, Micah Gaugh, The Perfect Man-Dave ‘Smoota’ Smith (feat. Secretary), Brazz Tree, Maya Azucena, Moist Paula Henderson, The Citizens, ISWHAT, Dayton Flic, Jeremiah, Will Martina, Bruce Mack, Meret Koehler, The Avram Fefer Trio, Ladell Mclin and Swiss Chris, Moisturizer, The Destruction of Black Civilization, BT3 and Burnt Sugar the Arkestra Chamber.

We understand that there are many of you without the means to make a financial contribution, please enjoy the music and do your part by sharing the campaign with your friends and family.

Download the liner notes here

Visit this page to download the album (it’s a double disc — be sure to grab both discs!)

Please support our fund-raising efforts for Partners in Health here

No amount is too small to make a difference.

Learn more about Zanmi Las­ante (Partners in Health) here

Thank you !

Many thanks and a HUGE shout out to Brooklyn Independent Television, a community media program of BRIC Arts | Media | Bklyn !

Check them out here

The story includes audio excerpts of the interview.

Check it out here at  NY Times Online

Burnt Sugar the Arkestra Chamber brings our genre-bending live show to York College’s Performing Art Center in Queens on Friday, November 13th & The World Famous Blue Note in Manhattan on Monday, November 16th.

Witness the next step in the evolution of The Arkestra Chamber as “Pass the Baton” makes its NYC area debut at York College’s Performing Art Center on Friday, November 13.

Road tested (and Burnt Sugar approved) in Chicago, Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware; “Pass the Baton” is Greg Tate’s latest Burnt Sugar brain-child. With the pass of a baton, Conduction duties are shared between members of the band. The result is a dynamic multi flavored performance as each conductor adds their flavor to the pot.

During this performance, the baton will be passed between Lewis “Flip” Barnes, Karma Mayet Johnson, Micah Gaugh and Mikel Banks.

On Monday, November 16, Burnt Sugar returns to The Blue Note NYC for 2 evening performances conducted by Greg Tate.

We hope you’ll come out both nights and experience the groovacious funk-a-fied versatility of the Arkestra Chamber. — As it’s been said,  Burnt Sugar never plays a song the same way once.

With the Autumn weather chill in full effect (and our last Manhattan show being on the sold-out tip), we advise you to buy your tickets in advance and walk right though the door.

And that leads up to what we are up to this coming Sunday and Monday!!.…

SUNDAY(10/18):
Join us for A Bashir Project feat live performances by Jamila Raegan, Burnt Sugar, and DJ WAJEED
A Bashir Project is the launch of a FUNdraising campaign for Bashir Oliver, a child with multiple disabilities, including Autism. Spear headed and supported by allied communities of artists and activists invested in the future of this beautiful boy. Proceeds from this event will be used to assist payment of Bashir’s education, medical necessities, and special needs not met by the Department of Education or Medicaid.

Date: Sunday, October 18th 2009
Doors: 7:00pm — (show starts ’round 8pm)
Venue: Littlefield Performance & Art Space
www.littlefieldnyc.com
Brook lyn NYC, NY
Address: 622 Degraw Street  (between 3rd and 4th Avenue  –in the Gowanus).
venue phone: 781–855‑3388
Admis sion: $7.00
all ages
Advanced tickets: here
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MONDAY (10/19):
Interactive Cell-Structure Sessions feat Marque Gilmore, Mikel Banks, Greg Tate, Burnt Sugar
PRESENTED BY Marque Gilmore & DRUM FM

From the Cre ator of the World’s 1st Inter active Live Jungle/DnB Club comes “Interactive Cell-Structure Sessions” featuring Marque Gilmore the inna-most (BK/UK) and Mikel Banks da “Spirit-Hood” (Dust bin Broth ers). With special guests Greg Tate + members of Burnt Sugar & surprise 12th Planet Funka­teers! A sonic exploration into the sub-atomic structure of reality and Funque… A full-spectrum Ancestral analysis of Black-Electric progression in a DRUM-FM “Interactive Tribalistic Session”.

