From now on, we are pleased to announce that we will be offering a 10% discount on everything in our store every Sunday. Yes, you heard that right—everything is included in this special promotion. This is a fantastic opportunity to snag some of our rarest and most sought-after records at a reduced price. Be sure to take advantage of this awesome oppertunity!

From now on, we are pleased to announce that we will be offering a 10% discount on everything in our store every Sunday. Yes, you heard that right—everything is included in this special promotion. This is a fantastic opportunity to snag some of our rarest and most sought-after records at a reduced price. Be sure to take advantage of this awesome oppertunity!

Jenny Scheinman – Violin, Compositions
Carmen Staaf – Piano
Steve Cardenas - guitar
Tony Scherr – Bass
Kenny Wollesen – Drums

Jenny Scheinman, acclaimed violinist and composer, for many years a stalwart of the New York jazz and creative music scenes, returned to her native Humboldt County, California in 2012. There she has continued her artistic evolution, as heard on her recent albums Here on Earth (“packed with moments of joyous ecstasy and wind-swept solemnity” – Downbeat), Parlour Game, a co-led collaboration with Allison Miller (“the band levitates and feels grounded both” – PopMatters), and The Littlest Prisoner, an album of songs in trio with Bill Frisell and Brian Blade (“self-assured, made with a deft, steady hand” – New York Times).

For years, Scheinman nursed the idea of a musical homage to Humboldt, in particular the area known as the Lost Coast, a remote, earthquake- and mudslide-prone region of coastal northern California, where she was raised. She considered the project from many angles. She wrote a song cycle based on the “crusty characters” from her hometown and sketched out a surrealist multimedia project based on the county’s namesake, Alexander Von Humboldt. She collaborated with filmmaker Ai Aiwane on a video installation about the Mattole River (Cojo Come Home) and immersed herself in the sounds and cultural history of the region, with hopes of conjuring, in music, the extraordinary diversity of life, past and present, in the Pacific Northwest. Her epic new release, All Species Parade, is the result of these meditations.

Though All Species Parade offers a brimming 72 minutes of music, it only contains 10 songs, several over 11 minutes long, and three of which (“Jaroujiji,” “The Sea Also Rises” and “All Species Parade”) comprise an Ellington-inspired suite that clocks in at 20 minutes. This long-form approach is a departure for Scheinman, whose ten previous albums tend toward a more concise, song-like aesthetic. On this album she says that she “wanted to let us play. I encouraged the musicians to spill over the edges and be their most expansive selves. This is nature worship music, and I didn’t want it to feel domesticated.” Scheinman also deliberately orchestrated the album with multiple chordal players, which, “like the complex understory of a forest,” creates a multi- textured, ever-adapting network of sound.

Scheinman’s playing is radiant, soulful, stamped with jazz vernacular and old-time fiddling tradition and buoyed by her superb lyrical poise and technique. Throughout we hear Frisell’s exploratory wisdom and evidence of his deep connection with Scheinman (whose side-person credits include nine Frisell albums). The songs with straight quintet range from the playful “Ornette Goes Home” and the Mancini-eseque “Every Bear That Ever There Was,” to the more placid, atmospheric “With Sea Lions” and the grooving and immersive title track, which Scheinman describes as “a party to which animals of all sizes, colors and adaptations are invited.”

Tickets for this extraordinary concert: $30 in advance and at the door

Doors open at 7pm, and concert will begin at 8pm.

From now on, we are pleased to announce that we will be offering a 10% discount on everything in our store every Sunday. Yes, you heard that right—everything is included in this special promotion. This is a fantastic opportunity to snag some of our rarest and most sought-after records at a reduced price. Be sure to take advantage of this awesome oppertunity!

EXTC - XTC’s Terry Chambers & Friends

TERRY CHAMBERS - drums 
STEVE HAMPTON - lead vocals, guitar
TERRY LINES - bass guitar, vocals

Following 80 successful dates across North America between 2022 and 2024, legendary drummer Terry Chambers and his band EXTC are returning to the United States and Canada for two extended North American tours: a 10-week run in April/May/June on the East Coast and an 8-week run in September/October 2024 on the West Coast

For almost four decades XTC fans could only dream of witnessing the sensational XTC classic songbook played live. That dream has now become a reality. XTC’s legendary drummer Terry Chambers is back on the road with his band EXTC (named and approved by XTC frontman, Andy Partridge).

