Newsletters
August 7 – 13
We have a dynamic week ahead that’s designed to match the verve of Saratoga in August. Every show will get your heart pumping and your toes keeping the beat. It’s been a whole bunch of years since folk-rockers The Nields took the Caffe Lena stage. Their first appearance at the Caffe was way back in 1992 as the then-little-known Ani DiFranco’s opening act! We’re equally pleased to have . . .
July 31 – August 6
Amazing electroacoustic music! ARKAI is in town to play the Lake George Music Festival, and they’re warming up here at Lena’s. Juilliard trained violinist Jonathan Miron and cellist Philip Sheegog have performed their genre-transcending music at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall, as well as at Joe’s Pub and City Winery.
July 24 – 30
This Saturday: “Ms. Callaway is gifted with an amazing low voice, a miraculous level of musicianship, ears that can hear around corners, a gift for both arranging familiar standards and composing new ones, all of which works hand-in-hand with her sense of humor.” — The Wall Street Journal Tony nominee & one of the leading pop/jazz singers of our time, Ann Hampton Callaway celebrates “The female Frank Sinatra,” Peggy Lee, on the 100th birthday of the trailblazing woman who gave the world “Fever.” Voted recently by Broadwayworld.com as “Performer of the Year” Callaway is a born entertainer. She has written songs with Cole Porter, Carole King, Rolf Lovland and Barbara Carroll.
July 17 – 23
Jerron Paxton’s charismatic storytelling and playing showcases phenomenal skill on guitar, banjo, piano, and harmonica, while his vocal delivery is a Southern bluesy throwback a la Fats Waller and Blind Lemon Jefferson. Virtuoso clarinetist-mandolinist-fiddler Lichtman is at the top of the Downtown NYC trad-jazz scene. Let these charming gentlemen take you back to 1920s and 30s on Friday night!
July 10 – 16
For fans of klezmer, jazz, world music, dancing and phenomenal musicianship, Mazel Tov Cocktail Party is going to delight you! Founded by GRAMMY-nominated “ebullient clarinet wizard” David Krakauer and multi-instrumentalist Kathleen Tagg, the band is rounded out by Iranian hand drumming, jazz bass, rapped rhymes, oud & guitar. Expect there to be dancing!
July 3 – 9
The happy music hitting our stage this week feels just right for the season. Folkfaces (Thursday) will put a smile on your face and a bounce in your step–not just because their music is great, but because they’re four of the friendliest guys you’ll find. Maswick and Brown’s sweet-as-sugar harmonies fill the room on Saturday. And then we bring two fretboard giants, Scotland’s Tony McManus and Vermont’s Paul Asbell–onstage together!–to the Caffe on Sunday.
June 26 – July 2
Curtis Stigers’ string of hit singles, millions of albums sold, and a 28-year recording career have brought numerous new tunes to the Great American Songbook. See him up close at Caffe Lena on Friday! Known for his smooth ballads, vocalist Stigers has garnered commercial success straddling the line between traditional jazz crooner, pop artist, and R&B singer. But he has always been, and remains, a jazz man at heart. He has toured with symphony orchestras, written songs with Carole King and duetted with Al Green, Shawn Colvin and Tom Jones. This solo show is tucked in among a busy summer for Stigers touring the national jazz festival circuit with his band.
June 19 – 25
Inspired by Otis Redding, Snarky Puppy and Steely Dan, they combine soul melody and funk rhythm with captivating lyrics regarding love, loss, and the war in Syria, telling the story of Bassel Almadani’s experience as a first generation Syrian-American. They’ve been featured on PRI, Al Jazeera, Reuters, Paste Magazine, Huffington Post, NowThis, and others. “With a powerful message, Bassel & The Supernaturals bring fans on a soulful journey that is brilliant in every way.” (Huffington Post)
June 12 – 18
Juneteenth, Pride Month, Jazz Week, Bright Series . . . it feels like the party never ends! From the soulful Louisiana blues-rock of Joe Louis Walker and his band, to opera with Carl DuPont, and the gorgeous folk harmonies of The Wildwoods, Caffe Lena is going to be the place for exciting new music this week. Surprise yourself with something fresh and see how it gets your brain thinking and your mood soaring!
June 5 – 11
Sister Kate makes a triumphant return with a seasoned, lived-in, bluesy voice, marking her renewed embrace of music-making. Taylor’s return from a long hiatus of making music and touring “basks in a radiant glow that finds Taylor as effusive and excited as a teen releasing a first record.” (American Songwriter) Like her brothers James and Livingston Taylor, she’s a charismatic, gracious performer.