Submitted by The Buttonwood Tree
(October 25, 2023) — The following programs and events will be presented during the month of November 2023 at The Buttonwood Tree, 605 Main Street in Middletown. For information on all shows, call 860-347-4957 or visit the website, buttonwood.org.
Friday, November 3, 2023: New Orleans /Dixieland Jazz Band Central City Stompers. Show starts at 8:00 p.m. Admission is $20. The Stompers were started at New Haven’s Neighborhood Music School more than 20 years ago by Jim Fryer. When Jim moved to Manhattan he asked Art Hovey to join the NMS faculty and take over the Stompers. Brooks Low soon became the regular clarinetist, then Don Harvey, playing trombone. By then they had acquired Jim Caplik on cornet, and Rob Harper-Mangels joined soon after on second cornet. With the addition of Ed Stern on piano the band began to take shape. Newer members of the band include clarinetist Andrew Anello, vocalist Patty Shea, and guitarist/vocalist Guy Iaccarino. The music they play is often called “Classic Jazz,” mostly popular tunes from the first half of the 20th century with liberal doses of blues and ragtime. Admission Link: https://bit.ly/3t2cr5O
Saturday, November 4, 2023: The Composers & Improvisers Festival. This program features composer, violinist, and vocalist Terry Jenoure, composer and percussionist Harvey Sorgen, composer and bassist Joe Fonda, international composer and clarinetist Christopher Rocher, and The New Origin Trio. Performance begins at 7:00 p.m. Admission is $20. Sorgen, Hot Tuna’s sizzling drummer, started playing drums and percussion instruments in 1964. His mastery of many styles-jazz, rock, funk and pop-is evident on recordings and gigs with Ahmad Jamal, Robbie Dupree, Roswell Rudd, Dry Jack, Bill Frisell, NRBQ, and many others. Jenoure is a musician, writer, visual artist and educator born and raised in the Bronx in a Puerto Rican and Jamaican family. Her lifelong commitment to the extended imagination is felt through projects on five continents. Holding Masters and Doctoral degrees in Education and a B.A. degree in Philosophy, Terry was on the graduate faculty at Lesley University for 18 years. Fonda is a composer, bassist, recording artist, interdisciplinary performer, producer and educator. An accomplished international Jazz artist, he has performed with his own ensembles throughout the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia. Rocher (clarinets, improvisation, composition) has been playing for nearly twenty years with artists of the improvised jazz scene.
The New Origin Trio vibrates the space-time through free, colorful music connecting the United States to Europe. The group’s work is about finding the trace, taking the path, connecting the beginning to the horizon to be better carried deep into the present.
The program will run as follows: 7:00 PM: Harvey Sorgen7:45 PM: Terry Jenoure and Joe Fonda8:30 PM: Christophe Rocher9:30 PM: New Origin Trio, with guest Terry JenoureAdmission Link: https://bit.ly/3EOBKKV
Wednesday, November 8, 2023: Singer-Songwriters Flamy Grant and Jackson Emmer. Show starts at 7:00 p.m. General Admission is $20; admission for students is $10. Flamy Grant is a shame-slaying, hip-swaying, singing-songwriting drag queen from western North Carolina. Flamy is the first drag performer to appear on Christian music charts, with both her song “Good Day” and her album “Bible Belt Baby” reaching #1 on iTunes — the latter staying at the top for nine consecutive days. It’s no accident that Flamy’s drag name is an homage to Amy Grant, the undisputed queen of Christian music and 90s chart-topping pop artist. Jackson Emmer is an award-winning songwriter, folksinger, and genre-bending artist from Carbondale, Colorado. His work blends humor with heartache, and tradition with exploration. Though often pigeonholed into the “Folk” “Americana” or “Country” genres, Emmer’s music is far more expansive. His writing, production, and collaborations have branched into Indie, Alt-Rock, Jazz, and Electronica territory. Emmer is also the founder of Diamond Ranch Records, Colorado Roots Music Summit, and the inventor of DAW-Integrated Royalty Management. Admission Link:https://bit.ly/46s9kTx
Saturday, November 25, 2023: Americana Artist Joey Wit & The Definition. Show starts at 8:00 p.m. Admission is $20. With a story as unique as his sound, Joey Wit’s journey has been one of unrivaled adventure. After a tragic injury derailed his professional baseball career, Joey turned his focus to his greatest passion; music. Drawing on influences from classic rock ‘n’ roll to modern alternative, Wit’s songwriting skills are steeped in story with timeless stops and lyrical journey. For the American singer/songwriter there is no greater thrill than performing his songs for a live audience. Featuring the single, “Reconsider,” his debut record “Eastern Standard” has garnered extensive radio play on the indie rock circuit. Having already achieved a Radio Indie Alliance top 75 single with “Leave It To Me,” Wit’s anticipated sophomore effort, “Rose Gold” will be released in 2023 and includes contributions from 2015 Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Ricky Byrd (Joan Jett & The Blackhearts) as well as Matt Starr (drums- Ace Frehley/Mr. Big).
