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Union College has played host to great music
Thursday, Nov. 29, 2012
Intellectually, culturally, even scenically, Union College helps make Schenectady far from the worst college towns.
Blue Notes, King, Delfonics to evoke disco era
Thursday, Nov. 22, 2012
Nostalgia rules at Thanksgiving, so it’s perfect that artists from decades past parade across our stages.
Pratt, Scanlon, Jordan to jazz up the Van Dyck
Thursday, Nov. 15, 2012
Here comes a big weekend for jazz at the Van Dyck in Schenectady. On Saturday, guitarist Stanley Jordan returns after too long an absence, to play two shows.
David Bromberg bringing a BIG band to town
Thursday, Nov. 8, 2012
When David Bromberg brings a big band, he means it.
Eighth Step to celebrate with weekend concerts
Thursday, Oct. 25, 2012
Hats off to The Eighth Step for presenting fine folk music for 45 seasons — and celebrating its durability and range with a weekend full of shows.
Series of veteran performers to evoke the past
Thursday, Oct. 18, 2012
Going to see Dick Hyman at A Place for Jazz last Friday as a civilian — a paying customer with no deadline, notebook or laptop — was great fun; especially watching piano players sit behind him, to watch his hands, over his shoulders.
Jukebox: Cavaliere, Keating among stellar acts at Egg
Thursday, Oct. 11, 2012
The Egg has hatched an unprecedented string of shows this week; astounding even for this place, one of our top venues for quality and quantity. Cellist Zoe Keating plays on Saturday The Egg.
Grads of ’62 sought music that defined them
Thursday, Oct. 4, 2012
“Turning Pages” is a 90-minute documentary that premiered at Proctors on Saturday during the 50th reunion of the Niskayuna High School Class of 1962.
Notable bands play unexpected venues
Thursday, Sept. 27, 2012
Performers popping up in unexpected places, that’s the story this week.
Jukebox: Road trip provides chance to dig new albums
Thursday, Sept. 20, 2012
While I’ve been urging many musical road trips on you, my own latest highway run was to see my daughter last Saturday near Bard, while she visited her pianist/drummer boyfriend from her new home in Boston. So, my road trip wasn’t necessarily for music. But it was perfect for listening, for catching up on CDs.
Harrell a stellar opening act for Place for Jazz
Thursday, Sept. 13, 2012
Versatility, power and lyricism: Tom Harrell has the whole package, and a cool band. Saxophonist Wayne Escoffery, pianist Danny Grissett, bassist Ugonna Okegwo and drummer Johnathan Blake will be with him at A Place for Jazz on Friday; and they play on his new album “Number Five.”
Bonanza of festivals makes it hard to choose
Thursday, Sept. 6, 2012
How do you choose among three music festivals in Albany: the Restoration Festival all weekend at St. Joseph’s Church, Local Legends Live at the Empire State Plaza and the Riverfront Jazz Festival?
Fair is perfect setting for Bucky Covington, Diamond Rio
Thursday, Aug. 30, 2012
Country acts Bucky Covington and Diamond Rio should be right at home when they appear this weekend at the Columbia County Fair in Chatham.
Belew, King Crimson revue set at Bearsville
Thursday, Aug. 23, 2012
Hearing OK after seeing Def Leppard and Poison? I SAID, “HEARING OK?” OK, good — here comes some more major guitar noise, and I mean that in a good way.
Irish band McPeake to wrap up Music Haven
Thursday, Aug. 9, 2012
’Tis prime time for rocking road trips; and you’ll see why my Irish is up in a minute.
Diego Garcia back for Music Haven concert
Thursday, Aug. 2, 2012
Diego Garcia: Does the guy live here now? The love-song singer-songwriter headlined LarkFEST last September, returned to play WAMC’s The Linda this January and comes back around to play Music Haven in a free show on Sunday.
Injuries, arrests at Bisco a sad sequel to festival
Thursday, July 26, 2012
I was sorry to see that as late as Tuesday, July 17, we were still reporting on unfortunate fallout from Camp Bisco — in drug arrests, injuries and car crashes.
Matuto to keep stream of world music flowing
Thursday, July 12, 2012
World music seems far too scarce here these days, so last Sunday’s Music Haven bust-out by Congolese guitarist Diblo Dibala erupted as a welcome surprise, bringing fans from all ethnic and cultural quarters and age cohorts to Schenectady’s Central Park.
Free concert series means summer’s here for real
Thursday, July 5, 2012
On Sunday, the Music Haven series starts in Congo with Soukous guitarist Diblo Dibala, nicknamed “Machine Gun” and a stalwart of numerous central African bands before starting his own.
Looking forward to some Jazz Festival favorites
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Jazz fans keep coming back year after year to the Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival at Saratoga Performing Arts Center. So do many performers, some with long local track records. Here are some of my picks. At left is Esperanza Spalding.
