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9-06-2007 The seven-show season, featuring monthly installments from September to March, is Cooperstown's only off-season music venue. The season opens Friday, Sept. 28 with Dave Frishberg, a jazz lyricist. According to presenters, the much covered Frishberg has penned many witty standards covered by such performers as Diana Krall, Mel Torme, Rosemary Clooney, Dame Cleo Laine, Al Jarreau, and Blossom Dearie. Frishberg's tunes include "Peel Me a Grape," "My Attorney Bernie," "I'm Hip," and "Blizzard of Lies," along with "Van Lingle Mungo," a tune whose lyrics consist solely of dozens of big league ballplayers' names from his youth in the 1940s. He also wrote many of the Schoolhouse Rock tunes, including the legendary "I'm Just a Bill." Frishberg will perform on piano at the Sterling Auditorium of Cooperstown Middle/ High School at 7:30 p.m. Singer-songwriter Steve Forbert will perform at the Otesaga on Friday, Oct. 19 at 8 p.m Forbert, who had a top ten hit with 1980's "Romeo's Tune" ("Meet me in the middle of the night, Let me hear you say everything's alright, Let me smell the moon in your perfume ..." was once dubbed "The New Dylan," but has proved that comparison moot by establishing his own style over 24 albums since 1978, presenters said. For more information on Forbert, see www.steveforbert.com. Jazz pianist John Stetch's gave a solo performance at Cooperstown Central School two years ago. A rare repeat performer on Marian McPartland's "Piano Jazz" program on NPR, Stetch has crossover appeal to classical audiences, having played at many top classical piano festivals. Stetch recently finished second in the Thelonious Monk Composer's Competition and won the Grand Prize at the Montreal Jazz Festival. The John Stetch Trio will perform at the Sterling Auditorium of Cooperstown Central School on Saturday, Nov. 3, at 7:30 p.m. For more information, see www.johnstetch. com. Following up on the enormous interest in last year's "Irish Christmas" concert, the concert association has booked another one. Grada is a Dublin- based band with five members blending traditional Irish music with contemporary sounds. They are joined for their Christmas tour by a violist, trumpeter, and a fiddler/ step dancer. Grada presents "A Grada Christmas in America" on Sunday, Dec. 9, at 7 p.m. in the Sterling Auditorium of Cooperstown Central School. For more information, see www.gradamusic.com. Blues singer Alexis Suter will perform on Jan 12. Suter is a regular performer at Levon Helm's Midnight Ramble, the monthly house party conducted by the former drummer for The Band. Blues guitarist B.B. King said, "It's a rare thing to share the stage with great talent like that young lady." The Alexis Suter Blues Band will perform at The Otesaga Resort Hotel on Saturday, Jan. 12, at 7:30 p.m. For more information, see www.alexispsuter. com. The winter carnival weekend will open with female country vocalist Diana Jones. Her 2006 album "My Remembrance of You" was chosen as the number one country album of the year by the Chicago Tribune, according to presenters. Jones will sing at the Otesaga Resort Hotel on Saturday, Feb. 9, 2008 at 7:30 p.m. For more information, see www. dianajonesmusic.com. The final concert of the 2007-08 season will be troubadour Chris Smither, described by the Associated Press as "An American original, a product of the musical melting pot, and one of the absolute best singer-songwriters in the world." His first of 12 albums came out in 1970, the same year the Cooperstown Concert Series itself was born. At 62, Smither continues to perform, melding folk and blues. Diana Krall has closed her recent shows with one of his tunes, "Love Me Like a Man," presenters said. His satirical "Origin of Species" was named one of the 100 best songs of 2006 by Rolling Stone. Smither will take the stage at the Otesaga Resort Hotel on Saturday, March 29, 2008 at 7:30 p.m. For more information, see www.smither. com. Season tickets for the 38th annual Cooperstown Concert Series are now available for $80 for each adult ticket. Seniors 62 and older can purchase season tickets for $50 per seat, while full-time student season tickets are $25. Family season tickets, granting admission for parents and children 18 and under, are available for $160 for the year. Individual ticket prices for each Cooperstown Concert Series show are $20 for adults, $15 for seniors, and $5 for students. Students 12 and under are always free when accompanied by a parent. Tickets can be purchased in Cooperstown at Ellsworth and Sill on Main Street, The Sage Center on Railroad Avenue, and the Fly Creek General Store at the four corners. Tickets for all shows are available at the door except in the case of advance sell-outs, and tickets are available by phone by calling 547-1812. More information on the 2007-08 Cooperstown Concert Series and each performance is available at www.Cooperstownconcertseries. org, An all-volunteer organization now planning its 39th concert season for 2008-09, the Cooperstown Concert Series needs volunteers. Opportunities exist in concert planning, publicity, fundraising, arts education, and more. Contact Concert Series co-directors Jeff Katz or Dr. Rich Brown for more information. |
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