AcousticMusicScene.com

Among the more than 50 free outdoor performances during the 43^rd Annual Huntington Summer Arts Festival that gets under way on Friday, June 20, and runs through Sunday, August 17 at Heckscher Park (Prime Avenue and Main Street/Route 25A, Huntington) are quite a few featuring talented touring and local acoustic music artists.  Among those slated to grace the Chapin Rainbow Stage are such notables as Tom Paxton, Janis Ian, Aztec Two-Step and Christine Lavin.  The performances, presented by the Town of Huntington and produced by the Huntington Arts Council, are set for 8:30 p.m. (except for Tuesday family night performances, which start at 7:30 p.m.).  Bring folding chairs or blankets.

Saturday, June 21: Tom Paxton, one of the leading folk troubadours of our time, was recently honored by the World Folk Music Association, which staged a tribute concert to him.  He’s sure to delight with some of his timeless classics and short shelf-life songs. Bob Westcott, an esteemed veteran LI-based fingerstyle guitarist and singer-songwriter, opens the show.

Sunday, June 22: Marie Knight has been singing the blues and gospel for years.  She and the late Sister Rosetta Tharpe were gospel’s pre-eminent duo of the 1940s.  In concert, she’s apt to perform songs from her latest album on Huntington-based M.C. Records.  Her first full-length recording in more than 25 years is entitled Let Us Get Together: A Tribute to Reverend Gary Davis.  Like him, Knight is a preacher and lives in Harlem. 

Friday, June 27: Buddy Merriam & Backroads, Long Island bluegrass stalwarts, have been entertaining audiences for more than a quarter of a century.  Merriam and his bandmates play a mix of traditional favorites and original numbers.  Opening will be Terry Winchell, a LI-based singer-songwriter.

Thursday, July 3: Paul Zunno, a blues guitarist and songwriter who grew up on LI and formerly played lead guitar for Wilson Pickett, shares a double-bill with Return to the Dream, an alternative acoustic ensemble featuring LI’s own Martha Trachtenberg and Tom Griffith, as well as Diane Garisto and Andy Hunerberg.

Sunday, July 6: Janis Ian is still writing and belting out songs four decades after scoring hits as a teenager with “Society’s Child” and “At Seventeen.”

Tuesday, July 8: Patricia Shih is an award-winning, nationally known singer-songwriter from Huntington who is primarily known for her original children’s and family music.  Accompanied by her husband Stephen Fricker on bass, she’ll delve into her trove of songs from a 40-year professional career during tonight’s family concert that starts at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, July 19: Aztec Two-Step, the harmonious, folk-rockin’ duo of Rex Fowler and Neal Shulman, has been making wonderful music together for more than 35 years.  This evening, they’ll pay homage to another musical duo from New York who made it a bit bigger in the music biz as they interpret and perform timeless classics from “The Simon & Garfunkel Songbook.”  Former Long Islander Pete Fornatale, a rock historian, author, veteran radio DJ and longtime host of “Mixed Bag,” joins Aztec Two-Step for what promises to be an enjoyable evening.

Saturday, August 2: 3^rd Annual Huntington Folk Festival, co-presented with the Folk Music Society of Huntington, features the incomparable Christine Lavin with opening act Gathering Time.  Lavin is among the most engaging, entertaining and witty singer-songwriters on the contemporary folk music scene.  A prolific songwriter with 18 albums of original songs to her credit, she also has been a major booster of other artists within the folk and singer-songwriter community for years.  Lavin also was an original member of the Four Bitchin’ Babes.  Opening for her will be Gathering Time, the new folk-rock harmony trio — featuring Glen Roethel, Stuart Markus and Hillary Foxsong — that has been capturing attention and fans with its spirited blend of folk and acoustic originals, stylistic interpretations of choice covers, and wonderful three-part vocal harmonies.  The trio is currently working on its debut release, Songs of Hope & Freedom.

Budding amateur musicians and those who just enjoy singing are invited to bring their acoustic instruments, voices and friends to the park at 4 p.m. for an unplugged open jam and song swap near the gazebo.  You might pack a picnic supper or venture into Huntington Village, home to more than 50 restaurants and eateries, for dinner before the evening concert begins.

Tuesday, August 5: Janice Buckner, a talented, Huntington-based children’s entertainer who has been touring nationally and internationally for some 30 years, helps instill the importance of taking an active part in protecting and nurturing our environment in her ecology show “Songs of the Earth’s Community.”  Tonight’s show starts at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, August 9: Mose Allison, the influential and internationally acclaimed blues and jazz musician, arranger and songwriter, who was born in the Mississippi Delta but calls Long Island home, has performed with such jazz greats as Stan Getz, Zoot Sims and Gerry Mulligan, as well as with his own trio.  Tonight, he’ll be joined by his daughter, singer-songwriter Amy Allison. 

More information on these and other shows that are part of the 43^rd Annual Huntington Summer Arts Festival can be found online at  www.huntingtonarts.org.

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