At its experimental best, electronic ensemble Thank God for Science sounds like what Radiohead might sound like if it were a jazz group, or what Morphine might have sounded like if its signals got crossed with a pirate radio station, with some New Wave guitar lines and dance rhythms underlining the epic, eloquent melodies that come at a listener from a variety of instruments, including viola, keyboards, and found sounds. The group brings it captivating, cutting-edge sounds to the Egremont Barn in South Egremont, Mass., tonight at 7:30pm. (Fri, Feb 17)
On a Winter’s Night, the new-folk supergroup of singer-songwriters Cliff Eberhardt, John Gorka, Lucy Kaplansky, and Patty Larkin, bring their reunion tour to the Egg in Albany, N.Y., tonight at 7:30pm. Think of them as the Traveling Wilburys of contemporary folk music. (Fri, Feb 17)
Speaking of a new-folk supergroup, Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriters Shawn Colvin, Marc Cohn, and Sarah Jarosz team up for a special trio program at Troy Savings Bank Music Hall in Troy, N.Y., on Wednesday, February 22, at 7:30pm. (Wed, Feb 22)
Pianist Mitsuko Uchida will present a program of late Beethoven sonatas at Union College’s Memorial Chapel in Schenectady, N.Y., tonight at 7:30pm. Uchida was recently nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Classical Instrumental Solo for her recording of Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations. (Fri, Feb 17)
Works by Felix Mendelssohn and Antonin Dvorak will be juxtaposed in “Town & Country,” at St. James Place in Great Barrington, Mass., on Saturday at 6pm, as part of the Close Encounters With Music chamber series. The program will include Mendelssohn’s Trio in C minor and Dvorak’s “Dumky” Trio, opus 90, showcasing the composer’s gifts of melody and inventiveness in a piece built upon the sonorities of Slavic folk music. (Sat, Feb 18)
Saugerties Pro Musica presents the Argus Quartet in a free concert at the Saugerties United Methodist Church on Sunday at 3pm. The Argus is an adventurous string quartet devoted to the work of contemporary composers, in the vein of Kronos Quartet. (Sun, Feb 19)
The Don Byron Quartet once again headlines at the Falcon in Marlboro, N.Y., on Sunday at 7pm. Byron has been a singular voice in an astounding range of musical contexts, exploring widely divergent traditions while continually striving for what he calls “a sound above genre.” As clarinetist, saxophonist, composer, arranger, and social critic, Byron redefines every genre of music he plays, be it classical, salsa, hip-hop, funk, rhythm & blues, klezmer, or any jazz style from swing and bop to cutting-edge downtown improvisation. (Sun, Feb 19)
The Hudson Jazz Festival, based at Hudson Hall and taking place over the course of two long weekends, kicks off tonight and runs through Sunday, February 26. Grammy Award winner and former Hudsonian Meshell Ndegeocello, best known for her highly personal neo-soul and funk and for contributing to records by John Mellencamp, Madonna, Chaka Khan, and the Rolling Stones, joins pianist Aaron Parks and spoken word artist Samantha Rise for the world premiere of Dreaming Home on Saturday, February 25 at 7pm. (Thu, Feb 16-Sun, Feb 26
Missed any of that? You can revisit the Rogovoy Report on WAMC’s website at wamc.org, where you will find a complete transcript plus links to artist and venue websites as well as ticket links.
Seth Rogovoy is editor of the Rogovoy Report, available at rogovoyreport.substack.com.
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