605 Main Street / PO Box 71, Middletown, CT 06457
Julian Gerstin Sextet
July 14 @ 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm
$15
Drums from Martinique and Cuba mingle with rhythms of Turkey and
Bulgaria in the jazz world of percussionist/composer Julian Gerstin.
Living in Martinique for two years, Julian studied the unusual tanbou
drum, played with both hands and one foot. To bring this instrument
home, he composed music for a jazz setting, where musicians can
improvise and create on the basis of tradition. He draws also on his
experiences traveling and working with musicians from Cuba, Brazil,
Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa and Egypt. The sextet has just released its
first CD and celebrates at Buttonwood Tree.
Julian’s compositions combine rhythmic drive with melodies that sneak jazz complexity into singable, even catchy, lines. “Dig It Deeper,” for example, weds a bluesy, funky melody to the Martinican rhythm bèlè, played for folk dances that themselves combine African movements with French quadrilles. The composition also includes a quote from the Martinican folk song “Pani pasé lamen oswé-a,” (“We’re not fooling around tonight”), alluding to the island’s heritage of resistance. “The quote gives the composition a depth that Martinican audiences will understand,” Julian explains, “and it fits the mood I wrote in. Besides, I really love that melody.”
In a similar culture-spanning vein, “Child Left Behind” is a Latin jazz burner played to a Cuban rumba guaguancó. It is followed by the CD’s only vocal track, “Apprendiendo Como Amar,” a folkloric drums-and-vocal guaguancó composed by Julian, recorded in San Francisco with five of the Bay Area’s best Cuban drummers and singers.
For his sextet, Julian has assembled a powerhouse of creative like-minded musicians Anna Patton, clarinet, plays with one foot in jazz and the other in Macedonia, and trumpeter Don Anderson, adds a salsa veteran’s heat. Pianist Miro Sprague has brought his ear for fresh sonorities to work with Wayne Shorter, Greg Osby and Matt Wilson; bassist Wes Brown’s gigs have spanned the history of jazz from Earl “Fatha” Hines to Wadada Leo Smith and Fred Ho; and drummer Ben James has anchored both rock bands and free jazz great John Tchicai.
Teens, looking for a place to perform? A place to recite your latest
poem? How about your newest original scene? Or, a time-tested monologue?
If so, the Buttonwood Tree Open Mic FOR TEENS, is FOR YOU! Be a part of
Buttonwood’s first ever open mic specifically for teen performers ages
12-18. Perform any type of artwork: you can use our piano or bring a
guitar, ukulele, or other instrument to play! Cover your favorite song
or perform an original! Whether it is your first time performing or you
are an experienced teen musician, poet, or artist, the Buttonwood Tree
is a positive, supporting environment for teens to perform. Parents and
friends are welcome to come support!
Julian’s compositions combine rhythmic drive with melodies that sneak jazz complexity into singable, even catchy, lines. “Dig It Deeper,” for example, weds a bluesy, funky melody to the Martinican rhythm bèlè, played for folk dances that themselves combine African movements with French quadrilles. The composition also includes a quote from the Martinican folk song “Pani pasé lamen oswé-a,” (“We’re not fooling around tonight”), alluding to the island’s heritage of resistance. “The quote gives the composition a depth that Martinican audiences will understand,” Julian explains, “and it fits the mood I wrote in. Besides, I really love that melody.”
In a similar culture-spanning vein, “Child Left Behind” is a Latin jazz burner played to a Cuban rumba guaguancó. It is followed by the CD’s only vocal track, “Apprendiendo Como Amar,” a folkloric drums-and-vocal guaguancó composed by Julian, recorded in San Francisco with five of the Bay Area’s best Cuban drummers and singers.
For his sextet, Julian has assembled a powerhouse of creative like-minded musicians Anna Patton, clarinet, plays with one foot in jazz and the other in Macedonia, and trumpeter Don Anderson, adds a salsa veteran’s heat. Pianist Miro Sprague has brought his ear for fresh sonorities to work with Wayne Shorter, Greg Osby and Matt Wilson; bassist Wes Brown’s gigs have spanned the history of jazz from Earl “Fatha” Hines to Wadada Leo Smith and Fred Ho; and drummer Ben James has anchored both rock bands and free jazz great John Tchicai.
Teen Open Mic
July 15 @ 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm
$5
Instagram and Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tbt.teen.open.mic
Sissy Castrogiovanni & Ehud Ettun – Jazz Duo
July 15 @ 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm
$15
Join Sissy Castrogiovanni and Ehud Ettun from Israel for a
pre-release show of their new project, a jazz duo album featuring only
voice and bass at The Buttonwood Tree.
Powerful and warm voice, Sissy has a unique and soulful sound. Jazz harmonies, Mediterranean and Sicilian roots, African rhythms and a touch of classical music, all combined together to support beautiful original melodies in Sicilian dialect.
“Sissy is the voice and the image of Sicily, her songs are starting a new era for Sicilian popular music. Thanks to her, we can discover a new universe within traditional Sicilian music, extremely rich and powerful melodies and soundscapes, that transport us immediately to this island’s streets and fields full of life and art, something very different, worthy of the utmost attention.”
7 times Grammy Award winning Javier Limon, El Pais (Spain)
Powerful and warm voice, Sissy has a unique and soulful sound. Jazz harmonies, Mediterranean and Sicilian roots, African rhythms and a touch of classical music, all combined together to support beautiful original melodies in Sicilian dialect.
“Sissy is the voice and the image of Sicily, her songs are starting a new era for Sicilian popular music. Thanks to her, we can discover a new universe within traditional Sicilian music, extremely rich and powerful melodies and soundscapes, that transport us immediately to this island’s streets and fields full of life and art, something very different, worthy of the utmost attention.”
7 times Grammy Award winning Javier Limon, El Pais (Spain)
Aligned with Source Interactive Workshop & Meditation
Every Saturday, 10:30 am to noon. $10 suggested donation
Every Saturday, 10:30 am to noon. $10 suggested donation
Be the change you wish to see. All you need is Willingness.
This week’s topic: Karma Choices & Abundance
Stay tuned here and make sure to check our website's calendar for
upcoming events. The following weekend we'll be joined by BadSlax Jazz Quartet and singer-songwriter duo Naomi Wachira and Lara Herscovitch Summer nights are the best time to enjoy live music so make sure to save the dates and snag your seats in advance.
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