Emerging out of the post-punk and new-wave explosion of the late 70s XTC experienced global success touring with the likes of The Police and Talking Heads. The band put their hometown of Swindon UK on the map. They achieved huge success in North America and Japan. Sadly their legions of loyal fans would be left in limbo when in 1982 XTC stopped touring becoming a studio-based entity.Fast forward to 2017 Terry returned to the UK from Australia and reconnected with XTC bandmate Colin Moulding. The two would go on to collaborate on new venture TC&I releasing an EP and live album. 

Sadly the project was short-lived with TC&I disbanding in early 2019. By now the flame inside Terry had been reignited. His time with TC&I made him realise he wanted to continue doing what he does best. His love and passion for playing music and performing live gave him the idea for his new project EXTC.

Born in early 2019 EXTC would set out to achieve its goals of performing to audiences who had waited so long to hear the EXTC back catalogue performed live only to be bought to a standstill in 2020 due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.Terry was keen to get on the road with EXTC with a tour of the United States scheduled for autumn 2020. Unfortunately this would be postponed due to covid restrictions still in place the tour being rescheduled for the following year.

The band eventually began gigging again in 2021 with sold-out dates around the UK. This would include the Isle of Wight Festival and gigs in Terry Chambers and XTC’s hometown of Swindon. The band would go on to do further successful tours of the United States and Canada with EXTC also heading to Japan in early 2023.EXTC has kept much of the original fan base from XTC’s glory days of the late 70s and early 80s as well as gaining a new following of fans in their own right. Enthusiastic fans have lapped up the chance to see Terry and EXTC perform all those classics live once more.Alongside Terry the EXTC line-up features frontman Steve Hampton (lead vocals & guitar - Joe Jackson, The Vapors and Dead Crow Road) and Terry Lines (bass & vocals - The Rams and Dead Crow Road).

Originally a four-piece EXTC band members have changed frequently over recent years. EXTC announced in November 2022 that they are now moving forward as a three-piece. Terry Steve and Terry will bring you the full EXTC experience with their mesmerising and engaging live performances as you relive the heyday of XTC. With new material already in the works EXTC is a band on an upward trajectory. With their popularity gaining momentum and international tour schedules increasing it is clear the sky is the limit for Terry Chambers and EXTC!

A brand new live album will be released by a US-based record label on Friday, April 4, 2025. Full release information will be announced in the first week of December this year.

Tickets: $30 in advance $35 at the door

From now on, we are pleased to announce that we will be offering a 10% discount on everything in our store every Sunday. Yes, you heard that right—everything is included in this special promotion. This is a fantastic opportunity to snag some of our rarest and most sought-after records at a reduced price. Be sure to take advantage of this awesome oppertunity!

Spring Edition 2025 of the Rochester Record Fair

brought to you by Hi-Fi  Lounge and Needle Drop Records

APRIL 27, 2025 11am to 4pm - FREE

EARLY BIRD ADMISSION at 10AM for $10 fee!

at Radio Social

20 Carlson Rd. Rochester, NY

Presented by HiFi Lounge and NeedleDrop Records

40+ tables of art/records/cds/tapes and more

From now on, we are pleased to announce that we will be offering a 10% discount on everything in our store every Sunday. Yes, you heard that right—everything is included in this special promotion. This is a fantastic opportunity to snag some of our rarest and most sought-after records at a reduced price. Be sure to take advantage of this awesome oppertunity!

From now on, we are pleased to announce that we will be offering a 10% discount on everything in our store every Sunday. Yes, you heard that right—everything is included in this special promotion. This is a fantastic opportunity to snag some of our rarest and most sought-after records at a reduced price. Be sure to take advantage of this awesome oppertunity!

The Joshua Smith Quartet

leading a jazz quartet is a natural calling for a modern saxophonist, and for Joshua Smith, it has been a way of life since his teenage years in Cleveland, Ohio, in the mid-1990s. With the saxophone and rhythm section as his trusted companions, Smith has cultivated a dynamic interplay that captures the essence of jazz: swinging, cohesive, and alive with communicative energy. Over the years, he has collaborated with some of the most notable players in jazz, bringing depth and skill to every performance.

