TURNmusic hosts Outer Sounds tonight, jazz piano Sept. 30 at the Phoenix
September 23, 2023 | By Waterbury Roundabout TURNmusic has live music performances on tap this weekend and next at the Phoenix Art Gallery and Music Hall on Stowe Street.
Tonight is another of “The Outer Sounds” series presented with Greg Davis and designed to bring cutting-edge artists to the new venue.
Next Saturday, Sept. 30, jazz pianist Tom Cleary returns to Waterbury for the second of two solo concerts.
The Outer Sounds
Poet and musician Toussaint St. Negritude performs at The Phoenix Gallery and Music Hall. Courtesy photo
This series looks to highlight electronic, experimental, avant-garde, improvised, ambient, drone, minimalist, free jazz, modern composition, psychedelic music, etc. Organizers say they hope the music sparks discussion, inquiry and feedback.
This week’s performance brings the Ras Moshe Trio and Toussaint St. Negritude. The trio is Ras Moshe on tenor sax, soprano sax and flute; Bill Cole on Didgeridoo and Keith Gibson on drums.
Toussaint St. Negritude is a poet, composer and jazz bass clarinetist who combines both in his solo performances. His artistry includes wearing his own hand-made hats and attire. Originally from San Francisco, he has lived in Haiti, Philadelphia and Belfast, Maine, where he was poet laureate. He currently resides in the Northeast Kingdom. He and bassist Gahlord Dewald are the band Jaguar Stereo, a free-form ensemble of original poetry and improvisational jazz.
Doors: 7 p.m.; music 7:30 p.m. Suggested donation: $10
Sept. 30: Jazz piano with Tom Cleary
Pianist Tom Cleary performed Sept. 16 and returns on Saturday, Sept. 30. His visits were to focus on musical communities of New York City and Burlington, Vermont, and the work of two groups of jazz composers. He poses the question: Is it possible to hear the sound of community in a piece of music attributed to one or two composers?
In next weekend’s concert, he will play the music of composers from the Vermont jazz scene including Ellen Powell, Patricia Julien, James Harvey and Bruce Sklar as well as some of his own compositions.
Jazz pianist, composer, teacher Tom Cleary returns to The Phoenix Sept. 30. Courtesy photo
Cleary studied jazz performance at Hampshire College and music education and classical piano performance at the University of Vermont. His collaborations as a pianist and keyboardist include Phish bassist Mike Gordon, James Harvey and Ray Vega. He recorded the album “You Are Here” with his wife, vocalist and composer Amber deLaurentis, in the jazz quartet Birdcode in 2019.
He has played on jazz recordings and accompanied many artists, worked as an arranger and co-writer. As a composer, his work has been commissioned and recorded by groups including the Vermont Contemporary Music Ensemble and the Saint Michael's College Fine Arts Department. He teaches in the jazz studies program of the UVM Music Department, the Flynn Arts jazz program and his home studio. He has a blog with links to his work at blog.uvm.edu/tgcleary.
Cleary will play TURNmusic’s 1929 Steinway Model M piano in residency at The Phoenix on loan from Director Anne Decker and Tim Buckingham of Waterbury.
Doors 7 p.m.; music 7:30 p.m. Tickets: $25; suggested student donation: $10.
More online at thephoenixvt.com.