Music at The Mansion: Tonight's Show Cancelled!

As I write this, the sun is trying to part the clouds and there is a rain shower across the street.  This crazy weather does not bode well for an outdoor concert. Therefore, tonight's show with Mixed Signals (pictured left) at The Wadsworth Mansion has been cancelled and moved to Wednesday August 8.

Next Wednesday (8/01), the Mansion welcomes back Shaded Soul, a CT band that blends soul music, funk, r 'n' b, jazz, Pop, Reggae, and more. With six musicians and three featured vocalists, this group can get you on your feet dancing (and in a hurry).

The grounds open at 5:30 p.m. Bring a blanket, chairs, wine, food, and the desire to bask in the sounds. Music usually starts at 6:30 and the show ends before the evening gets too dark.

To find out more, go to www.wadsworthmansion.com.

Shaded Soul Band from Powerstation Events on Vimeo.

Music at The Mansion 2015

Summer's here and Middletown jumps to a different beat - there are concerts by the River, concerts on the Wesleyan campus and there's Music at The Mansion.

As you see by the picture, the back lawn of The Wadsworth Mansion is lush and green. For the next 4 Wednesdays (7/01, 08, 15, and 22 - in case of rain, 7/29 is a makeup date), the Lawn will covered by blankets and chairs, filled with people listening to music that, in its own ways, covers a lot of territory.

The series, sponsored this year by the Friends of the Long Hill Estate along with a generous donation from Middlesex Hospital,  commences this Wednesday evening at 6:30 p.m. with the funky sounds of Avenue Groove. The sextet, in existence since 2007, plays rhythm 'n' blues, funk, soul music and more in a show that makes one want to dance.

The following Wednesday, the US Coast Guard Band, 50 persons strong, return to The Mansion.  Based at the Coast Guard Academy in New London, the Band was formed in 1925 and, in its 90-year existence, has performed throughout the United States and around the world.  Many of the musicians who perform go on to play in symphony orchestras and big bands.  The ensemble has recorded a number of CDs, the latest released in 2014 and featuring the movie music and more of John Williams.

The Latin jazz sounds of Goza also makes a return appearance in the Series, this time on July 15.  Led by guitarist David Giardina, the sextet plays a repertoire from Central and South America, from Spain and, on occasion - if you ask - will play spirited Gypsy Swing.  They also add Latin rhythms to songs by Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney and others.

Greg Fahey photo

The final show in the series also features an artist returning to town.  Jeff Pitchell & Texas Flood with the Jeffettes is one to the area's premier blues bands. The guitarist is getting rave reviews around the country for his spirited playing and singing with a repertoire that pays tribute to blues greats such as Stevie Ray Vaughan and Otis Rush. Pitchell is also getting notice for his songwriting abilities. Texas Flood is as solid a band as you'll hear anywhere and The Jeffettes add soulful harmonies to the proceedings.

The Wadsworth grounds open at 5:30 p.m. for the who wish to bring picnic suppers and close 30 minutes after the last notes fade away.  Parking is available at Snow School and in the lot at Mercy High School.  These concerts are free and open to the public - The Friends will solicit donations at all shows save for the Coast Guard Band.  For weather updates on the afternoon of the shows and more information, go to www.wadsworthmansion.com/events.php.

Music Inside & Out

South Green/Union Park looks very pleasant in this picture but too empty for a Tuesday night.  This week (7/30), the Park sound fill with people to enjoy the sounds of the Trevor Davis Jazz Quintet with guest vocalist Carolyn Reeves.  Mr. Davis is well-known around this area not only as a successful commercial real estate person but also as a patron of the arts. He's also a fine jazz drummer who plays in various spots around town.  For this night, he's joined by the fine bassist Mike Asetta as well as Steve Donovan (keyboards) and John Smayda (saxophones) plus Ms. Reeves, a local singer/songwriter who's going to moving to the Left Coast fairly soon. During the intermission, Tre Davis, the drummer's son, will sing and play piano.  Bring your lawn chairs, a libation or 2 and a sweater because the long-range forecast calls for clear skies and cooler temps.  The event is, as always, free and open to the public.  For more information, go to arts2go.org, the on-line presence of the Middletown Commission on the Arts, sponsor of the weekly Summer Sounds Concert series.

