Music

Music section

Maine Singer Songwriter Worth Checking Out

by RDavis | Music

Once you listen to the CD “All They Know” by guitarist and singer Stan Davis of Wayne, Maine it becomes clear that not all the great musicians are rich and famous. Davis has been playing guitar and singing for almost as many years as he has been alive and since he has retired from his day job he has put his energy into becoming a more polished and more publicly active musician.

Davis plays at many local venues and he has a web site: www.standavismusic.com to share his music with people in as many ways possible. His recent CD is a compilation of original songs that he said, “…grew out of my careening journey through music and life. Some are rooted in my own history and experience; some come from an overheard sentence or a persistent memory.”

Vermont Jazz Center Presents: Joel Ross “Good Vibes”

by vtjazz | Music

Don Was, president of Blue Note records) claims that “Joel is not only one of the preeminent instrumentalists of this era, but he is one of the greatest musical visionaries of his generation.” The concert will be held in front of a reduced-capacity, live audience and will also be live streamed on the Jazz Center’s website (www.vtjazz.org) and Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/VermontJazzCenter/live/). Ross will be performing with his working quintet called Good Vibes. The group includes Godwin Louis on alto saxophone, Jeremy Corren on piano, Kanoa Mendenhall on upright bass and Jeremy Dutton on drums. This is Ross’ touring and recording ensemble (with Louis replacing Immanuel Wilkins on alto) and is featured on Ross’ two highly respected Blue Note releases: KingMaker and Where are You.

For listeners familiar with the impact of the vibes in bebop and swing, Ross’ dynamic sound recalls jazz legends Red Norvo, Lionel Hampton, Bobby Hutcherson, Milt Jackson and Gary Burton. His approach is steeped in the tradition. In fact, he uses an old-school, two mallet technique similar to Milt Jackson rather than the four-mallet technique used by most contemporary vibes players. He does this because he prefers the clarity of sound he is able to achieve. Ross has evolved to become one of the most visible jazz musicians of his generation, joining forces with such titans as Ambrose Akinmusire, James Francies, Jason Palmer, Mckaya McCraven, Marquis Hill, Jonathan Blake, Walter Smith and Matt Stevens. His respect for the past combined with his transcendent ability to enter the “zone” of becoming one with the music have given him a unique voice that is simultaneously modern and timeless. JazzTimes Magazine claims “Not since Stefon Harris’ arrival 20 years ago has the jazz world heard a young vibraphonist intent on exploring so many dimensions.”

Antje Duvekot and Mark Erelli at Next Stage Friday, February 11th 7:30pm

by hahrenholz | Music

Next Stage Arts Project and Twilight Music present a contemporary folk singer/songwriter twin bill with Antje Duvekot and Mark Erelli at Next Stage on Friday, February 11 at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $20 advance / $24 door / $5 livestream.

“Antje and Mark have been central figures in the New England, contemporary folk music scene for the last 20 years,” says Twilight’s Barry Stockwell. “They’ve headlined so many memorable Twilight Music shows in that time that I jumped at the chance to bring them together for a twin bill – two of the finest singers and songwriters that I know on our stage for one night only.”

FOMAG Has Cancelled the 2021 Messiah Sing

by BusyMom | Music

For those who may not have heard the news already through other media, Friends of Music at Guilford tried to plan a Messiah Sing for this December but with rising COVID statistics, we decided it wasn’t worth the gamble, even with protocols in place. To quote from the FOMAG Facebook post…

Well, we hoped and we tried. We had the venue reserved, we had a conductor and keyboard and soloists. We felt optimistic as things were opening up late summer / early fall. We worked on protocols for preregistration, contact tracing, proof of vaccine, limited seating, even debated about proof of negative COVID tests. We held off on making any go / no-go decisions as long as possible. But those accursed COVID statistics have just been getting worse and worse.

Brattleboro Women’s Chorus Hosts Fall (virtual) Singalong Concert

by bwchorus | Music

The Brattleboro Women’s Chorus will perform their fall “HeartSong Singalong” via Zoom on Sunday, November 21 at 4 pm.

The chorus will be singing songs led by Director Becky Graber. Some of the songs are very easy to join along with, and Becky will teach a song or two to all. Singalong-goers can register online via Zoom and pay for a ticket using the links on our website.

After over a year of exclusively singing on Zoom, this fall the chorus was able to sing in-person as well and recorded song tracks that we will sing with during the Singalong. Singers will be muted during the event, so feel free to sing along in the comfort of your homes, if you wish. Lyrics will be posted in the chat.

Vermont Jazz Center Presents: Val Jeanty & the Berklee Institute of Jazz & Gender Justice

by vtjazz | Music

The Vermont Jazz Center will present its fourth annual Emerging Artist Festival on Saturday, November 13th. The event promotes new ideas and individuals affecting the future of jazz, a music that encourages creativity and lauds game-changing artists. This year the Jazz Center will partner with the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice and will feature one of their instructors, Haitian turntablist Val Jeanty (Val-Inc).