Last November, The Joshua Smith Quartet delivered a blistering set to a packed house at the Jazz Museum of New Orleans for the Jazz Foundation of America. Their more recent performance in Oakland, California, electrified the Bay Area, earning rapturous applause from a captivated audience.

The upcoming tour will reunite Smith with three longtime collaborators, each a master in their own right:

• Kim Cass (bass): Known for his work with John Zorn, Bill McHenry, and Noah Preminger, Cass brings inimitable energy and precision.

• Keigo Hirakawa (piano): An exceptional talent who has performed with Robert Hurst and whose touch on the keys brings life to any tune.

• Hamir Atwal (drums): A versatile force in jazz (Tuneyards) with over a decade of history performing alongside Smith.

This quartet promises a performance overflowing with musicality, versatility, and the unbridled communicative power of jazz. Whether reinterpreting standards or delivering Smith’s original compositions, the group strikes a balance between reverence for tradition and bold exploration, appealing to casual listeners and seasoned jazz aficionados alike.

About Joshua Smith

Joshua Smith is a saxophonist whose music bridges worlds. From his roots in Cleveland’s jazz culture to his avant-garde experiments, Smith embodies the spirit of jazz evolution. A co-founder of the avant-jazz trio Birth in 1998, he’s equally at home playing straight-ahead jazz as he is delving into highly refined improvisational landscapes.

Smith’s musical pedigree is undeniable. He’s performed with luminaries like Joe Lovano, experimental innovators such as Nels Cline and Nate Wooley, and creative music giants like Cuong Vu and Ben Goldberg. His collaborations span decades and genres, with a rich history of work in Cleveland, New York, the Bay Area, and his current home in New Orleans.

Joshua spent 16 years in the Bay Area, where he was a core member of The Scott Amendola Quartet and played with a who’s who of the local music scene. Since relocating to New Orleans in 2020, Smith has continued to lead and innovate, performing with New Orleans stalwarts such as Johnny Vidacovich, Papa Mali, and Quinn Sternberg.

Smith’s forthcoming tour with The Joshua Smith Quartet in May 2025 will showcase a cross-section of his musical universe: original works that highlight the breadth of his influences, from the tonal richness of classic jazz to the adventurous spirit of creative improvisation.

Smith’s career is a testament to his versatility and dedication to the craft. Whether leading his quartet, collaborating with legends, or exploring new musical horizons, Joshua Smith remains a saxophone trailblazer and an essential voice in the jazz world.

Tickets are $20 at the door, or online.

Half price for students with valid ID!

Doors open at 7pm, and concert will begin at 8pm.

From now on, we are pleased to announce that we will be offering a 10% discount on everything in our store every Sunday. Yes, you heard that right—everything is included in this special promotion. This is a fantastic opportunity to snag some of our rarest and most sought-after records at a reduced price. Be sure to take advantage of this awesome oppertunity!

A Stereo Field Recordings event

Dave Rivello is an American-born composer, arranger, conductor and bandleader working primarily in Jazz, Contemporary Media, and Modern Classical idioms. He apprenticed with Rayburn Wright, Bob Brookmeyer, Manny Albam, Bill Holman, and Sam D’Angelo.

He leads a 12- piece ensemble (The Dave Rivello Ensemble) that is his main orchestral voice. He is also the author of the book, Bob Brookmeyer in Conversation with Dave Rivello (ArtistShare).His debut recording, Facing The Mirror, received strong praise from reviewers in the United States, Italy and Ireland. The Village Voice Jazz Critics Poll chose Facing The Mirror as the Debut Release of that year.

He co-produced the Gil Evans Project live recording, Lines of Color – with leader Ryan Truesdell, which was nominated for a Grammy. He also recently co-produced Jennifer Bellor’s recording, Reflections at Dusk, on Innova Recordings.

He has served as composer-in-residence at a number of schools, writing for their ensembles, giving clinics as well as private lessons. His residencies have been sponsored by Meet The Composer, Harvard Project Zero, and The New York Council of the Arts. He has written for and been commissioned by: The Smithsonian Institute, The United States Air Forces in Europe Band, The University of North Carolina-Wilmington, The Youngstown Symphony Orchestra, The Penfield Symphony Orchestra, The Eastman Wind Ensemble, Bobby McFerrin, David Taylor, Phil Woods, Randy Brecker, Regina Carter, the Airmen of Note, The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, and many others. His music has been widely performed throughout the U.S. as well as in Germany and Spain. He is also on the faculty at the world-renowned Eastman School of Music.