The weather also looks promising for the 4th concert in the Wednesday Wadsworth Mansion Concert Series, held on the spacious back lawn of the the Long Hill Estate, 421 Wadsworth Street. The concert, originally scheduled to be the 5th and final show of the summer, is actually a "first" for the series - Quartetto Vivo is the first chamber music ensemble to play outdoors in the series, now in its 11th season. Not sure of the program for this Wednesday but a quick look at their website - www.quartettovivo.com - displays a repertoire that ranges from Bach to Haydn to Zappa and plenty of stops in-between.  The Estate grounds open at 5:30 p.m. and the music starts at 6:30. For more information about the Music at the Mansion series, go to www.wadsworthmansion.com.

Thursday evening August 1, The Russell Library, 123 Broad Street, presents Indra Rios-Moore, who performs under her first name in concert at 7 p.m. in The Hubbard Room.  Indra, born in New York City to a Puerto Rican mother and African American mother, attended Smith College where she studied, among other subjects, classical vocal music.  She now lives in Denmark with her husband, saxophonist Benjamin Traerup.  When they first moved back to Traerup's homeland, they joined forces with bassist Thomas Sejthen. The trio's debut CD was recorded and issued shortly after the relocation - the album features vocals and fiddle from Indra's friend Rani Arbo (who now lives in Middletown.)  The new recording, "In Between", came out in 2012 and won the Danish Jazz Award for Vocal Jazz Album of the Year.  Because of the spare instrumentation, Indra's voice really stands out - she is a passionate singer who really inhabits each song, enunciating the lyrics yet imbuing the words with honest emotion.  To find out more about the group and the music, go to indra.dk.  The library website is russelllibrary.org.

And, if that's not enough, Indra will also appear at the Sunken Garden Poetry series at the Hill-Stead Museum in Farmington on Wednesday August 7 opening for Billy Collins.  For more information, go to sunkengardenpoetry.org.

All 3 of the concerts in Middletown are free and open to the public so you should really take advantage of this great music.

Wadsworth Mansion: 5 in July!

Summer is upon and it's time to party with Mother Nature.  Over the course of the next 9-11 weeks, there will be a slew of outdoors concerts in the Middletown area and one knows how fickle the Goddess of Weather can be.

Nevertheless, the Wadsworth Mansion at Long Hill Estate, Wadsworth Street in Middletown, will presents its annual July Concert series aka Music at the Mansion.  And, this year, the Music Committee (note: I am a member of that august group) has chosen to present 5 concerts, one on each Wednesday of the month.  In case of rain, there will be 1 make-up concert on August 7.  As has been the tradition over the years, the concerts are free, the grounds are open for picnics 60 minutes before each 6:30 show, and the line-up is a creative blend of styles and sounds.

The fun starts of Wednesday July 3 when the Hartford Jazz Orchestra, Donn Trenner, Music Director, makes a return visit. The HJO has been in existence since 1965 when Bill Stanley (at that time, band director at Hall High School in West Hartford) convened the musicians for its first of its Monday night rehearsals.  The ensemble went through a number of music directors and venues until Chic Chicetti took over in the early 1980s and settled the HJO into the famous but now defunct 880 Club in Hartford.  Over the years, the ensemble built quite a following for its Monday night shows plus the occasional gigs away from the venue, often with vocalist Bobbi Rogers as a guest (then becoming a permanent member.) Saxophonist/flutist Seb Giacco, a fixture on the local music and former co-owner of National Paint & Wallpaper, has been in the group since its inception. On the night of this concert, Mr. Giacco will be honored by the Wadsworth Mansion, not only for his long career as a great musician but also as the "father" of the Music at the Mansion series.

The following week (7/10) marks the Mansion debut of guitarist Jeff Pitchell & Texas Flood. Pitchell, a fixture on the Connecticut and New England blues scene, has been playing guitar since he was 15 and is considered one of the best blues players around.  Joining his 5-piece band will be the Jeffettes, 4 singers with a background in gospel music.  Should be a rocking night on the back lawn.

On July 17, Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem returns to the Mansion playing their joyful program of "agnostic gospel music", folk, swing, and blues.  Ms. Arbo, who sings and plays fiddle, lives in Middletown with her husband and percussionist Scott Kessel (who plays the home-made "Drumship Enterprise).  Guitarist/vocalist Anand Nayak and bassist/vocalist Andrew Kinsey (who also plays a "mean" ukulele and banjo) round out the quartet.

The Quartet has released 3 CDs, including 2012's "Some Bright Morning" and 2010's "Ranky Tanky", the latter a rollicking collection of songs for the younger set (but everyone can sing along.)
Their live shows are certainly fun for the whole family and this show, like the others, will draw quite a crowd of fans from all over the region.

