tasty combo at The Muddy

Area native Matt Jenson will return to the Seacoast on Saturday, May 16, to perform with his Boston-based Latin dance band Combo Sabroso at The Muddy River in Portsmouth.

Jenson began recruiting Latino musicians in 1998 and eventually fixed on the band’s name, which translates to “tasty combo.” Combo Sabroso seeks to invoke the traditional dance rhythms of Latin jazz and salsa, as popularized by legends like percussionist Tito Puente and pianist Eddie Palmieri. Jenson, who now teaches piano and a class on Bob Marley at Berklee College of Music in Boston, also incorporates blues and reggae music into the band’s eclectic sound, adding flavors of traditional American, Jamaican and Afro-Cuban styles.

With Jenson on piano and vocals, the band features a diverse mix of musicians, including Costa Rican percussionist Manolo Miarena, Venezuelan timbales player Ernesto Diaz, Peruvian bassist Alex Alvear, trombonist Angel Subero and the Seacoast’s own saxophonist Matt Langley, as well as various other players at some gigs.

The show begins at 9 p.m. at The Muddy River, 21 Congress St., Portsmouth, 603-430-9582. For more on Combo Sabroso, visit www.acidreggae.com.

a musical menagerie at South Church

The 100 singers of Con Tutti will be at South Church in Portsmouth on Saturday, May 16, for a performance that combines music, theater and humor. Directed by Joanne Connolly and inspired by Simon Rich’s humorous “Animal Tales,” the concert will include songs from around the world, all centered on animal themes.

“It’s incredible how peoples and cultures around the world have celebrated themselves and the natural world through animals, have found hidden truths in animal metaphors and seen themselves both comic and poignant through the guise of animals,” Connolly said in a press release.
The show will feature South African anti-apartheid songs, Canadian spring songs, jazz tunes, Beatles numbers, gospel music and Japanese melodies. Among the songs will be Louis Jordan’s classic “Ain’t Nobody Here But Us Chickens.” Actors Roland Goodbody and Pat Spalding will offer additional surprises.

The show on Saturday begins at 7 p.m. at South Church, 292 State St., Portsmouth. Tickets are $8 and are available at Paradiza, 63 Penhallow St., Portsmouth. For more information, call 207-451-9346.