Tuesday Jazz at Public

The John Smayda Jazz Quartet
with John Smayda on tenor sax, flute and clarinet, Bernie Soroko on drums, Mike Nunno on bass, and Mike Roth on guitar.

Public
337 Main Street
Middletown

Tuesday Night Jazz at Public

From Trevor Davis:

We won't let 1" of snow stop our fun!!

We've got a great line up for February Tuesdays at Public Bar & Grill in Downtown Middletown, CT.

This week's players will be led by our favorite woman drummer, Jocelyn Pleasant, with Ryan Larson on keys and bass, Tom Nieman on guitar, and Jovan Alexandre on tenor sax. We often have additional players sit in, so come see the surprises!

See you tonight from 5:30 to 9 PM, and thanks for supporting jazz in Middletown!

Wes Wednesdays Music Series at Public

Wesleyan Phd student Bill Carbone is attempting to share the wealth of great music in and around the university with Middletown, through a new concert series at Public, on Main Street. The series is planned to run weekly, on Wednesday, at 10 pm.

This is an opportunity for the general public to catch some of the up-and-coming bands on campus (several of which have gotten national and international attention), and who often appear in for-Wesleyan-students-only shows on campus.

This week, on January 28, the series features Orquestra Fiebre, a 12-piece salsa combo with three vocalists.

Upcoming concerts include:

Weds Feb 11 - Buru Style, a dub reggae experience that blends the deep meditative grooves of Jamaican dub with jazz and electronic improvisation. http://www.myspace.com/burustyle

Weds Feb 18 - Red Wire Black Wire and The Yes Way. Modern pop. www.rwbw.com and http://www.myspace.com/theyesway

Weds Feb 25 - Precision Libido and Bottle Up and Go (tentative) http://www.myspace.com/precisionlibido and http://www.myspace.com/bottleupandgoband

Weds Mar 4 - Buru Style with a very special guest TBA soon!

For the not-so-shy, each Wednesday begins with Karaoke at Public.

Jazz, John & Charles: A Reminder

It's shaping up to be a busy Arts week here in town. Tonight (January 27), Tuesday Jazz at Public, 337 Main Street, wraps up a month focussed on vocalists with Raphaelle Brochet fronting an ensemble featuring Kris Jensen (saxophone), Doug Schlink (piano), Ben Belillo (drums) and Brian Jenkins (bass.) Ms. Brochet has studied and performed music in Paris, India, Iran and Montreal with interests that range from South Indian Carnatic music to Iranian traditional music to classic jazz. Her website, www.raphaellebrochet.com, has several examples of her ability to sing in different styles. The music starts at 5 p.m. Fort more information, call 343-8850.

Composer John Luther Adams comes to Wesleyan this week for a lecture, panel discussion, demonstrations and sound installation. The last item takes place first; "Veils" is a series of electronic "soundscapes" installed in the World Music Hall, Wyllys Avenue, that takes 6 hours to unfold. One can "walk into the piece" at any time and experience its many different sonic "colors." The event begins at 5 p.m.

Tomorrow evening at 7 p.m. in the CFA Cinema, Adams delivers a lecture titled "A Personal Journey into the Music of the Arctic." The Alaskan citizen has become well-known for his music built on the solitude of his adopted landscape. Both events are free and open to the public.

Adams will take part in one of the panel discussions surrounding the "Ives Vocal Marathon" that runs from Thursday through Sunday. Professor/composer/pianist Neely Bruce has done a tremendous amount of work on this project, bringing teachers, researchers and performers from throughout the country (and beyond) to Middletown. Composer Kyle Gann gets the ball rolling Thursday evening at 8 p.m. in Fayerweather Beckham Hall, Wyllys Avenue, with his keynote address "Must a Songs Always be a Song." For all the pertinent information, go to www.ivesvocalmarathon.com. For tickets to the concerts, call the Box Office at 685-3355.

The end of a historical day

Inauguration night for many ended in a well-attended party at Main Street nightspot Public, where celebratory patrons toasted the inauguration of Barack Obama.

I found my way to Public after a stop at one of the final Community Conversations at First Church.

There was jazz, and dancing, and an amazing aura of community on a Tuesday night in Middletown.

Having a Ball at Home

Trevor Davis, who organized the jazz inaugural party at The Public specifically advises that it is not a "ball," and that people do not have to dress formally, though they may, and that casual dress is welcome.

Tuesday Jazz at Public returns

Trevor Davis reconvenes the "Tuesday Jazz at Public" series this week (1/06/09) with these fine folks pictured above. The Heartbeat Jazz Band, led by drummer Bill Logozzo, is one of the more popular purveyors of Dixieland, Traditional, swing and blues flavored jazz in the state. Besides the amiable drummer, the Heartbeats feature Fred Vigorito (trumpet), Sherman Kahn (clarinet), Art Hovey (string bass), Bill Sinclair (piano) and vocalist Cynthia Fabian.

They are not just "jazzers." Hovey has worked extensively with young musicians as has Vigorito and Logozzo created "Musical Dreams for Human Harmony", a charity that helps children through "the benefit of musical programs." The band's music is lively and entertaining and should perk up the first Tuesday of the new year.

For more information about the band and its charitable work, go to www.heartbeatjazzband.net.

Next week (1/13/09), vocalist Jennifer Somo (recently returned from Beijing, China) performs with a quartet featuring Davis (drums), Warren Byrd (piano), Matthew McCauley (bass) and Middletown resident David Davis (saxophone.) Somo sings all styles of music so expect a fun evening.

