Fred Astaire Dance Studios Saratoga Springs hosted its summer showcase in their studio on Sunday, June 23, 2024. Photo: FADS.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Fred Astaire Dance Studios Saratoga Springs on June 23 hosted its summer showcase in their studio on Route 9 with all ticket proceeds donated to Old Friends at Cabin Creek, an organization that provides dignified retirement options for thoroughbred horses.
This year’s summer showcase featured various styles of dance – from Waltz and Swing to Mongolian Folk Dance and more, with students dancing alongside the studio’s professional instructors.
The annual two-day Saratoga Jazz festival will be staged at SPAC Saturday and Sunday.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The 47th Annual Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival returns this weekend for a full two-day and two-stage festival experience on Saturday, June 29 and Sunday, June 30 at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center.
The event will feature a roster of 22 musical groups and 10 festival debuts.
The line-up is co-headlined by contemporary artists Lake Street Dive, Norah Jones, Laufey, and Samara Joy, alongside jazz and blues legends Stanley Clarke with his band N*4Ever, Terence Blanchard Sextet and Coco Montoya.
Also highlighting the line-up is the next generation of jazz stars – Yussef Dayes, Joey Alexander, Miguel Zenon, Tia Fuller, Theo Crocker, Helen Sung and Sara Caswell, and electrifying Afro-Cuban and funk bands Cory Henry, Cimafunk, The New Orleans Groove Masters and Pedrito Martinez Group.
Headliner Lake Street Dive will make their festival debut on Saturday, June 29.
Returning following her triumphant festival debut in 2023 is Samara Joy, and returning by popular demand to headline the festival on Sunday is singer and pianist Norah Jones.
Music icons returning to the festival include jazz and blues legends Stanley Clarke with his exciting new band N*4Ever, which is a celebration of his long-time collaborator Chick Corea and their time together in Return to Forever; opera composer Terence Blanchard with his Sextet, and blues guitar virtuoso and vocalist Coco Montoya.
Representing the next generation of jazz talent on the stage is composer and drummer Yussef Dayes, jazz pianist Joey Alexander – who will celebrate his 21st birthday at the festival, jazz pianist and composer Helen Sung, and jazz violinist Sara Caswell.
Highlighting the weekend is also today’s most electrifying Afro-Cuban and funk bands including progressive R&B artist Cory Henry, Cimafunk, The New Orleans Groove Masters featuring Herlin Riley, Jason Marsalis & Shannon Powell, Cuban percussionist Pedrito Martinez with his band and Olatuja!, which reunites Alicia and Michael Olatuja in music.
In addition to two non-stop days of great music on two stages, fans can also enjoy a host of amenities including a new craft beer tasting village, in partnership with New York State Brewers Association, new and diverse food offerings, a fine arts and crafts fair, and artist CD signings. Guests are welcome to bring in their own food and beverages, as well as blankets, tents and lawn umbrellas. Parking for the event is free. Performances will begin at 11 a.m. on Saturday, June 29 and at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, June 30.
2024 Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival Line-Up:
SATURDAY, JUNE 29
Amphitheater – Lake Street Dive; Samara Joy; Yussef Dayes; Joey Alexander Trio with special guest Theo Croker; Cimafunk with special guest Pedrito Martinez; The New Orleans Groove Masters featuring Herlin Riley, Jason Marsalis & Shannon Powell.
Charles R. Wood “Jazz Discovery” Stage – Tia Fuller; Steven Bernstein’s Millennial Territory Orchestra; Theo Croker; Coco Montoya; Harold Lopez-Nussa; Sara Caswell Quartet.
Charles R. Wood “Jazz Discovery” Stage – Pedrito Martinez Group; Miguel Zenon Quartet; Olatuja!; Helen Sung presents Quartet; Skidmore Jazz Institute Faculty All-Stars Centennial Celebration of Max Roach, Bud Powell & J.J. Johnson featuring Clay Jenkins, Steve Wilson, Steve Davis, Mike Moreno, Bill Cunliffe, Todd Coolman & Dennis Mackrel.
Erin Harkes/ Sofia Corts in Saratoga Springs July 12.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Singer-songwriter, solo musician and comedian Erin Harkes will be performing at Caffe Lena on Friday, July 12.
Doors open at 7 p.m.and the show will include support artistry from 17-year-old singer songwriter Sofia Corts, a self-taught guitar and keyboard player from Albany.
For tickets and more information, go to: caffelena.org.
Veronica Swift, performing in 2025, as part of SPAC’s new McCormack Jazz Series. Photo by Matt Baker.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga Performing Arts Center announces that it has established a new annual McCormack Jazz Series in honor of “Saratoga’s Champion of Jazz,” Don McCormack, and his family. Presented as part of SPAC’s 2024-2025 fall and spring seasons in Spa Little Theater, the inaugural series will feature a roster of international talent.
