Inga Swearingen on Saturday, June 4

Inspired by songs from all over the world with a special nod towards American jazz standards, Inga Swearingen blends her infuences into a beautiful juxtaposition of styles and emotions. Whether putting her personal stamp on a standard or combining the understated grooves of bossa nova with Swedish folk melodies, Inga captivates her audience with her gift of joyful melodic invention.
Please check out her website;www.ingaswearingen.com/

Inga will be joined by Jeff Miley on guitar and Zack Lober on upright bass.

“Melodies unfold like Virginia Woolf’s best sentences, patiently building to an
expected climax before transcending it like a sweet exhalation of air.”
American Songwriter’s March/April 2010 review of Inga Swearingen's First Rain.

If you would like to reserve a seat for this performance, please email Sandy;sandilion49@gmail.com. This is the last house concert of our ninth season. Thank you to all of the hundreds of people in and around the New York City who have supported our concerts over the years. We will be hosting a new series starting in September 2011, so please check back at the end of the summer for the schedule.

Laura Cortese's Acoustic Project on April 16

Laura Cortese's Acoustic Project
featuring Natalie Haas, Brittany Haas and Mariel Vandersteel

“Ambition often follows talent, and Laura Cortese has an embarrassment of both. Her open-armed approach to her art reveals a determination to spread the word about folk music and dance without watering down their distinctiveness.” John Wenzel, Denver Post

Welding the propulsive grace of ancient fiddle styles to disarmingly open-hearted original pop songs, Laura Cortese has emerged among the most intriguing and versatile, musicians in the bountiful New England post-folk scene. At home in any number of traditional styles, her highly-visible work as a supporting musician (on fiddle, vocals, and bass) includes appearances with Uncle Earl, Tao Seeger, Band of Horses, and - as part of Pete Seeger's 90th birthday celebration at Madison Square Garden - Patterson Hood and Michael Franti. Laura will be touring to support the release of her Acoustic Project featuring Natalie Haas, Brittany Haas and Mariel Vandersteel this spring.

Vibrant young cellist Natalie Haas is a seasoned performer, recording artist, and teacher. She has joined master Scottish fiddler Alasdair Fraser for festival and concert appearances in Scotland, Spain, France, and throughout the U.S., including Celtic Connections Festival in Glasgow, Scotland, the Festival Interceltique de Lorient in France, and the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington, D.C. "People may be familiar with the gorgeous, melodic cello sound," says Fraser, "but they're surprised to learn that the cello used to comprise the rhythm section in Scottish dance bands. Natalie Haas unleashes textures and deep, powerful rhythms that drive fiddle tunes.

Brittany Haas' repertoire focuses on Appalachian mountain music played on the 5 string fiddle. She is currently a member of the Boston-based alternative bluegrass band, Crooked Still. She graduated from Princeton University in 2009 and was a member of the Princeton University Band. Previously she was a member of Darol Anger's Republic of Strings. Her first CD, Brittany Haas, was released on Ook records in 2004 and includes guest musicians Bruce Molsky, Darol Anger, Todd Sickafoose, Mike Marshall, and her sister, cellist Natalie Haas.

Mariel Vandersteel, a recent graduate of Berklee College of Music, has studied violin in Ireland with a cultural grant, at a folk school in Norway and at fiddle camps across the United States. She also plays Norway's hardingfele and plays with Blue Moose and the Unbuttoned Zippers, Laura Cortese, Putnam Smith and is currently working on her solo project.

Dean Stevens, At Last, on Saturday, March 12

For twenty five years Dean Stevens has delighted audiences of all ages throughout the Americas. An exuberant performer of distinctive style and wit, he combines an intricate, self-taught guitar style with a versatile and expressive singing voice. He has established himself as a formidable creator and interpreter of a wide spectrum of songs in English and Spanish. His own material explores a variety of personal and social topics, paints sketches of people and places, celebrates the Earth, and annoys the narrow minded.

Born and raised in Costa Rica, Dean Stevens is a lifelong student of Latin America. He learned Spanish at an early age, and readily absorbed the musical and topical influences of the region. He travels frequently to Central America, and has become known for his humanitarian efforts on behalf of refugees returning to their homes in El Salvador and Guatemala.

Please join us in welcoming our friend, Dean Stevens to New York City. For more infomation or to reserve a seat contact Sandy at Sandilion49@gmail.com

Beppe Gambetta on Saturday, February 5

The Jenkins House Concert series is pleased to welcome Beppe Gambetta to the Upper West Side from his new home in the hills of western New Jersey. Born in Genoa, Italy, Beppe has long been a student of traditional American roots music. His flat-picking guitar and vocal style reflect this and other influences which make Beppe a truly unique and sought after concert performer. Please join us on February 5 at 8:00.

RSVP to Sandilion49@gmail.com

Reserved seats sell out quickly so please RSVP as soon as possible and we will respond with the details. Some standing room is available for late reservations. This house concert is located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.

