By George Basler
Put on your high-heeled sneakers: Funky jazz is coming Binghamton University’s Anderson Center courtesy of Ghost-Note, a jazz fusion group that embraces an
eclectic mix of musical influences in its performances.

“The band is pushing funk music into the future, building on the uplifting, pioneering foundations laid out by the likes of James Brown and Sly & The Family Stone and infusing their fresh take with tastes of Afrobeat, hip-hop, psychedelia, world folklore and more,” its promotional material says.

The group will bring this eclectic mix to the Anderson Center for a 7:30 p.m. concert on Tuesday (Sept. 20).

The concert, which is part of the Anderson Center’s Jazz Series, is one stop on a 21-show tour that Ghost-Note is undertaking this fall in the United States and
Sweden. It will be preceded by a 6:30 p.m. talk session in the Anderson Center with Ghost-Note’s co-founders, drummer Robert “Sput” Searight and percussionist Nate Werth.

Chris Bodnarczuk, marketing director at the Anderson Center, described the concert as “a jam bam show” that is youthful and shows off the energy of jazz. “It’s got more of a club vibe. It’s a little more energetic than a sit-down jazz club,” he said.

Ghost-Note began as a side project for Searight and Werth, who are members of the jazz band Snarky Puppy. Since its founding in 2015, its rotating membership has included musicians who have played with the likes of Prince, Kirk Franklin and Toto. The group had been scheduled to play at the Anderson Center in the
2020-21 season, but COVID forced a rescheduling.

Ghost-Note has garnered both critical and popular success. Its two studio albums — 2018’s Swagism and 2015’s Fortified — reached the Number 1 spot on iTunes Jazz Charts. The group is “a who’s who of great performers” who come together in their off time to make great music, Bodnarczuk said.

IF YOU GO: Tickets are $10-$20. To order, call the Anderson Center box office at 607-777-2787 or go to www.binghamton.edu/anderson-center/. Click on upcoming events and follow directions. The Anderson Center no longer requires masks or vaccination checks for entry.

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