Kicking off the series this fall is Christian McBride and Ursa Major (Oct. 24), alongside four of the most exciting young jazz instrumentalists performing today.
Veronica Swift (May 1), will close the season with her “transgenre” music concept that weaves between classic jazz, rock, funk, and even vaudeville accentuated by her signature stage presence. Bringing the party to the Spa Little Theater stage is Alfredo Rodriguez Trio (April 5), known for their mastery of Cuban and Latin rhythms, and hot jazz ensemble Dorado Schmitt and Sons: Django Festival All Stars (Nov. 22), who will be joined by local opener Hot Club Saratoga.
“As the Saratoga Jazz Festival is one of the jewels in the crown of our Summer amphitheater programming, presenting diverse jazz perspectives is an integral part of our mission and vision for year-round programming in the Spa Little Theater,” said Elizabeth Sobol, President and CEO of Saratoga Performing Arts Center, in a statement. “It’s a pleasure to be able to announce the new McCormack Jazz Series in honor of one of Saratoga’s most passionate jazz advocates.”
Tickets are available for purchase. Visit spac.org for additional details.
SARATOGA SPRINGS – Post Malone has announced his F-1 Trillion Tour, a 21-show outing with stadium, festival, and amphitheater performances around the U.S.
This tour kicks off Sept. 8 in Salt Lake City, Utah and stages a show at Saratoga Performing Arts Center on Monday, Sept. 23.
TICKETS: Tickets will be available starting with a Citi presale (www.citientertainment.com.) beginning at 10 am on Wednesday, June 26. Additional presales will run throughout the week ahead of the general on-sale beginning on Monday, July 1 at 10 am at livenation.com
VIP: The tour will also offer a variety of different VIP packages and experiences for fans to take their concert experience to the next level. Packages vary but include premium tickets, pre-show VIP Lounge, exclusive VIP gift item & more. VIP package contents vary based on offer selected. For more information, visit vipnation.com.
The Park Theater Foundation free Summer Series Concerts begins June 28. Photo provided.
GLENS FALLS — The Park Theater Foundation will present its fourth annual free Summer Series Concerts June 28 – August 2 at the Crandall Park Bandshell each Friday evening, from 7-8:30 p.m.
Summer Series Concert 2024 – Lineup:
Friday, 06/28 – Wild Adriatic
Friday, 07/05 – Rob Flax’s Boom Chick Trio
Friday, 07/12 – Stella Ruze
Friday, 07/19 – Pascuala Ilabaca & Fauna
Friday, 07/26 – Soggy Po’ Boys
Friday, 08/02 – Angelina Valente
On-Site Food Trucks: There will be a rotating cast of local food trucks located on-site throughout the series offering a variety of small plates and beverages that will be available for purchase each evening.
Concert Location: Crandall Park Bandshell– Fire Road, Glens Falls. Rain Location: The Park Theater – 14 Park St., Glens Falls.
For more information, visit our website or phone the box office at 518-792-1150.
CAPITAL REGION — The New York City based Grant Wilfley Casting company will be back in Troy/Albany area in August seeking to fill roles for Season 3 of the HBO series The Gilded Age.
The company says it is seeking to fill some various featured roles, along with general background work. See flyer for details.
John Fogerty opens his set at Saratoga Performing Arts Center June 12,2024 with “Bad Moon Rising.” Photo by Thomas Dimopoulos.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Once, there was a thing called rock and roll, a phrase either derived from 17th century mariners atop a shaky ship, or early 20th century actors engaged in acts of carnality – depending upon whom you believe.
The music and the lifestyle ushered in with it inspired the kids to dance with abandon and smile with glee, and caused some of the elder statesmen of the time to claim it an art sent to humanity by none other than the devil himself.
Before the bean-counters and the money-hoarders got a hold of it some decades later, effectively causing its demise, there were some who believed the amplified output streaming from its electrified guitars and rhythmic drums could change the world. John Fogerty, lead singer, lead guitarist, and principal songwriter of the band Creedence Clearwater Revival, was of the generation that believed it could be so.
On June 12, Fogerty came to the Saratoga Performing Arts Center where he performed a slew of tunes he created during an especially prolific burst of songwriting, mostly in the 1960’s.
He kicked off his 18-song or-so set with the lyrically ominous “Bad Moon Rising,” and continued the CCR re-imaginings with “Lookin’ Out My Back Door,” “Down On The Corner” and “Up Around the Bend,” “Who’ll Stop The Rain” and “Have You Ever Seen the Rain?”, “Fortunate Son,” “Born on the Bayou,” and “Proud Mary” – the latter invoking his cajunistic dialectical inventions (“Big wheel keep on toy-nin,” he sang, “Proud Mary keep on boy-nin).”
