This Weekend: Jazz and Blues at The Buttonwood Tree

605 Main Street / PO Box 71, Middletown, CT 06457

www.buttonwood.org / 860.347.4957

The Charter Oak Jazz Quartet

Friday, February 10 

8 pm $10

Jazz

Charter Oak Jazz woodsheds and plays out in the Hartford, CT area. Straight Jazz classics – keeping the tradition alive, and loving the music! 

The group is currently a Quartet, including Alec McCandless on piano, Stephen Zulli on guitar, Cal McCandless on drums, and John Norton on bass.

https://soundcloud.com/charteroakjazz

Purchase Tickets Here

OR call 860.347.4597 to reserve your seat

Bop Tweed

Saturday, February 11

8 pm $10

Jazz / Blues

Stephen Roane, Jason Apostoleris and Tim Barry a.k.a., BOP TWEED, are very happy to be performing at The Buttonwood Tree again, and will be playing selections from their latest CD – “Flying Fish Sessions”- as well as preview some new songs they’ve been working on along with past favorites from previous CD’s.

Bop Tweed is a jazz/blues trio, comprised of Steve Roane of Madison on guitar and vocals, Jason Apostoleris of East Haddam on percussion and Tim Barry of Stony Creek on bass. They are all seasoned musicians, playing a mixture of original songs and jazz & blues standards.

https://www.reverbnation.com/boptweed

Purchase Tickets Here

OR call 860.347.4957 to reserve your seat

Other Events this Week

Saturday, February 11 @10:30 am

Aligned with Source

Sunday, February 12 @ 2:00 pm

NEAR and Far Storytellers

This is a program of storytelling featuring an open mic opportunity for anyone in the audience during the first half with headliner(s) for the second half. The featured tellers for the 2/12/17 performance will be Carolyn Stearns and Jim Harriman.

Monday, February 13 @ 7:00 pm

Anything Goes Open Mic & Moments of Gratitude

Tuesday, February 14 @ 1:00 pm

Intentional and Empowering Yoga

Thursday, February 16 @ 7:00 pm

Shaking the Tree Gong and Sound Meditation

To learn more about these great events and explore other happenings

 Visit www.buttonwood.org

Civil Rights and Blues History on Vacation

From Bob Reutenuer

I toured the richness of the Mississippi Delta's civil rights and
blues music history with twenty other community college history
faculty from around the land in July. Guided by some mighty heroic
freedom struggle veterans we covered a lot of ground in five days. We
went from the birthplace of the blues in Clarksdale, to the site of
Dr. Kings last speech to striking Memphis sanitation workers and then
the Lorraine Motel. The motel is now a wonderful National Civil Rights
Museum. In between we visited landmarks of the voter registration
drives in delta towns of Greenwood and Ruleville (home of Fanny Lou
Hamer), the martyrdom of three civil rights workers-- Schwerner,
Goodman, and Cheney- in Neshoba county, the "crossroads" of highway 61
and 49 where Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil, the storefront
of Emmett Till's unfortunate glance at a white women, the home of
Medgar Evers where he was shot dead in the back, Remember Dylan's
"Only a pawn in their game" and Beale Street Memphis for some fine
bourbon, even better cold cold beer and hot blues rollin out in the
street from everywhere. Enjoy my photos.

Bob Reutenauer

Music at The Mansion Series July 2009

The Friends of Long Hill Estate will once again host their ‘Music at the Mansion’ series in July at the Wadsworth Mansion in Middletown. Concert dates are July 1st, 8th, 15th, and 22nd. The rain date for the concerts is July 29th. Concerts begin at 6:30 p.m. There is no charge for admission and seating is on the south lawn.

Back by popular demand, Eight to the Bar (pictured above) will open the series on July 1st. They were voted ‘Best Band 2008’ by Connecticut Magazine and ‘Best Jazz Band’ in the 2008 Hartford Advocate Readers Poll. Drawing their musical influences from American roots music: swing, boogie woogie, rhythm & blues, soul, and Motown, Eight to the Bar is known for its outstanding instrumentalists and sophisticated musical and vocal arrangements. For more information, go to www.eighttothebar.com.

The July 8th concert will feature Galvanized Jazz Band, a dynamic group of Connecticut musicians devoted to the energetic performance of hot Dixieland, New Orleans jazz, blues, rags, stomps, struts, spirituals, swing, and classic popular songs from the past century. Recognized by Connecticut Magazine as "Best Jazz Band in the State", the Galvanized Jazz Band is showcased at large Jazz Festivals throughout the state. To learn more about these fine musicians, go to www.galvanizedjazzband.com.

Making their first appearance at the Mansion and their only visit to Connecticut this summer will be Jay Ungar & Molly Mason on July 15th. Steeped in American Roots music, the duo is best known for their performance of Jay's haunting composition "Ashokan Farewell", the musical hallmark of Ken Burn’s PBS series, "The Civil War." The soundtrack won a Grammy and "Ashokan Farewell", originally inspired by Jay & Molly's annual fiddle and dance camps, was nominated for an Emmy. To find out more, go to www.jayandmolly.com.


