New York Guitar Festival: Louis Cato, Jackie Venson, Jontavious Willis
WNYC's John Schaefer hosts a two-day celebration of global guitar culture, with guests ranging from the well-known like Louis Cato, leader of The Late Show Band, to the emerging, like the 16-year old phenomenon Marel Hidalgo, who will perform a tribute to Ernest Ranglin & The Jamaican Jazz Songbook. The festival culminates on July 4, celebrating American blues traditions in a special concert for America's birthday.
Day Two Lineup
Grammy-nominated bluesman Jontavious Willis keeps the sound of traditional blues alive without sounding like someone trying to copy Robert Johnson. He has a soul singer’s croon, and an effortless sense of swing to his guitar playing. Growing up steeped in the long history of West Georgia blues, Willis has an encyclopedic ability to play everything from Delta to Chicago blues.
Jackie Venson is a native of Austin, Texas, and she brings the sounds of Texas blues to listeners around the world, first through her live streaming during the pandemic and then through her recordings, which incorporate the sounds of funk, jazz, and pop. She has an annual residency at “Austin’s Home Of The Blues,” Antone’s.
Louis Cato leads the house band on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, a job that requires a musician who can play anything and be able to turn, musically speaking, on a dime. Being an entertainer himself is also an important part of the deal. Cato is most often seen with a guitar, but it’s just one of a number of instruments he plays, and he’s gained a lot of attention for his songwriting as well, a catchy blend of soul, blues, jazz, pop, and less easily identifiable sounds. His last appearance on the NYGF resulted in a memorable, sold-out set; we are eager to see what he has in store for us this time.
"In many ways, Louis Cato began growing toward the role of bandleader on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert when he started playing drums at the age of 2. His love of music evolved into an appreciation of gospel and contemporary Christian music from his native North Carolina and continued into his education at the Berklee College of Music.
Since then, Cato has become a Grammy-nominated and internationally acclaimed multi-instrumentalist, producer, singer and songwriter. He has an undeniable ability to craft sonic landscapes into timeless masterpieces and has worked with an array of artists including Bobby McFerrin, Snarky Puppy, Jon Batiste, Q-Tip and A Tribe Called Quest.
After two decades of lending his talents to other creators Cato released his first solo record Starting Now in 2017 and more recently released Reflections in the summer of 2023. True to form he played every instrument on each of those albums, which leads to his next original endeavor – a compendium of his infamous Cato Covers – a weekly cover series made popular on his Instagram. Music is Louis’s lifeblood and it brings him unbridled joy to share his gifts, feelings and energy with those around him."
Heralded as one of “Austin’s rising stars” by Rolling Stone and “an Austin legend in the making” by Forbes, Jackie Venson has established herself as one of the most commanding performers to come out of Texas. An Austin native, Venson has shared the stage with icons like Gary Clark Jr and Melissa Etheridge and even performed with Alanis Morissette and Lainey Wilson at the 2023 CMT Awards and in 2024 Venson was selected to perform as part of Rolling Stone’s Future of Music showcase at SXSW.
Jontavious Willis is resolved in his mission: to reinvigorate today’s Blues with the spirit of the past. Inspired by a time when the Blues were plentiful and rhythm reigned supreme, Jontavious leverages his unique sound—a synthesis of his Georgia heritage and reverence for traditional Blues—to get the world dancing again. A Grammy-nominated musician and songwriter, Jontavious performs original, toe-tapping tunes in the style of Delta, Piedmont, Texas, and Gospel Blues. Dynamic vocals, technical prowess, and an abundance of Southern charm keep Jontavious sending jolts of vitality through the Blues community.
Exploring virtually every aspect of the guitar’s personality, the New York Guitar Festival, since 1999, has presented many of the world’s most influential guitarists at Carnegie Hall, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 92nd Street Y and other iconic venues, large and small. From multi Grammy-winners to emerging artists, NYGF performers have included masters of the classical repertoire (Pepe Romero, Christopher Parkening, Ana Vidović, Nigel North) as well as blues & jazz (Taj Mahal, Bucky Pizzarelli, Bill Frisell, Sonny Landreth), pop & indie rock (Vernon Reid, Bruce Springsteen, Bon Iver, Andy Summers, Thurston Moore), and folk & Americana (Levon Helm, Emmylou Harris, Cindy Cashdollar, Leo Kottke) as well as sounds of Central & South America (Badi Assad, Yamandu Costa, Vinicius Cantuária) and genre-defying innovators (Kaki King, David Torn, Daniel Lanois, Bryce Dessner). The New York Guitar Festival: music from across the centuries. . . and music yet to be. Made possible by generous support from the Augustine Foundation.
Bryant Park lends out hundreds of free blankets on a first-come, first-served basis, or bring your own cotton or fleece blanket. To protect the lawn, please do not sit on waterproof materials such as plastic tarps, yoga mats, or inflatable chairs.
Take a seat in one of the pre-set chairs on the lawn or grab a chair from the gravel. You can use a chair anywhere in the park except for the center lawn "blanket zone".
Bring your own picnic or purchase food and drinks from tents on the east side of the lawn. Attendees can enjoy cuisine from the five boroughs with a rotating line-up of artisanal vendors curated by Hester Street Fair.
Stout NYC also offers giant pretzels, gourmet popcorn and other light bites as well as a selection of beer, wine, and non-alcoholic beverages for purchase.
Visit the Bryant Park Shop tent for exclusive Picnic Performances merchandise and more!
Find a parachute, hula hoops, and more fun on the east side of the lawn at select events.
Dogs are welcome on the gravel and bluestone, but not on the lawn.
Performances are cancelled when it is unsafe to be outdoors. In some cases, the lawn may be too wet to open but the performance may continue. Follow @bryantparknyc on Twitter and Instagram for day-of event updates. You can also check the lawn status on the bryantpark.org homepage.
Bryant Park Picnic Performances presented by Bank of America is a free outdoor festival that welcomes all New Yorkers to experience the city’s vibrant arts and culture. The series provides a platform for extraordinary artists and serves as a vital outdoor venue for a wide array of New York’s cultural institutions.
