2018-19 FALL-WINTER SEASON

The 2018-19 Fall-Winter Season is announced and brings the best in jazz, folk, pop and world music.  The season features such exceptional jazz artists as Kenny Barron and Stacey Kent, as well as folk artists as Livingston Taylor, Kathy Mattea and The Lone Bellow. World music brings Celtic sensation Hanneke Cassel and guitarist Ottmar Liebert.  Learn about all the wonderful concerts coming this season in the list below. 

Thank you to our 2018-19 Jazz, Folk, Pop Corporate Partners!

Friday, February 15, 8 PM

Upstairs on Main
Carlos Menezes Jr. & the CABB4

As founder and leader of the beloved Cape Ann Big Band, Carlos Menezes Jr knows a thing or two about jazz and swing. Playing tenor sax, Carlos strives to bring the big tenor sounds of his main influences, Illinois Jacquet, Lester Young, and Sonny Rollins to the stage.  For this night, Carlos brings his stripped down small combo version of his large band. Learn more 

Guest Presentation
Saturday, February 16, 7:30 PM

Snatam Kaur

Presented by Spirit Voyage Live Events
Snatam’s concert tours bring her joyous, uplifting music to audiences everywhere as she performs compositions from her new album Beloved and much-beloved songs from her rich catalog of classic world devotional CDs.  Learn more
Tickets can be purchased here through Bright Star Events.

Guest Presentation
Friday, February 22, 8 PM

Jon Butcher’s Winter Blues Showcase
special guests James Montgomery & Gary Hoey

Presented by M.E. Productions
Come on out for an acoustic blues showcase featuring three of the region’s most beloved talents; Jon Butcher, Gary Hoey and James Montgomery. Expect an intimate -unplugged- evening of the blues, with three perennial favorites backed by a full band. Learn more

Friday, March 1, 8 PM

Steve Earle (acoustic)

Opening Act: Shannon McNally
An old school troubadour with a rabble-rousing streak a mile wide, Steve Earle has been on the forefront of roots music for more than 30 years, a natural successor to vital American songwriters like Woody Guthrie and Townes Van Zandt. He’ll be giving a rare solo acoustic show. Learn more

Friday, March 8, 8 PM

Celtic Tenors

Present the Irish Songbook
The internationally acclaimed Celtic Tenors make their Rockport debut with a program highlighting many of the Emerald Isle’s most cherished songs. Learn more

Saturday, March 9, 8 PM

Danú

One of Ireland’s most cherished Irish folk bands and among the leaders of the new traditionalist movement in Celtic music, Danú has been thrilling audiences with their instrumental virtuosity and powerfully emotive ballads for close to 20 years.  Learn more

Sunday, March 10, 8 PM

Cyrille Aimée

Winner of the Montreux and Sarah Vaughan International Vocal Competitions, the dynamic young Cyrille brings an exotic, highly rhythmic-based approach to jazz singing, incorporating a Gallic gypsy swing with hints of salsa and samba into well-worn standards and original compositions.  Learn more

Friday, March 15, 8 PM

Upstairs on Main
St. Patrick’s Ceilidh with Matt & Shannon Heaton

With engaging stage presence and masterfully-crafted music, Boston-based Matt and Shannon Heaton offer well-travelled Irish music from the heart. Steeped in sessions in County Clare and brewed in the acoustic music scenes of Chicago and Boston, their flute/guitar/bouzouki instrumentals and sweet husband-and-wife harmony singing draw deeply from the Irish tradition. Learn more

Thursday, March 21, 8 PM

George Winston

One of the most successful and recognized solo pianists in the world, George Winston brings his remarkably enduring and highly imitated “rural folk piano” style to Rockport to perform his Summer program. Learn more

Friday, March 22, 8 PM

Secret Sisters

The Grammy-nominated country folk siblings from Muscle Shoals, AL have exploded onto the Americana scene, due largely to their sweet, sisterly harmonies and their vintage Nashville/Southern gothic hybrid sound. Learn more

Saturday, March 23, 8 PM

Marc Broussard

Opening Act: Drew Angus
A Louisiana soul singer and guitarist with a killer swamp pop pedigree, Marc Broussard has created a sound that borrows liberally from blues, rock, pop, gospel and R&B to form an infectious hybrid of deep Southern roots music.  Learn more

Wednesday, April 3, 8 PM

BoDeans

The Midwestern roots rockers, best known for their 1993 smash hit “Closer to Free,” make their Rockport debut on the heels of their newest record, 13. They’ll be performing a rare all-acoustic set culled from their impressive 30 year career.  Learn more

Guest Presentation
Friday, April 5, 8 PM

John Hall and Fly Amero

Presented by Fly Amero Music Productions 
Founder and current member of the pop group Orleans, John Hall joins his longtime bandmate, certified gold singer/songwriter Fly Amero, for an intimate evening of acoustic music packed with famed classic hits, exciting new collaborations and insider tales from the “ghosts” of music industry past. Learn more

