Folk & Americana: The Legendary Jim Kweskin & Samoa Wilson

Description

**Jim Kweskin** is the founder of the legendary 1960s Jim Kweskin Jug Band with Fritz Richmond, Geoff Muldaur, Maria Muldaur, Mel Lyman and Bruno Wolfe. During the five years they were together, they successfully transformed the sounds of pre-World War II rural music into a springboard for their good-humored performances. Their imitators were legion, including a San Francisco jug band that became the **Grateful Dead**, a Los Angeles jug band that became the **Nitty Gritty Dirt Band**, and a New York jug band that became the **Lovin' Spoonful**. No other group attained their unique blend of youthful energy and antiquarian expertise, tight musicianship, loose camaraderie, and infectious swing. These days Jim is best known as a singer and bandleader, but he also created one of the bedrock guitar styles of the folk revival, adapting the ragtime-blues fingerpicking of artists like Mississippi John Hurt and Pink Anderson to the more complex chords of pop and jazz. He has maintained a remarkably consistent musical vision since his jug band days, continuing to explore traditional folk and blues with the sophisticated sensibility of a jazz musician, and jazz with the communal simplicity of a folk artist. He has recorded many solo ventures, as a member of the U and I band, with band-mate Geoff Muldaur, with Samoa Wilson, with The Texas Sheiks as well as performing and recording with a wide variety of well-known musicians such as Maria Muldaur, John Sebastian, David Grisman, Cindy Cashdollar, Happy Traum, Meredith Axelrod, Juli Crockett and Samoa Wilson, to name a few. Jim Kweskin's shows radiate charm, humor, sophistication and talent. Jim sings a collection of familiar songs by Benny Goodman, Johnny Mercer, the Sons of the Pioneers, Fats Waller, and Somethin' Smith & the Redheads. There's an endearing sense of good humor to Kweskin's interpretations that makes his performances a delight. Because of his vast repertoire and love of the music, Kweskin is recognized as one of the best interpreters of the great American songbook. For this evening Jim will be joined by **Samoa Wilson,** who since the age of 12 years has been captivating audiences with a voice the New York Times calls “sweet, effortless, old-timey”. Raised in the riverbed of traditional North American folk music, she came up in the Boston scene, under the wing of jug band and folk legend Jim Kweskin. Her two duos, the Four O’Clock Flowers, and Fatboy Wilson & Old Viejo Bones, have become staples of the thriving New York City folk community. Additionally, her vintage jazz trio has been filling ears with material from the golden era of 20's and 30's musical treasure; a sound at once more bluesy and more contemporary than expected. Her choice of repertoire makes the difference: torchy and honeyed renditions of haunting little-known tunes, from a woman’s perspective. From the source of the traditional and classic material, she poses a modern complaint, salutes the transformation of women’s work and suffering into women’s triumph. “ ... a gorgeous, fun sound.” — The Boston Herald “ ... the essence of unaffected musical storytelling.” — Nat Hentoff **VIDEO https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkUjYXerwns** Beer, wine, sake, food, snacks, refreshments are available If you require ADA access, please let us know 24 hours in advance by emailing: [email protected] \--- FAQ on tickets, seating, students, photography/video, parking, ADA and more can be found at TheLocalSaugerties.com