On July 24, the series continues in the "folk" mode when Gail Wade & Turning Point makes its Mansion debut.  Singer/songwriter/ guitarist/banjo picker Wade has been making music for 3 decades throughout the Northeast. Turning Point is 4 fine musicians - Peggy Ann Harvey (fiddle, saxophone, harmonica, vocals), Dan Manzone (banjo), Rob Rainwater (acoustic bass) and Tim St. Jean (mandolin) -  all of whom pour their hearts and souls into this music.

The concerts come to a close on July 31 when Quartetto Vivo becomes the first string quartet to play in the series. Based in the Hartford area, the chamber ensemble plays a repertoire that spans centuries, from Bach to The Beatles and beyond.

As stated above, all concerts start at 6:30 p.m. Limited parking is available on the Estate's grounds, at Wilbur Snow School, 299 Wadsworth Street and at Mercy High School, 1740 Randolph Road. Concerts will go on even in light rain but, if there is more electricity in the sky than on the bandstand, the show will be cancelled.  If there is a threat of bad weather, check the Mansion's website - www.wadsworthmansion.com - or call 860-347-1064.  You can check the EYE as well.

Music at the Mansion Week 2

The Music at The Mansion series continues on the grounds of the Long Hill Estate Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. (weather permitting) with one of the most popular jazz ensembles in the area, the Hartford Jazz Orchestra.  The HJO first began its Monday night tradition in 1965 and has been working under various directors ever since.  The ensemble hits its stride in the 1980s, working regularly at the 880 Club in Hartford, using many arrangements by Chic Chicetti, who later went on to direct the band. After his passing, the baton landed in the hands of Donn Trenner, whose resume includes stints as music director for Shirley McLaine, Ann-Margaret and Rita Moreno.  Middletown resident Seb Giacco, an alto saxophonist and flutist of the highest order, is one of two members who has been with the HJO since its inception.

For many years, the band featured Bobbi Rogers as its lead vocalist - she retired several years ago.  The Mansion concert will be the first for Nicole Pasternak, a New York City-area resident who has been busy on the jazz scene since the mid-1980s. She sings with ensembles large and small and has become more active in recent years (her children are now grown up.)  Seb Giacco is excited to have her joining the band.

The grounds open to the public at 5:30 p.m. with parking available at Snow School and Mercy High School.  The concerts are free and open to all. 

Kick off to Wadsworth Concert Series July 6/ Art Walk July 8

2 awesome on-going arts events kick off this week:

1. Arts Walk at Riverview Plaza:

Where: Amici Italian Grill, 280 Main St, Middletown, CT 06457

Date: July 8, 2011 / July 15, 2011 / July 22, 2011 / July 29, 2011 / August 5, 2011 / August 12, 2011 / August 19, 2011 / August 26, 2011 / September 2, 2011

Next on: Friday, July 8, 2011Middletown’s Upper Main Street Will Feature Live Artistic and Cultural Performances and Vendors Weekends Through Labor Day.

The Middletown Commission on the Arts announces an exciting new project in conjunction with the Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce and the Downtown Business District this summer.

Beginning July 8 and running through Labor Day, weekends will feature street performers, vendors, arts groups and arts organizations introducing themselves and their wares to passersby on Main Street at Riverview Plaza.

Fridays from 6-9 p.m., Saturdays from 1-9 p.m. and Sundays from 1-5 p.m. will feature dozens of performers, to start this off summer will be :

July 8-10, ARTFARM actors will enact Shakespeare in the Grove selections from “Shakespeare’s Argument”

July 16, Wesleyan University’s Center for the Arts will host acoustic musicians and the Center for Creative Youth will exhibit a student art show and demonstrate stage, vocal, instrumental and musical skills learned over five weeks of intensive summer study.

July 22-24, Oddfellows Playhouse teens will perform scenes from “Romeo and Juliet” and “Comedy of Errors” and Children’s Circus members will be juggling, doing acrobatics and stilting.

For information on how to become a vendor or exhibitor, contact the MCA office at (860) 344-6620, Ext. 201, or email lkgodburn@aol.com.

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2. Summer Concert Series Music at the Mansion

Where: Wadsworth Mansion at Long Hill Estate, 421 Wadsworth St, Middletown, CT 06457

Date: July 6, 2011 Time: 6:30pm

Opening the 2011 Series on July 6th will bePrelude playing music from the ‘80s to the present.Prelude covers all of the great songs, including classic pop and rock, funk, disco, swing, country and Motown. [www.prelude.com]

All of the concerts will begin at 6:30 p.m. The grounds will be open for picnicking at 5:30 p.m. free and open to all!
Information will be available on the Wadsworth Mansion website at www.wadsworthmansion.com or by calling (860) 347-1064. Did you know the Mansion has a blog ? http://wadsworthmansionct.blogspot.com/
Check out the blog for a full calendar of events

Rain Date

This is what the back yard of the Wadsworth Mansion looks like on a concert evening.  The annual series at the Long Hill Estate is always at the mercy of the weather which, in July, can be quite hot and steamy or stormy.  In the case of the former meteorological condition, the show goes - if the weather turns "electric", the Mansion wisely pulls the plug.

