ArtsFalmouth’s signature fall event, the Jazz Stroll, returns to downtown Falmouth on Saturday, October 14. The event, which is free and welcoming to all, takes place rain or shine from 3 to 8 PM in various venues along Depot Ave, Palmer Ave, and Main Street, and culminates with an After-Stroll Concert from 8:30 to 11:30 PM. Free refreshments will be served at most Stroll locations.
“Jazz Stroll 2023 offers eight performances by well-known local jazz and blues soloists and combos and introduces some new voices, including two very talented teenage musicians,” said Marilyn Rowland, president of ArtsFalmouth. “ArtsFalmouth is delighted to be able to offer this popular community event to residents and visitors. The music is terrific, but so is the opportunity to explore local galleries, shops, and restaurants, to meet up with friends and neighbors, and to admire the many creatively decorated scarecrows along the way, thanks to Falmouth Village businesses.
The Stroll features local and regional jazz bands playing an eclectic array of jazz, blues, and contemporary music from American standards to progressive jazz, and original compositions. The overlapping performances are each one hour and fifteen minutes long.
The event begins at 3 PM at The Station Grill at 59 Depot Ave, with a performance by Andrew Sue Wing, a 16-year-old Boston-based singer/songwriter and guitarist who specializes in R&B. Wing has a strong baritone voice and a unique style of rhythm and lead guitar. He was an immediate hit at ArtsFalmouth’s Arts Alive festival in June.
The Tish Adams Duo begins at 4 PM at ByWay Barber + Massage Co., 49 North Main Street. Vocalist Adams is known for her compelling stage presences and her extensive repertoire of time-honored jazz standards with a dash of the blues. Pianist Paul McWilliams, long-time partner of the late Rebecca Parris, will accompany Adams. The duo performed for ArtsFalmouth’s virtual Jazz Stroll in 2020.
At 4:45 PM, Bart Weisman’s Smooth Jazz Group takes the stage at Falmouth Museums on the Green, 55-56 Palmer Avenue, with a smooth blend of jazz, Latin, and pop music. The Group features Steve Hambleton on guitar, Ron Ormsby on bass, and Weisman on drums. Weisman is the founder and executive producer of the Provincetown Jazz Festival and hosts Jazz Jam Cape Cod.
Eight-string guitarist Fred Fried performs at 5 PM at Howling Bird Studio/Minnow Flower Studio, 91/115 Palmer Avenue. Acclaimed for his pianistic style, harmonic depth, and originality, Fried is considered among the best of today’s modern jazz guitarists. He will play works by Gershwin, Cole Porter, Richard Rogers, and Antonio Carlos Jobim.
At 5:30 PM, the Chris Santos Quartet is at Karen Rinaldo and Don Cross’s Gallery on Main, 317 Main Street. The combo is an expansion of the Rich Hill Trio, which performed at the same location last year, adding Steve Ahern on trumpet to the trio of Andy Troyanos on guitar, Ric Hill on bass guitar, and Chris Santos on drums. The band plays Latin Jazz Fusion from Charlie Parker to Chick Corea and beyond.
The Olivia Yingling Quartet begins at 6 PM at the Main Street Gallery, 189 Main Street, interpreting jazz standards, bossa nova, and Latin jazz. Vocalist Yingling is accompanied by Joseph Acampora on six-string bass, Kareem Sanjaghi on drums, and Pat Ryan on guitar. Acampora is a 17-year-old virtuoso musician currently studying at Berklee College of Music under a full scholarship. Sanjaghi, 24, played his first professional gig at the age of 13 with his grandfather, pianist Bob Hayes and famed trumpeter Lou Colombo.
Pat Ryan has been performing, writing, teaching, and studying music for over four decades and has collaborated with many talented musicians. He was instrumental in organizing JazzFest Falmouth in 2008/2009, the event which has developed into the Jazz Stroll.
Not an official part of the Jazz Stroll, but not to be missed is pianist Chris LoCasio and his band, Nice and Easy from 6 to 9 PM at Shiverick’s Café & Bar, 285 Main Street. Nice and Easy performed at Arts Alive in June.
The Fred Clayton Band offers blues, jazz, Latin, and pop music at 6:45 PM at Falmouth Museums on the Green, 55-65 Palmer Avenue, Falmouth. The band features Alex Pashoian on guitar, Christan McCarty on drums, and Fred Clayton on bass and vocals. Clayton has been playing throughout the Cape for the past 15 years, after spending the previous 15 years performing in Paris.
New this year is the After-Stroll Concert with the Pat Ryan Jazz Quartet at the Vine Restaurant from 8:30 to 11:30 PM. Joining Ryan will be multi-instrumentalist and New England icon Mark Greel, a vocalist and multi-instrumentalist who performs on trumpet, guitar, saxophones, flute, piano, and drums; Joseph Acampora on six-string bass; and Zac Casher on drums. The band will play classic jazz, Ryan’s original tunes, and more. Midway through the concert, the band will invite musicians in the audience to join them onstage.
For more information, visit artsfalmouth.org/jazz-stroll-2023/ or email info@artsfalmouth.org.
ArtsFalmouth is grateful for the support of the Station Grill, ByWay Barber, the Howling Bird Studio/Minnow Flower Studio, The Gallery on Main, the Main Street Gallery, the Falmouth Museums on the Green, and the Vine Restaurant, as well as organizations and foundations who have helped fund and support not only the Jazz Stroll, but also ArtsFalmouth’s other events, Arts Alive, and the Woods Hole Trad Stroll. They include the Mass Cultural Council, the Falmouth Cultural Council, the Woods Hole Foundation, the Melody Tent, the Falmouth Road Race, Falmouth Village, Falmouth Community Television, the Falmouth Art Center, and the Falmouth Enterprise.
Notes on The Arts 