Novel celebrates a decade of Jazz at Skidompha Photo by Elaine Jones
Novel Jazz Septet will be performing classic jazz at Skidompha Public Library, Damariscotta, ME, onThursday 12 June, 2014, 7PM to 9:30PM. The performance will feature Barney Balch (trombone), Dave Clarke (guitar), Mickey Felder (piano), Wells Gordon (acoustic bass), Bryan Jones (Alto Saxophone) and Mark Macksoud (drums)., plus special guest Ralph Norris (tenor and baritone sax) This evening continues their 2014 Skidompha concert series, bringing live jazz to mid-coast audiences. Admission is $14 for adults, $12 for seniors, $6 for young adults 12-18, under 12 accompanied by a parent go free. (Photo by Elaine Jones)
The Novel Jazz Septet will be celebrating their 10th year of performances at Skidompha Public Library, Main Street, Damariscotta on Thursday, 12 June 2014, from 7-9:30 PM, with a special evening of jazz in the library’s atrium. A decade ago, the band decided to “go public” from their regular private sessions as a way to help keep jazz alive in midcoast Maine. Indeed, these events began with the observation that lovers of books often are lovers of jazz. The superb acoustics of Skidompha’s atrium, plus the seating “in the round”, make it a superior place to see and hear jazz, all in a relaxed, informal atmosphere. It was while performing at Skidompha that the band decided to forge deeper into the music of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn. Trombonist Barney Balch began visiting the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C. to work in their Ellington collection, digging out gems of these musical geniuses and bringing them back to life in summertime concerts.
The musicians of this group have been playing straight-ahead jazz for audiences throughout Maine (and beyond) for several decades. Collectively, they share over two centuries of experience in the jazz idiom. Performing at Skidompha will be Barney Balch (trombone), Dave Clarke (guitar), Mickey Felder (piano), Wells Gordon (acoustic bass), Bryan Jones (Alto Saxophone) and Mark Macksoud (drums). Ralph Norris will be making a guest appearance on tenor and baritone sax. Ralph is no stranger to Novel Jazz evenings at Skidompha. He has been an active professional saxophonist for the past 50-plus years, long a staple of the Maine jazz scene. He has regularly performed with many luminaries including the Don Doane and Terry White Big Bands, Tommy Gallant, Muriel Havenstein, legendary saxophonist Harry Allen, pianist Tom Snow (and many more). He has been conducting and composing for the Cape Elizabeth High School Jazz Program since 1997. Ralph’s specialty is the great American Songbook and he plays his tenor with a sound as silky as Stan Getz and as agile as Paul Gonsalves. Anyone who has heard Ralph knows they are in for a special treat!
Admission is $14 for adults, $12 for seniors, $6 for young adults 12-18, under 12 accompanied by a parent go free. We encourage parents to bring their children, the future of this art form. The library is located on Main Street in downtown Damariscotta. Call 207-563-5513 during business hours for more information.
This promises to be a very special night of jazz. Come to Skidompha on 12 June as Novel Jazz marks a decade of swinging jazz at this wonderful library. And if you haven’t heard the band in a while, come see what the decade has done for Novel Jazz!