“Beppe Gambetta is an Artist. He inhabits a vantage point and possesses a world view that sets him apart from the crowded phalanx of merely great pickers. But just as importantly, he has the skills with a flatpick to articulate and bring to us the thoughts and feelings of his soul”
- Kevin Stevenson, Flatpicking Guitar Magazine

“His incredible versatility combined with his charm and engaging stage presence make Beppe’s concerts evenings of high quality music and relaxed entertainment. Over-riding all else, however, is the brilliance of his talent...” - Cornish Guardian

“Few players on the planet could so successfully fuse an unwavering allegiance to tradition with impatient, wide-eyed vision, tongue-in-cheek humor with solemn devotion, and folksy song styles with progressive improvisation as Gambetta...”
- John D’Agostino, Wood & Steel

“This was such exciting, varied, satisfying and just downright musical music that I wanted more, particularly of Gambetta in florid Italianate style...”
- Brian Miller, BBC RADIO Scotland

Aoife O'Donovan on Friday, January 7

Singer Aoife O'Donovan will perform on Friday, January 7, at 7:30 PM, along with her acoustic trio- Jake Silver on bass, Ryan Scott on guitar and Robin McMillan on percussion. Aoife has been called the "voice of the new tradition" by Performer Magazine. Merging American, Irish, klezmer and jazz styles, Aoife's ethereal voice brings mature expression to traditional songs.

Aoife grew up in Newton, MA where she was surrounded by music from an early age. She spent all of her summers in Ireland immersed in the folk music tradition and studying Irish dance. In high school, Aoife became interested in the American folk tradition through artists such as Joan Baez and Bob Dylan, and began playing guitar and singing traditional songs. In 2003, Aoife graduated from the New England Conservatory of Music.

Aoife's main musical endeavor is her work with the alternative bluegrass band Crooked Still. In addition, Aoife has been member of the jazz-bluegrass super-group the Wayfaring Strangers and Sometymes Why, a Jenkins House Concert favorite. Aoife has also performed with Seamus Egan, Darol Anger, the Boston Pops and the Utah Symphony.

"Please go and see Aoife o Donovan, not only is she in possession of a rare and beautiful thing--her voice, but it is all underlined by her intelligent choice of song and her subtle and soulful singing style. Believe me you will be hooked." - Karan Casey

If you are in the NYC area, please email Sandilion49@gmail.com for more information.

Mike and Ruthy, Two in a Million

Mike and Ruthy, the folk-rock duo formerly of the Mammals, will appear at the Jenkins on Saturday, December 11 at 8:00 PM.

An Americana songwriting duo with a loyal and ever-growing following on the acoustic folk scene, Mike & Ruthy are writing, recording and touring clubs and festivals around the country. With a repertoire of old-timey, folk, and just plain love songs, their heartfelt vocal duets intertwine with lively fiddle, banjo and guitar.

Their most recent duo CD, Million to One, will be available for purchase at the concert.

For a reservation please contact Sandy at:Sandilion49@gmail.com. Concerts sell out quickly these days so please reserve your seats early. There is a voluntary $15 donation, all of which goes to the performer. And don't forget to bring something tasty for the food and byo drink buffet.
Directions for those of you in the NYC area and more information will be provided with your reservation.

All seats for this concert are now reserved as of 12/4/10. See you next time!

Hanneke Cassel, Mike Block & Christopher Lewis on Friday, November 12

Hanneke has performed at our house concert space many times, and each time we are impressed by her ability to capture the musical hearts and souls of her audience. We also welcome cellist, Mike Block and guitarist, Christopher Lewis. Together they will perform on Friday, Nov. 12th. The door will open at 7:00 and music will commence at 7:30. Please reserve a seat by contacting Sandy at Sandilion49@gmail.com

“One of the most talented and fun-loving young fiddlers you could ever hope to meet! This is fiddle music played with great stylistic integrity and personal flair – definitely a joy to listen to!“
- Alasdair Fraser

“Hanneke Cassel really knows what she wants musically, and on this record she lets us share in her vision of a beautiful world of the violin. Hanneke’s playing is always tremendously expressive, beautifully executed, with a wonderful sense of line and dynamics…”
-Matt Glaser

“She is already a rising star in the Celtic skies…her musical ideas are savvy and sophisticated, but her throaty, gusting style is deeply banked in the Scottish and Cape Breton traditions.”
-Boston Globe

“…the rhapsodic quality of Cassel’s ballads or slow airs evinces a soul’s fully expressed quest …Cassel’s rhythms are tenacious, and they weave through a set of reels with serpentine grace.”
-Boston Herald

“…the sound of Cassel’s fiddle is mature, it also exudes spunk, which makes her music playful and dance-inducing.”
- Fiddler Magazine

“…[one of] the hottest young fiddlers in Boston…Cassel bases her robust, pulsing style on Scottish and Cape Breton strains.”
-Boston Globe