TURNmusic Nov. shows to take in/take part in
November 3, 2024 | By Anne Decker TURNmusic has several performances on tap for November for audiences of all ages to take in or even take part.
All events are held at the Phoenix Gallery and Music Hall on Stowe Street in Waterbury with tickets available online at sevendaystix.org or thephoenixvt.com. Shows are all ages; under 21 are free; BYOB.
Nov. 7: Jordan Sand + Mikahely
Jordan Sand. Photo by Lili Zaneta
Jordan Sand is a double bassist, vocalist, composer and improviser living in Trondheim, Norway.
Her solo music, described as “Joni Mitchell meets Ligeti” (Omaha Under the Radar), blends song, free improv and noise to haunting effects. Blurring the lines between her bowed bass and siren voice, Sand delivers new stories from a familiar acoustic space, fusing strings and chords into an organ-like sound that transcends the sum of two parts. Formerly an active bassist and freelancer in New York City, Sand in 2020 relocated to Trondheim and has spent four years off the road. In April, she finished a PhD in the arts at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.
This fall, she’s returned to the stage with a song cycle of modern myths, spinning tales of apocalyptic mother hares, turbulent weather and desert wanderers, and proliferating scraps of sound into static worlds for contemplation and rest. For more info and full tour schedule, visit jordansand.com
Mikahely. Photo courtesy of the Clemmons Family Farm
Mikahely is a singer-songwriter who hails from the island of Madagascar, but his music is out of this world! A self-taught musician, he draws inspiration from traditional Malagasy rhythms to create his own unique and healing sounds on guitar and valiha (a zither-like instrument made from bamboo). Singing his all-original music in his native language of Malagasy, Mikahely transcends boundaries.
Having toured in Madagascar and Europe, he now brings his music to new audiences in the United States. He is also featured in the documentary “Guitar Madagascar.”
Gallery opens at 7 p.m.; music at 7:30 p.m. Tickets: $15-30 sliding fee.
Nov. 9: Open Stage for Youth
Designed for middle and high school students to showcase their musical talents – either solo or in groups – this free event is planned for Saturday, Nov. 9, from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.
The Phoenix offers a relaxed atmosphere where young musicians can share their original songs, covers, or simply enjoy the performances. All instruments, genres, and skill levels are welcome. Music fans are invited to come to support and enjoy a night of creativity and fun!
The gallery opens at 7 p.m.
Nov. 20: Jazz Jam
Jazz enthusiasts from players to singers to just listeners are invited for a great night of jazz featuring local musicians from 6 to 9 p.m.
Players can join in on the songs others bring, and/or they may bring a few copies of sheet music for tunes to call. Many selections come from The Real Books. Singers are asked to bring copies of lead sheets or sheet music for their tunes in the correct key.
A $5 cover is suggested.
Nov. 23: Mountain Spells by Toussaint St. Negritude
This event celebrates “Mountain Spells,” a new book of poetry by Toussaint St. Negritude who plans a short performance, time for a Q&A, and a book signing.
Former poet laureate of Belfast, Maine, Afrofuturist/Oro-shamanic poet and bass clarinetist Toussaint St. Negritude presents this debut collection of poems, featuring an ensemble of cosmic tones that the late Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Gwendolyn Brooks once called “full of sweet sounds and surprises.”
Inspired by life, jazz and nature, “Mountain Spells” is about the intrinsic clarity of emancipation, expressing the intersections of what the author sees and experiences, and how this Black/queer/high-hat-wearing artist envisions the world through the lens of spirituality, the African diaspora, and nature as his home.
Written in Vermont, each poem expresses the whole cosmos of collective liberation. “I listened to the birds, to the sky, what the leaves were telling me,” St. Negritude said, describing a process of improvisational, freeform and musical poetry.
Gallery opens at 7 p.m. Event begins at 7:30.
Anne Decker is executive director of TURNmusic.