(A slightly different version of this post appears on my blog Step Tempest - steptempest.blogspot.com.)
As the New Year begins, The Buttonwood Tree celebrates its 24th Birthday. The brainchild of poet Susan Allison and her husband Stephan (an arts maven and believer in the power of art),The Buttonwood has played host to concerts from myriad musical styles, plays, poetry readings, belly dancing workshops, yoga workshops and other types of performance art as well as being a gallery for the visual arts and a bookstore. Plus, it's a gathering place, working with children in the summertime as well as having programs for adults.
For old fogies, such as myself, it's a great place to hear live music. I have seen and heard numerous musicians from around the world playing (literally) in my living room. For several years after coming to Wesleyan, Professor Anthony Braxton would workshop material in the performance space. David Chevan and Warren Byrd utilized the space to kickstart the Afro-Semitic Experience and I've watched Noah Baerman grow as a performer and composer in that very room.
So, I am so pleased to see the schedule in January includes a goodly number of jazz concerts. This Saturday (January 5), tenor saxophonist Russ Nolan (pictured) brings his Organ Trio to The Buttonwood for an 8 p.m. show. Nolan just issued his third CD as a leader, "Tell Me" (Rhinoceruss Music), and will be bringing 2 of the musicians on the disk with him, organist Art Hirahara and drummer Brian Fishler. Inspired by his great love of salsa dancing, the recording has several Latin-influenced tunes (including a splendid version of Stevie Wonder's "Creepin') but, in his liner notes, Nolan writes "..this is anything but a dance record." Yet, it is hard to keep one's feet from tapping on a majority of tracks. There are also intelligent arrangements of Lennon-McCartney's "Nowhere Man" and Michael Jackson's "Man in the Mirror" (composed by Siedah Garrett and Glen Ballard.) Nolan's warm tenor sound, his enjoyment for playing and the excellent rhythm section will warm those who come see the Trio play.
All told, should be another fine evening of exploratory music - the music starts at 8 p.m.
To find out more, go to www.dandechellis.com. To find out more about The Buttonwood Tree, its complete January schedule and beyond, go to www.buttonwood.org.
For the record, NEAR/The Buttonwood Tree became such as a non-profit officially in the Fall of 1991 making it 21 years old and now in it's 22nd year. This does not at all diminish it's history or accomplishments over the stretch of years. I only bring this up because I am a stickler for the details and wouldn't want to mislead anyone of have history rewritten. I believe that the 24 years came from The Buttonwood Tree pages (Facebook possibly) and they had it wrong. Susan's Ibis Books & Gallery was the seed from which NEAR, Inc./The Buttonwood Tree grew and it had it's beginnings in December, 1989 so maybe that's where the 24 comes from. And, I would also like the records to reflect that The Buttonwood Tree was the brainchild of Susan Allison alone. She deserves full credit for its creation and she was the driving creative force of the institution for many years.
ReplyDeleteAnd, thank you for your comments regarding me. I recall being called an arts maven in the early years of The Buttonwood Tree by the late Cathy O'Connell who was reporting for the former Middletown Press under the leadership of Derry D'Oench. I will attest to my belief in the transformative power of the arts but I will leave the 'maven' label for others to validate.
I am encouraged by the lineup for January at TBT and look forward to more innovative efforts in the coming months. Middletown is made all the richer by its artists and the individuals and organizations that support them. To you and the Middletown community - "thank you for supporting the Arts".