Upcoming Concerts

Novel Jazz Septet Concerts, 2025 

May 2025

 Dear Friends of Novel Jazz…
Happy spring to you all!   We hope you had a great winter.

I wanted to bring you up to date with what we are planning for Novel Jazz in 2025, our 21st season of sharing Ellington and Strayhorn’s jazz around New England!  This year marks 110 years since Billy Strayhorn’s birth so we’ll be giving his music some extra-special love this year. 

I’m attaching the list of our 2025 shows below.  Thanks to all of you who turned out for our season starter at Hill Arts on Munjoy Hill in Portland.  We celebrated Ellington’s birthday along with a “double header” show which began with a full set of “newly re-discovered” tunes by Ellington and Strayhorn followed by the airing of the film,  "The Intimate Duke Ellington”.  Oh, and we also celebrated International Jazz Day, Portland style!

I’m attaching our current 2025 schedule of performances of the Septet below.  I also am attaching the schedule for some other public jazz events that I'm involved in.  In particular, I highlight a brand-new duo collaboration with the very-talented pianist/vocalist Bess Jacques.  I call this "Jazz Duets."  The combination of Bess's rich voice with the mellow jazz trombone is wonderfully unique!  We will be at the Lincoln Hotel in Biddeford, ME (17 Lincoln Street) on Wednesday, 25 June (5:45-8:45).   Join us in the beautiful lobby bar at the Lincoln Hotel, set in a gorgeously renovated mill in the heart of downtown Biddeford. The lobby has a superb Steinway grand piano. Drinks and light fare available from the bar, and the restaurant Batson River Brewing is downstairs if you want to enjoy a full meal before or after the music. 

Here's to hoping that we can connect at some point this coming year to celebrate the music that we all call "jazz".  Again, happy spring, everyone!
 
Best regards,
Barney Balch

PS At the end of 2024, the newspaper, "Working Waterfront," published a nice piece about us (written by Stephanie Bouchard).  You can check it out here.