Wednesday, October 28, 2009
PiZZAJaZZ Big Night! Saturday, November 7
Pompanuck Farm Hosts an Evening of Fine Jazz
Saturday, November 7th
(Cambridge, NY) On Saturday, November 7th, Pompanuck Farm will hold its Fall Pizza/Jazz Big Night! From 6:30pm to 11:00pm, the last of Pompanuck’s Music-and-Meal nights of 2009 will happen with enough great music and pizza to take us through Thanksgiving and into the New Year. Come hear fine Jazz and enjoy wood-fired pizza in the Roundhouse at Pompanuck in a benefit night for Pompanuck’s programs and children’s scholarship fund.
Featured this evening will be three outstanding jazz singers from the surrounding area: Jeanne O’Connor from Saratoga NY, Evita Cobo from Pownal VT and Leah Carroll from Greenwich NY. Each of these singers has a personal and soulful approach to singing, whether it’s a toe-tapping Gershwin favorite, a tender ballad, a Brazilian classic or a funky blues. Featured musicians will include Pompanuck’s own Bruce Williamson (sax, flute, piano) as well as Mal Stein (drums), Bob Bowen (bass) and Khabu Doug Young (guitar), all from New York City.
There are always surprise musical guests in this Pompanuck event that has been popular for over 15 years.
Reservations are required. Tickets are $25.00 before March 15th ($28 after and at the door) and $15 (and $18 at the door) for students.
Pompanuck Farm is a 501c3 non-profit and eco-retreat learning center dedicated to educational exploration in a range of performing, healing, movement and nature arts for children and families, located at 494 Chestnut Hill Road in Cambridge NY. Call 518-677-5552 or email: info@pompanuck.org for reservations, directions and/or information. Please visit www.pompanuck.org
Additional information on the featured musicians:
Jeanne O’Connor (vocalist) - has brought her jazz singing to New York's Blue Note, Elaine's, Sweet Rhythm, the Rainbow Room, Smoke, and many other jazz clubs. Jeanne was recently a featured vocalist on opening night of "Midsummer Night's Swing" at Lincoln Center, sharing the stage with Nicholas Payton. In the New York Capital Region, Jeanne has sung at the legendary Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs, Justin's jazz club in Albany, and the Saratoga Springs Arts Festival. As a member of the String of Pearls jazz female vocal trio, Jeanne has appeared at the Kennedy Center, Alice Tully Hall, Town Hall, and other venues in the U.S. and abroad. The New York Times calls Jeanne “a captivating jazz singer, “ while the Albany Times Union, says, "Exquisite... a buttery alto and nimble, graceful phrasing.”
Evita Cobo (vocalist) – has performed both locally and in NYC for the last 10 years. She has studied (and performed) with jazz divas Sheila Jordan, Jay Clayton & Rhiannon. Her 2004 debut CD “Invitation” received critical acclaim.
Leah Carroll (vocalist) - started training classically at fourteen, but loves jazz because it's limitless and liberating - no boundaries. She has been performing at various venues in the capital region for the last five years, exploring many styles of music such as folk, jazz, soul, funk, blues and latin jazz.
Mal Stein (drums) – is a versatile and eclectic drummer/ percussionist, playing full-time in New York City and around the world. He loves all kinds of music; jazz, blues, funk and Middle Eastern. He works with dancers (both Joffery ballerinas and Belly Dancers), curates weekend jazz at the Cupping Room in Soho, NYC and tours with the Middle-Eastern group Taksim.
Bruce Williamson (sax, flute, piano) – most often heard in this area with long-time collaborator Art Lande (piano) or at Bennington College where he teaches jazz courses, Bruce has also performed with Fred Hersch, Bobby McFerrin, Gary Peacock, Jack McDuff, Dave Douglas, Paul McCandless and many others. Bruce has received two NEA grants for Jazz Compoistion. He can be heard on dozens of jazz recordings and over a dozen filmscores, the most recent being “Public Enemies” (accompanying Diana Krall singing “Bye Bye Blackbird”).
Bob Bowen (bass) - After moving to NYC more than 12 years ago from Cincinnati Ohio, Bob has performed with many notable and legendary musicians around the world including Lee Konitz, Jack Wilkins, Tony Trischka, Mike Clark, Joe Lovano, John Hicks, Art Lande and Matt Wilson.
