Toshi Reagon with BIGLovely and Friends

Rock, blues, R&B, Folk, and Funk

Thursday, Nov 2 @ 8pm | 2017

The East Plaza

Past Event

Rock, blues, R&B, folk, and funk. Gather under the stars for an epic musical celebration.

Toshi Reagon’s expansive vision of sonic Americana inspires audiences with BIGLovely’s big-hearted, hold-nothing-back approach to rock, blues, R&B, folk, and funk.

Get a taste of what is in store – video credit Joe’s Pub NYC

Toshi Reagon returns to the capital with BIGLovely and Friends for a big-hearted, hold-nothing-back musical celebration.
Join us under the stars for a rock’n’roller coaster ride featuring a NYC all-star lineup that promises to keep you cheering. This is a one night only, not to be missed concert.

Featuring Tariq al-Sabir, Morley, Josette Newsam-Marchak, and Shayna Small, from the cast of Octavia E. Butler’s Parable of the Sower.

Since first taking to the stage at age 17, this versatile singer-songwriter-guitarist has moved audiences of all. The New York Times described her blend as “…a love of mixing things up…[her] vocal style ranges from a dirty blues moan to a gospel shout to an ethereal croon.” Her live performances, in particular, aren’t just accessible; they’re irresistible. And Toshi Reagon loves her audiences. Leading her renowned band–BIGLovely, launched in 1996–she instantly connects, inspires and empowers.

Toshi Reagon is a talented and versatile singer, composer, musician, curator and producer with a profound ear for sonic Americana—from folk to funk, from blues to rock. While her expansive career has landed her at Carnegie Hall, the Paris Opera House and Madison Square Garden, you can just as easily find Toshi turning out at a music festival, intimate venue or local club. She has collaborated with many artists including Carl Hancock Rux, Ani DiFranco, Lenny Kravitz, Elvis Costello and Nona Hendryx. As a composer, she has worked with Katori Hall, Urban Bush Women and The Jane Comfort Dance Co., among others. She is currently touring Bessie Award-winning The Blues Project with tap dancer Michelle Dorrance and Dorrance Dance. She founded WORD*ROCK*&SWORD, a community festival that takes place throughout New York City every September. Together with her mother Bernice Johnson Reagon, she has created two operas with director Robert Wilson, The Temptation of St. Anthony and Zinnias, The Life of Clementine Hunter. Toshi co-composed music for two Peabody Award-winning films and received a NYFA Award for Music Composition, the 2010 OutMusic Heritage Award and The Black Lily Music and Film Festival Award for Outstanding Performance. She is a National Women’s History Month honoree and was named a 2015 Art of Change Fellow by the Ford Foundation.

Vocalist and composer Tariq Al-Sabir has been described as a “boundless talent” by Baltimore’s City Hall, and the Baltimore Examiner dubbed him “a rising musical mastermind.” Tariq was recently featured on TEDxMidAtlantic, premiering original music and lecturing on interdisciplinary arts work.

Morley is a singer and songwriter who uses music as a tool for conflict resolution when working with youth. She has released five original recordings under the auspices of Sony, Universal, and Independently. This spring, she releases her sixth album, Thousand Miles (co-produced by Ken Rich & Toshi Reagon). “Morley pushes for peace building through music.” – NPR

Singer, arranger, and playwright Josette Newsam-Marchak is a New York native, who has had the opportunity to perform in many amazing television, film and theater productions with a host of celebrities. She currently works alongside her husband, guitarist Aron Marchak, as musical director in their ministry.

Shayna Small is an actress, singer and teaching artist. Her work has taken her to The Huntington, The Public, Signature Theater, NYU Abu Dhabi Arts Center, Lesser America, The Kennedy Center, The DC Jazz Fest, Les Poisson Rouge, Rockwood Stage, SNL, Joe’s Pub, The Eugene O’Neill Playwright Festival, and CenterStage. She is currently an arts ambassador for the Boys’ and Girls’ Club of Greater Washington and teaches movement at the Stella Adler Conservatory. She holds a BFA in Drama from The Juilliard School.

Event Info

Food trucks will serving a variety of delicious bites. Come hungry.

Food trucks are brought to you by The Foodsters

Described by Vibe magazine as “One helluva rock’n’roller-coaster ride” and by Pop Matters as “a treasure waiting to be found,” Toshi Reagon is a one-woman celebration of all that’s dynamic, progressive and uplifting in American music.”

Off The Stage

Dance Workshop
Saturday, Nov 4 @ 2pm –
Click here for more info.

Singing Workshop
Saturday, Nov 4 @ 4:30pm –
Click here for more info.

Instrumental Workshop
Saturday, Nov 4 @ 4:30pm -
Click here for more info.