(Big ups and welcome back to Marque Gilmore, our brother from Brooklyn & Stockholm, London and South East UK)

Date: Mon day, October 19th 2009
Doors: 7:00pm (show starts ’round 8pm)
Venue: Littlefield Performance & Art Space
www.littlefieldnyc.com
City: Brook lyn NYC, NY
Address: 622 Degraw Street  (between 3rd and 4th Avenue  –in the Gowanus).
Venue phone: 781–855‑3388
Admis sion: $10.00
Age restric tions: 21+
Advanced tickets here
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Terri’s Music Blog - Tuesday, August 25, 2009 — Burnt Sugar @ Joe’s Pub 8/22/09
“I walked up at 9:30 (showtime) and bought a ticket. The band was still getting situated and didn’t start until about 9:45 — 9:50. There were so many of them, something like 17–20 musicians. The 2 keyboards had to be on the floor, by the stage. There was a segment when the trombone player was standing offstage, behind the curtain, and playing the trombone through the curtain, effectively onstage. That’s how crowded it was up there.

And it was off the hook. From start to finish, fabulous. It was tight in the crowd, too. I didn’t know if I was going to be able to stay at first. I was feeling claustrophobic. They shouldn’t have had the stools at the bar. But once the music started, there was no prying me out of there. It was incredible. That huge ensemble really put it out until they had to get off the stage at 11. I have to make a point of seeing them more often. That’s how I left, wanting more, more, more.“
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What more can a musician ask for on a gig than good food, good music and respect?  The crew this ’round was Greg Tate, Trevor Holder, Jared Nickerson, Moist Paula Henderson, Mazz Swift, Dave Smith, Ben Tyree, Yours Truly… and our lovely road manager — LaRonda Davis.

The respect of Burnt Sugar weighed nothing against the honor of corn!  I thought there was a shortage of corn in Canada the way folk lined up for roasted corn on the cob and corn soup at a vendor near our tent. I mentioned to several people how I would have parboiled them jokers, threw some spice on then put them over some hardwood charcoal for a grill-finish… whew-buddy!
But of course it would have not been the same and that is why I would not have had the line my brethren did at their spot… the connoisseur knew better… and more power to the vendors who did as well!

Other than that, it was Burnt Sugar in the morning (workshop) and Burnt Sugar in the evening (kickin’ it live and off the top of the dome) in the Brigantine Room.

We had a good ol’ time and musical experimentation was at a high other than the moment we slipped into “Shake Your Body Down (To the Ground)” 2-thirds into the hour & 1/2 set the 1st night we played in Toronto and our conductor, Mr. Greg Tate even put a spin on that, having violinist Mazz Swift riff on the string parts and sing only part of the lyrics after he, for 5 minutes or so teased the audience with various Michael Jackson samples on his laptop segued by some romantic piano passages totally unrelated to MJ’s music. BRILLIANT! There’s a lot to be said about building ideas on a regular stage in the same room under the conditions previously mentioned.…(even though it was only 2 nights).

The challenge becomes that of the audience and familiarity could never breed contempt amongst Burnt Sugar people… and I say that with love for our audience.  So yes, it was fresh every time we hit the stage and hopefully we inspired a few souls!  Oh, did I mention we held workshops also?   The workshops were a joy too!   It went something like this: A few musicians got word we were doing workshops “up norf” in the early afternoon of Sunday and Monday, and joined us at the bay.

There was a mandolinist, a bassoonist, a Gu zhenge (Chinese zither) player, a percussionist/keyboardist and a vocalist.   Greg invited them on stage along with their instruments to help us create a brew for the teaching…, then he broke down the science of conduction while the audience listened…  the  band displayed some musical ideas that Greg began to shape with his baton and there we were with a new configuration of sound!  Now, there was no way we were leaving that happy-smiling audience of love out of the fun on this beautiful afternoon!

This was our chance to create a small city of northern cacophony caramelized by the “Sugar… So Greg granted me the baton and I took the pleasure of including and facilitating the surrounding audience in Burnt Sugar madness… I indoctrinated them into the band through a brief explanation of what we are, the elements we draw from (by having the band play several styles of music in the purest form possible) and how they could add, subtract and apply themselves to this mad math called Conduction!  I got them chanting, singing, doing call & response, yelling, beat-boxing, you name it…!  Cued them in and out, played with the space Greg and the band created and sweat like crazy!