Read a review of the Dave Rivello Ensemble’s CD, Facing The Mirror, here.

Tickets $20 in advance on-line or at the door
Free for students with valid ID

New Orleans trombonist and composer Mark McGrain (originally from Rochester) joins forces with Western New York jazz stalwarts Mike Kaupa (trumpet), Dave Arenius (bass), and Rob Varon (guitar) to form the NOROC (New Orleans/Rochester) quartet. NOROC performs original compositions and improvisations.

Mark McGrain is a New Orleans based trombonist, composer, and educator. He is the leader of the critically acclaimed trio Plunge and a busy instrumentalist and arranger for many New Orleans artists, including backing singer John Boutté (since 2006) and frequently in duo with pianist Matt Lemmler. Formerly on the faculty of Berklee College of Music, Mr. McGrain is the author of the text book Music Notation (Hal Leonard pub.)

Tickets are $15 at the door, or online.

Half price for students with valid ID!

Doors open at 7pm, and concert will begin at 8pm.

The Levin Brothers was founded by Pete and Tony Levin in 2013, After 5 decades of glorious career playing with virtually who is who in all genres of music – jazz, fusion, rock, pop and world music, and after guesting on each other’s projects, two brothers finally decided to have their own jazz band. Levin Brothers released 2 albums: the self-titled first album in 2014, and the follow up live album ’Special Delivery’ in 2017. The band has toured all over the USA, and has performed also internationally in Mexico, El Salvador, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay and Japan.

Doors @ 7pm | $30 advance / $35 day of show
Show @ 8-10pm

Celebrate the launch of the new rock biography, Richard Manuel: His Life and Music from the Hawks and Bob Dylan to the Band, by Stephen Lewis.

Join us for conversation with the author, light refreshments, and the chance to pick up a copy of the book (and maybe a record while you’re there!). Let’s honor the incredible legacy of Richard Manuel and The Band together. We’d love to see you!

60 years ago, a teenaged Bill Kirchen saw Bob Dylan go electric at Newport and was “ruined for normal work”.

Join Bill for an evening of songs and stories featuring some of Dylan’s 1964 – 1965 Newport sets with favorites from Bill’s own catalog – from the Commander Cody years until now.

Jonathan Reisin: Saxophonist, Composer, and Improviser

Saxophonist and composer Jonathan Reisin presents Too Good X Unreality, a project that explores the connection between complexity and simplicity in music. Each composition reflects this balance, with thoughtful ideas that highlight the importance of this relationship. Following his debut album Option B (2022, Habitable Records) and the collaborative release Earthquake (2023, 577 Records) with drummer Francisco Mela, Too Good X Unreality marks a new chapter in Reisin’s evolving sound. Together with pianist Shinya Lin and drummer Jarred Chase, Reisin shaped the album over two years through sound exploration and dynamic interplay, blending prepared piano, intricate drumming, and expressive saxophone into a cohesive yet unpredictable work.

Jonathan Reisin - Tenor & Soprano saxophone

Shinya Lin - Piano

Jarred Chase - Drums

Jonathan Reisin is a Brooklyn-based saxophonist, composer, and improviser . His artistic vision revolves around crafting original music deeply influenced by contemporary music, jazz, and the avant-garde. Throughout his career, Jonathan has collaborated with notable artists such as Francisco Mela, Kris Davis, Anat Fort, Val Jeanty, and Cooper Moore, performing at the Vermont Jazz Festival, Forward Festival (Brooklyn), M3 Festival (NY) , Gangneung International Art Festival (South Korea), and venues worldwide. Jonathan’s debut album, Option B (2022, Habitable Records), and his collaboration with drummer Francisco Mela on Earthquake (2023, 577 Records), both received critical acclaim, establishing him as an innovative voice in contemporary jazz.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LElog_XOg0

Tickets are $20 at the door, or online.
Half price for students with valid ID!
Doors open at 7pm, and concert will begin at 8pm.

Featuring:
Joe Fonda - bass & compositions
Harvey Sorgen - drums
Jeff Lederer - clarinet
Michael Rabinowitz - bassoon

How we found this sound?

