Jazztober 2020 – ArtsFalmouth, Inc.

Jazztober 2020 is Vibrant and Virtual!

October means jazz in Falmouth! Though the global pandemic has shut down many live concerts, ArtsFalmouth offers a scintillating Virtual Jazztober in the form of a series of online and televised concerts by some of the area’s best musicians throughout the month of October.

Jazz Stroll favorites and new additions to the lineup bring an eclectic array of jazz, blues, and contemporary music from American Standards to progressive jazz, and original compositions.

Seven concerts by local jazz musicians were recorded especially for this event. Bands performing include the Jim Robitaille Trio, the Andrew Sexton Trio, the Bill Taylor Quartet, Pat Ryan and Laird Boles, the Dawna Hammers Band, Trish Adams and Paul McWilliams, and the Russ Wilcox Band.

The concerts are presented on Falmouth Community Television (FCTV), channel 13, and available on Youtube. See the ArtsFalmouth website here and on the Falmouth Community Television website at fctv.org for schedules and videos.

After canceling the Woods Hole Traditional Music Stroll and Arts Alive–two of its three signature annual events–due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, ArtsFalmouth was determined to hold its popular Jazz Stroll in October. Knowing that it would probably not be possible to stage the Jazz Stroll as usual, with musicians in a dozen shops and restaurants from Queen’s Buyway to the Gallery on Main, the board began making plans over the summer for a limited-venue outdoor stroll.

When even the limited event was not possible, the board decided to go virtual, recording concerts in Lee Geishecker’s photography shop, Vagabond View, long a Jazz Stroll venue. “The Jazz Stroll is one of our most popular events,” said Geishecker, president of ArtsFalmouth, “and we wanted to continue to bring fine jazz to local audiences and to support musicians, many of whom have not had a paying gig since March.”

Board member and singer/guitarist Jerry Doherty contacted the performers and scheduled the recording sessions, and board members and FCTV volunteers Allen Russell and Marilyn Rowland videotaped most of the concerts.

Andrew Sexton Trio

The first concert features the Andrew Sexton Trio, who have participated in several Jazz Stroll and Arts Alive events in recent years as a trio or quartet. Led by vocalist/guitarist/composer Andrew Sexton, the trio includes Brandon Sylvia on lead guitar and Craig Hamilton on bass.

See the concert on FCTV (Channel 13) at the following times:

November 5 at 3:34 AM
Novembere 5 at at 11:13 AM

Check FCTV.org for future times. Or view on Youtube here:

Sexton, who turned 75 on October 16, started playing guitar when he was a teenager, inspired the Boston/Cambridge folk scene. “The real turning point for me was the 1963 Newport Folk Festival,” said Sexton. “It was the first time I heard Bob Dylan, and I thought, ‘if this guy can get up with a voice like that, maybe I can do it too.’”

Hank Williams also had a large impact on him and inspired him to write his first song when he was 13 or 14. Sexton enjoyed blues, folk music, and jazz, so much so that he spent a few years learning jazz on the saxophone.

Up until he retired five years ago, music was a sideline for Sexton due to the demands of his work schedule. Since then, he has been able to devote more time to playing with others for fun and to performing his own genre of music, which he calls “great American music from several eras,” or a meld of jazz and folk.

He also performs his own compositions, including the particularly moving song, “When the Fever Ends,” which he played for the ArtsFalmouth concert, along with four other originals, “Strawberry Moon,” “Took My Love,” “Love Our Lives Away,” and “Whispers in the Dark,” and two standards, “Green Dolphin Street” and Cole Porter’s “Night and Day.”

ArtsFalmouth’s Jazztober concerts have provided Sexton with a “much appreciated” opportunity to perform with his band. The pandemic has been devastating for him. He has connected with musician friends over Zoom, but “it’s just not the same as performing live” and he misses having an audience to react to his music.

“Having the opportunity to play with the trio live for this concert was really nice; it felt really good,” Sexton said.

For more information on the Andrew Sexton Trio, visit andrewsexton.net.

Pat Ryan and Laird Boles Jazz Duo

The Pat Ryan and Laird Boles Duo concert is currently being aired on FCTV.

Check FCTV.org for future times. Or view on Youtube: