On May 6th at 8 pm, The Mainstay in Rock Hall, Maryland presents another unique live music collaboration in its new “First Friday with Joe Holt” series. Holt is well known on the Eastern Shore for his imaginative, whimsical improvisations on the piano, as well as being a sensitive accompanist and creative collaborator. He commands a repertoire of ballads, classic and swing jazz tunes, as well as up-tempo burners in the style of piano great Dave McKenna. The First Friday series allows Joe to stretch these limits by inviting different musical guests each month, often from quite different musical genres, to explore their common ground
Joe’s guests for the May performance are vocalists Beth McDonald and Sharon Sable, both familiar favorites of Mainstay’s audiences. Joe has titled the show “When Peggy Lee Meets Blossom Dearie” in tribute to the two legendary vocalists who each enjoyed international popularity, but also widespread acclaim as “a musician’s musician.”
Sharon Sable, Joe Holt, and Beth McDonald
At the age of 17, Sharon Sable found herself immersed in the teen pop world as a young recording artist for Arista records. She recorded with many of the era’s pop/R&B heavyweights such as Pink, Mandy Moore and Boyz II Men. While touring with these pop stars, Sharon found inspiration from and an insatiable appetite for the hidden musical treasures that lay beyond the top 40. She continues to be deeply inspired by iconic female vocalists such as Eva Cassidy to Bjork and Blossom Dearie to Abbey Lincoln.
Her repertoire ranges from easy swing and endearing ballads to Brazilian Bossa Nova. Sharon currently calls Wilmington, Delaware home, and has performed at The Christina Cultural Arts Center, Chris’ Jazz Cafe, Jazz @ThePoint Festival, Uptown Performing Arts Center, and the Smyrna Opera House. She recently had the honor of sharing the stage with the legendary Stevie Wonder in Philadelphia, PA. Music critics have cited that her voice is a “pitch perfect gift.”
Music is intensely personal for singer/songwriter Beth McDonald. All aspects of music—performance, composition, arrangement, song choice and delivery—are branded with McDonald’s vision. Her style focuses on standards from the 1920s through the 1940s, reflective of her identification with the charm and sophistication of another era. This association is enhanced by her scrubbed, girl-next-door appearance and honest singing style. There is no vocal bragging here with excessive scatting and vocalese, just old and new songs well sung and played.
Advance tickets are $15, and are available at www.mainstayrockhall.org. Telephone reservations are also accepted by calling 410-639-9133. The Mainstay is located at 5753 N. Main Street in Rock Hall. It receives funding from the Maryland State Arts Council and the Kent Cultural Alliance.
Write a Letter to the Editor on this Article
We encourage readers to offer their point of view on this article by submitting the following form. Editing is sometimes necessary and is done at the discretion of the editorial staff.