A carnival birthday extravaganza
High-end entertainment at a very budget-friendly price is on the bill this weekend as Jerry Noble and Friends; featuring Bob Sparkman on clarinet, Kara Noble on bass, Ellen Redman on piccolo and flute, and Jerry Noble on piano, are performing a free concert Sunday, Feb. 23, from 3 to 5 p.m. at Sweeney Concert Hall, 144 Green St., Northampton. The public is invited to attend and enjoy the show.
The “Carnival Calypso Birthday” musical extravaganza will feature traditional jazz with the Bob Sparkman Trio, and flutist Ellen Redman will play Lewis Spratlan’s Piccolosophy, in partial celebration of the composer’s 80th birthday year. The event also celebrates Trinidad’s annual carnival celebration (which begins on Feb. 24 this year), with Noble’s Calypsuite, for flute, piano and bass.
Homegrown Harmony:
Early American Music on Main Street
Those who love local history, especially local music history, will be interested to know that Northampton was home to some of the country’s earliest choral singing and to one of the most prolific music publishers in early New England. A presentation by Tim Eriksen, musician, ethnomusicologist and music instructor, Saturday, Feb. 22, at 7 p.m., at The Northampton Community Arts Trust Building, 33 Hawley St., will discuss early American music in Northampton and the enduring appeal of this local traditional music – singing included.
By the 1790s, the town had become a destination for local and regional composers and tunebook compilers. The Bridge Street print shop of Daniel and Andrew Wright was one of only three in New England to have moveable music type, a technology that made Northampton a center for music publishing.
During the mid-nineteenth century, local senior citizens revived this music of their youth in public performances known as “Old Folks’ Concerts.” Today, thanks to Eriksen, some of these remarkable songs by local composers are still sung. Admission to the event is $10, pre-registration is recommended. — Brenda Nelson