In the past, there is only one "rain date" and, if 2 or more shows are canceled, the audience loses out.  On Wednesday August 11, the Michael Cleary Band gets its second chance to "rock the grounds" with its infectious blend of rock, funk, and bluesy material. The grounds open at 5:30, the show goes on around 6:30 and lasts until sunset.  As always, the event is free and open to the public.  Support local music and have a great time.

Music Outdoors and In

Tuesday July 27:
The MCA-sponsored "Summer Sounds" series presents The Ken Morr Band at 7 p.m. on South Green.  Expect to hear folk and folk/rock, sweet sounds for a Summer evening.  In case of rain, the show moves indoors to South Church. The event is free and open to the public.

Wednesday July 28:

The United States Coast Guard Band (9 of whom are pictured here on a Japanese tour) are this week's musical offering in the "Music at the Mansion" series at Long Hill Estate, 421 Wadsworth Street. If you've never heard the USCGB, what a treat - these fine musician can and do play just about any kind of music you could imagine, from Broadway to folk music to classics to flag wavers. The event is free and open to the public.  The grounds open at 5:30 and the band begins to play at 6:30 p.m.  If you want a taste of the ensemble's music, go to www.uscg.mil/band/.  For more information about the Mansion, go to www.wadswortthansion.com. 

Thursday July 29:

This is the poster for "Guys and Dolls", the Middletown Teen Theater production opening on this night and running through Sunday August 1 at the Performing Arts Center in Middletown High School, 200 LaRosa Lane.  Performances are 7 p.m. through Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday.  The youthful cast is working hard and the show should be loads of fun.  For ticket information, go to www.middletownteentheater.com.

"Writers Out Loud!: Cream of the Crop" features a number of writers from the Middletown area who have been in a workshop, submitted their best work and will be presenting these pieces at 7 p.m. in the Green Street Arts Center. Cocomo Rock and Al Bowers have been working with the writers and I have the honor of presenting the best pieces to come from their efforts.  For more information, call 860-685-7871.

The Russell Library continues its "Courtyard Concerts" series with the Indra Jazz Trio at 7 p.m. Originally from New York City, vocalist Indra Rios-Moore began working with bassist Thomas Sejthen and saxophonist/clarinetist Benjamin Traerup in 2006 and moved to Denmark the following year. The trio's eclectic repertoire ranges from jazz standards to classic blues tunes to folk and "r'n'b." Indra has a rich voice, husky, dark, with a fine range and dramatic presence.  Joining them on several tunes will be vocalist/fiddler/Middletown resident Rani Arbo.  To find out more about Indra and her music, go to http://indra.dk.  The concert is free and open to the public.

Not Quite Quiet Week

Tuesday July 6:

The EYE-ditor has already hipped you to the Cary Grant Film Series at Wesleyan's Center for Film Studies (see here) which open on this evening with "To Catch a Thief" (Alfred Hitchcock and Grace Kelly - need I say more.)

But, there's other stuff to be seen and heard.

Earlier in the day, you can venture out to the CFA Hall at 12:10 p.m. where Wesleyan Assistant Professor of Art Julia Randall will deliver a talk titled "Drawing Obsessions."  Best known for her drawings (that's her "Decoy # 5" on the left and you can check out a collection of her fascinating "Tongue Drawings" by clicking here), Ms. Randall's work has been displayed at the Jeff Bailey Gallery in New York City, in Sydney, Australia and at Skidmore College.  The event is free and open to the public.

The Summer Sounds Series on the South Green/Union Park, Main Street, continues at 7 p.m. with Five In Time.  The ensemble specializes in woodwind music.  The event is free and open to all.  Bring your beach chairs and legal libations.  In the case of rain, the show moves indoors to South Church. This concert series is sponsored by the Middletown Commission on the Arts.

The Connecticut Songwriters Association holds its monthly meeting at 7:15 p.m. in Room B2B3, South College on the Wesleyan campus. This month, the CSA welcomes Vicki Blankenship, the President of Indiegrrl, one of the largest support organizations for "Indie" artists. Though the organization is geared towards working with women, they welcome all interested parties.  For more information about this event and the CSA, go to www.ctsongs.com.

