This performance will run approximately 90 minutes, with no intermission.

New Jazz Underground, an American trio, has been described as “an innovative and ultra-creative collective striving to establish themselves as a defining voice for the genre of Jazz and beyond.” Their music signals a merging of traditional sensibilities in Jazz with the modern influence of swing, hip-hop, house/Afrobeat, and Afro-cuban music. Listeners were introduced to the trio’s undeniably fresh sound through viral videos of the band performing in their living room. Millions viewed videos such as: “they can hate but we still swingin’,” “f**k/s**t/c**t/jazz,” “sad boy jazz,” as well as many others featuring the band's exuberant chemistry, effortless musicality, and raw ambition in sound.

Abdias Armenteros (Saxophonist/Composer, 25), Sebastian Rios (Bassist/Composer, 27), and TJ Reddick (Drummer, 25) have each been lauded as some of Jazz's most promising young artists in their own right. After meeting while they were students at The Juilliard School, the trio began playing in the parks of NYC during lockdown in 2020. They shortly began posting to their YouTube channel, that has since grown to over 85k+ subscribers. Releases such as “MF Doom Suite,” “Harlem to Havana,” and “cook/swing/work/relax” fully demonstrate the trio's reverence towards Jazz's icons, yet still contend in a vision to establish their own voice in the expression of new sounds that transcend genre lines.

New Jazz Underground is the 2023 DCJazzPrix™ Winner. Rios is a 2024 ASCAP Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Award Winner. Both Reddick (BM’ 20) and Armenteros (MM’ 22) are Juillard School Graduates. Armenteros is the youngest member of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis. Reddick and Rios have played as sidemen for the likes of Jon Batiste, Sullivan Fortner, Emmet Cohen, and ELEW, among many more. Rios is a long-time student of the legendary bassist, Ron Carter.

The trio not only performs but boasts their composition and production skills across a variety of mediums. Rios was a featured composer for the 2019 “New Dances,” the first-ever collaboration between the Jazz and Dance divisions at The Juilliard School. He was also commissioned by Jazz at Lincoln Center to write a Suite to be performed by the trio at the 2023 Caramoor Jazz Fest. Rios’ compositions for the collective bring forth each member’s sound in a way that transcends the sum of their individual efforts. These gestures of collective musical identity are made real through the vehicle of composition tailored to each member’s unbridled talent, inspiring skill set, and transformative emotion.

Creating a new standard for Jazz presentation through their online videos, New Jazz Underground has blazed a path for young Jazz musicians in the modern music landscape. Each video is produced independently; all video and music production are done in-house. Their videos attract millions of music fans through their seemingly clickbait presentation. However, when audiences click, they are met with an authentic musical expression steeped in both modernism and tradition that provides a soulful perspective to a deeper world of music. Listeners who wouldn’t normally enjoy Jazz are brought into the music creatively through young artists who are dedicating their lives to its legacy and promise of new creative paths.

NJU has a keen interest in helping students, not much younger than themselves, to develop a deeper understanding of Jazz music and the elements surrounding the creative process. Armenteros, Rios, and Reddick each have their own student studios as well as years of experience teaching students from middle school through college in topics such as Jazz history, theory, and application. Rios developed the program, “Creative Video in Modern Music,” to teach intermediate to advanced Jazz students to produce their own music and have a better understanding of the modern media landscape.

Dynamic and powerful performers, New Jazz Underground possesses far-reaching talents that are re-energizing the contemporary music world from the inside out. They dedicate themselves to the music continually and serve as a burgeoning benchmark for the future of Jazz to come.

Solo Acts
$6.00 Each or 4 for $20

Empire State (GF): Fiery MSU Pork – Baby Romaine – Street Corn – Cotija – Ancho Aioli
NY Minute (GF Available): Open-Faced Cracked Wheat – Roasted Asparagus – Burrata – Crisp Prosciutto
Big Apple (GF Available): Everything Slider – Blackened MSU Strip – Arugula – Blackberry Dressing – Pickled Mushrooms
Pizza Pie (V): Ricotta Spinach – Roast Artichoke – Fried caper – Grilled Pepper – Basil

Ensembles
$12 Each or 2 for $20

Katz Board (Comes with Items below):
(GF) – Corned Beef, Pastrami, Sabrett
(GF/V) – Swiss, Gorgonzola, Pecorino
(GF/V) – Spicy Mustard, Slaw, Pushcart Pearl Onions
(V)- Griddled Marble, Pumpernickel Toast, Grilled Bun

Three Octaves: 24-layer Lasagna al Sugo.; Choice of: Bolognese + Formaggio or Funghi + Formaggio (V).; With Fresh Baked Focaccia

Desserts
$8 each

Soho (V): Guava and Orange Blossom Cronut – Creamsicle Ganache
West Village (GF/VG): Brownie – Caramelized Bananas – Mint Whip

Cocktail
$15

Miles of Style – Short’s Soft Parade Vodka, Long Road Cranberry Liqueur, Ginger Beer

Mocktail
$12

Blue Note – Butterfly Pea, Lemon, Sparkling Lime and Yuzu