February Music Highlights

Th 2/21- Marco Benevento at the Bearsville Theater, Woodstock. As the keyboard half of the acclaimed Benevento/Russo Duo (with drummer Joe Russo), Marco Benevento coaxes a myriad of sounds, ideas, and textures out of his combination keyboard rig/tone generation center. The B/R Duo has made the jam-band rounds, performing at Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, Austin City Limits, and Wakarusa, to name a few, and recently collaborated with Phish’s Trey Anastasio, and Mike Gordon called GRAB. It’s a solo gig this time at the Bearsville, with gadgets galore, no doubt, but with a solid foundation of chops. Bearsville Theatre, 291 Tinker Street (Route 212), Woodstock www.bearsvilletheater.com, 845.679.4406. 8 PM

Su 3/2- Terri Hendrix w/ LLOYD MAINES at Marbletown Multi Arts, Stone Ridge. People who perform and promote music for the right reasons—great quality at a reasonable price—need to be commended and supported. Cliff over at MaMA has a good thing going, recently with the redoubtable Marshall Crenshaw packing the cozy room. This “One World” singer-songwriter series benefits the Center for Creative Education, a not-for-profit that provides music, dance, and educational programs to Kingston city kids. Texas native Terri Hendrix is up this time, accompanied by the legendary Lloyd Maines, renowned picker and father of Dixie Chick Natalie. Oh yes, and both are Grammy award-winners. Those things are hard to win, you know. Marbletown Multi Arts, 3588 Rte. 209, Stone Ridge, 845.687.8890 (or email Cliff at cliffnotes9@aol.com). 7 P

We 3/5- Yo-Yo Ma & Friends at Ulster Performing Arts Center, Kingston. Early March apparently is a good time for Hudson valley residents to sample world-class artists passing through (The Bardavon is also featuring Chick Corea and Gary Burton on 3/7). Straddling the East and West, Yo-Yo Ma may well be the most well-known cellist on the planet (with fifteen Grammys), well-versed in baroque and early chamber music (with pianist Emmanuel Ax), as well as the more Oriental stylings of his work on the soundtracks to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Memoirs of a Geisha. This tour features European string quartets “from Austria to the Caspian Sea,” featuring Colin Jacobsen, Jonathan Gandelsman, and Nicholas Cords. Ma will be sending shivers up spines with his trusty “Petunia,” his 1733 Venice-built Domenico Montagnana cello. Ulster Performing Arts Center, 601 Broadway, Kingston, www.upac.org, 845.473.5288. 8 PM

Fr 3/7- B. B. KING at the Mid Hudson Civic Center, Poughkeepsie. If any artist alive is deserving of victory laps in the twilight of an iconic, almost 60-year career, that man is Mr. B. B. King. Where to even start? Fourteen Grammys, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, over 10,000 shows, and counting. B.B. is currently touring a new CD/DVD of live gigs at his B. B. King’s Blues Clubs in both Nashville and Memphis, performed with his top-shelf touring band in late October of 2006. Look folks, just because he’s the most rock-solid resilient road warrior the world has ever known, doesn’t mean he’s gonna be around forever. . . he’s (just over) 80 years old y’all! Don’t miss this show. Mid Hudson Civic Center, 14 Civic Center Plaza, Poughkeepsie, www.midhudsonciviccenter.com, 845.454.5800. 8 PM

Every Th- ACOUSTIC OPEN MIC NIGHT at the High Falls Café, High Falls. One of the sadly best kept secrets around these parts is this regular Thursday songwriter’s night, hosted by the redoubtable Kurt Henry, of the Kurt Henry Band fame. It’s almost scary showing up at one of these—there are way too many good songwriters hiding up here in the hills. Kurt and Shequila Tequila make sure the singers get a good intro and a mix, and off they go. On 2/14 it’s Vince Sauter, Brad Scribner, and Bill Bannan, with special guests Pete Levin and Charlie Kniceley; on 2/21, John Martucci, Denise Jordan Finley, and Josh Ray Brown; on 2/28 it’s Bart Thrall, Beth & Steve Ashton, and Sean Schenker. Kurt and Shequila close the show with a few numbers, and it’s all good. See the website for more info. High Falls Café, Route 213 and Mohonk Road, High Falls, www.highfallscafe.com, 845.687.2699. 6 PM