Performances will begin at 1:00 PM on Saturday: student groups from around the region will be coached by members of the institute throughout the day and will attend a 4:15 masterclass. The Festival will culminate in an 8:00 PM performance by Jeanty and members of the Institute.

The entire event is open to vaccinated individuals (please bring proof and ID) and is free to students and members of the LGBTQ community. Tickets for the 8:00 PM concert cost $20. Outright Vermont will be tabling throughout the afternoon events.

BrattRock Seeks Youth Bands and Youth Musicians for Sept. 25 Festival

by Nanci Leitch | Music

BrattRock, a youth rock festival organized by Youth Services, is seeking bands and solo musical artists from around New England to take the stage at 118 Elliot in downtown Brattleboro on Saturday, Sept. 25. This is BrattRock 2021, the sixth annual Brattleboro Youth Rock Festival and the first live festival since before the pandemic.

Performances will take place on a outdoor stage, with indoor stage available for inclement weather, between approximately 5 and 10 p.m. Gates open to the public at 4:30 pm. In addition to up to five continuous hours of live music, the festival will feature food vendors, arts and crafts activities, and games.  All are invited to attend this fun-for-all-ages community event.

Brattleboro Women’s Chorus’ 25th Anniversary Finale!

by bwchorus | Music

This 2020-21 year, the Brattleboro Women’s Chorus celebrates 25 years of singing with online musical events on the 25th day of the month. All singers (not just women!) are welcome to join us on Zoom.

Our final (and biggest) online singing finale celebrating 25 years of the BWC will take place on Tuesday, May 25 at 7:00 pm via Zoom.

Director Becky Graber welcomes a number of guest conductors connected to the BWC in some way to come lead a song in honor of our 25th anniversary year. Artists include Peggo Horstmann Hodes, Peter and MaryAlice Amidon, Kristen Carmichael-Bowers, Andy Davis, Jane Lowey, Lisa McCormick and Julian McBrowne.

Brattleboro Women’s Chorus Hosts Mother’s Day Singalong

by bwchorus | Music

The Brattleboro Women’s Chorus will perform their spring “Singalong Finale” via Zoom on Mother’s Day: Sunday, May 9 at 4 pm.

As we finish our 25th anniversary year, the chorus will be singing songs led by Director Becky Graber and some guests as well! Some of the songs are very easy to join along with, and Becky will teach a song or two to all. Singalong-goers can register online via Zoom and pay for a ticket using the links on our website.

Singers will be muted, though we will hear harmonized vocal tracks, so feel free to sing along in the comfort of your homes, if you wish.

Best Blues Roadtrip Ever!

by SK-B | Music

THE BEST VERSION OF JOHN HENRY I EVER HEARD, STARTS AT 15:00

If you love Blues, but sometimes start to want something more than even your favorite singer punching out one song after another in their particular style: This video will keep your interest… but it might disrupt your work if try to use it as background. Pretty soon it may draw your attention to the screen, as it moves along from one incredible venue to the next.

Vermont Jazz Center Presents Live Stream Performance of Acclaimed Trumpeter Jeremy Pelt

by vtjazz | Music

The Vermont Jazz Center will present trumpeter Jeremy Pelt in a live stream show featuring his working quintet on Saturday, March 20th at 8:00 PM. He will be performing music from his most recent album called Griot, This is Important! Joining Mr. Pelt will be the performers featured on this new recording: Chien Chien Lu (vibraphone), Victor Gould (piano), Vicente Archer (acoustic bass) and Allan Mednard (drums).

Jeremy Pelt is one of the finest jazz trumpeters of his generation; he has been compared favorably to Freddie Hubbard, Lee Morgan, Woody Shaw and Miles Davis. Nate Chinen of the New York Times sums up his abilities in a simple phrase: “Mr. Pelt plays brilliantly with warmth and depth.” Pelt expresses his mastery in a variety of settings. For example, his most recent trio album, The Art of Intimacy, Volume 1, showcases his golden tone in an understated set of Great American Songbook gems with pianist George Cables and bassist Peter Washington. Pelt’s numerous albums as a leader and sideman reveal his ease in playing over burning tempos and his delight in grooving over a visceral, swinging beat or taking his time on a saucy blues. Furthermore, Pelt is an accomplished composer and arranger – his original compositions convey unpretentious yet complex harmonic choices that complement the natural cadences of his melodies, resulting in song forms of enigmatic beauty.

Join the Brattleboro Women’s Chorus – Virtually!

by bwchorus | Music

The Brattleboro Women’s Chorus welcomes new members to help us celebrate our 25th Anniversary year by singing together weekly via Zoom. We will be singing on Thursdays via Zoom this spring starting Thursday, March 4 from either 10 – 11:30 am OR 7 – 8:30 pm until our Singalong performance on Mother’s Day, May 9.

The chosen music is an eclectic mix from around the world that is spirited, uplifting and easy to learn during these challenging times. Recordings and some videos are available to practice with between rehearsals.

