An Eclectic Mix Best May Music 2019

Posted OnApril 18, 2019

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An Eclectic Mix Best May Music 2019: From Rocktopia to Felix Cavaliere’s Rascals, Chris Botti to the String Cheese Incident, the Prog-rock balladeers Styx to a Billy Joel piano bar celebration at the Bedford Playhouse.

Rocktopia, The Capitol Theatre, Thurs, 5/2: 8pm: Direct from its smash-hit run on Broadway, the international music sensation Rocktopia comes to “The Cap.” This concert fuses iconic 20th-century rock with world-renowned classical masterpieces, including Journey, Mozart, Queen, Beethoven, Aerosmith, Handel, Led Zeppelin, Tchaikovsky, U2, Heart, Puccini, The Who and more—performed by an elite lineup of vocalists, a five-piece rock band, a thirty-person choir, and an orchestra. (149 Westchester Ave, Port Chester; www.capitoltheatre.com)

Chris Botti, The Ridgefield Playhouse, Fri, 5/3: 8pm: Pop trumpeter, Chris Botti has released four albums that hit No. 1 on the Billboard Jazz charts beginning with his 1994 When I Fall in Love. His 2013 Impressions won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Album. He has performed on the largest stages with the biggest stars such as Lady Gaga, Sting, Tony Bennett, Joni Mitchell, Yo Yo Ma and Paul Simon. See him here at the intimate Ridgefield Playhouse. (80 E. Ridge, Ridgefield, CT; www.ridgefieldplayhouse.org)

Felix Cavaliere’s Rascals, Tarrytown Music Hall, Fri, 5/3: 8pm: First time I saw the Rascals, I was 11 and they were performing in my high school gymnasium. A year later they were bumping The Beatles off the charts with a string of No. 1 hits, “Good Lovin’”, “Groovin’” and “People Got To Be Free”. These Rock and Roll Hall of Famers from New Jersey followed up with high charting hits like “How Can I Be Sure”, “A Beautiful Morning”, “It’s Wonderful”, “I Ain’t Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore” and more. (80 E. Ridge, Ridgefield, CT; www.ridgefieldplayhouse.org)

Joan Baez Fare Thee Well Tour, Capitol Theatre, Fri, 5/3 & Sun, 5/5: 8pm: Joan Baez celebrates her new album, Whistle Down the Road, with this new tour. A folk icon, many songs that Joan Baez introduced in her early years found their way into the rock vernacular: “House Of the Rising Sun” (the Animals), “Babe, I’m Gonna Leave You” (Led Zeppelin), “What Have They Done To the Rain” (The Searchers), and “Long Black Veil” (The Band). She is best known her performance of “Joe Hill”, at Woodstock, “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down”, and “Forever Young”. (149 Westchester Ave, Port Chester; www.capitoltheatre.com)

CMS of Lincoln Center: Deeply Inspired, Performing Arts Center, Sat, 5/4: 5pm: In its final PAC performance of the year the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center presents a program of composers from four eras and four cultures all at their emotional height. Including Schubert’, Arensky, Bloch and Barber’s Dover Beach for voice and string quartet. (735 Anderson Hill Rd., Purchase; www.artscenter.org)

Christine Ebersole, Caramoor, Sat, 5/4: 8:30pm: The Rosen House Music Room transforms into an intimate cabaret for this annual Benefit Concert. Two-time Tony Award-winning actress Christine Ebersole delivers a celebration of the American Songbook, and mingles with guests at the champagne reception in the Formal Dining Room after the show. (149 Girdle Ridge Rd., Katonah; www.caramoor.com)

The Fab Faux, Fan Favorites and Beatles Solo Years, Capitol Theatre, Sat, 5/4: 8pm: “The Beatles tribute band without the wigs”, The Fab Faux were founded by Will Lee, bassist for Late Show With David Letterman, and Jimmy Vivino, bandleader for Conan. They are known to enhance their shows with horn sections, string orchestras and background vocalists to perform complex studio versions of Beatles classics. (149 Westchester Ave, Port Chester; www.capitoltheatre.com)

Local! The Creation by Haydn, Westchester Oratorio Society, ChappPac, Sun, 5/5: 3pm: Westchester Oratorio Society (WOS) presents Joseph Haydn’s great work “The Creation” (“Die Schöpfung”). Considered a masterpiece of the oratorio tradition, Die Schöpfung celebrates the creation of the world as described in the “Book of Genesis.” Scored for chorus, three soloists and symphonic orchestra, it debuted in Vienna in 1799. The concert will feature soloists Catherine Steinbrink, Soprano, Jeffrey Strand, Tenor and David Salsbery Fry, Bass, and the WOS Festival Orchestra. (480 Bedford Rd., Chappaqua; www.westchesteroratorio.org)

