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Norwood Village Green Concert Series has big lineup scheduled through August 4

Posted 7/24/11

NORWOOD -- Local legends who were invited to play at the Olympics, traditional Appalachian string band harmonizers and several premier guitarists are scheduled to take the stage over the next few …

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Norwood Village Green Concert Series has big lineup scheduled through August 4

Posted

NORWOOD -- Local legends who were invited to play at the Olympics, traditional Appalachian string band harmonizers and several premier guitarists are scheduled to take the stage over the next few days at the Norwood Village Green Concert Series.

The Brass Firemen aka The Norwood Fire Department Band will give their annual hometown concert Thursday, July 28 at 7 p.m.

Enjoy some “street music”, some audience participation and a general good time with the Brass Firemen AKA The Norwood Fire Department Band.

The venerable ensemble needs no introduction to North Country audiences. The legendary tradition continues.

The Bluegrass Gospel Project will bring their special blend of harmonies and strings Sunday, July 31 at 7 p.m.

What happens when you bring together six of the best traditional acoustic musicians and vocalists in the Northeast, focus their repertoire on the free improvisation and sublime vocal harmonies of the spiritual side of Appalachian string band music, and deliver their performances to live audiences? Well, it seems you get a piece of heaven.

Ten years and five CDs later this group has reinvigorated classic Appalachian spiritual music and introduced plenty of original tunes as well. And the project keeps going.

The BGP's repertoire draws from a sub-genre of bluegrass, the body of music developed in the mountains of the southeastern U.S. during the twentieth century.

Bluegrass gospel has evolved independently, outside of the church, and is therefore a populist form of spiritual music. The BGP keeps this tradition very much alive as they deliver a gospel meant for all people and all faiths.

Guitar Legends of the North Country with Danny Gotham, Paul Meyers and Dick Stephan are sure to bring down the house Thursday, Aug. 4 at 7 p.m.

A native of Potsdam and now making his home in Chapel Hill, N.C., Danny Gotham has been hooked on string instruments from an early age.

As his life progressed he has made music and performed with some of the finest acoustic players of our area and the nation – John Kribs, Peter Ostrousko, Tom Paxton, Chris Leske, Robin and Linda Williams, Kevin Maul, Craig Vance, Barb Heller, and others. Among the groups Danny has been part of include The Birdlanders, Summit, The Racquette River Rounders, and JazzBeau to name a few.

Paul Meyers has performed and/or recorded with an ever-growing list of jazz greats such as Geri Allen, Kenny Barron, Ron Carter, Ray Drummond, Eliane Elias, Wynton Marsalis, George Mraz, and Kenny Werner.

He's also toured for years with two of the greatest jazz singers ever - Jon Hendricks since 1993, and Andy Bey from 1997 to 2008 and has toured with jazz singer and 4 time Grammy nominated Karrin Allyson.

A very active player in New York's vibrant Brazilian jazz scene, Paul was a member of the Terra Brasil, which featured pianist/composer Cidinho Teixeira and vocalist Vera Mara, both veterans of the great Gilberto Gil's band.

Richard A. Stephan, now professor emeritus, was conductor of the Crane Symphony Orchestra at SUNY Potsdam and taught string bass, jazz guitar, and string education.

He has appeared as a guest conductor/clinician in New York, Ohio, Utah, Kansas, Pennsylvania, Hawaii, and Ontario, Canada. He conducted the opening ceremonies of the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid and in 1984 was honored with a Fulbright Senior Scholar Award to lecture and conduct in Australia.

He has over thirty published compositions for string and full orchestra.

Stephan was guitar teacher to Danny Gotham and Paul Meyers in the 1970’s.

Admission to the concerts is free but there will be a “pass the bucket” fund collection. For more information, visit norwoodvillagegreenconcerts.org.