Valley progressive rock fans have had opportunities to see Yes play nearby in recent years, but always without original vocalist and frontman Jon Anderson, who had to deal with acute respiratory failure in 2008, then found himself left behind when his business-minded bandmates decided to tour, tour, tour and didn’t want to wait.
So it’s a joyous occasion that Anderson, his voice in strong form, is now finally making it to Northampton, as part of the Anderson Ponty Band, his collaboration with violinist Jean-Luc Ponty (Frank Zappa, Mahavishnu Orchestra). They’ll be at the Calvin Theatre in Northampton Saturday at 8 p.m.
The two musicians had known each other since the 1970s, yet somehow never worked together until a collaborative 2015 album, which they appropriately titled “Better Late Than Never.”
On the record and the tour dates that have followed, Anderson and Ponty worked up some new songs, but also creatively reinterpreted material from both of their pasts. That means Yes fans can once more hear Anderson’s inimitable voice on songs like “Owner of a Lonely Heart,” “Roundabout” and “Wonderous Stories,” though they’re made of different hues than the original versions.
The Anderson Ponty Band combines acoustic and electric textures, with bits of jazz fusion and world folk. YouTube clips of a performance from earlier this month show that Anderson’s voice is still a sweet and royal thing at age 71. And the 73-year-old Ponty remains a fiery player with a thoughtful stage presence.
And bringing everything full circle, when Anderson and the band perform an abbreviated version of the Yes classic “And You and I,” he warmly dedicates it to his fellow Yes co-founder, bassist supreme Chris Squire, who passed away last June: “I always thought of him as Christopher Robin, and I was Winnie the Pooh.”
Jim Armenti celebrates the release of his latest solo CD, “The Poetry of Longing,” with a show at the Luthiers Co-Op in Easthampton at 7 p.m., followed by Rick Murnane at 8 p.m. and the Ray Mason Band at 9:30 p.m.
Valley “ARTivists” Flame n’ Peach and the Liberated Waffles (pictured) is a folk-punk collective that dismantles the traditional boundary between audience and performer, creating sing-alongs and full-room percussion sections. The group brings its music and energy to the Montague Bookmill Saturday at 8 p.m. Fissure Cat is the opening act.
Li’l BeeDee & the Doo-Rites celebrate the release of its new CD on the rockabilly label El Toro — “On a Mission … to Do Ya Right … All Night!” — with a show at the Florence VFW Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Bring your dancin’ shoes.
If the word “Salame” means anything to you, then you already know about David Liebe Hart (pictured). For everyone else, Liebe Hart is an outsider artist and puppeteer who created a national sensation through his highly memorable appearances on the “Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!” — including the song he wrote about the race of aliens living among us named the Corinnians, and its special word for hello and goodbye. Liebe Hart, joined by backing musician Jonah Mociun, makes a rare Valley appearance with a show full of puppets, projected videos, stories, music and more, at the One Bar & Grill in Northampton Tuesday at 7 p.m. Hadley-based act Pits will start off the night.
The Strawbs’ 1974 album, “Hero & Heroine,” was recently named one of 50 greatest prog-rock albums of all-time by Rolling Stone; the band will perform it in its entirety, plus a set of other fan favorites, at the Iron Horse in Northampton May 26 at 7 p.m.
Gospel vocalist Michelle Brooks-Thompson is best known for her time on NBC’s “The Voice,” though she’s also performed all around the country, rocked the hard-to-sing Star Spangled Banner at many a major league sporting event, and even appeared onstage at the Valley’s own little “Really Big Show.” Brooks-Thompson will perform a special concert at the TreeCat Cafe in Easthampton Thursday at 6:30 p.m.
Elisa Ambrogio (of Magik Markers) plays a solo set on a bill with Itasca (lo-fi psych-folk from Los Angeles) and the David Nance Band (from Omaha, Nebraska) at the One Bar & Grill Thursday at 8 p.m.