Burning Ambulance Virtual Festival Hits Jan. 1

By DownBeat I Dec. 28, 2021

William Parker is one of 20 artists slated to perform virtually at the Burning Ambulance Festival Jan. 1.
(Photo: Michael Jackson)

Burning Ambulance, the independent arts and culture hub launched in 2010 by writer Phil Freeman and artist I.A. Freeman, will kick off 2022 with a single-day event: an online streaming festival featuring exclusive performances by 20 of today’s most creative artists from jazz, modern classical, avant-garde improvised music and more.

“Burning Ambulance celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2020, and ever since we’ve been expanding our scope of operations,” said co-founder Phil Freeman. “We’ve evolved from just documenting the artists we love to working with them on ambitious projects that will bring adventurous music to a global audience of listeners.”

The Burning Ambulance Festival will stream live on Jan. 1 beginning at 12 noon EST on the Burning Ambulance Music Bandcamp web page. Tickets are $20, and ticket buyers will be able to stream the festival for an additional two days after the premiere. Each ticket will also entitle the purchaser to a download of the label’s first release, 2020’s Eyes Shut, Ears Open: A Burning Ambulance Compilation.

The confirmed lineup for the 2022 Burning Ambulance Festival is as follows, with a running order to be determined and additional artists to be announced:

• Saxophonist Rodrigo Amado (Portugal)

• Saxophonist Muriel Grossmann (Austria)

• Pianist Karin Johansson (Sweden)

• Organist Susanne Kujala (Finland)

• Drummer Simo Laihonen (Finland)

• Saxophonist José Lencastre (Portugal) with João Almeida, Clara Lai, Gonçalo Almeida, João Lencastre

• Massacre (Anton Pomonarev, saxophone; Anton Obrazeena, guitar) (Russia)

• Cornet player Rob Mazurek (USA)

• Trombonist Peter McEachern (USA) with Mike Sarin

• Guitarist Ava Mendoza (USA)

• Drummer Gard Nilssen (Norway) with André Roligheten, Petter Eldh

• Bassist William Parker (USA)