Music

Perhaps the only upside to Prince passing on is that YouTube has exploded with Prince videos. At least for the moment. Let’s enjoy one.

Tonight we will travel back in time, prior to Purple Rain. At this First Avenue show in the summer of 1983, Wendy makes her debut with the band and a series of new songs are debuted. I Would Die For U, Computer Blue, Purple Rain, Let’s Go Crazy, and Baby I’m a Star are played for the first time live.

Prince fans will enjoy hearing that these new songs aren’t completely finalized.

The Vermont Jazz Center will welcome bassist Ben Williams and his group Sound Effect to the stage on Saturday, May 14th at 8:00 PM. Sound Effect is Ben Williams, bass; Marcus Strickland, saxophones; Alex Wintz, guitar; Willerm Delisfort on piano and Rhodes; John Davis on drums.

Ben Williams is the winner of the 2009 Thelonious Monk Competition on bass. He is also the recipient of a Grammy Award for his work with Pat Metheny’s Unity Band and was voted as top overall rising star in Downbeat’s 2015 Critic’s Poll. Most recently, Williams was chosen as bassist for the White House’s celebration of International Jazz Day. After introductions by President Obama, Irina Bokova (Director General of UNESCO), and Herbie Hancock, Williams accompanied Chucho Valdéz, Paquito D’Rivera, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Kurt Elling, Trombone Shorty, Lionel Loueke, Robert Glasper, and Herbie Hancock in a moving example of how music unites the entire world. Williams’s consumate ability to support a wide range of styles is reflected in the numerous recordings he has appeared on with Pat Metheny, Jacky Terrasson, George Benson, The NEXT Collective, Eric Reed, and many more. He is an in-demand sideman and has performed with Wynton Marsalis, Roy Hargrove, Mulgrew Miller, Chaka Khan, Terrence Blanchard, Stefon Harris, Pharrell Williams, and Herbie Hancock; he appears with Don Cheadle in the new tribute to Miles Davis – “Miles Ahead.”

Make music together with other women in a fun easy-going environment. Learn to play some great classic Folk and Boomer tunes, in a group ensemble. Experience level: functional beginner (some knowledge of basic chords). 

Get that guitar (or banjo or uke or…) out from under the bed and come make some music with other women!

Saturday, May 14 get on up to Headroom Stages and get down with funky local favorite the Fantastic Partnerz. (thefantasticpartnerz.com) A benefit for BrattRock-the Brattleboro Youth Rock Festival. Alternative rock duo Wicked Thirsty opens the show. Doors open at 7:30.

Advance tickets $8 at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2543375 or $10 at the door. Don’t miss this fantastic show for a great cause!

Saxtons River – The Main Street Arts Coffeehaus Concert Series presents the folk quartet 2×2 Saturday, April 30 at 7:30 p.m.  Quartet members Valerie Kosednar, Mark Grieco and Betsy and Lee Rybeck Lynd will perform in a concert of a cappella and accompanied music distinguished by its broad range of styles, including traditional and contemporary folks songs from around the world.   Tickets are $10 in advance or $20 at the door. Info at (802) 869-2960 or online at mainstreetarts.org.   MSA is now fully handicapped accessible.

As part of the ongoing celebrations of their twentieth anniversary year, the Brattleboro Women’s Chorus will present a concert of music composed entirely by founder/conductor, Becky Graber. Performances will be May 7 at 7:30 pm at Next Stage Arts in Putney and May 8 at 4:00 pm at Centre Congregational Church, Main Street, Brattleboro.

A few of the compositions are from past years, but most are new, composed especially for this concert. Several of the pieces are Graber’s original words. Others are poetry she has set to music, including “Sit By an Apple Tree” by Louise Erdrich, “Winter’s Harvest” by Jane Elsdon, “Trust” by Pierre Teilhard du Chardin, “Light Beams” by Antonio Machado, and “Clearing” by Martha Postlethwaite. And two of the poems are the words of chorus members, “Our Whole Lives Long” by Lynette Sievert and Graber, and “When I Saw the Hawk” by Sue Owings.  

Now in its 50th season, Friends of Music at Guilford (FOMAG) presents its 7th Women in Music Celebration, an annual house-concert gala, beginning at 6 p.m. on Sunday, April 24.

“This fundraiser for our concert season includes three important elements,” explains administrator Joy Wallens-Penford. “A bounty of good food, some delightful music, and a special Silent Auction with a few gift certificates to restaurants and merchants as well as a wide range of 2-for-1 tickets to arts events around the region. We help to promote other organizations’ events and garner vital support for the many free and affordable programs we present in the community.”

Twilight Music and Next Stage Arts Project present a Celtic and Americana music twin bill featuring high energy Scottish music by Cantrip, and American folk music with traditional influences and modern inspiration by Low Lily, at Next Stage on Saturday, April 23 at 7:30 pm.