Local! The Chappaqua Orchestra, Concerto Winner’s Concert, Horace Greeley HS, Sun, 5/5: 3pm: TCO’s final concert of the season features the winners of their annual Concerto Competition.The Concert will conclude with a performance of Dvorak’s 8th Symphony. (70 Roaring Brook Rd, Chappaqua; www.chappaquaorchestra.org)

Celebrating John Musto, Copland House at Merstead: Sun, 5/5: 3pm: Celebrating the lyricism of the stage, the flair of the jazz club, and the rigor of the conservatory, the versatile John Musto performs the World Premiere of a new chamber work (a Copland House commission), his Piano Trio, and his own 2-piano versions of beloved works by Bach and Mozart. (455 Byram Lake Road, Mt. Kisco; www.coplandhouse.org)

Daniel Kelly’s Rakonto: Student Voices, Performing Arts Center, Mon, 5/6: 3pm: Composer/pianist Daniel Kelly transforms stories of everyday people into dramatic and compelling music. This unique performance was created in Westchester for family audiences. It showcases the dreams, hopes, and struggles of local students in recorded interviews that are blended with original compositions performed by Kelly’s band. (735 Anderson Hill Rd., Purchase; www.artscenter.org)

Bruce Cockburn & Leo Kottke, Tarrytown Music Hall, Thurs, 5/9: 8pm: Virtuoso finger-pick guitar legend Leo Kottke has collaborated with Phish bassist Mike Gordon and his song “Pretty Pamela Brown” is worth the trip! Canadian Songwriting Hall of Famer, Bruce Cockburn, has been covered by Barenaked Ladies, Judy Collins, Jimmy Buffet, Holly Near, George Hamilton IV and The Jerry Garcia Band. (13 Main St., Tarrytown; www.tarrytownmusichall.org)

Local! A Billy Joel Piano Bar Celebration, Bedford Playhouse, Thurs, 5/9: 8pm: We first saw Billy Joel at a dive piano bar on the Long Island Sound in Bayville, Long Island in 1969, a year before his first album Cold Spring Harbor was released. He was just 20 years old and he sang, “She’s Got a Way About Her”and “Captain Jack” that night. You can get a feel for what that was like when NYC’s acclaimed cabaret performer Rick Jensen celebrates Billy Joel’s 70th birthday with a piano bar tribute at The Playhouse Cafe. He was just 21 years old and he sang, “She’s Got a Way About Her” that night. (633 Old Post Rd., Bedford; www.bedfordplayhouse.org)

Nancy and Beth, Featuring Megan Mulally and Stephanie Hunt, Ridgefield Playhouse, Fri, 5/10: 8pm: Hailed as “the most avant-garde show to play the Cafe Carlyle in recent memory,” (Theater Mania) and “musical misfits” (NPR All Things Considered), Nancy And Beth (aka Will & Grce star Megan Mulally and Stephanie Hunt from Friday Night Lights and Californication) have also wormed their way into the Newport Folk Festival, the Grand Ole Opry, London’s Royal Festival Hall, Solid Sound, and many other sweet venues in the US and abroad. (80 E. Ridge, Ridgefield, CT; www.ridgefieldplayhouse.org)

Paula Cole, Emelin Theatre, Fri, 5/10: 8pm: A Grammy-winner for her 1997 double-Platinum album This Fire, Paul Cole’s “Where Have All The Cowboys Gone?” became a Top Ten hit and “I Don’t Want To Wait” became the theme song for the hit TV series Dawson’s Creek. (153 Library Ln., Mamaroneck; www.emelin.org)

WTD20 gets you 20% on American Pie! Don McLean, Paramount Hudson Valley, Sat, 5/11: 8pm: The Paramount Hudson Valley Theatre returns after it’s recent renovation with Don McLean, “American Pie”, “Vincent”, “Everybody Loves Me Baby” and more. Enter code WTD20 for a 20% discount on this and all May Shows at the Paramount! (1008 Brown St., Peekskill; www.paramounthudsonvalley.org)

Inner Voices, Ko-Eun Yi, Sanctuary Series South Salem, Sun, 5/12: 4pm: The Washington Postapplauded Korean pianist Ko-Eun Yi’s recent debut recital in DC, calling her “a masterful technician” with immaculate finger work and power. A winner of the Concert Artists Guild Competition and a Gold medal winner at the World Piano Competition, Ko-Eun Yi will perform works by Scarlatti, Debussy, Beethoven and Liszt. (111 Spring St., S. Salem;www.thesanctuaryseries.com)