From more recent work (the 1980’s at least) the double-denim draped songwriter led his six-piece ensemble in performances of “Centerfield” (written about centerfield at Yankee Stadium, don ’t cha know), and “The Old Man Down The Road.”
Fogerty was amiably assisted (in the dance-til-you-drop part) by George Thorogood & the Destroyers, who provided opening support.
Dressed in basic black – shirt, shoes, pants with dripped-sequined sides, and sporting dark shades to shield his eyes, Thorogood led his five-piece band through a 60-minute set that explored the Bo Diddley-infused rock ‘n’ roll-isms of “Who Do You Love?” as well as Destroyer staples “Bad to the Bone,” the wildly popular “I Drink Alone” (which inspired a bevy of lager consumers to stand tall and raise their brewski’s high above their heads) and of course, “One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer.”
Overall, for this night, Fogerty and Thorogood combined to deliver a thoughtful reminder of a music that once had inspired the kids to dance with abandon and smile with glee, sometimes think about the conditions of the world-at-large and figure out ways to make it all a better place.
SARATOGA SPRINGS —Local author Roger Goldsmith has announced the release of his second children’s book: “Good Friends Are Great.”
This book follows his earlier publication “Paint The Town” and contains 24 pages of colorful illustrations and text that tell the story of Zain and Jester’s afternoon of fun and rescue.
The self-published book, written in rhyme with a focused interest level for children 2–7 years old, is available for purchase directly from the author via email at: rogerg12866@gmail.com, and Facebook Market Place at $6.95 each or $12.00 for both books, plus tax and shipping.
SARATOGA SPRINGS —The Yaddo Artist Medal this year will be presented to four stellar contemporary artists, with a posthumous award to Yaddo alum Chester Himes. The other honorees are Lisa Cortés, Young Jean Lee, Tarik O’Regan, and Amy Sillman, Yaddo announced.
“It’s a great pleasure for us to continue a tradition that began with the inaugural recipient, Philip Roth, and continues with Laurie Anderson, David del Tredici, Amy Hempel, Martin Puryear and Alfre Leslie,” Yaddo President Elaina Richardson said, in a statement.
The honorees reflect the five artistic disciplines represented at Yaddo and renew the line of Medalists which was interrupted by the pandemic.
Lisa Cortés is a Grammy-nominated and Emmy-winning director and producer. She is known for generating bold, explosive art that shines light on important stories hidden from view.
Chester Himes (1909 – 1984) was an internationally acclaimed author, known for his Harlem detective novels, which explored the complexities of race, injustice, and urban life.
Young Jean Lee is a playwright, director, and filmmaker. She is the first AsianAmerican female playwright to have had a play produced on Broadway, and she has written and directed 10 shows in New York with Young Jean Lee’s Theater Company.
Tarik O’Regan is a London-born composer based in San Francisco. In recent years, much of his work has investigated and been influenced by his dual Arab and Irish heritages. In 2023 he was commissioned by His Majesty King Charles III to compose the Agnus Dei for the Coronation Service at Westminster Abbey.
Amy Sillman is an acclaimed visual artist, best known for her rigorous formal engagement with painting and iterative drawings, and an excavation of form lying between abstraction and figuration. Her current solo exhibition To Be Other Wise is currently on view at Gladstone Gallery in New York.
The medal recognizes individuals who exemplify a level of achievement and commitment to their art that reflects the tradition of excellence that has always been a hallmark of the Yaddo residency program, as well as celebrating those who have been supportive and understand the sense of community that it has long promoted among artists.
“It’s long been our custom to award a medal for achievement and service to two graduating seniors at Saratoga High, and we’d wanted for some time to expand on that tradition in a way that reflected our core history, and century-long commitment, to encouraging, supporting, and inspiring the work of artists and writers,” Richardson said. “One of the many sadnesses of the shut down for us was the interruption in this story, and we were especially eager to play catch up, knowing the additional burdens our artists have faced in recent years. We wanted to celebrate each of the five individually and to raise a glass to all our artists more generally for what they give to our lives.”
The medals, designed for Yaddo by James Siena, will be presented at an intimate dinner and awards ceremony hosted by Allan Cumming at Gotham restaurant in Manhattan on Nov. 21.
Tables and individual tickets are available now and can be purchased at www.yaddo.org or by calling 518-584-0746.
Yaddo’s mission is to provide artists with time and space to explore and define ideas and create new work. Founded in 1900 by the financier Spencer Trask and his wife Katrina, this artists’ community is located on a 400-acre estate in Saratoga Springs. Yaddo hosts around 300 residents annually for two to eight weeks, at no cost to the artist. Over 6,500 individuals have created work at Yaddo—literature (fiction, non-fiction, and poetry), paintings, photography, sculpture, music, dance, film, and performance pieces—that have helped shape the contemporary cultural landscape and touched millions of lives.