I hired this group of musicians to do a weeklong tour in the USA in 2022. I had written and organized the music months prior to the tour and sent it to everyone so they could check it out and look it over before the first rehearsal. So, when we got together for the first rehearsal everyone had had a chance to work on the music.

I had thought that it would be Tenor Saxophone and Bassoon as the front line, but at the first rehearsal, Jeff Lederer who I had hired to play Saxophone said, Joe do really want saxophone and he went on to explain how when he was practicing the music he was not hearing it played on saxophone but on clarinet and Flute and on one piece piccolo. I was not so sure, but Jeff was persistent. He said that to him the written material sounded like Stravinsky or something more classical.

So, we tried it and we all really liked the sound of the Bassoon with Jeff's clarinets and flutes. The sound became less jazz and more like a chamber Ensemble.

Jeff was right, it sounded great.

While we were on tour playing 7 nights in a row the sound of the quartet developed into something quite unique.

So sit back and enjoy the sound of something you most likely have never heard before.

Tickets are $20 at the door, or online.
Half price for students with valid ID!
Doors open at 7pm, and concert will begin at 8pm.

KAHIL EL’ZABAR AND DAVID MURRAY HAVE COLLABORATED SUCCESSFULLY FOR 40 YEARS, PERFORMING IN NORTH AMERICA, EUROPE, ASIA, AND AFRICA TO SOLD OUT AUDIENCES. THEY HAVE RECEIVED ENORMOUS MEDIA RECOGNITION, AND STELLAR REVIEWS FROM THE GLOBAL PRESS!

Sir Kahil El’Zabar, was Knighted by the Council General of France for his Global contributions to the Arts. He has performed with luminaries like, Dizzy Gillespie, Cannonball Adderley, Pharoah Sanders, Nina Simone, Stevie Wonder, Archie Shepp, Eddie Harris, Donny Hathaway, Paul Simon, Ntozake Shange, Nona Hendryx, Neneh Cherry, Lester Bowie, Hamiet Bluiett, Malachi Favors, Billy Bang, Gene Ammons, to name a few. Dr.El’Zabar, holds a PHD from Lake Forest College in Inter-Disciplinary Arts. He taught music and inter disciplinary arts at the U. Nebraska/Lincoln, and U. IL/Chicago. He was Appointed by Pres. Bill Clinton to the National Task Force for Arts Presenting in Education. He won the International Ambassador Award from Pres. Barak Obama’s Administration. Kahil El’zabar ,has served on the prestigious boards of the Lila Wallace Readers Digest Fund, The National Endowment of the Arts, and the National Campaign for the Freedom of Expression. He is also the former chairmen of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians AACM. El’Zabar, Has recorded over 100 acclaimed projects, and founded and leads the legendary Ethnic Heritage Ensemble and Ritual Trio.

David Murray is considered to be the most influential tenor saxophonist of his generation. He has recorded more than 300 acclaimed projects. He has worked with many of the giants, such as Max Roach, Charles Mingus, Cecil Taylor, Jack DeJohnette, Chico Hamilton, Elvin Jones, Archie Shepp, Pharoah Sanders, Randy Weston, the list goes on. He is co founder of the World Saxophone Quartet, and leads the famed David Murray Quartet, David Murray Octet, and the David Murray Big Band. Dr. Murray was awarded a PHD in the Arts from Claremont College, and is also a Guggenheim Fellow and a Fulbright Scholar. Mr. Murray has won 2 Grammys and is the prestigious recipient of the Jazz Par Award from the country of Denmark.

TICKETS - $35 advance $40 day of show

The debut of “Remedy” on the Polish label FSR was voted among the “Best Releases of 2021” in New York City Jazz Record’s annual poll. The trio includes trumpeter Thomas Heberer, bassist Joe Fonda, and drummer Joe Hertenstein, who all contribute compositions to the repertoire.

The band was founded during the early stages of the Coronavirus pandemic in the summer of 2020 in Brooklyn and is currently in the process of finalizing their second album. The trio draws on influences from World music, jazz, and contemporary classical music.

