Two Generations of Chapins, One Message of Hope
Preview: Tom Chapin, and the Chapin Sisters, Saturday, March 21 at the Eighth Step in Proctors GE Theatre As another misguided overseas war of choice drags on and magnifies troubles here, Tom Chapin and daughters Abigail and Lily sing much-needed “Songs of Hope” Saturday at the Eighth Step at Proctors GE Theatre. Tom Chapin. Photo…
Singer-Songwriter Caffe Lena Weekend
Preview: Joy Clark, then Buggy Jive on Friday; Andrea von Kampen Saturday Singer-songwriters tag-team Friday at Caffe Lena in a rare two-artist, two-set format; Albany’s Buggy Jive opens, Louisiana’s Joy Clark closes. They’re well-matched in expression as exploration, self-examination as bold reaches for the universal. Home-schooled, the youngest of five in a devout family, Clark…
International, Deep in the Heart
Review: Baklava Express Friday, March 13, 2026 at Proctors GE Theatre, Passport Series The refreshing foreign-ness of the lively international music Baklava Express made at Proctors GE Theatre Friday was only part of the picture – or the map. The quartet spun together musical traditions from Europe to Western Asia in a tight, kinetic Middle…
Country Joe McDonald, a Voice of Conscience Stilled
Spring 1968. Morning inspection at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California. Hundreds of my fellow students stood in uniformed rows below: Army, Navy, Air Force Marines. A pretty good Russian student, I wasn’t really on board with the uniform stuff. Years later, my annual performance review noted, “Militarily, Hochanadel remains basically a civilian.” On…
PREVIEW: Baklava Express Friday, March 13 at Proctors GE Theatre – Passport Series
Baklava Express continues Proctors Passport Series Friday in its GE Theatre; multi-cultural explorations of rare imagination and creative energy. Its four members explore in several directions; their wide interests never outrun their skills. Oud player Josh Kaye’s transatlantic background and Brooklyn upbringing prepped him to lead a quartet with violinist Daisy Castro, bassist James Robbins…
Review: Joel Harrison Quartet at the Van Dyck Music Club, Friday, March 6, 2026
Joel Harrison proclaimed his love for two-guitar bands Friday at the Van Dyck Music Club, extolling the Grateful Dead, the Allman Brothers, Joe Pass and Herb Ellis, Ralph Towner and John Abercrombie. Fans chimed in with their own favorite pairings in what felt like a seminar for a minute, though nobody noted this also describes…
Review: Branford Marsalis Quartet at Universal Preservation Hall, Friday, February. 27, 2026
Anybody in the happily packed Universal Preservation Hall Friday night who might somehow be unaware that Branford Marsalis is from New Orleans surely knew it after his soprano sax sang through “On the Sunny Side of the Street” with all the neon soulfulness of Sidney Bechet. Translating his musical ancestors into modern musical might allowed…
Preview: YOU GOT GOLD: A Celebration of John Prine at the 8th Step at Proctors on Friday, Feb. 27, 2026
We’d still revere John Prine as a songwriting immortal even if he’d only left us “Hello In There,” “Sam Stone” and “Angel From Montgomery.” Just ask Bonnie Raitt or Bob Dylan, just two of many artists who sing his songs. And we’d still curse COVID, even if he were its only casualty. The Eighth Step…
Fire and Funk; Vanessa Collier at Caffe Lena on Wednesday, February 11, 2026
Vanessa Collier unpacked the whole kit Wednesday at Caffe Lena: alto and tenor saxophones, guitar and dobro. Non-hardware items completed a most impressive package: soul-deep command of fire and funk in her soaring or simmering voice, from-the-heart songwriting skills, a discerning ear for cover tunes, and a compact band. Scorching at hot tempos, slow-cooking in…
Preview: Vasen at Universal Preservation Hall on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026
What ARE those men playing? Vasen plays in Proctors Passport Series Thursday at Universal Preservation Hall. These two Swedish musicians span the centuries since their strange-looking instruments were devised, but they sail on timeless melodic flow and intricate string-band kick. Ears and eyes might report very different descriptions. Ears might answer that question above by…
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