Cory Henry and The Funk Apostles to open Black Sea Jazz Festival in Batumi
Cory Henry and The Funk Apostles will open the Black Sea Jazz Festival for the second time. Photo: coryhenrymusic.com.
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Grammy-winning songwriter and pianist Cory Henry and his fellow artists of The Funk Apostles will be the acts for the curtain-raising show of the Black Sea Jazz Festival in Georgia's coastline city of Batumi next week.
The widely acclaimed artist and band will arrive at the Batumi Tennis Club, tucked in the seaside boulevard of the city and transformed into a sunset location for jazz celebration every year, to lead the 13th edition of the event.
Bringing his keyboard talent to the Georgian event, Henry will look to delight listeners with a trademark show combining on-stage artistry and musical performance.
Winner of two Grammy Awards with the Snarky Puppy instrumental jazz-pop band, the R&B and soul performer traces his acquaintance with keyboard instruments to early childhood in Brooklyn, New York.
Sitting down at a church organ at the age of four, Henry is now lauded by critics including The Boston Globe, which said "if anyone’s going to preach the gospel of the Hammond organ, it should be Cory Henry."
The American will bring his band, involving Adam Agati, Nicholas Semrad, Sharay Reed and Taron Lockett, to the Batumi festival for the second time and a year following a release of their maiden extended play recording, The Art of Love.
The next evening the tennis court-turned jazz stage will host Dutch band Kraak & Smaak, known for their funk productions, and the only Georgian act of this year's event, MokuMoku.
The former will perform for the local and visiting crowds after releasing three recordings over the last three years, while the latter have gained wide popularity among Georgian listeners at festivals and club events.
Organisers have also booked Incognito, a British band celebrating four decades of performing history, to close the festival in the city. Celebrating their legacy of popular jazz-funk chart recordings and remixes, the group will bring their anniversary programme to music enthusiasts.
Sets by DJ Francis & MC Bluey and local artist DJ Machaidze will be an accompanying feature for the festival that has turned into one of two major jazz occasions in Georgia over the past decade or so.
This year's Black Sea Jazz Festival will run between July 18-20.
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