The Conversation, with special guests
Jeanne O'Connor (vocals) & Ken Field (saxophone/flute)
at the Cultural Center of Cape Cod
August 15th, 7:30 PM
For tickets and additional info contact the center at
Click here for additional info,
or call 508-394-7100
At this exciting reunion of long-ago friends and collaborators, Jeanne will perform gems from the Great American songbook, blues, Brazilian-inflected songs, and jazzy versions of pop classics. Ken will play some of his original compositions with his distinctive New Orleans vibe, all ably backed by The Conversation, a jazz trio featuring Mitch Seidman, guitar and Jerry Willfong on bass. https://www.theconversationjazz.com/
In the late 70s there was a rich music scene in Providence, and an up and coming band called Johnny and the Luncheonettes who met while students at Brown University, was looking for a drummer. Having recently left another band with roots at Brown, Paul Mason took over the drum chair. The band mixed originals with classic jump tunes by Louis Jordan and the Boswell Sisters, and featured vocalist Jeanne O’Connor along with Ken Field on saxophone.
Fast Forward to today, and Jeanne has been active on the NYC scene as a solo singer and as a member of String of Pearls female vocal trio. The Luncheonettes introduced Jeanne to jazz singing, which led her to a music career in New York, where she was eventually hailed by the New York Times as “a captivating jazz singer.” She has performed at legendary venues like Birdland, the Blue Note, Smoke, the Kennedy Center, and at clubs and festivals in the U.S. and abroad. Most recently, she has become a member of the NYC-based Royal Bopsters vocal quartet, whose recent recording earned four stars from Downbeat magazine. http://www.jeanneoconnor.com/
Ken Field is a saxophonist & composer. He leads the Revolutionary Snake Ensemble, an experimental & improvisational brass band, and is a longtime member of the electronic modern music ensemble Birdsongs of the Mesozoic. His solo releases document his work for layered saxophones and his soundtracks for dance and film. Field's music is heard regularly on the children's television program Sesame Street. He is the host of WMBR & WOMR Radio’s “The New Edge,” former President of the Board of Tutoring Plus of Cambridge, former long-time member of the HONK! Festival Organizing Committee, President of the Board of JazzBoston, and former member & chair of the Cambridge Bicycle Committee. Field was named a Finalist in Music Composition by the Mass Cultural Council. kenfield.org.
Paul is based in Providence, and along with guitarist Mitch Seidman and bassist Jerry Wilfong performs as The Conversation. Their previous appearance at Cultural Center was a tribute to the Paul Desmond/Jim Hall Quartet with Cape-based saxophonist Bruce Abbott. While part of the Chill Brothers Paul performed and recorded with Rick Danko, bassist for The Band. He led the house band for RI based record label North Star Musc, making a dozen successful records for the label where he was VP, and has been teaching at Brown for nearly 40 years, bringing the Brown connection full circle.
Jerry has been a go-to bassist in the Boston/Worcester area for 30 years,playing with Paul Broadnax, Mark Jodice, Stan Strickland, Garrison Fewell, Steve Soares, Rich Falco, Jane Miller, Maggie Galloway, Monica Hatch, and Jim Porcella. He is recorded on CDs by Sai Ghose, Matt Richard, Phill Argyris, Steven Kirby, John Wilkins, and Chris Taylor, and has toured Russia, Romania, and France. Jerry has performed with distinguished jazz artists Leni Stern, John Stowell, Richie Cole, Joe Hunt, Greg Abate, Gray Sargent, and Jon Wheatley.
Guitarist Mitch Seidman has performed with numerous renowned Jazz musicians at festivals and nightclubs throughout the United States, as well in France and Germany, and was an artist-in-residence in Costa Rica. He has recorded with Harold Vick, Ted Brown, Harvie S (formerly Swartz), Joe Hunt, and Alan Dawson, and released CDs on Jardis (Germany), Cadence, Kyran Music, and Brownstone Records. Mitch Seidman was a Professor at Berklee College of Music for many years, a Contributing Editor to 20th Century Guitar Magazine, and co-authored a book entitled Playing the Changes:Guitar on Berklee Press/Hal Leonard.
In the late 70s there was a rich music scene in Providence, and an up and coming band called Johnny and the Luncheonettes who met while students at Brown University, was looking for a drummer. Having recently left another band with roots at Brown, Paul Mason took over the drum chair. The band mixed originals with classic jump tunes by Louis Jordan and the Boswell Sisters, and featured vocalist Jeanne O’Connor along with Ken Field on saxophone.
