piano phenom plays Portsmouth

Sixteen-year-old New Hampshire native Matt Savage brings his venerated piano talents to Portsmouth on Sunday, June 7. The Matt Savage Trio makes its first Port City appearance at St. John’s Episcopal Church beginning at 3 p.m.

A resident of Francestown, Savage began making waves in the jazz world when he was only 8 years old, playing for Dave Brubeck and jamming with Chick Corea. In subsequent years, he would play with a number of other living jazz legends, including McCoy Tyner, Clark Terry and Jimmy Heath, as well as soul goddess Chaka Khan. He has performed live on the “The Late Show with David Letterman,” “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” and “Marian McPartland’s Piano Jazz” on NPR.

Last year, Savage won the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers’ Young Jazz Composer Award. Making his accomplishments even more impressive is the fact that he lives with a form of autism. In Portsmouth, he will play tunes from his latest CD “Hot Ticket: Live in Boston,” as well as his 2006 disc “Quantum Leap” and new works.
Jazz singer, pianist and guitarist Julie Lavender will open for Savage in Portsmouth with her Boston-based quintet. Tickets are $15 in advance or $17 at the door, with a $5 discount for children under 15. St. John’s Episcopal Church is at 101 Chapel St., Portsmouth. For tickets, visit www.mycommunitytickets.com. For more information, contact DreamFarm Creative Arts at 603-465-2981 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it For more on Matt Savage, visit www.savagerecords.com.

women’s chorus turns 10

Women Singing OUT! celebrates 10 years of harmonizing with a pair of anniversary concerts at Christ Episcopal Church in Portsmouth. The shows take place at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 6, and 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 7.

The spring concerts will feature a musical review of the group’s favorite songs from the last decade, with members voting on selections from a repertoire of more than 200 tunes. Artistic director Claudia Frost made the final choices, including “Over the Rainbow,”” from “The Wizard of Oz”; Paul Simon’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water”; Holly Near’s “The Great Peace March”; and “Something Inside So Strong,” a personal mantra for many of the singers.

Women Singing OUT! is a community chorus based in Portsmouth that emphasizes messages of tolerance, diversity, hope and peace. The group’s membership has doubled to 30 over the past few years, and although they refer to themselves as a lesbian-based chorus, they welcome all women singers.

Christ Episcopal Church is at 1035 Lafayette Road, Portsmouth. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased online at www.brownpapertickets.com/event/60806 or at RiverRun Bookstore in Portsmouth. For more information, visit www.womensingingout.org or call 603-498-2749. 

reviving a local classic

Efforts are underway to release former Seacoast musician Unbunny’s 2002 album “Black Strawberries” as a limited-edition vinyl LP. Ryan Catbird, who has a music blog at www.catbirdseat.org, is soliciting Unbunny fans to pledge money toward remastering the album and pressing it as a 180-gram record.

As of May 27, the project had already amassed more than 90 backers who had pledged a total of about $2,500. That money will only be collected if Catbird reaches his pledge goal of $3,500 by July 5. Pledges can be made at www.kickstarter.com, an online funding platform for artists.

Unbunny (a.k.a. Jarid del Deo) is a former Portsmouth artist now based in Seattle. The indie singer-songwriter and guitarist, fondly compared to influences like Neil Young and Elliott Smith, recorded “Black Strawberries” while still in New Hampshire. Catbird calls it one of his “favorite albums of all time.”

In addition to the limited-edition LP, Catbird hopes to offer an “extra-limited” deluxe version with special extras, additional artwork and del Deo’s autograph. Pledges of certain amounts will include copies of the record with free shipping. Catbird looks forward to hearing the album “through the deep hum of a warm vinyl groove.”
“Black Strawberries” CDs are available through CD Baby.

Sara Cox plays in Rollinsford

Portland-based singer-songwriter Sara Cox will introduce area fans to her third solo CD, “Crowded is the New Lonely,” during an intimate show at the Elysium Arts Folk Club in Rollinsford on Saturday, June 6.

Originally from Nashville, Tenn., Cox began writing songs on the ukulele when she was only 6. The singer and guitarist’s 2004 release “Arrive” was crowned best album of the year by the Portland Phoenix. Now a mother of three, her rootsy Americana-folk songs often include autobiographical portraits. “Crowded is the New Lonely” was released in 2007 and features the track “At Home with Home,” which won the Granite State Songwriting competition that year.
Joining Cox at the club is former Portland musician Abi Tapia, who now lives in Austin, Texas. Tapia is a high-spirited acoustic folk and country singer-songwriter and guitarist who released her latest album, “The Beauty in the Ruin,” last year.

Elysium Arts Folk Club is on the ground level of the Lower Mill at Salmon Falls off Front Street in Rollinsford. The show begins at 8 p.m. For more on Sara Cox, visit www.saracox.net. For more on Abi Tapia, visit www.abitapia.com.

PMAC faculty show approaches

Teachers at the Portsmouth Music and Arts Center will show the Seacoast what they’re made of during the annual faculty concert on Friday, June 5. The show, called “Jumpin’ in June,” begins at 7 p.m. at South Church in Portsmouth.
The concert will feature professional musicians performing tunes that range from classical works by Bach and Dvorak to jazz numbers by Sonny Rollins and Charlie Parker. Performers include guitarists Bryan Bergeron-Killough, Nick Phaneuf and Carlos Sabina; pianists Adam MacDougall and Jeff Auger; violinists Augusto Salazar, Katie Papini and Lynne White McMahon; cellist Michael Laughlin; trumpeter Chris Klaxton; saxophonist Russ Grazier; drummer Mike Walsh; vocalist Nicole Hajj; and flautist Kibbie Straw.

Tickets are $10 for adults and free for kids, and can be purchased in advance by calling 603-431-4278. All proceeds benefit PMAC, a non-profit community music and arts school on Albany Street. For more information, visit www.pmaconline.org.