The concert series will conclude with Planet Zydeco, a six-piece band that captures the essence of traditional rural-style accordion-driven dance music played in Southern Louisiana. Led by accordionist Rose Sinclair (who's worked with Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem), the group (also featuring 2 guitars, bass, drums and rubboard) plays a popular mix of up-tempo songs, as well as slower blues-inspired numbers and traditional waltzes. To learn more, go to http://planetzydeco.tripod.com.

All of the concerts will begin at 6:30 p.m. The grounds will be open for picnicking at 5:30 p.m. Parking will be at the Mansion, at the Wilbert Snow School, 299 Wadsworth Street, and at Mercy High School, 1740 Randolph Road. Concerts will be held in light rain or the threat of showers. Concerts will be canceled in the event of electrical storms or threat to the wellbeing of the musicians and their instruments. Information will be available on the Wadsworth Mansion website at www.wadsworthmansion.com or by calling (860) 347-1064.

The music series is co-sponsored by the Long Hill Estate Authority and the Friends of Long Hill Estate.

Lucky and the Doctor Come To Town

This is a very busy week of music here in Middletown but, for this posting, I wish to focus on just 3 shows.

Friday April 24, Boney's Music Lounge, situated above Fishbone Cafe, lower Court Street, welcomes blues man Lucky Peterson for a 9 p.m. show. Peterson, who excels on guitar and keyboards (he also sings, plays bass, trumpet and is also a darned good drummer), has been performing since the age of 3. He recorded his first single (remember 45 rpm records?) when he was 5 and that was produced by the legendary Willie Dixon. As a novelty act, Peterson appeared on major television shows such as "The Ed Sullivan Show" and "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson."

He's been on the road as a solo act since the late 1980s and has released numerous CDs for Alligator Records and Verve. While there is a "jazzy" side to his music, Peterson is a hellacious guitar player, playing "stinging" solos behind his full-throated vocals.

To get a taste of Lucky's music, go to www.myspace.com/luckypetersonmusic. To find out more about Boney's Lounge and Friday's show, call 346-6000.

Friday and Saturday (4/24 & 25), Wesleyan celebrates its annual Jazz Weekend. On the first night, the Wesleyan Jazz Orchestra, Jay Hoggard, music director, and the Wesleyan Jazz Ensemble, Noah Baerman, music director, perform classic jazz compositions by composers such as Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus, Oliver Nelson and more. The concert, free and open to the public, takes place at 8 p.m. in Crowell Concert Hall.

Saturday evening at 8 p.m., Dr. Lonnie Smith (pictured above), one of the funkiest Hammond B-3 organ artists in the world, takes the stage at Crowell for an evening of jazz, r'n'b, soul music, and uplifting sounds. Like Lucky Peterson, Smith is a native of Buffalo, Nw York, and has been active on the jazz scene for nearly 5 decades. He learned to play organ listening to Jimmy Smith (no relation), Bill Doggett, and gospel music. Smith began gigging in Buffalo nightclubs and came to the attention of numerous musicians, including guitarist George Benson. His first recording date paired him with guitarist Grant Green and, with Benson's help, signed a contract with Columbia Records, who released his first Lp. Smith soon moved to Blue Note Records and his career took off.

Over the years, he's recorded several dozen CDs and Lps and has appeared on many more. In 2004, he signed with Palmetto and has seen a resurgence in his career. His new recording, "Rise Up!", features guitarist Peter Bernstein and 2 great New Orleans players, Donald Harrison (alto saxophone) and Herlin Riley (drums.) Most of the music are original Smith compositions and there's a "swampy"version of The Beatles' "Come Together" and a low-down bluesy take on Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams." You can listen to the disc by clicking here.

For Saturday's "hit", joining the Doctor will be 2 fine young musicians, guitarist Jonathan Kreisberg and drummer Obed Calvaire. For ticket information, call 685-3355 or go to www.wesleyan.edu/cfa.

The Buttonwood Tree: Rock, Roll, Sway & Shuffle

The Buttonwood Tree is in the midst of its "Vocal Summit Series", 6 shows over 4 September weekends spotlighting several different styles of American music.

This Friday night (September 19) at 7:30 p.m., singer-songwriter Lys Guillorn (pictured) heads a bill titled "Two Bands + Two Ukuleles = Lots of Fun!" Guillorn, backed by a small but powerful trio, writes songs that blend humor and wistfulness with folk, blues and rock influences. Opening the show is the duo of Portuguese singer-songwriter Rita Braga & Chris Carlone (they're the 2 with the ukes) whose music has a quirky, poppy, edge and, also, a touch of humor.

The following night, 2 more singer-songwriters will grace the intimate performance space. Gail Wade, a native of Maine now a resident of the Colchester area, performs her pretty yet poignant love songs. Her melodies are tinged with blues and jazz influences and she's got an engaging voice. Brook Williams (pictured) is, arguably, one of the most accomplished guitar players you'll ever see and hear. Over the past 2 decades, he's toured the country and pleased audiences with his eclectic repertoire, ranging from blues to folk to pop standards delivered with genuine emotion and his gentle yet handsome tenor voice.

Suggested donation for both shows is $10. For more information, call 860-347-4957 or go online to www.buttonwood.org.

This should be a good weekend for strolling up Main Street to The Buttonwood. You can, also, check out the new location (575 Main Street) for It's Only Natural Market, scheduled to open on Saturday.