Local! Bedford Chamber Concerts, Bach/Saint-Saëns, Wed, 5/15: 8pm: Dr. Anthony Newman’s Bedford Chamber Concerts performs Bach’s Magnificat and Trio Sonata from the Music Offering, and Saint-Saëns Septet. (St, Matthews Church, 382 Cantitoe St., Bedford; www.bedfordchamberconcerts.org)

Fleetwood Macked & Refugee, Ridgefield Playhouse, Thurs, 5/16: 8pm: “The voices, the emotions, the movements. The look, the sounds, the history.” If you’re a Fleetwood Mac or Stevie Nicks fan, you might like this. Check out their video promotion to see if you agree. Plus, Refugee performing the best of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. (80 E. Ridge, Ridgefield, CT; www.ridgefieldplayhouse.org)

WTD20 gets you 20% on “She’s a Beauty”! The Tubes, Paramount Hudson Valley, Thurs, 5/16: 8pm: The Tubes scored a No. 1 hit with their 1983 “She’s a Beauty” and charted eight more times with songs like “White Punks on Dope”, “Don’t Touch Me There”, “Talk To Ya Later”, “Mondo Bondage”, “Sushi Girl” and “What Do You Want From Life”. Use discount code WTD20 for a 20% discount on this and all Paramount shows in May. (1008 Brown St., Peekskill; www.paramounthudsonvalley.org)

Gordon Lightfoot, Tarrytown Music Hall, Fri, 5/17: 8pm: 80 years young, Gordon Lightfoot’s musical legacy includes “Early Morning Rain,” “If You Could Read My Mind,” “Carefree Highway,” “Sundown,” “(That’s What You Get) For Lovin Me,” “The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald,” “Canadian Railroad Trilogy,” “Ribbon Of Darkness,” “Beautiful,” “Song For A Winter’s Night” and “Rainy Day People” to name a few. (13 Main St., Tarrytown; www.tarrytownmusichall.org)

Dark Star Orchestra, Capitol Theatre, Fri-Sat, 5/17-18: 8pm: Dark Star Orchestra (DSO) has performed over 2600 Grateful Dead tribute shows – The Dead performed just 400 more. The New Yorker called their shows “a flashback”, The Chicago Tribune wrote “DSO often sounds more like the Dead than the Dead sometimes did.” They have performed with Phil Lesh, Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmand an Donna Jean Godchaux and more. (149 Westchester Ave, Port Chester, www.capitoltheatre.com)

Martin Sexton, Emelin Theatre, Fri, 5/17: 8pm: Martin Sexton is one of Dave Matthews’ favorite singers and songwriters. John Mayer called Martin Sexton “the best live performer” he’s ever seen. Billboard called him “the real thing” and Rolling Stone compared his voice An Eclectic Mix Best May Music 2019 to Steve Winwood and Van Morrison. His songs have appeared in television series such as “Scrubs,” “Parenthood,” “Masters of Sex” and in numerous films. (153 Library Ln., Mamaroneck; www.emelin.org)

Oleta Adams, Emelin Theatre, Sat, 5/18: 8pm: A four-time Grammy-nominee, Oleta Adams’ debut album Circle of One went platinum in 1990. The New York Times described compared her voice to Roberta Flack. She has toured with Tears for Fears, Phil Collins and Luther Vandross and does great covers of “New York State of Mind” and “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me”. (153 Library Ln., Mamaroneck; www.emelin.org)

WTD20 gets you 20% on “Dancing Queen”! Abbarama, Paramount Hudson Valley, Sat, 5/18: 8pm: Abbarama’s ABBA tribute show features electronic sound from Grammy Award-winner Greg Collins, art and video projections from pop artist Kii Arens (Lady Gaga, Katy Perry) and music from the Grammy-nominated Swedish musician Josephine Forsman from the Swedish girl group Sahara Hotnights, band members from Urge Overkill and more. Use discount code WTD20 for a 20% discount on this and all Paramount shows in May. (1008 Brown St., Peekskill; www.paramounthudsonvalley.org)

Rodrigo & Gabriela, Ridgefield Playhouse, Sun, 5/19: 8:30pm: Mexican acoustic rock guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriela have been blending metal, jazz and Hispanic roots music in their own unique, unmistakable style for more than 20 years, scoring sold out shows at world renowned venues including the Hollywood Bowl, Radio City Music Hall, Red Rocks Amphitheatre. They made their mark with flamenco-style covers of Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway To Heaven” and Metallica’s “Orion.” (80 E. Ridge, Ridgefield, CT; www.ridgefieldplayhouse.org)

