Jazz Up Close Thursday June 1

"Jazz Up Close", the series that pianist, composer, and educator Noah Baerman has produced at The Russell Library, 123 Broad Street in Middletown over the past several years, continues on Thursday June 1 with guests Meg Okura (violin) and Sam Newsome (soprano) joining Mr. Baerman, bassist Henry Lugo, and drummer Paul Wells. Over the past two decades, Ms. Okura has been busy playing in multiple ensembles and multiple genres, from composing string quartets to performing with Cirque du Soleil to being a featured soloist with artists such as Dianne Reeves and Lee Konitz.  She's also the leader of the Pan Asian Jazz Ensemble (an ensemble with 2 CDs released so far), a Trio, and the J Orchestra, a big band dedicated to playing the music of Japanese and Jewish composers (the latter two ensembles have yet to record).

Mr. Newsome first came to critical in the late 1980s when he joined trumpeter and compose Terence Blanchard's group. He went off on his own in 1995 and also decided to concentrate on soprano saxophone.  Mr. Newsome is now considered one of the masters of the instrument.  His solo concerts and recordings are brilliant, each in their own right.  His breath control, intelligent use of amplification and prepared saxophone, plus the various ways he employs the saxophone keys, stand out.  Since 2007, he has  released six CDs of solo performances with performances that are as musical as they are challenging, amazing and earthy music that defies labels. Sam Newsome is also a fine blogger; on his "Soprano Sax Talk", he writes about many aspects of his chosen instrument and some of the people who play it. Go to sopranosaxtalk.blogspot.com to check it out.

If you have attended these events in the past, you know the host leaves time inside the concert and after for the audience to ask questions of the artists. In that way (and others), Mr. Baerman does much to demystify the music, making it accessible to those who shy away from what they consider a challenge.

The concert takes place at 7 p.m. in the Hubbard Room. Best of all, the event is free and open to the public.  For more information, go to www.russelllibrary.org.

Here's a taste of Ms. Okura's wonderful violin work:




Here's Sam Newsome from his 2014 album, "The Straight Horn of Africa":



(This post also appears on steptempest.blogspot.com.

The Buttonwood Tree Sizzles Saturday Night with La Hot Jazz

 

 

Last night at TBT the room was filled with music and words of healing energy and vibrations of love, Led by the passionate Margaux Modimo Hayes,  the audience and performers collectively exclaimed, "From your chakra to your mantra, we want the world to heal".  Intentions were of unity for our world, our community and even for this very event. And so it was that Margaux, together with partner Rich McGee III, invited to join them Mixashawn Rozie, Peter Onofrio and from the audience, Abu - Alvin Carter Sr. It was amazing to hear all these talented musicians bringing forth their years of experience in the spirit of unity and love. 

 

We never know what will happen at The Buttonwood Tree shows - often musicians will join us unexpectedly who add to the wonder of the evening. Ah, to be open to the spontaneity of Life - is pure Joy!

Tonight we open our doors to a richly talented group who plays music we are familiar with from the Great American Songbook and other tunes we love. Drop in for a sound bite or stay the evening! Wine, beer, Slambovian coffee, natural soft drinks and snacks are available. Bonus tonight: "Don't whine, do wine"!

La Hot Jazz

Saturday, July 26     8:00 pm - 10:00 pm  ($10 cash or check at the door)

The Buttonwood Tree will be sizzlin’ on July 26, when La Hot Jazz performs with sophistication and style. These seasoned musicians will add a unique flavor and charisma to The Buttonwood Tree’s jazz event. The band performs the Great American Songbook with a lineup of voice, upright bass, saxophone, drums, and piano.  Read more here:  http://www.buttonwood.org/event/la-hot-jazz/

The Buttonwood Tree is located at 605 Main Street, next to It's Only Natural market. www.buttonwood.org 860-347-4957  Doors open at 6:30 to reserve your seat.

Meet Your Middletown Neighbor: Brian Schroth

Introducing a new feature to the Eye: “Meet Your Middletown Neighbor.” This column aims to highlight regular people living, working, or otherwise being in Middletown who spend time on creative, interesting, or noteworthy pursuits. If you'd like to see this continue as a regular feature, we need to hear from you. Tell us about someone you know who is doing interesting things and who you'd like to see featured in “Meet Your Middletown Neighbor.” We can be reached at middletowneye@gmail.com

Brian Schroth is a soft-spoken, intelligent, and modest guy. A few years ago, in his early twenties, he decided to learn how to play piano. He started lessons at Joe Riff's on Main Street, where he met his teacher of the past three years, Brian Avery of East Hampton. Schroth says he was never very musically inclined, although his two siblings play instruments. In his late teens, he tried to learn to play the harmonica, but didn't get engrossed with it and gave it up quickly. He blames his failure at harmonica on a lack of patience, but he has certainly found some patience within himself when it comes to piano. He plays a range of styles, from rag to classical to modern rock songs. In contrast to his mild mannered demeanor, he has a powerful singing voice, although he uses it somewhat timidly, or maybe in an intentionally controlled way. Some of Brian's music is available on his YouTube channel, as are several piano playing video tutorials that he has uploaded in order to share knowledge freely with other musicians, potentially budding or otherwise. He is a strong believer in free and open sharing of music and information. He explains, “If I've gone to the trouble, or more accurately, if my piano teacher has gone to the trouble to help me learn how to play a song, then I'll take the time and try and share that.“ His dream job is working at a piano bar similar to Keys to the City at Terminal 110 in New Haven, though he recognizes that it would take a lot more work and a decade or two before he may be at the point where he would want to attempt to pursue a career in music. For now, he is exploring the possibility of becoming a high school math teacher, true to his philosophy of transparency and knowledge sharing.

Before living in Middletown, Brian lived in New Britain to be close to his job, but he didn't much like it there. He found himself in Middletown by accident and circumstances more than by conscious decision, though Middletown was an appealing choice. It made sense for him at the time, and he says he likes it here and it has worked out well, in that he is happy to be closer to his family. He's also happy to have found the open mic night at The Buttonwood Tree, where there is a piano available to play, which is likely out of the ordinary for a typical open mic setting. He enjoys the wide range of styles exhibited at The Buttonwood's open mic, and he likes to see people practicing and working on their talents and passions. He says that the Buttonwood is a very supportive atmosphere. “I like to see the different things people are working on there, and it's good to just experience that and hear other people's perspectives and get encouragement from other people.”

In addition to learning and practicing piano, Brian plays three days a week in an ultimate frisbee league, and he volunteers at Epoch Arts in East Hampton. The mission of Epoch Arts is to enrich lives with experiences in the arts, and it is an "arts for youth organization dedicated to helping young people learn to communicate, collaborate, create and celebrate by experiencing, hands-on, the arts.” Epoch has strong ties with the home schooling community, of which Brian Schroth was a part. At Epoch, Brian now teaches an improvisational acting class to kids. He revealed that the main criteria for being able to get involved with improv is a willingness to do so, and says that playing music in front of an audience is a lot more nerve wracking than doing improv, because with improv you can't really make a mistake.

Brian says that a big goal of his is to write his own music. For now, he'll continue to work on becoming proficient at piano playing until he feels ready to start writing his own pieces.

In terms of music happenings and an arts-friendly atmosphere, he says that Middletown is “a good place to be.”

Brian Schroth playing a song by favorite band of his Hey Rosetta! on July 18th at the Monday night Buttonwood Tree open microphone.