From the strong base of its Celtic roots, Cantrip branches out into the music of other European cultures. Weaving together songs and tunes, both traditional and contemporary, Dan Houghton, Jon Bews and Eric McDonald take an audience on a cultural journey, putting their own spin on each style. Known for their innovative arrangements, un-produced sound and dry wit, Cantrip has toured throughout Scotland and the US, expanding the boundaries of Celtic music along the way.

Pianist Renee Rosnes will perform at the Vermont Jazz Center on April 16th at 8:00 PM with her world-class quartet including vibraphonist Steve Nelson, bassist Peter Washington and drummer Lewis Nash. Cited as “one of the finest pianists in jazz,” Rosnes has recorded and toured with a veritable who’s who of jazz including legends Joe Henderson, Wayne Shorter, J.J. Johnson, James Moody, Buster Williams and Bobby Hutcherson.

Rosnes demonstrates brilliance in her approach to jazz standards and has dedicated albums to playing these classic songs (her recording A Time For Love is a good example), but it is her esteemed work as a composer whose focused ability to choose a complex concept and express it through music that further elevates her reputation. In a review of her most recent recording, Written in the Rocks, Downbeat magazine claims “Rosnes is a virtuoso jazz composer…advanced yet accessible, complex but never ostentatious, this is as good as writing can get in this setting.”

Next Stage Arts Project and Twilight Music present contemporary folk singer/songwriter and comedienne extraordinaire Cheryl Wheeler, plus Lizzy Mandell, at Next Stage on Friday, April 1 at 7:30 pm.

It has always seemed as if there were two Cheryl Wheelers, with fans of the New England songwriter relishing watching the two tussle for control of the microphone. There is poet-Cheryl, writer of some of the prettiest, most alluring and intelligent ballads on the modern folk scene. And there is her evil twin, comic-Cheryl, a militant trend defier and savagely funny social critic. As the poet and comic forces join, taking their separate turns and melding into the same artistic vision, Wheeler emerges as a delightful, gifted and openhearted performer.

Phelps Barn at The Grafton Inn presents contemporary bluegrass and folk music quartet The Stockwell Brothers Band on Saturday, March 26 at 8:00 pm.

Bruce, Barry, Alan and Kelly Stockwell’s music spans traditional and progressive styles, but their trademark acoustic sound features new singer/songwriter material recast with banjo, alternative rhythms and three-part harmonies. They cover straight ahead bluegrass songs, finger picked acoustic guitar ballads, full tilt breakdowns and traditional mandolin tunes mixed in with more unusual fare – Americana melodies riding world beat grooves and Celtic, jazzy, even neo-classical instrumentals.

On March 26th at 8:00 PM, the Vermont Jazz Center will present a listening experience that will appeal to lovers of both classical and jazz music. Saxophonist Michael Zsoldos will pay tribute to one of the jazz lineage’s top tenor saxophonists Ben Webster. For this concert his jazz quartet will be augmented by a string quartet. Together they will perform an evening of music that Zsoldos transcribed from two recordings released by Webster in 1954: “Music for Loving” and “The Warm Moods.” Zsoldos will be joined by Miro Sprague (piano), Dave Clark (acoustic bass) and Tim Gilmore (drums). The jazz quartet will be complemented by string players Alicia Casey, Ben Van Vliet (violins), Marcia Cassidy (viola) and Ben Kulp (cello).

Things aren’t always what they seem.

This is actually an aerial photograph of Montreal’s Olympic Stadium in 1977

(Emerson, Lake & Palmer concert) 

RIP Keith. They don’t make ‘em like you anymore.

Next Stage Arts Project and Twilight Music present country, swing, honky-tonk and old-time music quintet The Sweetback Sisters at Next Stage on Thursday, March 10 at 7:30 pm.

The Sweetback Sisters forge their own sound by delivering arrangements that combine the soul of classic ‘40s, ‘50s and ‘60s-era country music with an undeniably contemporary edge. Emily Miller (vocals, fiddle), Zara Bode (vocals, guitar), Stefan Amidon (drums), Rob Hecht (fiddle) and Jason Loughlin (electric guitar) take their inspiration from the Davis Sisters and Louvin Brothers, as well as the spirited honky-tonk energy of Wanda Jackson and Loretta Lynn. Zara and Emily’s family-style harmonies reflect a deeply felt love for traditional country music styles and a palpable joy in playing and singing together, and the band’s signature mix of harmony singing, rollicking telecaster and twin fiddling is as infectious as it is heartbreaking.