Saturday, April 6, 8 PM

JD Souther

A songwriting legend and country rock pioneer, JD Souther returns to Rockport armed with a veritable treasure trove of classics, including several made famous by The Eagles (“Heartache Tonight,” “Best of My Love”) and Linda Ronstadt (“Faithless Love”). His infectious pop sensibility and effortless croon have led to a near 50 year career.   Learn more

Sunday, April 7, 8 PM

Accent

Accent is a collaboration of musicians from around the world looking to bring you the best in a cappella. Drawing inspiration from the vocal pop pioneers who preceded them, Accent is forging a new path, melding jazz, pop and contemporary a cappella into one sound. Learn more

Thursday, April 11, 8 PM

Dougie MacLean

One of Scotland’s most revered singer-songwriters and instrumentalists, the venerable troubadour made his name in the Scottish traditional folk scene of the 70’s with bands like the Tannahill Weavers and Silly Wizard before going solo with beloved hits like “Caledonia” and “The Gael.” Learn more

Saturday, April 13, 8 PM

Eileen Ivers

As the original music star of Riverdance and a founding member of Cherish the Ladies, the Grammy Award-winning fiddler Eileen Ivers has established herself as one of the most internationally beloved and acclaimed Celtic fiddlers in the world. Learn more

Thursday, April 18, 8 PM

Squirrel Nut Zippers

Largely responsible for helping launch the swing revival of the 90’s with their beloved platinum-selling classic Hot, the Squirrel Nut Zippers still bring that same infectious hybrid of supercharged gypsy swing and New Orleans jazz to their newest release, Beasts of Burgundy.  Learn more

Saturday, April 20, 8 PM

Kenny Barron

Honored by The National Endowment for the Arts as a 2010 Jazz Master, pianist Kenny Barron has an unmatched ability to mesmerize audiences with his elegant playing, sensitive melodies and infectious rhythms. He returns to Rockport on the heels of his Blue Note Records debut Concentric Circles. Learn more

Sunday, May 5, 7 PM                                      

Mari Black Trio

A genre-crossing fiddling sensation, Boston-based Mari Black has created a devoted following founded on the strength of her remarkable playing, infectious compositions and stylistic shapeshifting that covers everything from Scottish reels to jazz to klezmer to American string band music. Learn more

Sunday, May 12, 5 PM                                      

Leo Kottke

Acoustic guitarist Leo Kottke was born in Athens, Georgia, but left town after a year and a half. Raised in 12 different states, he absorbed a variety of musical influences as a child, flirting with both violin and trombone, before abandoning Stravinsky for the guitar at age 11. Learn more

Tickets on sale February 1.

Friday, May 17, 8 PM

Rockport Folk Summit
Tarbox Ramblers & Jesse Dee

For this iteration of our biannual Rockport Folk Summit we are veering into the bluesier side of the roots spectrum, presenting the gritty hill country groove of the Tarbox Ramblers and the soulful sounds of Jesse Dee. Learn more

Saturday, May 18, 8 PM

Johnny A

One of the most revered guitarists working the scene today, Boston’s own Johnny A. has created a decade-spanning career built on his virtuosic playing, compositional fortitude and distinctive style. On top of putting out his acclaimed new record, Driven, Johnny was just recently asked to play lead guitar in the legendary blues rock supergroup of The Yardbirds.  Learn more

Sunday, May 19, 8 PM

Ballroom Thieves

The Ballroom Thieves return to Rockport on the heels of their most recent release, the 2018 EP Paper Crown, which finds the trio mining immense melodies and hypnotic hooks from personal stories.  Learn more

Wednesday, May 22, 8 PM
Thursday, May 23, 8 PM

Pat Metheny Solo

The iconic jazz guitarist, winner of 20 Grammy Awards and the youngest member of the prestigious DownBeat Hall of Fame, makes his Rockport debut.   Learn more

Saturday, June 1, 8 PM       

Glenn Crytzer’s Savoy Seven

Glenn Crytzer and the Savoy Seven bring their “vintage American jazz” to Rockport for their Shalin Liu Performance Center debut! Their superlative musicianship and unbridled swing is fueled by each musician’s genuine love for playing pre-war jazz, bringing to life the music of this bygone age with stunning authenticity. Learn more

Friday, June 7, 8 PM       

Christian McBride & Tip City

One of the most exciting jazz artists of the modern era, bassist Christian McBride has redefined both his instrument and the perceived boundaries of jazz itself. Unafraid to dip his toes into R&B, funk, pop, fusion or big band, McBride’s massive technical and compositional skills have launched him into the rarified air of bonafide jazz masters. Learn more

Saturday, June 8, 8 PM       

Mountain Man

“Road to Newport”
The acclaimed vocal-based indie-folk trio (Sylvan Esso’s Amelia Meath, Molly Erin Sarlé and Alexandra Sauser-Monnig) make their Rockport debut, touring on the strength of their lauded sophomore record Magic Ship. Learn more

Tickets on-sale February 15!