Festivals
Absolutely Live Entertainment's Danny Melnick and Tracy Reid have extensive histories of producing and presenting music festivals. Currently ALE partners with Saratoga Performing Arts Center to produce the Freihofer's Saratoga Jazz Festival in Saratoga Springs, which celebrates it's 36th anniversary on June 29 & 30. The festival presents the best names in jazz, R&B, Latin and world music. In August 2011, Danny Melnick was personally chosen by Newport Jazz Festival founder and producer, George Wein, to return to Newport and serve as Associate Producer for the Newport Jazz Festival.
As veteran employees of George Wein's company, Festival Productions, Inc. in New York, Melnick & Reid helped to produce and present JVC Jazz Festivals in New York and Newport, the Newport Folk Festival, the Bermuda Music Festival, and the Verizon Music Festivals, among others. Melnick produced the Mellon Jazz Festivals in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, the Boston Globe Jazz Festival and served as Artistic Director of the Newport Jazz 50th Anniversary Festival in 2004.
They bring further experience to the table having worked on many of the largest festivals in the country (New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Essence Music Festival, Sundance Film Festival, DelFest, et al) and with countless partners, municipalities and sponsors.
All told, our team has helped to create and produce over 100 festivals in Europe, Japan and the US.
Tour Promotion
Absolutely Live Entertainment produces originally conceived concert tours and manages them for artists, agencies and sponsors. We produce profitable tours from "soup to nuts", professionally handling all aspects of the project including sponsorship management, finance, travel, media relations, promotion, merchandising and box office operations.
ALE, along with Boston-based booking agency, Ted Kurland Associates, is currently routing dates for a night in Treme, the Musical Majesty of New Orleans, featuring Donald Harrison, Jr., Soul Rebels Brass Band, Cyril Neville, Glen David Andrews, Ivan Neville, James "12" Andrews, Dr. Michael White, Big Sam Williams, and a host of other fabulous New Orleans musicians.
ALE just completed producing the Montery Jazz Festival's 55th Anniversary Tour featuring Dee Dee Bridgewater, Christian McBride, Chris Potter, Ambrose Akinmusire, Benny Green and Lewis Nash. In 2014, ALE will produce the "Newport Jazz Festival: Now 60" tour featuring Anat Cohen, Karrin Allyson, Randy Brecker, Mark Whitfield, Peter Marin, Larry Grenadier & Clarence Penn.
Other ALE tours of note include Danilo Perez's Things to Come: 21st Century Dizzy 2010 tour, which dazzled audiences with its all star lineup, and pan-global collaborations; The Blue Note 7 tour of 2009, featuring Peter Bernstein, Ravi Coltrane, Lewis Nash, Nicholas Payton, Peter Washington and Steve Wilson, and musically directed by Bill Charlap, paid tribute to Blue Note Records' 70th anniversary, with a North American tour spanning four months, and a critically lauded CD recording, The Blue Note 7: Mosaic. Jimmy Cobb & The So What Band's Kind of Blue @ 50 tour took the band around the globe, paying tribute to one of the greatest jazz recordings of all time, Miles Davis' Kind of Blue.
Artist Management
Danny and Tracy have worked in the music business for over 50 years, collectively, and have never managed an artist, until now.
Consistently heralded by critics as one of the most original composers in his field, alto saxophonist RUDRESH MAHANTHAPPA’s prolific contributions to contemporary jazz have earned him a Guggenheim Fellowship, commissions to create new work from the likes of the Rockefeller Foundation MAP Fund, Chamber Music America and the American Composers Forum, and a win in the 2011 Downbeat International Critics Poll. His rare ability to synthesize South Indian music concepts with a seemingly boundless range of unexpected influences frequently characterizes him as one of the most important artists in music today -- a distinction the Jazz Journalists Association recently echoed by naming him Alto Saxophonist of the Year FIVE consecutive times from 2009-2013. Rudresh was one of 20 recipients of the 2013 Doris Duke Performing Artist Award, one of the largest and most important arts awards in the world.
But accolades aside, it’s what the New Yorker has called Rudresh’s “visceral tone and grab-you-by-the-collar attack” that’s driven new, international audiences to his performances. NPR, the Los Angeles Times, the Village Voice, the Boston Globe, JazzTimes and other publications have hailed the rhythmic dynamism and exuberant ensemble interaction sparked by his groups. Though the formats vary widely, Rudresh’s purpose shines through them all.
Rudresh's new project, Gamak, is out now on ACT music + vision and he is touring the world with his band featuring double-neck guitarist David “Fuze” Fiuczynski. Rudresh is booked by the one of the most prominent agencies in jazz, Ted Kurland Associates - agents@tedkurland.com
More information can be found at http://rudreshm.com
Event Production
Absolutely Live Entertainment can produce any type of event, from corporate to private, from theaters to outdoor concerts or small gatherings. We have expertise with event budgeting, staffing, infrastructure, ticketing, site design, staging, scheduling, logistics, and more.
Two unique events ALE managed recently were Louis, A Silent Film at the Apollo Theatre, which featured the Wynton Marsalis Ensemble and pianist Cecile Licad performing live to Dan Pritzker's homage to Louis Armstrong; and James Frey's New York City Bright, Shiny Morning book release blow-out party at the Gramercy Theatre.
The Brubeck family greatly honored us by selecting us to produce Dave Brubeck's memorial celebration on Saturday, May 11, 2013 (4pm) at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. This event will celebrate the amazing life of Dave Brubeck and is open to the public.
Concert Presentation
Absolutely Live Entertainment has presented numerous concerts since it's founding in 2007. We have strong and extensive venue relationships and have proven to be a dedicated promoter for many artists in New York City and in Boston.
Recent presentations include Jon Anderson (The Voice of YES) at the Somerville Theatre, A Celebration of Kate McGarrigle at New York's Town Hall, the Iranian folk singer, Sima Bina, the worldwide exclusive reunion of Pee Wee Ellis, Fred Wesley and Maceo Parker, Jean Pierre Magnet y Serenata de los Andes, and the Wainwright/McGarrigle Family Christmas Concert. ALE served as consulting producer of Chicago Orchestra Hall's United Sounds of America series - six unique concerts celebrating the musical heritage of different American cities, which took place in June, 2011. Additionally, Danny Melnick has curated "The Shape of Jazz" series at Carnegie Hall's Zankel Hall since 2003.
Since our inception, Absolutely Live Entertainment is proud to have presented Kodo Drummers of Japan, Wayne Shorter Quartet, Keith Jarrett (solo & trio), AfroCubism, Sonny Rollins, Gary Burton Quartet with Pat Metheny, Iranian Sounds of Peace: Rumi Symphony Project, the Canadian Brass, Afro-Cuban All Stars, among many others.