The Vermont Jazz Center is proud to welcome the legendary pianist Fred Hersch to its Cotton Mill venue on Saturday, March 12th at 8:00 PM. He will be performing with his working trio of Jon Hébert (bass) and Eric McPherson (drums). Hersch is one of the leading jazz pianists in the world. Through his commitment to originality, embrace of romanticism, mastery of the bebop language and chameleon-like ability to blend genres Hersch has carved out a unique niche that is—as Ellington would have said—“beyond category.”

Now in his late 50s, Hersch’s example serves as a bridge between younger players who have studied jazz formally and the old-school cats who learned on the bandstand and from recordings. He states that he “… learned in the oral tradition from older players” and he especially lauds any musician who has made it on their own and shaped their own voice. He affirms his own path on this road by saying “maybe that’s the reason why I sound like me – because nobody interfered with me. I didn’t take jazz piano lessons, I didn’t go through all that kind of nonsense – what I play is mine.”

Next Stage Arts Project and Twilight Music present acoustic swing and alt gypsy jazz quartet Caravan of Thieves, plus folk rock singer/songwriter Brian Dunne, at Next Stage on Saturday, February 27 at 7:30 pm.

For the past eight years, Caravan of Thieves has roamed the North American continent recruiting a family of avid thrill seekers at their high energy shows. Driving gypsy jazz rhythms, acoustic guitars, upright bass and violin lay the foundation for mesmerizing vocal harmonies and fantastic stories. It’s theatrical and humorous. It’s musical and intense. It entertains, dazzles and defies classification while welcoming the spectator to join the band throughout the performance in momentary fits of claps, snaps and sing-alongs.

The spring session of the Brattleboro Women’s Chorus will begin on Wednesday evening March 2 from 6:30-8:30 at 118 Elliot, or on Thursday March 3 from 10 am – noon at Centre Congregational Church. New and former singers are encouraged to join this spring as we prepare for a May concert of compositions and arrangements by our founder and conductor, Becky Graber.

The first two rehearsals are open to anyone who would like to come and check out chorus for the first time. All women and girls over 10 are welcome, and there are no auditions. Reading music is optional since music is taught by rote and by ear with part recordings available. While many singers enjoy performing, some prefer to sing weekly and not participate in the concerts at the end of the session (Mother’s Day weekend, May 7 & 8).

Friends of Music at Guilford seeks additional voices for its Chambers Singers in preparation for its yearly “A Cappella à la Carte” event and 50th birthday party on Saturday, June 25, at a hilltop property in Guilford. The gathering will include a brief annual meeting, a festive potluck meal, and concert sets by the Singers and the Singcrony women’s quartet. Other music-making may emerge as plans develop. The Chamber Singers will perform love songs by Dowland, Elgar, Holst, Rodgers & Hammerstein, Young & Heyman, Healey Willan, and the group’s director, Tom Baehr; one or two others may be added. Rehearsals begin Monday, February 22, from 7 to 9 p.m. at Guilford Community Church. Contact Baehr at (802) 387-2796 or tombaehr@myfairpoint.net with questions or to join the group.

Guilford, Vt. – Friends of Music at Guilford, now in its 50th Anniversary Season, presents the second of three programs featuring Bolivian Baroque music from an archive of nearly 13,000 pages of recently collected manuscripts. The “Barroco Boliviano” concert begins at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 20, in the sanctuary of Guilford Community Church, just a mile south on Rt. 5 from Exit 1 off I-91 in Brattleboro.

This treasure trove of Baroque-era manuscripts was a sort of Holy Grail for musicologist Fr. Piotr Nawrot, a native of Poland who arrived in Bolivia in the early 1990s after spending a few years in Guatemala. He traveled the Bolivian countryside seeking out church elders with carefully hidden or, in some cases, unfortunately neglected materials first composed and performed in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, when the Spaniards took over that area of the Inca Empire, and then forgotten when the Spanish colonial period ended in the early 19th century. Fr. Nawrot has spent many years preparing a significant amount of this music for publication and performance by a new generation of musicians, both in Bolivia and around the world.

The VJC welcomes Steve Davis Sextet to perform on Saturday, February 13th in a concert celebrating the music of trombonist J. J. Johnson. Featured artists in Davis’s sextet include one of bebop’s foremost elder statesmen on the piano, Harold Mabern as well as the formidable tenor saxophonist, Scott Mullett. The other musicians who comprise this sextet include Josh Bruneau (trumpet), Harold Mabern (piano), Nat Reeves (bass) and Joe Farnsworth (drums).

This concert was originally scheduled to highlight saxophonist Eric Alexander who gracefully bowed out to accept an extended European tour. This turn of events has evolved into a wonderful opportunity for the Vermont Jazz Center whose audience will now experience the exciting repertoire and tight arrangements of J. J. Johnson, one of the greatest trombonists in the history of jazz, interpreted by an all-star band. Saturday Night Live trombonist Steve Turre put it succinctly when he stated: