A few Mardi Gras shows will get the good times rolling this week, which also feature a couple of monthly residencies and a big classical concert at Cornell.
Louisiana Calling
C.J. Chenier and the Red Hot Louisiana Band will come to Ithaca with their fiery brand of Zydeco, which incorporates blues, rock, jam and other influences into the traditional grooves. Local favorites Rose and the Bros will open with their high-energy blend of Cajun, country and more.
When: 8 p.m. Wednesday
Where: The Haunt
Cost: $15 in advance, more at the door
New Orleans Notes
Tompkins Cortland Community College and Coltivare will host a night of Mardi Gras-style merriment benefitting Tompkins County through the United Way. Enjoy authentic Cajun and Creole appetizers from New Orleans native and Coltivare executive chef Patrick Blackman, sip beverages prepared for you by local celebrities, and sway to the funky street sounds of the Fall Creek Brass Band.
When: 5-8 p.m. Tuesday
Where: Coltivare
Cost: $40, which includes food, music and one complimentary drink voucher
Bon Ton Roulet
Celebrate Fat Tuesday with Trumansburg’s own Zydeco Trailriders, who will play a free all-ages show in Ithaca’s West End neighborhood.
When: 6-9 p.m. Tuesday
Where: Maxie’s Supper Club
Cost: free; donations welcome
Sax Songs
The Steve Daniels Swingtet will bring the jazz and blues to downtown Cortland for a special Mardi Gras show
When: 7 p.m. Tuesday
Where: Brix Pubaria
Cost: free
Bluesday Tuesday
The Blue Rangers return to downtown Ithaca for Blues Night, with Andy Lockwood and friends rocking out with the help of some special guests
When: 6-9 p.m.
Where: The Range
Cost: free
Celtic Sounds
Members of Traonach host this weekly Irish jam session, which features traditional tunes and plenty of special guests.
When: 7-9 p.m. Tuesday
Where: Argos Inn
Cost: free; donations welcome
Crossing Generations
The weekly Intergenerational Irish Music Session continues its two-year run, welcoming players and listeners of ages to enjoy a variety of traditional Irish tunes.
When: 7-9:30 p.m. Tuesday
Where: Sacred Root Kava Lounge & Tea Bar
Cost: free
Three of a Kind
Jazz trio Argos Grove – Ithaca College faculty members Nicholas Walker (bass), Greg Evans (drums), and Andrew Carroll (piano) – continue the celebrated Wednesday happy hour community music tradition initiated by i3° at Bar Argos. The trio’s repertoire ranges from Duke Ellington and Stevie Wonder to the Beatles, Disney, swing, funk and bossa nova.
When: 5-7 p.m. Wednesday
Where: Argos Inn
Cost: free; donations welcome
Ready to Rock
In a just-announced show, the 86ers – the local alt-country/cowpunk favorites just off their debut recording session – will be joined by Tim Vee, a rootsy singer-songwriter from Gloversville, N.Y., for a show in downtown Ithaca.
When 9 p.m. Wednesday
Where: Chanticleer Loft
Cost: small cover/donation
Wrap It Up
Danielle Ponder concludes her weekly February residency at the Range, with the fourth night devoted to 1990s-themed hiphop. She’ll be joined by Rochester band Stupid November, who will open with their own set of jazz fusion.
When: 10 p.m. Wednesday
Where: The Range
Cost: $5
Samba Stories
Cornell’s Midday Music series continues with professor Steve Pond, who will discuss samba’s aesthetics and the music’s diasporic connections to sub-Saharan West Africa. Aided by members of Cornell’s Brazilian music ensemble, Deixa Sambar, Steve’s lecture-demonstration will introduce the audience – hands-on – to this exciting national music of Brazil.”
When: 12:30 p.m. Thursday
Where: Lincoln B20, Cornell University
Cost: free
Event Info
Thursday Tunes
Catch a show around town Thursday night: The Cayuga Blue Notes will bring the blues to Trumansburg’s Main Street Market at 5-7 p.m.; Bob Keefe and Mike Tolomeo will play jazz, surf and pop at Collegetown Bagels in East Hill Plaza at 5:30-7:30 p.m.; Liam Lawson and Alison Wahl will team for a show at Brookton’s Market at 6-8 p.m.; and MSZM returns to the Argos Warehouse at 7-10 p.m., with Michael Stark and Zaun Marshburn playing a variety of originals and improvisations on keyboards, drums and bass pedals.
When: Thursday
Where: Various locations
Cost: free; donations welcome
Step Up To The Mic
The Trumansburg Conservatory of Arts continues its new monthly open-mic series hosted by local songwriter Louiston (aka Lou DiPietro). The “acoustic-based open mic welcomes songwriters, musicians, poets, and storytellers of all skill levels who are looking for a stage and both a community and support group of fellow artists.” When: 7-9 p.m. Thursday
Where: The Trumansburg Conservatory of Arts
Cost: donations welcome
Mozart and More
The Cornell Concert Series will present The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, which will feature the institute’s piano and wind quintet that combines six distinctive instruments with composers from five countries. The program will feature Mozart’s “Quintet for Winds and Piano, K. 452,” as the distinguished ancestor to the other works on the program, is an unceasingly beautiful masterwork from the composer’s busiest days in Vienna. The other four works, by composers Barber, Françaix, Ligeti, and Reicha, show the full range of color and mood that imaginative composers can create with this brilliant sound palette.
When: 8 p.m. Thursday
Where: Bailey Hall, Cornell University
Cost: $19-$30
Perfect Practice
The monthly “Practice at Pete’s” residency returns to Pete’s Cayuga Bar for its first show of the year, with host band Cobra Cadaver joined by The Moon Landing and Water Bears for a night of raucous punk and garage rock
When: 9 p.m. Thursday
Where: Pete’s Cayuga Bar
Cost: free; donations welcome
Feel the Funk
The biweekly Funk Night returns, with Dean’s Kids – Dan Keller, Owen Erickson, Hayden Frank, Max Shuhan and Archer Cowen – putting their distinctive stamp on soul, funk, R&B and pop classics from the past 50 years.
When: 10 p.m. Thursday
Where: The Range
Cost: $5