The music starts at 5 p.m. and usually lasts until 9. Public is located at 337 Main Street.

There are plans afoot for Inauguration Day so keep an eye out.

First snow in Middletown

Lucy and I have a tradition of flaunting our downtown address during snowstorms and walking downtown to have dinner at a Main Street restaurant.

It allows us to prove to ourselves the advantage of living two blocks from Main Street, and to support a local eatery on a difficult night.

Tonight, with six to eight inches of snow already on the ground, we chose Public, for burgers and wings and were suprised when our server, Dawn, volunteered a snow show outside our window, making a snow angel to the delight of our sons.

As we left, a group of Middletown village district teens was walking down Main Street enjoying the quiet, and the beauty of a pre-holiday snowfall.

"Grab Your Coat and Get your Hat..."

The Holiday season is upon us and the ups-and-downs of the economy has many people on edge. This is a good time to ignore the seasonal craziness and check out some of the arts events for this coming week (and it's a busy one.)

December begins with the glorious sounds of The Ebony Singers, Wesleyan's gospel group, in concert at 8 p.m. in Crowell Concert Hall on Monday the 1st. Led by Pastor Marichal Monts (a Wesleyan graduate), the ensemble's annual concert is one of the hottest on campus. The concert hall will shake with the spirit and, trust me, you don't have to believe to be moved by this music. Call the Box Office at 860-685-3355 to find out if there are any tickets available

The following night at Crowell, Peter Hadley leads the Wesleyan Wind Ensemble, better known as WesWinds, in its annual Fall semester concert. Expect an eclectic program that runs the gamut from traditional to the unexpected. This event is free and open to the public.

Also on Tuesday evening, Trevor Davis continues the increasingly popular "Jazz at the Public" from 5- 9 p.m. in Public, 337 Main Street. He brings in the best musicians from around the area and the results are quite enjoyable.

Wednesday, Professor Anthony Braxton leads his Large Ensemble (comprised of Wesleyan students and invited guests) through the creative maze of his original music. It's been quite a year for Braxton with Stamford's Mosaic Records reissuing his 1970s music for Arista to great acclaim. The music you'll hear in this concert will display the composer's impressive blend of musical influences. The concert takes place at 8 p.m. in Crowell Concert Hall and it's also free and open to the public.

The first of 2 local productions of Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill's "The Threepenny Opera" opens on Wednesday at 8 p.m. in Memorial Chapel and the Patricelli '92 Theater at Wesleyan. Considered by many as one of the great musicals of the 20th Century, the show has great music and biting social commentary and never seems dated. Performances are 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday. Wednesday is the "preview" so ticket prices are lower - call the University Box Office at the number above for more information.

The following night (Thursday, which deserves and will get a post to itself), the Teen Repertory Company of Oddfellows Playhouse begins its 3-weekend run of "Threepenny..." at 7 p.m. on the OP Mainstage at 128 Washington Street. The "pay-what-you-can-preview" not only offers audiences the opportunity to see a great show but also the ability to help area families in need by bringing a non-perishable food item to be donated to the Amazing Grace Food Pantry. Subsequent performances (12/5, 6, 12, 13, 19 and 20) begin at 7:30 p.m. For ticket information, call 860-347-6143.

Music of Nature and Beauty and Jazz for Voters

That's German and Klavdia Khatylaev. They hail from the Republic of Sakha in Russian Siberia. The music they perform and the clothes they wear hearken back many centuries. many of the instruments tbey employ in their program are as foreign to us as their music.

They are coming to Wesleyan's World Music Hall (Wyllys Avenue) this Wednesday November 5 for an 8 p.m. concert. The show, part of the year-long Feet to the Fire study of climate change through science and art, will illustrate one how this particular culture is connected to the land. The instruments are hand-made and they sing about the challenges of everyday life in a (mostly) agrarian society. Joining the duo for the show (part of their first tour of the United States and Mexico) is fellow tribesperson Maria Osipova.

For ticket information, go to www.wesleyan.edu/cfa or call 860-685-3355. To lear more about this fascinating music and culture, go to www.khatylaev.sakhaopenworld.org/.

Anthea Kreston is a violist/violinist with the Amelia Piano Trio (a force to be reckoned with in the chamber music world), an educator, and, lucky for us, a resident of Middletown. She and cellist Jason Duckles moved to the area because they both had teaching gigs nearby and it was easy to get to Boston, New York and Philadelphia. But, what sold Anthea on Middletown was the Russell Library and its prime position in the city.

This Saturday (11/8)), Anthea will perform a concert of French Sonatas at 2 p.m. in the Hubbard Room of The Russell Library. With accompanist Benjamin Harding (piano), she'll perform works by Leclair, Debussy, Franck and Messiaen. She's a fine musician with a tone that is rich and sonorous, with great technique that is rarely use for show. Thank to the Library, this concert is free and open to the public. For more information, call 347-2528, extension 135.


Trevor Davis, drummer, activist, and involved real estate person, is starting a Tuesday Night Jazz series at Public, 337 Main Street. This week (tomorrow night, in fact), there's a special Election Night show from 5 - 9 p.m., sponsored by the Middlesex Chamber of Commerce Young Professionals and Creative Juice. Wear your "I Voted Today" sticker and you get a free beer or glass of wine. Providing the music will be Trevor Davis & Friends. So, before you go home to sweat out the results, relax with friends, artists and other voters. For more information, go to www.publicct.com.