As you can imagine, kids are brave but initially shy… so when they open up they often express themselves with the all encompassing SCREAM!!!  I heard that portion was a bit unbearable for some band members… and I’ll take the blame for that… next time I’ll pull back on that mic… sorry guys.  Like John Lee Hooker said: “they got to get it out”.   After a few moments, several adults in the crowd began to raise their hands to get my attention so they could spew some new found ideas in the microphone I was holding… one cat blew some sweet notes into a bottle and there was this little girl who walked and ran with me because she kept coming up with ideas and was loving the rhythm of the band!  She was great!

Oh yeah baby, hot fun at the end of summertime is what it was! Folks laid out on the grass with their kids crawling on them, trying to sing with mouths full of veggie hot dogs dripping condiments in their laps, kids trying to scat but end up spitting into the mic, I move to the next inspired individual who wants the mic… so I wipe it on my shirt under my arm because I know they just saw that other kid spit all over it…, meantime, some mysterious lady from somewhere in the caribbean has been holding her hand out for the mic because she has a musical idea she wants to share with the world… yeah, they were carmelizin’ in the sun on the most magnificent astro turf that side of the NFL has ever seen!  If I may say so, I think we sort-a set things off on Sunday and Monday!

The festival itself drew love… I never saw a festival with so many couples and families all hugged up, no drama and enjoying the music like this… They could’ve called this the Hot & Spicy Love Festival! Right on to the festival organizers at the Harbour Front in Toronto! You made it lovely!

I must admit, I am a fan of the northern climate and I wonder if there are others in my family who like it “up norf”…I ask because they’re from the south… Lol!  Oh well, I love it!  What can I say!?  When we trek north I get all warm inside!  I grew up in New York City and I guess I’m one who feels I must practice life in the harshest conditions to enjoy life in the (deceptively) mildest. Can you complete this compound word — BULL…!?   I just want the freshest trout I can get my hands on, a view of a great lake or ocean which offers a sense of freedom and the feeling that nature is on my side!  So, yeah, baby!  I get caramelized up north, Burnt Sugar style.

- B. Mack

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Paul Linzy Johnson, the brain behind this new live internet tv show, “Neworld Millennium Nation,” is proud to announce that Burnt Sugar the Arkestra Chamber to kick off ( it is football season… ) this new web endeavor. It will be at the Henry Street Settlement Recital Hall on the 19th and from what we’ve been told, on the web soon after. so be on the look-out for that!

While at the Guelph Jazz Festival, Greg Tate will also conduct a workshop entitled “Induction, Deduction, Conduction: Approaches to Structured Improvisation.” Greg will give a demonstration on his version of Butch Morris’s “Conduction Theory” with Lewis “Flip” Barnes Jr., Paula Henderson, Jared Michael Nickerson, Stephen Lyons, JP Carter, Jesse Zubot, Hidayat Honari, Gordon Grdina, Neelamjit Dhillon, Hamin Honari, Satoko Fujii, Natsuki Tamura, Han Bennink, Wolter Wierbos, Mary Oliver, Michael Moore musically interpreting his baton strokes.

Up in Harlem on the 21st and the Sugar is amped to be in the mix on this event, and we appreciate Kim Knox for inviting us. Here’s how it’s going to play out at the Harlem Stage Gatehouse. As part of a three-act series, Act I: Let There Be House/House Deconstructed will be a journey through the matrix that is house music. Reigning DJ’s Reborn, Selly, Moni & shErOck will play individual sets and together as a DJ orchestra and then to close the set there will be a live music house set by Burnt Sugar the Arkestra Chamber, conducted by Greg Tate, with special guest vocalists Lady Alma and Imani Uzuri. A one time event for sure, so be there!!

Choreographers Gabri Christa and Niles Ford continue to nurture a relationship with Burnt Sugar that goes back to 1992 when we did Central Park Summerstage together. This time we’ll get together to turn out PS 122 for four nights from the 1st to the 4th.