Styx, The Palace Theatre Stamford, Thurs, 5/23: 8pm: Prog-rock balladeers, Styx put together a string of 23 Billboard charting and 8 Top Ten hits between 1972 and 1991. Including the No. 1 hit “Babe”, “Show Me”, “The Best of Times”, “Mr. Roboto”, “Lady” and “Come Sail Away”. You can expect to hear them all. (61 Atlantic St., Stamford; www.stamfordpalace.org)

Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue with Funky Dawgz Brass Band, Ridgefield Playhouse, Fri, 5/24: 8pm: A 2010 Grammy-nominee for Best Contemporary Jazz Album, Trombone Shorty regularly headlines the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, played twice at the White House for President Obama, and has toured with Foo Fighters and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. (80 E. Ridge, Ridgefield, CT; www.ridgefieldplayhouse.org)

The String Cheese Incident, Capitol Theatre, Sat-Mon, 5/25-27: 8pm: Jam band legends from Colorado, The String Cheese Incident celebrates its 25th anniversary with three nights at The Cap. Incorporating everything from an electric mandolin, violin, lap steel guitar to an accordion, the band delivers elements of bluegrass, rock, electronica, country, calypso, jazz, reggae and psychedelia, (149 Westchester Ave, Port Chester; www.capitoltheatre.com)

Hot Ticket Alerts June

Greenwich International Film Festival’s Epic Anniversary Party ft. Kesha, Capitol Theatre, Sat, 6/1: 8:45pm: GIFF’s Epic Anniversary Party celebrates the five-year anniversary of the Festival. This star-studded event will feature a concert performance by singer/songwriter Kesha, an award presentation by actress Connie Nielsen, the musical stylings of DJ April Larken, surprise guests, cocktails, and an exclusive Casamigos VIP Lounge at Garcia’s. (149 Westchester Ave, Port Chester; www.capitoltheatre.com)

Taconic Opera Chamber Concert, The Fathers, Presbyterian Church of Mt. Kisco, Sat, 6/1: 3pm: Maestro Jun Nakabayashi, TCO’s Conductor and Music Director, leads the Taconic Opera Chamber Orchestra and guest soloist Kessa Medford (piano) in a program of Beethoven’s famous Piano Concerto No. 2, Bach’s toccata and Fugue in D minor and Haydn’s Symphony No. 78. (605 Millwood Road (Route 133), Mt. Kisco; www,taconicopera.org)

David Crosby & Friends, Ridgefield Playhouse, Fri, 6/7: 8pm: Two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and co-founder of The Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash, David Crosby returns to The Playhouse to perform some of his best loved songs and greatest hits from across his illustrious career. (80 E. Ridge, Ridgefield, CT; www.ridgefieldplayhouse.org)

Phil Lesh & Friends ft. Jorma Kaukonen, Capitol Theatre, Tues-Wed, 6/11-12: 8pm: How cool is this? The Grateful Dead meets Hot Tune when two icons of the San Francisco sound come together for what is certain to be a legendary night! (149 Westchester Ave, Port Chester; www.capitoltheatre.com)

Al Di Meola, Ridgefield Playhouse, Sat, 6/15: 8pm: This celebrated jazz guitarist is revered for his dazzling, complex fretwork, playing jazz fusion, Latin fusion, acoustic and world music. Across a celebrated career Di Meola performed with Chick Corea and Stanley Clarke in the chart-busting band Return to Forever. Highlights of his solo career include the Gold certified album Elegant Gypsy, and the acoustic live album Friday Night in San Francisco with Paco Lucia and John McLaughlin that sold two million copies. (80 E. Ridge, Ridgefield, CT; www.ridgefieldplayhouse.org)

Slash featuring Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators, Capitol Theatre, Wed, 7/31: 8pm: These tickets won’t last as Guns n’ Roses guitarist Slash takes the stage with his new band. A Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, Slash isone everyone’s list of the Greatest Guitarists of All Time from Time to Rolling Stone, Guitar World and the Gibson Guitar Foundation. (149 Westchester Ave, Port Chester; www.capitoltheatre.com)

Bryan Ferry, Capitol Theatre, Wed, 8/7: 8pm: One of our Fave Raves, Roxy Music’s quirky heart-throb lead singer has had an active solo career releasing cover albums of songs by Bob Dylan, The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Lesley Gore, Smokey Robinson, Janis Joplin, Cole Porter, Jerome Kern, Rodgers and Hart, Kurt Weill and others. (149 Westchester Ave, Port Chester; www.capitoltheatre.com)