Let’s go up to the Corner, shall we? Westminster House, formerly The Prism, is organizing itself and, in the spirit of both The Prism and Westminster Presbyterian Church, is offering a community center for traditional music and dance. Pete Vigour leads a monthly old-time jam, fiddler Alex Caton teaches lessons there, and Lori Madden and Matthew Olwell teach Irish dance. Other musicians looking for teaching space, especially during day hours, should contact the House (see below). But Blue Ridge Irish Music School Director Madden says that the space is open to so much more than traditional music. Acoustic Muse is scheduling a monthly concert, WTJU has hosted one of their parties there, and BRIMS will hold live performances as well. For any local musicians or groups who are having a hard time finding a performance spot (folk, jazz, etc.), West-minster House looks like a good venue. Seating capacity is just over 100, and the space comes with its own kitchen and dressing room. There is a piano, courtesy of a kind donor, which could use a tuning (any community-minded piano tuners out there?). The website is under construction, so interested musicians should e-mail Ms. Madden at brimstunes@yahoo.com.
A host of world-class international musicians arrive in town this week for the seventh annual Charlottesville Chamber Music Festival. Organized, as usual, by locals Raphael Bell and Tim Summers, the festival has found a home in Cabell Hall this year for two Thursday evening concerts (on September 14 and 21) and three Sunday afternoon concerts (September 10, 17 and 24). The musicians will offer a variety of chamber music, from Bach and Telemann to modern composers like Barber and Ligeti. The festival will also feature a world premiere of a commissioned work by Danish composer Soren Niels Eichberg. Also featured will be some really interesting musicians new to the Festival, such as Gareth Lubbe, principal violist with the Royal Flemish Philharmonic. He is an expert in “throat singing,” a vocal technique found mostly in central Asia in which the singer produces two notes simultaneously. He was also a performer at Nelson Mandela’s presidential inauguration. Violinist Colin Jacobsen made his orchestral debut at age 14 with Kurt Masur and the New York Philharmonic. He plays a Guarneri instrument made in 1696. For more information or tickets, go to www. cvillechambermusic.org.
Sundays nights at Baja Bean, you can find a group of musicians who are exploring bebop, swing and soul jazz. The Baja Jazz Collective was put together by guitarist Jaye Urgo, who simply cannot play enough music around town. He is also guitarist for The Nature Boys Jazz Quartet and Kendra and The Kingpins. At the Baja gig, though, you can find a company of musicians—rhythm section together with a couple of tenor saxes, trumpet and assorted other horns—honking through such tunes as “Here’s That Rainy Day” and “Song For My Father.” It runs from 7-10pm, with no cover and free parking.
Orbit Billiards showcases live music on Wednesday nights. This week you can see hometown heroes The Beetnix, and next Wednesday, ex-Small Town Worker Mike Meadows straps on his six-string.
Just a little farther down the street, at Starr Hill on Thursday, September 7, recent ATO signee The Whigs are in town from Athens, Georgia, for their first gig here. Rolling Stone named The Whigs one of their “10 Artists To Watch,” describing them as “a fiery, young and timelessly tuneful rock trio… the best unsigned band in America. Nineties indie rock with ’60s pop craftsmanship and Southern-rock twang; Parker Gispert’s hoarse vocals and ragged-glory rhythm guitar tap into a Cobain/West-erberg vein, but…they (also) evoke Pet Sounds.” ATO Records will re-release the band’s CD Give ’Em All A Big Fat Lip on September 19, and next year the band will head into the studio to record their ATO debut. Given ATO’s eclectic taste and knack for picking interesting bands, this should be a show worth checking out.
Jaye Urgo’s recent CD picks: “I have been doing the iTunes shuffle a lot. I have a device that is an FM transmitter and it transmits from my laptop to the various devices in my house. I am always heavy on Dexter Gordon, Herbie Hancock and Lee Morgan. My friend Bob Russell, a jazz guitar instructor at UNCW, has a jazz trio CD out called If You Never. He also has a wonderful website with lessons and a whole lot more. He is my main jazz inspiration, along with George Turner and Royce Campbell. And all the members of The Free Bridge Quintet.”