By Ernest Barteldes
Gilles Peterson + Quantic +
Afrika Bambaataa
Central Park Summerstage
New York, NY
August 8, 2015
I’ve never quite understood the point of featuring DJs at Summertage in Central Park. I say this meaning no disrespect to the profession – I actually think that a good DJ can sometimes be even more entertaining than a band at times, but the atmosphere has to be right. At the Rumsey Playfield they are doing their thing in the middle of the day, when most clubbers are not even thinking about heading out. I understand having one at hand to warm up the crowd for a musical act, as DJ Greg Caz did a couple of years back when Bebel Gilberto was featured as part of the Brazil Summerfest Festival.
There was a celebratory mood at Summerstage when Renata and I arrived – the evening was promoted by Giant Step, the former label that now concentrates on event promotion and marketing. DJ Quantic was at the booth doing a mix of Latin, pop and even a few New Orleans-inspired cuts (specifically a brass version of Marvin Gaye’s “Sexual Healing”) Most of the fans were clearly there for the headliners Afrika Bambattaa, but they followed the music attentively.
Having nothing but a guy on the booth in the middle of the stage makes the stage feel a bit empty – I mean, this is a space that usually holds as many as 20 people. Sure, the music was quite intriguing but I did feel a lack of energy there.
Gilles Peterson soon followed and did a more uptempo set that included some Brazilian tunes with a concentration on psychedelic sounds. He had more of an upbeat groove and got the audience moving quite quickly – he got people moving with his smart selection.
Afrika Bambaataa (born Kevin Donovan) was clearly more successful than the other two – he came on with several folks on stage that got things jumping – while he manned the equipment, rappers did their thing enticing the crowd to dance and follow the music.
It was certainly an enjoyable evening – it was likely my last stop at Summerstage for the season (there still is the Charlie Parker Festival late in August) since this year’s edition of the Brazilian Film Festival was canceled due to apparent financial constraints.
