BELLOWS FALLS, Vt. – World-class jazz at Stage 33 Live in Bellows Falls, Vt., with guitarists John Stowell and Draa Hobbs, performing as a duo on Sunday, April 27, at 7 p.m.
Stowell’s original take on harmony, chords, and improvisation sets him apart – a jazz guitarist influenced as much by pianists and horn players as he is by guitarists.
Based on the West Coast, Stowell’s footprint is global. He has been artist-in-residence at centers in Germany, Indonesia, Argentina, the United States, and Canada. In 1983, he was a member of the first American jazz group to be invited to tour Russia in more than 40 years. He has recorded and performed with Milt Jackson, Lionel Hampton, Art Farmer, Herb Ellis, Bill Watrous, and many more, and has been featured on soundtracks nominated for Academy Awards, had an album chosen as one of the Ten Best Jazz Albums of the Decade, and had several appearances on BET Jazz Discovery and Guitar Series television shows. He has been a contributing columnist for Downbeat, Guitar Player, Canadian Musician, Soundcheck (Germany), Guitar Club (Italy), and more.
John maintains a robust live performance schedule.
Hobbs grew up in Chicago, and has made his home in southern Vermont since 1980, teaching and performing. He studied music with the legendary Jimmy Raney, Attila Zoller, Gene Bertoncini, and Peter Lietch. Attila invited Hobbs to perform in clubs, concerts, and radio with him and his high-profile peers, including pianists Roland Hanna, Don Friedman, and Larry Willis; bassists George Mraz, Ron McClure, and Michael Formanek; and saxophonists Lee Konitz and Nick Brignola, to name a few. Hobbs and pianist Eugene Uman recorded a duet for the German label ENJA’s CD Message To Attila, alongside tracks by Pat Metheny, Jim Hall, John Abercrombie, Peter Bernstein, and others. He regularly performs with many of the region’s best players, and has enjoyed more than a decade of collaboration with John Stowell.
Stowell and Hobbs will play the Stage 33 Live listening room, at 33 Bridge Street in Bellows Falls, Vt., on Sunday, April 27, at 7 p.m. Tickets are $15 in advance through www.stage33live.com, or $20 at the door, as available. Advance tickets guarantee entry. Only 40 tickets will be sold. The performances will be recorded and filmed.