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DR. PAUL AUSTERLITZ AND THE VODOU HORN PRESENT THREE NEW VIDEOS
AT THE GREENWICH HOUSE SCHOOL OF MUSIC
Dr. Paul Austerlitz and the Vodou Horn will perform at the Greenwich House School of Music at 8 pm on Saturday, March 21, 2026. Calling upon decades of musical, cultural, and spiritual research, Dr. Austerlitz presents original jazz music inspired by ritual sounds from Haiti and the Dominican Republic, focusing on the unique sound of the bass clarinet.
The concert will celebrate the release of three new videos focusing on the dovetailing spiritual traditions of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. A solo for the rarely-heard contrabass clarinet, “Rainb Ow” presents refracted sound as a message from Danballah-Wedo, the prismatic spirit of serpentine regeneration in Haitian mysticism. “Underground Palo” fuses traditional Afro-Dominican ritual drumming with contemporary improvisation, combining wood-based timbres of bass clarinet and hand drumming. “Sabina Place” celebrates the euphoric atmosphere of Caribbean night-life.
The Vodou Horn features the Panamanian-American bassist Santi Debriano, who has played with jazz legends such as Pharoah Sanders, Randy Weston, and Joe Lovano. The band also presents Jean “Sky” Menesky, who possesses vast experience playing tradition Vodou drums at ritual events as well as with Haitian roots performers such as Manbo Riva. On piano and drum set, we present the fiery energy of Sungtaek Choo and Bryce Collins, two “young lions” on the contemporary jazz scene.
Reed player, composer, and ethnomusicologist Paul Austerlitz combines his background as an ethnomusicologist specializing in Afro-Caribbean music with his creative work as a musician. As an instrumentalist, Austerlitz plays bass and contrabass clarinets as well as tenor saxophone and other reed instruments. As a composer, he weds his backgrounds as a creative artist and ethnomusicologist, producing works incorporating music he researches, focusing on Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and the country of his birth, Finland. Dr. Austerlitz has shared the stage with Ed Blackwell, Julius Hemphill, Jimmy Knepper and other jazz luminaries. He has also played with the King of Merengue, Joseíto Mateo, and Haitian roots bands such as Foula. Austerlitz has taught ethnomusicology and Africana Studies at Brown University and Gettysburg College and written award-winning books such as Jazz Consciousness: Music, Race, and Humanity (2005, Wesleyan University Press) and Merengue: Dominican Music and Dominican Identity (1997, Temple University Press).
All are invited! 8 pm, Saturday, March 21, 2026, at the Greenwich House School of Music
46 Barrow Street, New York, NY. $20 at the door
“[Dr. Austerlitz] is about jazz, the bass clarinet and world music, and the precise points where they intersect in the universe...It's more than education, it's about opening up new parts of your brain and filling it with splendid noises that make your life more interesting.” -The Vinyl Anachronist
“Water Prayers for Bass Clarinet” is evidence of Austerlitz’s dazzling technique on an unforgiving instrument without ever selling the emotional intensity of the music short. -Raul da Gama
https://greenwichhouse.org/music-school/
https://www.paulausterlitz.org/
Please direct inquiries to Dr. Austerlitz at [email protected]
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Event Venue
Greenwich House Music School, 46 Barrow St,New York, New York, United States
Tickets
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