Pam Ortiz has been active as a singer/songwriter since the 1990s, when she and Bob Ortiz were part of Terra Nova, which performed on the coffee house circuit in Baltimore and Washington and recorded three albums. Her best-known song from that era is probably “Angels Don’t Always Have Wings”,which is still a staple of the current group’s sets.
She put her musical career into slower gear for several years after moving to Chestertown,concentrating on raising her two children and on work. But the songs kept coming, and her two most recent albums, “Rattle Them Chains” and “Red Devil Moon” contain some of her strongest music.
“Red Devil Moon,”a collaboration with poet/playwright Robert Earl Price and the vocal trio Sombarkin, is Ortiz’s most ambitious work to date. Inspired by Jean Toomer’s novel “Cane,” it chronicles the black experience in the United States just before the great migration out of the rural South. The band performed a concert version of the show at the Garfield Center for the Arts in November, 2014, and at the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore in May. A video of the Garfield performance can be bought on the band’s website, www.pamortizmusic.com.
Bob Ortiz’s conga drums are the rhythmic foundation of the group, with a variety of other percussion instruments for expressive emphasis. He also picks up aguitar and sings a lead vocal as occasion demands. And his furniture shop off Cross Street has often served as a venue for musical events, featuring the Ortiz band and other groups.
Guitarist Schumann is familiar to local musicians as the host of the monthly open mic at Garfield Center for the Arts. He also performs with guitarist/ singer Ben Bennington and bassist Debbie Campbell as the trio BFD. In his da job, he is the founder and president of Infinity Recycling.
Dutton’s keyboard skills are regularly on display as the leader of the Alligators, inspired by the music of his native Louisiana. He also appears as one of the regular performers at J.R.’s piano bar.
Dawson recently performed his program “The Versatile Viola,” at the Mainstay in Rock Hall, using the instrument in a variety of contexts including folk,classical and world music. He is also a viola mentor for the National Music Festival.
The Ortiz band has been very active locally, performing at Chestertown Colonial Tea Party Festival, Downrigging weekend and the Juneteenth celebration at the Charles Sumner GAR post, among other appearances. Bob Ortiz said on Tuesday, June 30, that the bandis looking to take “Red Devil Moon” to the next step, including the possibility of creating a full score for a possible Broadway production.
The group will be appearing at Main Line Unitarian Church in Devon, Pa. Friday, Sept. 19. They are also scheduled for a show at the Mainstay, Friday, Sept. 25 and at the Avalon Theater in Easton, Bob Ortiz said..
Bring something to sit on. Only limited seating is available. Free Admission.
Rain location: Emmanuel Episcopal Church – 101 N. Cross St. across from the park
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