Greenpoint is home to a variety of musical genres, but one is consistently and conspicuously missing: hip-hop. The PitchBlak Brass Band’s year-long monthly residency at Manhattan Inn (632 Manhattan Ave) will bring a rapturous shift. Led by Chanell Crichlow, the PitchBlak Brass Band is comprised of tubas, trumpets, saxophones and other instruments not traditionally associated with hip-hop, but they have created the high-voltage hip-hop PitchBlak Playlist.
Each month, the PitchBlak Brass Band will collaborate with a hip-hop artist, emerging or established, to “challenge audience members to rethink, refocus and redefine the ever-evolving landscape of hip-hop through an evening of flows, grooves and good vibes.” February’s playlist will feature the highly-acclaimed MC / DJ / beatboxer / educator, Rabbi Darkside (Sunday, February 28 at 8:00 p.m., free).
Courtesy of Nandi Rose Plunkett. An image of Frida Kahlo taped to Plunkett’s door from neighbor Emily Chapman.
Two weeks ago, Nandi Rose Plunkett of spectral pop Half Waif and Johanna Cranitch of synth-pop White Prism returned to Plunkett’s apartment in Crown Heights with iced teas in hand to find an image of Frida Kahlo taped to the door. On the back was a message from a neighbor, Emily Chapman, whom Plunkett had never met. Chapman had been working from home and heard a song Plunkett and Cranitch were performing. She wanted to know how she could buy it.
Cranitch and Plunkett had only just met in person for the first time earlier that day. The song they had been playing and singing was freshly written in preparation for their collaboration for The Hum, where the song would likely be publicly shared for the first and only time. This is the magic of the popular series – seasoned musicians coming together to work on new material to create a truly special experience.
See The Hum, Hypnocraft’s carefully curated first-time collaborations between musicians across different genres, at Manhattan Inn(632 Manhattan Ave) beginning at 9:00 pm every Monday night in October.
Cultural innovator Rachael Pazdan, founder of Brooklyn-based HYPNOCRAFT, has been organizing artistically interdisciplinary performances at a grassroots level since she was a 19-year-old SUNY Purchase College student.
Her latest project is a monthly residency called At the Inn. She also curated The Hum, the popular, hypnotic series, back in April.
People spill out of seats, onto steps and out through the doorframe of the back room of the Manhattan Inn. Lights low, tables topped with candlelight, the dark wooden room is warm and intimate. The gorgeous white baby grand is in its usual position under the chandelier draped with cascading moss. But every Monday night in April, it shares the spotlight with instruments like the saxophone, violin, harp and drums, setting the stage for The Hum. Continue reading →
Greenpoint is home to a variety of musical genres, but one is consistently and conspicuously missing: hip-hop. The PitchBlak Brass Band’s year-long monthly residency at Manhattan Inn (632 Manhattan Ave) will bring a rapturous shift. Led by Chanell Crichlow, the PitchBlak Brass Band is comprised of tubas, trumpets, saxophones and other instruments not traditionally associated with hip-hop, but they have created the high-voltage hip-hop PitchBlak Playlist.
