The Green Street Trio has always had a diverse selection of guest soloists sitting in with them at their weekly Northampton Jazz Workshop — instrumentalists of every stripe, vocalists with different styles, musicians at varied levels of fame and popularity — and this week their guest is a tap dancer, Hartford-based Corey Hutchins.
He’ll appear with the trio at City Sports Grille inside Spare Time Northampton on Tuesday, January 7, at 7:30 p.m. The regular open jazz jam follows at 8:30 p.m.
Hutchins, a native of Manchester, Conn., has been tap dancing for 27 years. Some of the highlights of his career so far are a performance at the White House for First Lady Michelle Obama, a six-year run with Riverdance and appearances with jazz legends like Dave Brubeck and Jackie McLean.
Having a tap dancer appear as the lead “voice” with a jazz group seemed unique to me, but pianist Paul Arslanian, founder of the Green Street Trio, explained that they’ve actually had numerous other tappers appear with them in the past.
“Tap and jazz share much of the same history, rhythmic characteristics and performance structures (improvising, trading, call and response, etc.),” he said. “I actually did tap for a while myself and teach musicality at tap festivals, so I’m right at home with the language.”
I learned that Arslanian, who in 2006 was awarded the Tapestry Award for his contributions to advancing the artistry and tradition of tap dancing, has a long history of working with tap dancers, beginning with his time living in the San Francisco Bay Area in the ‘70s.
“I was a co-founder of the groundbreaking group Jazz Tap Ensemble, toured all over the world, and got to work with many old-time masters, including Honi Coles, Jimmy Slyde, Buster Brown and Fayard Nicholas, and some younger ones like Savion Glover and Gregory Hines. Lately I have been music director for the Benton Tap Fest and have had a chance to work with the current crop, including Michele Dorrance, Sarah Reich and Demi Remick (of Postmodern Jukebox fame) among many others. I am passionate about working with tap dancers and always try to introduce musicians to the joys of working and sharing the stage with a tap percussionist.”
The Tommy Filiault Band (9:30 p.m.), the Corey Laitman Trio (8 p.m.) and Mark Schwaber are the three local acts performing at the Luthier’s Co-op in Easthampton on Friday, January 3.
Silvertone pop maestro Ray Mason plays a solo show for this week’s edition of the “Saturday Night Rise” music series at Bread Euphoria Bakery and Cafe in Haydenville on Saturday, January 4, at 5:30 p.m. There’s no cover charge, but tips are appreciated. Mason’s own description of what will take place: “Original rock, pop and roll from an old guy with a beat-up guitar!”
Singer/songwriter Patty Larkin has a long-awaited new album due out on January 14, “Bird In a Cage,” consisting of “poem songs” for which she’s taken poems and set them to original music. Larkin appears at the Iron Horse in Northampton on Saturday, January 4, at 7 p.m. The Parkington Sisters start off the night.
Local bands ZoKi (7 p.m.), Gentle Hen (8 p.m.), and Vimana (9:30 p.m.) are the triple-bill at the Luthier’s Co-op in Easthampton on Saturday, January 4.
Singer/songwriter Livingston Taylor had a big year in 2019. He released “LIVe,” a 5-CD box set of live performances and rarities that also included a documentary film and a book of archival photos and interviews — and PBS stations began showing his new live concert special. Longtime area favorite Taylor takes the stage at the Academy of Music Theatre in Northampton on Saturday, January 4, at 8 p.m. Susan Werner opens.
The Open Mic at the Hawks and Reed Performing Arts Center in Greenfield happens on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of the month, and the next one is on Tuesday, January 7, at 7:30 p.m. Free, all ages welcome, doors open at 7 p.m.
Bill Alatalo has something special planned for his sixth Vinyl Sessions record spinning party — it’s a career-spanning vinyl-only tribute to David Bowie. “Pulling out all the great records for this one,” he said. At Gateway City Arts in Holyoke on Thursday, January 9, at 7 p.m.
Ken Maiuri can be reached at tunedincolumn@gmail.com.