Over the course of its 35 years of existence, the CMJ Music Marathon has developed a long-held reputation for being one of the world’s most renowned platforms for the introduction of new, independent artists — both signed and unsigned. And during the course the course of its 5 day run, about 1000 artists play in venues across Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn, music industry experts and execs speak at conference events and there are exclusive parties and other events, which is an amazing boon for music journalists, bloggers, music fans, and the artists themselves. But unsurprisingly, it also manages to be an incredibly exhausting affair by the time the festival wraps up.
I’ll be working on my own CMJ coverage over the next couple of weeks as I go through 1,500 photos from about 35 sets but I do have some live footage of Nate Smith, the renowned drummer, composer and educator with his latest band Kinfolk performing at BRIC’s Jazz Fest. Check it out.