Frank’s Picks: December
Recommendations of where to go and what to hear in December:
Joan Osborne’s DYLANOLOGY featuring Anders Osborne and Robert Randolph
Thursday, December 1, 2018, 9pm
Tarrytown Music Hall, Tarrytown, New York
People sometimes malign Bob Dylan, one of the greatest singer/songwriters and lyricists of our time, a Nobel Prize-winning poet, for allegedly not being a good singer. That’s debatable and surely a matter of taste. Well, Grammy award-winning singer Joan Osborne fixes that as she revisits Joan Osborne Sings the Songs of Bob Dylan (2017 on Womanly Hips Records).
She is a truly soulful performer who takes on the remarkable songs of the iconoclast, joined by the virtuosic lap steel guitarist Robert Randolph and the unbridled Swedish expatriate blues guitarist Anders Osborne. Expect a fiery night as Randolph and Osborne’s energetic performances will be met by the poetic prowess of Dylan, sung by one of New York’s very best singers. The golden-voiced Osborne never disappoints and this should be a musical pleasure, especially for Dylan fans, or those who could be.
Kletzmer
The Klezmatics: ”Happy Joyous Hanukkah, Lyrics by Woodie Guthrie”
Thursday, December 6, 7:30pm
The Emelin Theatre, Mamaroneck, New York
The Klezmatics are America’s foremost Klezmer band. This energetic ”Jewish roots music” from Eastern Europe has found international acclaim, in large part because of this vibrantly exciting ensemble. They are, indeed, the face of contemporary Yiddish culture, with deep roots in traditions. Some call them revivalists, but more accurately, they are prominent cultural ambassadors of proud and beautiful Yiddish traditions. Woody Guthrie’s daughter Nora, who resides in Westchester, has made lyrics by her father Woody available to her friends. Woody wrote numerous Hanukkah songs, inspired by his wife Marjorie, and it is beautiful to see these lyrics come alive with one of the best purveyors of the genre today. The Woody Guthrie Foundation stated, “Guthrie’s Jewish lyrics can be traced to the unusual collaborative relationship he had with his mother-in-law, Aliza Greenblatt, a prominent Yiddish poet who lived across from Guthrie and his family in Brooklyn in the 1940s. Guthrie – the Oklahoma troubadour – and Greenblatt – the Jewish wordsmith – often discussed their artistic projects and critiqued each other’s works, finding common ground in their shared love of culture and social justice, despite very different backgrounds. Their collaboration flourished in 1940s Brooklyn, where Jewish culture was interwoven with music, modern dance, poetry and anti-fascist, pro-labor activism.” Expect exuberance, frolic, and pure musical fun.
Singer/Songwriter/Folk
Ellis Paul and Hudson Valley Sally
Saturday, December 8, 2018, 7:30pm
Walkabout Clearwater Coffeehouse at the Memorial United Methodist Church, White Plains
Pity the music critic who needs to describe the quality of Ellis Paul. How many ways can you find to say “He’s just so good!”? You can find different singer/songwriters but hardly any better. The songsmith can sing like no other, puts on a lively, uplifting show, and he gives you everything imaginable in a musical performance. This is exactly the type of performer you want to experience in an intimate venue, singing as if he was doing it just for you. The happiest musical moments are those where the audience connects with the bard, where all barriers fall and where the music touches the heart and soul. You can expect that and more from Ellis Paul. There is nothing as wonderful as folk music in a coffeehouse, and this guy is a real American cultural treasure. Don’t miss this. Getting Hudson Valley Sally with the deal is even better.
Ballet/Theater
The Nutcracker
Sunday, December 9, 2018, 1pm
Tarrytown Music Hall, Tarrytown, New York
What would a December concert calendar be without at least one Christmas revelry show, and what could be better or more traditional than the enchanting The Nutcracker in an afternoon show? You could schlepp the kids all the way to New York City’ Radio City Music Hall, but this one hour show, created for your kids, will cost you much less and is nearby. The New York Theatre Ballet is renowned for its children’s programs with great choreography and magical wonder. The Nutcracker hardly requires definition. Families can see it over and over and are still spellbound by the beloved characters from this timeless classic set to Tchaikovsky’s splendid musical score that has become synonymous with Christmas celebrations worldwide.
Classical
The Calidore String Quartet
Jeffrey Myers, violin; Ryan Meehan, violin; Jeremy Berry, viola; Estelle Choi, cello
Sunday, December 9, 2018, 4pm
The Westchester Chamber Music Society, Rye, New York
The Calidore String Quartet is a world-class string ensemble, destined for even bigger fame, and truly one of the finest chamber music groups performing today. They play the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall, in London, Paris, Brussels, Cologne, and Barcelona, but you can hear them right at home in Rye. This is your chance to enjoy some of the best imaginable string music in a local debut performance of The Calidore String Quartet. Their program for the afternoon has not yet been announced; but, no matter what they end up playing will be beautiful and amazing. This show is for members and guests of the Westchester Chamber Music Society only, so join up now and become members for a richer, more fulfilled existence in this mean old world. All that and you’ll get home on time for dinner.
Great shows not far away:
Daryl’s House in Pawling, NY: Westchester based jazz guitarist John Scofield’s Combo 66 featuring Gerald Clayton, Vincente Archer and Bill Stewart. Saturday, Dec. 8 2018, 8pm
Town Crier Café in Beacon, NY: Westchester based singer/songwriter Sloan Wainwright and friends, Holiday Whiz-Bang Shin-Dig, Sunday, Dec. 9, 2018 7pm
Frank Matheis is an award-winning music journalist, author and radio producer with an eclectic musical taste that covers the gamut of music from Americana to Zydeco, from Jazz to World Music. He is a regular contributor to Living Blues magazine and other music publications, and the publisher of www.thecountryblues.com. His radio documentaries have been heard on three continents in three languages.
