Tom Rush, Patty Larkin, The Kweskin Jug Band In Concert

Singer-Songwriter
and folk icon Tom Rush will return to Symphony Hall with the next of
his series of Club 47® concerts on Saturday, Dec 28th at 8:00pm. As is
traditional with these shows, Tom will bring together different
generations of musicians to share the music. This Holiday Season show
will feature the Jim Kweskin Jug Band, with Bill Keith, Geoff Muldaur
and Maria Muldaur; Massachusetts favorite Patty Larkin; and (relative)
newcomers Sarah Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion.

In 1981 Tom Rush assembled the first
of a series of concerts named for the fabled Cambridge coffee house
where many of the legendary artists of his generation got their start.
His Club 47 shows played at venues across the country, including New
York’s Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. Last
year, Tom renewed the tradition with a sold-out show at Symphony Hall
marking his 50th year on stage.

“These shows are fantastic
musical events,” said Tom Rush. “Having a mix of fabulous performers
from different generations, sharing the stage, collaborating , exploring
each other’s music — it’s a recipe for magic. ‘Honoring the past,
celebrating the future,” is the Club 47 slogan, and we try to live up to
it.”

The Jim Kweskin Jug Band got their start at the Club 47
in Cambridge and were the original "Americana" band, playing everything
from classic blues to hillbilly country, ragtime, jazz, and rock 'n'
roll. Their imitators were legion, including a San Francisco jug band
that became the Grateful Dead and a New York jug band that became the
Lovin' Spoonful, but their loose, exuberant style was uniquely theirs.


“Boston was the home of our Jug band, and our first gig as the Jim
Kweskin Jug Band was at Club 47,” Kweskin remembered. “It is fitting
that the last performance of our 50th anniversary be performed in
Boston. We thank Tom Rush (who started in Boston about the same time we
did) for inviting us to join him at Symphony Hall.”

The
individual members of the original Jug Band also have made indelible
marks on American music. Maria Muldaur is perhaps best known for her
1974 mega-hit Midnight at the Oasis, but her career can best be
described as a long, adventurous odyssey through American roots music,
including 40 solo albums and multiple Grammy nominations. Geoff Muldaur
is one of the great voices and musical forces to emerge from the
Cambridge scene. He composes scores for film and television, and his
definitive recording of Brazil provided the seed for - and was featured
in - Terry Gilliam's film of the same title. Bill Keith introduced his
own melodic approach to the banjo, now called the “Keith-style,” and as
member of Bill Monroe’s Bluegrass Boys and later collaborations,
revolutionized the way the banjo is played.

Patty Larkin
redefines the boundaries of urban-folk music with her inventive guitar
wizardry and uncompromising vocals and lyrics. She has been described as
“riveting” (Chicago Tribune), “hypnotic” (Entertainment Weekly) and
“drop dead brilliant” (Performing Songwriter). Patty has called Boston
home since her studies at Berklee College of Music where she holds an
Honorary Doctorate of Music and is currently an Artist in Residence.
Patty and Tom’s friendship was kindled nearly 28 years ago when she was
on his Maple Hill Artists’ booking roster, and occupied the “Newcomer”
slot at several of Tom’s Symphony Hall Club 47 shows.

"Tom Rush
has an iconic connection to the singer songwriter movement of which I
am a part. His performances continue to be fresh, full of humor and
heart, Larkin said. “I'm pleased to be returning to the Symphony Hall
stage to join Tom and his esteemed musical guests." Her 13th album,
Still Green, has just been released.

Sarah Lee Guthrie and
Johnny Irion embody the spirit of the Club 47 tradition. Guthrie— the
daughter of Arlo and the granddaughter of Woody— grew up in a musical
family rich in the American folk tradition. She and her husband Johnny
Irion have been playing together as a musical duo for over thirteen
years. They just released their fourth album, Wassaic Way, produced by
Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy and Pat Sansone.

“It’s the kind of night I
love,” Tom Rush concludes. “To be on stage with some of my favorite
players and favorite people, mixing it up, having fun … it doesn’t get
much better than that!”