Twilight Music continues its 18th Twilight On The Tavern Lawn series of folk, world beat, zydeco, Celtic, jazz, rock, and bluegrass summer concerts on Sunday, September 5 with the Julian Gerstin Sextet performing original jazz influenced by rhythms and melodies of the Caribbean and Eastern Europe. Co-presented with Next Stage Arts Project, the five concert series concludes on Sunday, September 19 with Planet Zydeco. The concerts begin at 5:00 pm in downtown Putney on the Putney Tavern lawn (bring a lawn chair or blanket) or at Next Stage at 15 Kimball Hill in case of rain. The series is sponsored by the Town of Putney, Green Mountain Well, Soundview Paper Company, Basketville, and many other Putney area businesses and organizations. The concerts are free to the public (donations are accepted) and food will be available. For more information, call 802-387-5772 or visit www.twilightmusic.org.
The Julian Gerstin Sextet combines drums from the Caribbean, rhythms of the Balkans, jazz melodies, and a soulful horn section for a lively and inventive sound. A veteran of many African, Latin and jazz bands, percussionist/composer Gerstin studied and performed traditional music in Martinique for two years, and his experiences there form the basis of much of the sextet’s music. The band features an all star lineup of New England-based musicians – Anna Patton (clarinet), Don Anderson (trumpet), Wes Brown (bass), Ben James (drum set), Julian (percussion), and, for this event, young phenom Andrew Wilcox (piano). Along with old favorites the group will feature new tunes for this concert – the Martinican-inspired “Madeline’s Mazurka,” Cuban songó-jazz in “Un Puente para Ponce,” the jazz funk of “Get Along,” and the Puerto Rican yubá rhythm of “El Temblor.”