Tickets: $20

PAKT
with
PERCY JONES - bass
ALEX SKOLNICK - guitar
KENNY GROHOWSKI - drums
TIM MOTZER - guitars, electronics

It's the PAKT time with four extraordinary musicians: Percy Jones (Brand X, Brian Eno, David Sylvian, Suzanne Vega), Alex Skolnick (Testament, Alex Skolnick Trio, Metal Allegiance, Trans-Siberian Orchestra), Kenny Grohowski (John Zorn, Brand X, Imperial Triumphant, Hipster Assassins), Tim Motzer (Bandit65, Jaki Liebezeit, David Sylvian, Jamaaladeen Tacuma, ORION TANGO).

PAKT recalls the fearless attitude and daring approach that originally defined progressive music: where the magic of the moment always triumphed over preconception. Templates be damned ... this music blazes its own path! This is truly exquisite fare, serving as a reminder to aficionados of what initially drew them to this most creative, visionary of genres.

"This is not simply a group of virtuosos flexing their chops — it is a collective, its members deeply attuned to one another, creating music that is alive and electric in the moment. The album is an invitation to throw out the rulebook and embrace the unknown, with PAKT as a fearless guide. In a world of predictability, No Steps Left to Trace is a refreshing reminder of what happens when musicians abandon the script and simply play. It is challenging, adventurous and thrillingly free. In addition, this is a production that affords the listener more discoveries on subsequent listens.” - All About Jazz

“..an authentic powerhouse of virtuoso musicians blending and intersecting innovative sounds within the realms of avant-garde rock, electrifying jazz, experimental, atmospheric, psychedelic, and more, is an immersive encounter as much as a musical endeavor.” - Hi-Res Edition

Discography:

• PAKT (2021, MoonJune Records)

• No Steps Left To Trace (2024, MoonJune Records)

https://pakt-moonjune.bandcamp.com

Video links:

https://youtu.be/ErSSbGrle9E

https://youtu.be/zJQExCrCvrUT

tickets: $25 advance / $30 at door
Tickets on sale soon

 In the music of Charlie Parr, there is a sincere conviction and earnest drive to create. The Minnesota-born guitarist, songwriter, and interpreter of traditional music has released 19 albums over two decades and has been known to perform up to 275 shows a year. Parr is a folk troubadour in the truest sense: taking to the road between shows, writing and rewriting songs as he plays, fueled by a belief that music is eternal and cannot be claimed or adequately explained. The bluesman poet pulls closely from the sights and sounds around him, his lyrical craftsmanship built by his influences. The sounds from his working-class upbringing—including Folkways legends such as Lead Belly and Woody Guthrie—imbue Parr’s music with stylistic echoes of blues and folk icons of decades past. Parr sees himself merely as a continuer of a folk tradition: “I feel like I stand on a lot of big shoulders,” he said in an interview. “I hope that I’ve brought a little bit of myself to the music.” 

With a discography simultaneously transcendental in nature and grounded in roots music, Charlie Parr is the humble master of the 21st century folk tradition. Parr started recording in Duluth in 2002, where he lives today. Life in the port town on Lake Superior has a way of bleeding into his work the same way his childhood in Austin, Minnesota does. Parr self-released his debut album, Criminals and Sinners, and did the same for his sophomore album 1922 (2002). With growing popularity abroad, Parr signed with Red House Records in 2015, where he recorded break-out albums Stumpjumper (2015) and Dog (2017). Parr’s music has an overwhelming sense of being present and mindful, and his sound is timeless.

Parr’s mastery of his craft is only more apparent when contextualized within the history of folk tradition of which Parr has dedicated his practice The land and lives around and intersecting with Parr have always influenced him, from the hills and valleys of Hollandale, Minnesota to the Depression-era stories from his father. Parr strives to listen to everything: “I don’t see that I’d ever be capable of creating anything if it weren’t for these inspirations and influences, books and music as well as the weather and random interactions with strangers and animals. So, the well never runs dry as long as my eyes and ears are open,” Parr said in a 2020 interview. Before he was even 10 years old Parr was rummaging through his father’s record collection—sometimes drawing dinosaurs on the vinyl sleeves—and listening to country, folk, and blues legends, many of whom are staples in the Folkways catalog. When Parr sings and plays his resonator or 12-string, you can hear influences like Mance Lipscomb, Charley Patton, Spinder John Koerner, Rev. Gary Davis, and Dock Boggs. This is especially true in his playing, when, after a diagnosis of focal dystonia, Parr turned to greats like Davis, Doc Watson, and Booker White for two-finger picking inspiration. Gifted a 1965 Gibson B-45 12-string by his father, Parr has never had a formal lesson and learned by to listening records and watching musicians he admired. 