Fast Forward to today, and Jeanne has been active on the NYC scene as a solo singer and as a member of String of Pearls female vocal trio. The Luncheonettes introduced Jeanne to jazz singing, which led her to a music career in New York, where she was eventually hailed by the New York Times as “a captivating jazz singer.” She has performed at legendary venues like Birdland, the Blue Note, Smoke, the Kennedy Center, and at clubs and festivals in the U.S. and abroad. Most recently, she has become a member of the NYC-based Royal Bopsters vocal quartet, whose recent recording earned four stars from Downbeat magazine. http://www.jeanneoconnor.com/
Ken Field is a saxophonist & composer. He leads the Revolutionary Snake Ensemble, an experimental & improvisational brass band, and is a longtime member of the electronic modern music ensemble Birdsongs of the Mesozoic. His solo releases document his work for layered saxophones and his soundtracks for dance and film. Field's music is heard regularly on the children's television program Sesame Street. He is the host of WMBR & WOMR Radio’s “The New Edge,” former President of the Board of Tutoring Plus of Cambridge, former long-time member of the HONK! Festival Organizing Committee, President of the Board of JazzBoston, and former member & chair of the Cambridge Bicycle Committee. Field was named a Finalist in Music Composition by the Mass Cultural Council. kenfield.org.
Paul is based in Providence, and along with guitarist Mitch Seidman and bassist Jerry Wilfong performs as The Conversation. Their previous appearance at Cultural Center was a tribute to the Paul Desmond/Jim Hall Quartet with Cape-based saxophonist Bruce Abbott. While part of the Chill Brothers Paul performed and recorded with Rick Danko, bassist for The Band. He led the house band for RI based record label North Star Musc, making a dozen successful records for the label where he was VP, and has been teaching at Brown for nearly 40 years, bringing the Brown connection full circle.
Jerry has been a go-to bassist in the Boston/Worcester area for 30 years,playing with Paul Broadnax, Mark Jodice, Stan Strickland, Garrison Fewell, Steve Soares, Rich Falco, Jane Miller, Maggie Galloway, Monica Hatch, and Jim Porcella. He is recorded on CDs by Sai Ghose, Matt Richard, Phill Argyris, Steven Kirby, John Wilkins, and Chris Taylor, and has toured Russia, Romania, and France. Jerry has performed with distinguished jazz artists Leni Stern, John Stowell, Richie Cole, Joe Hunt, Greg Abate, Gray Sargent, and Jon Wheatley.
Guitarist Mitch Seidman has performed with numerous renowned Jazz musicians at festivals and nightclubs throughout the United States, as well in France and Germany, and was an artist-in-residence in Costa Rica. He has recorded with Harold Vick, Ted Brown, Harvie S (formerly Swartz), Joe Hunt, and Alan Dawson, and released CDs on Jardis (Germany), Cadence, Kyran Music, and Brownstone Records. Mitch Seidman was a Professor at Berklee College of Music for many years, a Contributing Editor to 20th Century Guitar Magazine, and co-authored a book entitled Playing the Changes:Guitar on Berklee Press/Hal Leonard.
Meet The Conversation
It's been a wild ride from a few dates on the Grafton Common with Kelly Clark, to some early sessions at my home in RI,
live dates in Grafton, Providence and more, to pandemic quarantine videos and attempts to play remotely under the guidance of our bassist and tech wizard, Jerry Wilfong. As Covid risks eased, and we we were able to gather in person we discovered the Grafton Community Television (GCTV) studio, where we've created a series, with the help of staff producer Bill Robidoux.
Visit out "Video" page above to see all episodes, or check out our featured episode below.
And Thanks to Mauro DePasquale and everyone at the Central Mass Jazz Festival for hosting us for this great event.
It was a beautiful warm September afternoon, and a gracious and receptive audience, and we had a ball playing for them!
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Click here to see a review of our latest release from Marc Myers at JazzWax click on the links below to hear us on your favorite streaming service Spotify Pandora Apple Music Amazon Music |
Check out our featured video from our GCTV series. "The Conversation".
Or visit our "Video" page above, and see the whole first season, and other video projects!
Or visit our "Video" page above, and see the whole first season, and other video projects!