Pique-nique events are spaces for listening — for improvised music to unfold in real time, and for artists and audiences to meet in shared attention. Our programming includes one-off performances, collaborations, and festivals, as well as two recurring series: Unheard and Take Two, which anchor our work throughout the year.
William Alexander & Friends during Unheard 012 in August 2025 // Daniela Cruz
Our thirty-first edition will feature a reinterpretation of Brandy’s Never Say Never by Melanie Charles & Nikara Warren.
Our first installment of Unheard with Domenica features Elenna Canlas, Stuart Bogie and Miles Francis.
Our thirtieth edition will feature a reinterpretation of Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew by Dave Harrington’s Pranksters East.
Ambient in movement with Joy Guidry, evolving from stillness to motion through multidisciplinary artists shaping the edges between improvisation, performance and club culture.
Saha Gnawa album release show with Handsfull and Rule of 3.
Our third installment of Unheard with Ami Dang features Hanna Olivegren and Anne Ishii.
Our final installment of Unheard with William Alexander features Milena Casado, Kayla Childs, and Asher Kurtz.
Our second installment of Unheard with William Alexander features Emilio Modeste, Kiefer, Josh Hari, and Cem Mısırlıoğlu.
Our second installment of Unheard with Ami Dang features Roshni Samlal and Camilla Padgitt-Coles.
Our first installment of Unheard with Ami Dang features ZT Christensen.
Our first installment of Unheard with William Alexander features Lionmilk.
Our twenty-eighth edition will feature a reinterpretation of Les Filles de Illighadad by ganavya.
Following two sold-out shows, Steam Down are back in Brooklyn with their distinctive fusion of jazz, grime, afrobeat, and funk.
Our third installment of Unheard led by Kalia Vandever features Joy Guidry and Holland Andrews.
Our twenty-seventh edition will feature a reinterpretation of Count Ossie’s Grounation by Yoshi Takemasa and his 12-piece IMRiddim ensemble.
Following their sold-out New York debut last November, Steam Down are back in Brooklyn with their distinctive fusion of jazz, grime, afrobeat, and funk.
Our second installment of Unheard led by Photay features Celia Hollander and Robbie Lee.
Our first installment of Unheard led by Kalia Vandever features Emmanuel Michael and Mikel Patrick Avery.
Joseph Shabason's reimagination of the iconic 1996 skateboarding film "Welcome To Hell," performed live with a 9-piece band.
Our first installment of Unheard led by Kalia Vandever features Rafiq Bhatia and Darian Donovan Thomas.
Our first installment of Unheard led by Photay features multi-instrumentalist Will Epstein.
Our twenty-sixth edition will feature a reinterpretation of Max Roach’s Members Don’t Git Weary by Tyshawn Sorey & Friends.
Our twenty-fifth edition will feature a reinterpretation of Airto Moreira’s Free by Mauro Refosco & Friends.
Straight from the UK, Steam Down lands in Brooklyn for their NYC debut, channeling the soundsystem culture of south-east London, with their distinctive fusion of jazz, grime, afrobeat, and funk.
Our twenty-fourth edition will feature a big band reinterpretation led by Sly5thAve & Jesse Fischer of Herbie Hancock’s landmark 1973 Head Hunters album.
Our third installment of Unheard led by Spencer Zahn features multi-instrumentalists Savannah Harris, Alfredo Colón, and Kirk Schoenherr.
The Brooklyn-based guitarist and composer, Stu Pender, will take us on a sonic journey inspired by his recent trip along the majestic Monterey Bay. With mentors like John Abercrombie, Jon Faddis, and Fabiano do Nascimento, Stu's sonic palette has been shaped across genres spanning jazz, hip hop, classical, Brazilian guitar, kora music of Mali, and beyond.
On Thursday, field recordings of waves and bird calls will blend seamlessly with his own six-stringed daydreams, creating an enchanting soundscape as vast as the ocean from which he draws inspiration.
Join us for sounds, snacks, comfort, and joy on Thursday, September 28th, from 6 pm to 10 pm. Tickets below ↓
"Present Sounds" is your weekly deep listening escape, hosted in a private loft in Greenpoint. It boasts a vintage 4-point Klipschorn sound system and cozy seating arrangements, ensuring an intimate and immersive musical experience. The exact location will be shared with ticket holders in the confirmation email.
In celebration of half a century in the performing arts – beginning with the founding of his legendary band in 1972 – Pique-nique is proud to present Idris Ackamoor & The Pyramids, performing in New York City for the first time since 2018. Chronicling “the historic times we be a’livin’ the past we be feelin,’ and the future the planet is headin’ in,” Ackamoor will perform a new body of work entitled Afro Futuristic Dreams, paying homage to the Afrofuturism movement which he inspired alongside writers Octavia Butler, Samuel R. Delany and fellow musician Sun Ra.
For this performance, The Pyramids will build upon their spiritually-informed sound, as vivacious today as it was five decades ago, traversing psych, modal jazz, deep funk, and African rhythms. The seven-piece band will feature original 1970s Pyramids member Dr. Margaux Simmons on flute, Bobby Cobb on guitar, long-term associate Sandra Poindexter on violin, Mark Heshima Williams on bass, George Hearst on drums and Kele Nitoto on percussion
Our twenty-third edition will feature Jeffery Miller, a New Orleans-bred trombonist, who will present a performance inspired by New Orleans patriarch, the late Ellis Marsalis, and his 1994 album "Whistle Stop."
Our second installment of Unheard led by Spencer Zahn features multi-instrumentalists Mauro Refosco and Will Shore.
Our first installment of Unheard led by Spencer Zahn features multi-instrumentalists Stuart Bogie and Morgan Guerin.