Parr’s first album with Smithsonian Folkways, Last of Better Days Head (2021), foregrounded his lyrical craftsmanship and sophisticated bluesman confidence, with spare production highlighting Parr’s mastery of guitar and elevating his poetry. Last of Better Days Ahead is a portrait of how Parr saw the world in that moment, reflecting on time and memories that have past while holding an enduring desire to be present. In his 2024 release, Little Sun, Parr weaves together stories celebrating music, community, and communing with nature. Putting forth an ambitious and raw album that exemplifies the best of Parr's sound: a blend of the blues and folk traditions he continues to carry with him and the steadfast originality of a poet. 

Get a little taste of Charlie Parr here

 In the music of Charlie Parr, there is a sincere conviction and earnest drive to create. The Minnesota-born guitarist, songwriter, and interpreter of traditional music has released 19 albums over two decades and has been known to perform up to 275 shows a year. Parr is a folk troubadour in the truest sense: taking to the road between shows, writing and rewriting songs as he plays, fueled by a belief that music is eternal and cannot be claimed or adequately explained. The bluesman poet pulls closely from the sights and sounds around him, his lyrical craftsmanship built by his influences. The sounds from his working-class upbringing—including Folkways legends such as Lead Belly and Woody Guthrie—imbue Parr’s music with stylistic echoes of blues and folk icons of decades past. Parr sees himself merely as a continuer of a folk tradition: “I feel like I stand on a lot of big shoulders,” he said in an interview. “I hope that I’ve brought a little bit of myself to the music.” 

With a discography simultaneously transcendental in nature and grounded in roots music, Charlie Parr is the humble master of the 21st century folk tradition. Parr started recording in Duluth in 2002, where he lives today. Life in the port town on Lake Superior has a way of bleeding into his work the same way his childhood in Austin, Minnesota does. Parr self-released his debut album, Criminals and Sinners, and did the same for his sophomore album 1922 (2002). With growing popularity abroad, Parr signed with Red House Records in 2015, where he recorded break-out albums Stumpjumper (2015) and Dog (2017). Parr’s music has an overwhelming sense of being present and mindful, and his sound is timeless.

Parr’s mastery of his craft is only more apparent when contextualized within the history of folk tradition of which Parr has dedicated his practice The land and lives around and intersecting with Parr have always influenced him, from the hills and valleys of Hollandale, Minnesota to the Depression-era stories from his father. Parr strives to listen to everything: “I don’t see that I’d ever be capable of creating anything if it weren’t for these inspirations and influences, books and music as well as the weather and random interactions with strangers and animals. So, the well never runs dry as long as my eyes and ears are open,” Parr said in a 2020 interview. Before he was even 10 years old Parr was rummaging through his father’s record collection—sometimes drawing dinosaurs on the vinyl sleeves—and listening to country, folk, and blues legends, many of whom are staples in the Folkways catalog. When Parr sings and plays his resonator or 12-string, you can hear influences like Mance Lipscomb, Charley Patton, Spinder John Koerner, Rev. Gary Davis, and Dock Boggs. This is especially true in his playing, when, after a diagnosis of focal dystonia, Parr turned to greats like Davis, Doc Watson, and Booker White for two-finger picking inspiration. Gifted a 1965 Gibson B-45 12-string by his father, Parr has never had a formal lesson and learned by to listening records and watching musicians he admired. 

Parr’s first album with Smithsonian Folkways, Last of Better Days Head (2021), foregrounded his lyrical craftsmanship and sophisticated bluesman confidence, with spare production highlighting Parr’s mastery of guitar and elevating his poetry. Last of Better Days Ahead is a portrait of how Parr saw the world in that moment, reflecting on time and memories that have past while holding an enduring desire to be present. In his 2024 release, Little Sun, Parr weaves together stories celebrating music, community, and communing with nature. Putting forth an ambitious and raw album that exemplifies the best of Parr's sound: a blend of the blues and folk traditions he continues to carry with him and the steadfast originality of a poet. 

