PUTNEY, Vt. – Twilight Music kicks off its 20th annual Twilight On The Tavern Lawn series of folk, world beat, jazz, folk rock, pop, and bluegrass summer concerts on Sunday, May 28, with the Vermont Jazz Center Sextet. The seven concert series continues every other Sunday through Aug. 20. All concerts begin at 6 p.m. in downtown Putney, on the Putney Tavern lawn – bring a lawn chair or blanket. In case of rain, the concert will be held at Next Stage, located at 15 Kimball Hill. Co-presented with Next Stage Arts Project, the series is sponsored by the Town of Putney, Green Mountain Well, Soundview Paper Company, Rod’s, and many other Putney area businesses and organizations. The concerts are free to the public, though donations are accepted, and food will be available. For more information, call 802-387-5772 or visit www.twilightmusic.org.
The Vermont Jazz Center Sextet is the Vermont Jazz Center’s (VJC) community outreach ensemble. Trumpeter Rob Freeberg, alto saxophonist Bill Ballard, tenor saxophonist Ron Kelley, pianist Cathy Martin, bassist Wim Auer, and drummer Steve Rice have developed programs which are performed in schools, assisted-living homes, and libraries, bringing live jazz into less formal settings. Through these performances and clinics, people who might not attend concerts at the VJC are given the opportunity to hear and learn about the music of Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, Art Blakey, and others, with original music and arrangements often written by members of the ensemble.