The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
GET YOUR GROOVE ON
Between music from an ‘American Idol’ finalist to Litchfield Jazz Festival, no shortage of options
Looking to enjoy some music this month? Here’s four great options. One, the legendary Litchfield Jazz Festival, will be live online; the rest are live and in-person.
Let’s start in Ridgefield, where Jeremiah Lloyd Harmon, a finalist from TV’s “American Idol,” and Connecticut comedian Christine O’Leary play an outdoor show Saturday, July 25. They’ll perform under a tent on the ball field by The Ridgefield Playhouse at 7 p.m. Ushers will seat you (firstcome, first-served) to assure social distancing.
O’Leary and Harmon entertained on the same bill before at a star-studded gala in New York City last year; 2019 is also when Harmon wowed “American Idol” fans with his vocal range and emotional backstory, making it into the Top 10. After he sang Elton John’s “We All Fall In Love Sometimes,” John said the performance “took my breath away.”
Harmon had a religious upbringing — his father is a pastor — and has shared how coming out as gay created conflict in his family. His experiences inspired “Almost Heaven,” which he performed on the reality TV series. The original song questions if there’s a place for him in heaven, and deals with the struggle of being gay and Christian.
O’Leary, who was featured in Curve Magazine as one of the “50 Funniest Lesbians in America,” will kick off the entertainment. She’s worked with everyone from Tracy Morgan and Margaret Cho to Gilbert Gottfried and Joy Behar. In addition to performing, she teaches stand-up.
You can purchase a touchless print-at-home ticket ($25) for this music/comedy event via ridgefieldplayhouse.org. For details call the box office at 203-438-5795. If you visit Eddie’s Pizza & Pasta (24 Prospect St., Ridgefield) the night of the show and present your ticket, you’ll enjoy a complimentary glass of house wine with your entrée.
The Litchfield Jazz Festival
A worldwide audience is expected when the Litchfield Jazz Festival takes place Saturday, July, 25, and you can be part of it. That’s because the festival, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary, will be livestreamed from the sound stages of Telefunken Elektroakustik in South Windsor. It runs from 1 to about 6:30 p.m. and you can find it on Litchfield Jazz Festival’s Facebook page.
“Sets will be live and the audience will be live, just not in the same room. Can’t always have what you want,” jokes festival founder Vita Muir, in a news release from litchfieldjazzfest.com.
Artist talks between sets will give the virtual audience a chance to chat with the stars. This year’s festival, which is free, salutes the late Charlie Parker and the late Art Blakey. Master of ceremonies is saxophonist and William College professor Kris Allen, a longtime Litchfield Jazz Camp faculty member.
Vocalist Nicole Zuraitis, a 2019 Grammy nominee, opens the festival. Her four bandmates include protégé vocalist Anson Jones, pianist Jen Allen, bassist Luques Curtis (a member of the Eddie Palmieri band), and Zuraitis’ husband, drummer Dan Pugach, who leads the Dan Pugach Nonet, and, like his wife, is a 2019 Grammy nominee.
The Charlie Parker Centennial Tribute kicks off at 2:45 p.m., featuring Kris Allen (alto sax), Bruce Harris (trumpet), Jen Allen (piano), Zwe Bell le Pere (bass) and Jonathan Barber (drums). The Art Blakey Centennial Tribute starts at 5 p.m., featuring Valery Ponomarev (trumpet), Don Braden (sax), Carl Allen (drums) Robin Eubanks (trombone) and Zaccai Curtis (piano).
“Thursday Open Mic Night”
First it was in-person at the JCC in Sherman and then it was on Zoom when the pandemic hit. Now “Thursday Open Mic Night” has returned to the Jewish Community Center as an outdoor in-person event.
Advance registration is required if you’d like to attend or perform in this celebration of music, which runs weekly from 7 to 9 p.m. in the parking lot at 9 Route 39. You’ll have to bring your own chair and sit six feet from others. Social distancing is required to keep everyone safe. You may bring your own food and drinks if you wish.
While admission is free, a non-mandatory donation of $10 is requested from nonperformers, while $5 is requested from performers. Of course masks are required, unless you’re the one doing the entertaining.
The JCC’s restrooms will be open, but only one person is allowed in at a time. If it should rain the night of the show, the event will be held on Zoom instead.
The Heavy Hitters in Milford
You can expect a highenergy mix of rock, R&B and pop “delivered with stellar musicianship” when The Heavy Hitters take the stage outside The Milford Sports Pub and Grill, Friday, July 24. This popular band is fronted by powerhouse vocalist Heather Joseph.
The Heavy Hitters started as a way for some wellknown musicians from the Connecticut music scene — who had crossed paths through various projects — to share their love of music. After a few years they realized that with all their experience, playing hundreds of tunes, they should take their band on the road.
The Milford Sports Pub and Grill, at 290 Old Gate Lane, offers a globally-inspired menu plus “DJ Trivia Night” on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. and “Open Mic Night” on Wednesdays from 7 to 10 p.m. There’s also live outdoor music several times a week.
“We are very much looking forward to The Heavy Hitters playing here,” says John C. Romano, one of the owners. “We love anything ‘Heather Joseph’ attached. She’s a great singer and has a great following... As far as social distancing is concerned, we are subject to the governor’s rules...
“We are only allowed outside with music, which, if the weather is good, in many ways it’s better. We have a larger area, which allows us to be farther than the mandated six feet apart, to over eight feet apart, and in some larger areas, even greater. We have also recently invested in (some) tents and are awaiting delivery, for those misty nights.”
Romano says the venue is unique in that, “We are a sports bar with very little sports at this time. So we have upscaled our food offerings and have a great kitchen staff on board.” The pub/grill has also booked all the best area bands, he says, so if you visit you’ll find “a happening place.” For further details, call 203-252-2550.