Get a little taste of Charlie Parr here

Tenor saxophonist Ricky Ford studied at the New England Conservatory, with, among others, Gunther Schuller and Ran Blake; while still in his early 20s, he toured with both the Duke Ellington Orchestra (under Mercer Ellington's leadership) and Charles Mingus. By the 1980s, he was considered one of the leading tenor saxophonists of his generation. He worked with Dannie Richmond's Quintet, Lionel Hampton, Mal Waldron, Beaver Harris and Abdullah Ibrahim’s Ekaya, and also more than a dozen albums as a leader. He has lived in France since the 1990s.

Thurman Barker Grew up in Chicago in the 1950s, Thurman Barker was exposed to the city’s rich musical heritage, regularly hearing R&B, doo-wop, soul, jazz, and blues. Accordingly, he began his professional career at age 17 by anchoring the rhythm section for blues legend Mighty Joe Young. He then attended the American Conservatory of Music and later Roosevelt University, where he received classical training. While serving as percussionist for the city’s Shubert Theatre throughout much of the 1960s, Barker played for numerous national touring productions, including Hair, The Wiz, Grease, One Mo’ Time, and Ain’t Misbehavin’. A versatile drummer and percussionist, he also performed with singers Billy Eckstine, Marvin Gaye, Bette Midler, and Vicki Carr, and worked with classical groups like the Chicago Chamber Players and the New York City Opera. Perhaps Barker’s most notable musical experience has been with the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), an organization founded in the 1960s to promote innovative music and its players. A charter member of the group, Barker first appeared in AACM productions with Joseph Jarman’s pioneering ensemble. He then went on to play with many other members, including Muhal Richard Abrams, Amina Claudine Meyers, Anthony Braxton, Leroy Jenkins, Roscoe Mitchell, and Henry Threadgill. In the 1970s and ’80s, after moving to New York, Barker worked with jazz giants Cecil Taylor, Sam Rivers and Billy Bang, touring with their groups and recording numerous albums with them. Most recently, he has performed with trombonist and composer George Lewis at the Festival International Musique Actuelle in Victoriaville, Quebec. Since creating Uptee Records in the late 1980s, Barker has released five recordings as a leader, including Voyage (1987), The Way I Hear It (1999), Time Factor (2001), Strike Force (2004), and Rediscovered (2008). In 1994, his work “Dialogue,” commissioned by Mutable Music, premiered at Merkin Concert Hall in New York City. The Woodstock Chamber Orchestra premiered Barker’s chamber piece “Expansions” in May 1999, and that same year he became a lecturer at Smolny University in St. Petersburg, Russia. Barker has taught jazz history and performance at Bard College since 1993. Through his efforts to develop the program, he was appointed professor of jazz studies in June 2016.

Tony Marino has been playing the bass, that is acoustic and electric, since he was in high school when he switched from guitar so that he might participate in the music curriculum.

Soon after, he started his professional music career as the house bass player at clubs and resorts in the Pocono and Catskill Mountains providing back-up to a myriad of well-known entertainers. Since then, he has toured internationally with the Dave Liebman Band. He also has played several times at SUNY Orange with the Chris Parker Quartet and Septet. In addition, he is the bass in the String Trio of New York. Recently, he recorded CDs with The Kaleidoscope Quintet with world-renowned saxophonist Joe Lovano, and with Expansions, Dave Liebman’s Quintet, which performed at Dizzys in NYC.

Marino’s versatility and wide range of musicality has afforded him opportunities to accompany and record with numerous artists from jazz to folk to pop. The bass is a part of his being. When he is playing, Marino and his bass are one and the instrument is his voice.

John Kordalewski is the leader, arranger and pianist for the Makanda Project, a 13-piece group performing previously unrecorded Makanda Ken McIntyre compositions. He has performed with musicians such as Charlie Rouse, Cab Calloway, Julius Hemphill, Odean Pope, Ricky Ford, Carl Grubbs, Webster Young, Byard Lancaster and Oliver Lake. For many years, he led a trio featuring Boston drummer Bobby Ward. He has conducted clinics and workshops at many colleges and universities, most recently at the University of KwaZulu Natal in Durban, South Africa, where his arrangements of compositions by pianist Ndikho Xaba and trumpeter Feya Faku have been performed. He is also currently collaborating with saxophonist Chico Freeman, writing first-ever big band arrangements of Freeman’s compositions.

Tickets: $30