Khabu Doug Young (guitar/ukulele) - Originally from the great state of Texas, Khabu has played with a remarkable assortment creative NYC musicians in many different ensembles including OK/OK, Slog, and the E String Band. Recently he has been expanding the realm of solo ukulele playing and you can see some of that work at the Ukulele Cabaret (http://www.ukulelecabaret.com)
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Bernice Lewis in Concert October 17 !
Pompanuck Farm proudly presents Bernice Lewis on Saturday, October 17th at 7 PM. You are also welcomed to join us in a Songwriters Circle from 5pm-6:30 PM. Prior to the show, there will be a discussion about song structure and the writing process and share songs. If you'd like to have a critique, please bring 5 copies of your song lyrics.
Please call 518.677.5552 for reservations. Concert admission is $12 or $18 for attending both the Songwriters Circle and Concert. Desserts, coffee and tea will be available for purchase.
About Bernice:
"For me, it's about the songs, each different, each a well thought out message, each a labor of love," says Bernice Lewis. Her newest CD, She Undoes, (2006) was Recorded in Nashville and produced by Grammy Award winner Charlie Chadwick (Suzi Bogguss, John Carter Cash, Kathy Mattea). It features a duet with fellow singer songwriter Cliff Eberhardt and a jazzy a cappella version of Joni Mitchell's "A Case of You," in addition to a collection of originals.
With three decades of performing festivals, concert halls, coffeehouses, colleges, and house concerts, along with a half dozen acclaimed CDs, Bernice Lewis has built a solid national fan base. She is also a published poet, a producer, and an educator extraordinaire. Lewis -- who studied vocal improvisation with Bobby McFerrin, guitar technique with Alex DeGrassi and Guy van Duser, and songwriting with Roseanne Cash and Cris Williamson -- has been a featured performer on NPR's Mountain Stage program, as well as at the Kennedy Center. In 1987, she was a finalist in the prestigious New Folk Songwriting Contest at the Kerrville (Texas) Folk Festival, where she continues to be a main stage favorite. Her ballad, "Bridges That Hold," was included in Peter, Paul and Mary's Lifelines video (PBS). She was featured in Yoga Journal for her work with sound and yoga, and has shared the stage with many renowned artists, including Dar Williams, Dixie Chicks, Patty Griffin, Pete Seegar, Ellis Paul, Rory Block, Livingston Taylor, Odetta, Christine Lavin, Marty Sexton, Patty Larkin, Catie Curtis... it's a long list.
Bernice currently teaches Songwriting at Williams College and Colorado College, as well as at schools and retreat centers. She has also been an Artist in Residence and workshop presenter at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY, Kripalu Center for Yoga in Lenox, MA, and Esalen Institute in Big Sur. In 2008, she was awarded an Artist in Residence position by the National Park Service.
Bernice is also becoming widely known for her History Alive presentation, a multi-media discussion of her family's emigration from Nazi Germany, specifically designed for Junior and Senior High School classrooms. Her song, "Ways to Survive," won an award from the American Zionist Movement in 1996. Her writings and recordings will be archived in the Southwest Collection at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, TX. In 2008. Bernice signed with the TV and film division of Shadow Mountain Music in Nashville. She has had a thirty-year daily yoga practice, loves good coffee, and her religion is the Grand Canyon.
Raves about Bernice:
"Bernice is a voice full of light and hope. She is one of the keepers of the flame of Real Songwriting."
- Rosanne Cash
"Bernice's life is filled with beautiful, deep things, and she writes beautifully and deeply about them. 'Good Kind of Love to Be In' is wonderful; spoke right to my heart! Great, jazzy cover of 'A Case of You.' Musically and vocally, she has new wings with the genres she's been exploring."
- Dar Williams
"An enlightening presence..."
- Steve Morse, Boston Globe
"It is impossible not to have a good time listening to Lewis sing."
- Scott Alarik, Boston Globe
"Bernice Lewis may well be the frosting on the cake!"
- Rod Kennedy, Director, Kerrville Folk Festival
"Lewis' lake-clear voice and satisfying mix of heartfelt and humorous compositions make her worth hearing. Again and again."
- David Steinberg, Albuquerque Journal
"When someone asks me who's the best I've heard, her name always heads the list."
- Eddie Russell, Outlaw Radio/Country Eastern Music
"Her talent at reaching the audience is undeniable."
- Sarah Song, The Williams Record, Williamstown, MA