At 2 pm: Austin McMahon is “one of the most in-demand jazz drummers in Boston.” Sought out for his versatility, he actively performs in an array of jazz and world music ensembles ranging from trio to chamber jazz and big band. He recently recorded with the Ayn Inserto Jazz Orchestra. McMahon has recently performed at such iconic venues as Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, Dizzy’s, Jordan Hall and numerous festivals, concert halls, theaters and clubs throughout the United States as well as the Dominican Republic, Italy, Germany, Ireland, Finland, China and India. Learn more here.
At 3 pm: Join keyboardist Hankus Netsky , bassist, singer and songwriter Tim Kiah, and gospel, jazz, and blues vocalist Janice Octavia Allen for a delightful set of Jazz Standards, Gospel, Blues, and original music.
A multi-instrumentalist and composer, Hankus Netsky is co-chair of New England Conservatory’s Contemporary Improvisation Department and founder and director of the Klezmer Conservatory Band, an internationally renowned Yiddish music ensemble. He has composed extensively for film theater and television, and has collaborated closely with Itzhak Perlman, Robin Williams, Joel Grey, Theodore Bikel, and Robert Brustein. An artist at home in many musical styles, he has recorded on Sony, EMI, Rounder, Vanguard, Tzadik, Wild Garden, and Traditional Crossroads. Learn more here.
Bassist and vocalist Tim Kiah has recorded and performed with Deborah Harry, Lenny Kravitz, Jerry Douglas and An dy Statman. He is the founder of the Endangered Quartet and has toured internationally with Sotto Voce, a quintet led by saxophonist and composer Roy Nathanson. He has received commissions from Chamber Music America, the Chelsea Symphony (New York) and the Lincoln Center Theatre. His songs and compositions directly take on issues such as homelessness and hope during the pandemic,
Vocalist Janice Octavia Allen has performed in the Boston area to the delight of many, and she has also been blessed to travel to South Africa, Brazil, Jamaica, and Nicaragua to share her musical talents in spirited performances of Gospel, Blues, and Jazz repertoire. She is currently a featured soloist at Union Church and St. John Missionary Baptist Church in Boston. She received her Diploma in Jazz Studies from the New England Conservatory of Music and her teachers have included Hankus Netsky, Dominique Eade and Semenya McCord. Her recordings are available on CDbaby.
At 4 pm: Newton’s own, Crowes Pasture, staring Monique Byrne and Andy Rogovin perform original music and eye-opening covers that reflect a mutual passion, sense of discovery and celebration of life. Their tightly blended vocal harmonies are mixed with an expressive instrumental style that is best described as “a banjo-guitar romance.” Crowes Pasture’s style of escapist folk transports and connects listeners through universal experiences in their “skillfully crafted,motional songwriting” (Chris Eastburn, award-winning composer). Learn more here.
In case of rain: performances will be held indoors at the Waban Library Center.
To learn about the full list of performances and for more information, click here!