Wednesday July 7:

The Wadsworth Mansion at the Long Hill Estate begins its annual July Concert Series on this day with the sweet and soulful sounds of Souled Out.  The Hartford-area based band appeared several years ago and knocked out the crowd with its fine vocals and great musicianship.  The band specializes in the rhythm 'n' blues music of the 60s and 70s, songs that came from Detroit (Motown), Philadelphia  (the great music created by the team of Gamble & Huff), Memphis/Muscle Shoals (Atlantic Records plus others) and much more.  The grounds open at 5:30 p.m. and the concerts begin at 6:30 p.m. The event is free and you can find free parking at the Mansion, at the Wilbert Snow School, 299 Wadsworth Street, and at Mercy High School, 1740 Randolph Road. For more information, go to www.wadsworthmansion.com.  Subsequent concerts include Ed Fast & Conga-Bop (July 14), the Michael Cleary Band (July 21) and the United States Coast Guard Band (July 28).

Thursday July 8:

To paraphrase Neil Diamond, "Pack up the babies and grab the old ladies/Everyone's going to "As You Like It."  The annual ARTFARM Shakespeare production in the Grove at Middlesex Community College, Training Hill Road, runs from July 8 - 18. "As You Like It" is a delightful "pastoral" comedy, another one of the Bard's comedy of errors and mistaken identities.  The plot summary, courtesy of www.globe-theatreuk.org, reads as such: "Rosalind, the daughter of a banished duke falls in love with Orlando the disinherited son of one of the duke's friends. When she is banished from the court by her usurping uncle, Duke Frederick, Rosalind takes on the appearance of a boy calling herself Ganymede. She travels with her cousin Celia and the jester Touchstone to the Forest of Arden, where her father and his friends live in exile. Themes about life and love, including aging, the natural world, and death are included in the play. New friends are made and families are reunited. By the end of the play Ganymede, once again Rosalind, marries Orlando. Orlando and Rosalind, Oliver and Celia, Silvius and Phebe, and Touchstone and Audrey all are married in the final scene. Oliver becomes a gentler, kinder young man so the Duke  changes his ways and turns to religion and so that the exiled Duke, father of Rosalind, can rule once again."  Got that - well, even if you don't, it's a fun play and, having performed with the troupe last year, I know how much hard work and sweat goes into the production of these shows.  

The play begins at 7 p.m. and each show is preceded at 6 p.m. by a musical act.  Opening night will feature singer/songwriter Nancy Tucker (pictured left) with songs for the entire family.  Other performers include Banning Eyre & Dirck Westervelt (Friday July 9), Noah Baerman & Friends (Saturday July 10),  Tom Callinan (Sunday July 11),  Sirius Coyote (Thursday July 15), Eric Kuhn (Friday July 16), Nzinga's Daughters (Saturday July 17) and Phil Rosenthal (Sunday July 18.)  In case of rain, the production moves indoors to the second floor of Chapman Hall. For more information, go to www.art-farm.org or call 860-346-4390.  

The Luis Lopez Herb Garden Series continues at  6:30 p.m. with Toussaint the Liberator and Buru Style.  The reggae/funk/soul-jazz band, featuring Middletown resident Bill Carbone on drums, is an exciting ensemble and have been playing shows throughout New England.  In case of rain, the show will take place on July 29.  

The Center for the Arts at Wesleyan presents the Joel Frahm Quartet in concert at 8 p.m. in the CFA Theater.  Frahm, who plays both tenor and soprano saxophones, spent his teenage years attending Hall High School in West Hartford (moving from Wisconsin when his Dad got a job at The Hartford Courant) where he played with the award-winning jazz band.  He's had a busy career since graduating from the Manhattan School of Music, working with vocalist Jane Monheit, pianist Brad Mehldau, drummer Matt Wilson's Quartet, bassist Ben Allison, vocalist/pianist Dena DeRose and a slew of others.  He's issued CDs as a leader on Palmetto Records and, more recently, the Anzic label. Frahm has also become a "first-call" session player, appearing on dozens of CDs. Just in the past few months, he's appeared on new releases by vocalists Dana Lauren, Linda Ciofalo and Beat Kaestli, the Ernesto Cervini Quartet, the Roland Vasquez Big Band, and percussionist Samuel Torres. 
For his Wesleyan gig, he's premiering a new group, this one featuring the fine pianist Orrin Evans, drummer Mark Ferber and bassist Johannes Weidenmuller (subbing for Omer Avital.) For ticket information, go to www.wesleyan.edu/cfa or call the Box Office at 860-685-3355.