Trailblazing pianist and composer Conrad Tao combines repertoire from the Western canon as well as provocative contemporary works in “Poetry & Fairy Tale,” a program featuring works by Johannes Brahms, Todd Moellenberg, David Fulmer, Rebecca Saunders, and Maurice Ravel, in EMPAC Concert Hall at RPI in Troy, N.Y., tonight at 8pm. (Fri, Jan 19)
Irish singer-songwriter Emma Langford brings her delicate folk-rock sounds to Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., tonight at 8pm. While her music fits solidly in the new-folk genre, Langford's sound includes Irish accents as well as hints of American country music and soulful pop. Langford, who hails from Limerick City in the west of Ireland, should appeal to fans of Suzanne Vega and Sinead O'Connor. (Fri, Jan 19)
Lizzie No brings her singular fusion of Americana, indie-rock, and folk-protest to Club B10 at MASS MoCA in North Adams on Saturday at 8pm. The concert will celebrate the release of Lizzie No’s new, genre-defying album, Halfsies. Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter Eliza Edens, a native of nearby Williamstown, Mass., will warm up the crowd for No. (Sat, Jan 20)
Rootsy jam-band Neighbors bring their funky blend of Americana and rock to Putnam Place in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., tonight at 8pm, and to Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock, N.Y., on Saturday at 8pm. The quartet was founded by childhood neighbors Richard James (vocals, keys) and Lyle Brewer (guitar). The quartet is rounded out by Dan Kelly (bass) and Dean Johnston (drums), whose groove rhythms underpin Brewer’s extended improvisations on guitar. Recommended to fans of Little Feat, The Band, and the Grateful Dead. (Sat, Jan 20)
Germany’s Goldmund Quartet performs works by Webern, Borodin, and Schumann in the Memorial Chapel at Union College in Schenectady, N.Y., on Sunday at 3pm, in a concert presented by Capital Region Classical. Listeners might recognize the source material for “And This Is My Beloved” and “Baubles, Bangles, and Beads” from the Broadway musical Kismet in Borodin’s D-major Quartet. (Sun, Jan 21)
Mark Morris Dance Group will perform a program of new works and Morris classics, including Excursions, Candleflowerdance, A Wooden Tree, and Water, performed to both live and pre-recorded music, at the Egg in Albany, N.Y., next Thursday, January 25, at 7:30pm. The Morris company was founded in New York City way back in 1980. (Thu, Jan 25)
Also of note:
The Black Legacy Project’s touring band will perform at the Stationery Factory in Dalton, Mass., on Saturday at 7:30pm.
Bob Logan and Julian Müller will perform works for piano and cello by Haydn, Bartok, Schumann, Beethoven, and Paradis at Spencertown [N.Y.] Academy, on Sunday at 3pm. (Sun, Jan 21, 3pm)
Seth Rogovoy is editor of the Rogovoy Report, available at rogovoyreport.substack.com.
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