Live from the Artists Den

Judson Memorial Church was built in 1890 with the vision of aiding Lower Manhattan’s growing immigrant population through social services in addition to religious ones, but it was in the mid-1960s that Judson earned its national reputation as a progressive church – both by organizing politically around social justice issues and opening the church to experimental, avant-garde artists from many genres (dance, painting, theatre). The Artists Den hosted an intimate performance in the famous Lombardo-Romanesque building by multi-platinum songstress Alanis Morissette, who gave a taste of her new album, Flavors of Entanglement, on the eve of its release.

Prolific producer and performer Raphael Saadiq warmed up a cold winter night in Boston with a nine-piece band performing the soulful songs from The Way I See It, his masterful new album that reflects his deep love for 1960s rhythm and blues. The special show took place at the Harvard Club, in the Main Clubhouse on Commonwealth Avenue built in 1912, and showcased the rich blend of funky grooves and smooth balladry that is Saadiq's calling card.

In through the 19th-century archway, across the ivy-covered courtyard, and up worn stone steps sits the Refectory of the Desmond Tutu Center, located on the campus of the oldest operating seminary in America, in the heart of New York’s vibrant Chelsea neighborhood. The wooden Gothic architecture of the hall provided the backdrop for a special performance by Jakob Dylan and his band, the Gold Mountain Rebels, in celebration of his first solo release, Seeing Things.