Seba Molnar Feat. Debo Ray / Farayi Malek

Seba Molnar Feat. Debo Ray/ Farayi Malek March 22, 2024

Award winning Saxophonist and creator of the Charles River Jazz Festival, Seba Molnar is bringing his band featuring special guest Debo Ray to the Regattabar. Adding to the star-studded lineup will be a performance by Berklee professor and Grammy Nominated singer Farayi Malek.

 Seba Molnar has been making waves in the Boston music scene with recent events like the Charles River Jazz Festival, his Stevie Wonder Tribute and NBCs First Night Boston Celebration. Now he is bringing an all-star band featuring Grammy Nominated singer Debo Ray to the Regattabar in Cambridge. Molnar has made a name for himself as an in-demand saxophonist, both as a side man and leading his own groups. He has shared the stage with notable musicians including Grammy and Emmy award winning artists like Braxton Cook, Patrice Rushen, Debo Ray, Charles Haynes, Marquees Hill, George Garzone, as well as Mighty Mystic, Java Jukebox, Kat Wright, and many more. Though his music is heavily rooted in jazz, Molnar’s curiosity for new sounds and innovation has enabled him to create a wide array of music that transcends genre.

Debo Ray  is a Grammy Nominated singer  and an immersive musical and visual experience. Possessing an incredible vocal range and versatility, she seamlessly blends the soulful richness of Jazz and R&B with the exuberance of Rock, creating a unique and captivating sound. A charismatic performer and storyteller, she connects deeply with her audience, leaving them nourished with the depth of her artistic expression.

Farayi Malek has traveled the world through music as a Grammy-nominated vocalist with Danilo Perez and the Global Messengers; and now musically, she’s going back to her own roots. Farayi, the child of a Zimbabwean immigrant and a white American mother, grew up in a small, rural town in Southern Idaho, playing the fiddle and absorbing the culture of seemingly conflicting communities. Her goal is to bring all of the diverse sounds and experiences of her life into her music: the Gospel of the church she grew up in, the blues and jazz she studied, all woven into pure, resonant songs that allow her effortless vocals to shine. American roots music comes from the blues, work songs, Celtic melodies, and hymns. All that is distilled into her warm, soulful voice. Fans are elated to see Farayi step out as a solo artist on her much anticipated debut recording project produced by Alain Mallet [Phil Woods, Paul Simon, Paquito D’Rivera, Marc Johnson, and Madeleine Peyroux.] Her writing showcases very accessible themes with a unique compositional intelligence demonstrated in songs like “Tonight”. Farayi is a Salt Lick Incubator award-winner alongside peers such as Tiny Habits, Alisa Amador and whose artist advisory panel includes T Bone Burnett, Jon Batiste, Harvey Mason Jr., and Patrice Rushen. When she is not performing and recording, Farayi shares her vast musical knowledge as a professor at various esteemed institutions including Berklee’s City Music Boston High School Academy, New England Conservatory and Berklee College of Music. In an interview with The Boston Globe Farayi says “Seeing my students be so brave and confident, so artistic and free…they’re the ones who actually inspired me to pursue my artistic career.” Whether she is engaging with her audience through performance or education, Farayi is driven by the desire to make people feel seen and at home in their otherness.