As we near Buskerfest Miami 2016, we thought it time to share some developments that have happened between our annual festivals. Those of you who have joined us before know that the festival passport is a powerful piece of paper. It entitles you to promotional discounts at a bunch of excellent downtown businesses, it acts as your entry ticket for the free raffle that is held at the wrap-up show (don’t forget to turn yours in!), but it is also an opportunity for you to vote for your favorite performer. The top three acts selected by the attendees are rewarded with really fantastic prizes including recording studio time at the New World Symphony’s building on Miami Beach and a recording block with DJ Le Spam in his all-analog studio, City of Progress.

In 2014, the attendees chose the GPS Quintet – a group of five high-school students who dazzled the crowd with their take on jazz standards outside of Elwoods Pub. Drummer and bandleader, Daniel Mesko, has since moved on to study jazz performance in college, but we were fortunate enough to reassemble GPS at the New World Symphony in the Summer of 2015 to record a number of tracks with Director of Audio Services, Roberto Toledo. Today, we are happy to share those recordings with you! While GPS may no longer be playing together, we can continue to enjoy their music thanks to these excellent recordings.

 

In 2015, Buskerfans selected TRAD305, a project of wind player, Damian Sanchez. Damian is a stalwart of the Miami Music scene. You can find him performing at a number of venues on any given week or sitting in with other prominent artists – lucky us, since he is an incredible musician and performer who is constantly pushing jazz forward in Miami. With the help of DJ Le Spam and City of Progress, Damian recently completed production on his debut album “Sessions 33 1/3.” We invite you to join us this Saturday, December 3rd, at 305 Brews for the official CD release party, featuring a live (FREE) performance at 8pm. In Damian’s own words: “this debut album serves as a global jazz revue, a little bit of everything for everybody,” says Sanchez. “It captures all the different periods of jazz, while establishing a new and singular voice in this music through original compositions, and our unique ‘genre-crossing’ technique.” In other words, the release is an attempt to survey the entire history of jazz in one compilation, from beginning to end.

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Who will win recording time this year? You can help decide by attending Buskerfest Miami 2016 on December 9 and voting for your favorite act of the night. See you in the street!

Much Love,

The Buskerfest Fam

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