Coco Love Alcorn Leads Virtual Singalong

by bwchorus | Music

Coco Love Alcorn joins Brattleboro Women’s Chorus for 25th Anniversary Virtual Sing

This 2020-21 year, the Brattleboro Women’s Chorus celebrates our 25 years of singing with online musical events on the 25th day of the month through May. All singers (not just women!) are welcome to join us for most of these events hosted on Zoom.

Vermont Jazz Center Live Streams: Jonathan Barber and Vision Ahead

by vtjazz | Music

Jonathan Barber’s star has been on the rise since his auspicious 2018 debut, Vision Ahead, and a 2019 tour in Pat Metheny’s trio… an abundance of heightened energy and new ideas executed with pristine precision by the bandleader and his future-facing ensemble.

Bill Milkowski, Downbeat Magazine

Vermont Jazz Center Presents Drummer Jonathan Barber and Vision Ahead in a Live Stream Performance on Saturday, February 20th at 8:00 PM

On February 20th at 8:00 PM, drummer Jonathan Barber’s Vision Ahead will perform a livestream concert at the Vermont Jazz Center which will be viewable on line at www.vtjazz.org

50th Annual Community Messiah Sing Is Indeed Cancelled, As Well As FOMAG’s Christmas at Christ Church

by BusyMom | Music

Friends of Music at Guilford regretfully makes official the already-obvious announcement of the cancellation of its annual Messiah Sing and Christmas at Christ Church concerts due to the COVID pandemic.

This year would have been the 50th Annual Community Messiah Sing at Centre Congregational Church with all door donations going to Groundworks to help the homeless and hungry. The whole church, even balconies, is packed with singers enthusiastically joining in the choruses, some bringing their own well-worn scores, others borrowing from FOMAG’s collection; all accompanied by Centre Church’s excellent organ, while an ensemble of soloists perform the arias and recitatives.

Brattleboro Women’s Chorus Hosts 25th Fall (Virtual) Concert

by bwchorus | Music

The Brattleboro Women’s Chorus will perform their 25th annual fall “singalong concert” via Zoom this Sunday, November 22 at 4 pm.

As we celebrate our 25th anniversary, the chorus will be singing songs about rivers, welcoming the ancestors & healing, led by Director Becky Graber. Some of the songs are very easy to join along with, and Becky will teach a song or two to all. Singers will be muted, though we will hear harmonized vocal tracks, so feel free to sing along in the comfort of your homes, if you wish.

Halloweeny Ukulele Flash Mob! Live, and via Zoom!)

by Ruthie | Music

Hi Neighbors,

I’m Lisa McCormick, and I’ll be leading a Halloweeny Ukulele Flash Mob on the Brattleboro Commons this coming Saturday at noon.
Masks are a must, and social distancing is easy, as there is plenty of space for spreading out. Costumes highly encouraged!

I’ll also be live-broadcasting the event on Zoom, so ANYONE can come, from anywhere!

Jazz Ku Bop by Namaya the Jazz Poet

by Namaya | Music

JAZZ KU BOP by Namaya the Jazz Poet

https://namayajazzpoetstoryteller.bandcamp.com/album/jazz-ku-bop-2

The definitive CD of Jazz Ku Bop by Namaya the jazz poet.

“utterly agile and delightful—poetry filtered through a hep-cat cool.” Cyrus Cassells – poet.

Guilford Music Festival Archives Online

by DonInGuilford | Music

As previously announced, Friends of Music at Guilford has had to cancel its annual Labor Day Weekend Festival due to COVID-19, the first time the event has not taken place in its 55-year history.  However, FOMAG’s digital archives have yielded a bounty of video, audio, and still photos from nearly 20 years’ worth of past concerts, and samples will be available online this coming weekend. 

The Festival traditionally includes an evening concert on the 1897 Guilford Tracker Organ, and an outdoor program of vocal and orchestral music on the lawn at the Organ Barn on Packer Corners Road, and excerpts from both programs will be included.

FOMAG Cancels Guilford Labor Day Music Festival

by BusyMom | Music

Friends of Music at Guilford regretfully announces the cancellation of its annual Labor Day Weekend Festival due to the COVID pandemic.

Traditionally, the two-concert event includes a Saturday evening organ program, and a Sunday afternoon lawn concert at the Organ Barn in Guilford, featuring the Guilford Festival Orchestra. The organ concert highlights Friends of Music’s 1897 “tracker-action” pipe organ, which was installed in the barn in 1964 by late organist A. Graham Down, founder of the annual event.

In making the announcement, Friends of Music president Jenifer Ambler noted that this is the first time the event has been cancelled in its 55-year history. “The organ program, being indoors, has always gone ahead, no matter the weather,” Ambler said. “The barn is too small, however, for our 45-piece orchestra and the several hundred folks in our audience, so on a handful of occasions the orchestral program has been moved by rain to either Guilford Central School or Broad Brook Community Center. But this is our first-ever cancellation.”