THE DOZEN: January’s Must-See Concerts

By Greg Haymes

You could call it Best Bets, Prime Picks, Top Tips or whatever. We call it The Dozen, whereby we offer a monthly round-up of 12 (or so) of the shows around Greater Nippertown that have got us jazzed the most. One entry per venue. Of course, your results may vary, so please feel free to weigh in on what you think we missed or overlooked.

Here’s The Dozen for the month of January to kick off your 2016 concert-going season:

SATURDAY (JANUARY 9): Joe Barna’s Sketches of Influence @ the Sanctuary for Independent Media, Troy. Drummer-composer Barna and his band of Local 518 jazz allstars roll into the Sanctuary for a two-night stand of live recording for their upcoming album, Ivory Romance. 7pm. $10. Also at 6pm on Sunday (January 10).

SATURDAY (JANUARY 9): Tim Reynolds @ the Cohoes Music Hall, Cohoes. Dave Matthews’ guitarist goes it alone for a solo acoustic concert. 7:30pm. $25. UPDATE: This show is now officially sold out.

SATURDAY (JANUARY 9): The Elvis Birthday Bash @ The Hangar, Troy. Johnny Rabb, the Lustre Kings, the Tichy Boys and a parade of special guests pay tribute to the King of Rock & Roll. 8pm. $10. (Also at Club Helsinki in Hudson at 9pm on Friday, January 15. $20.)

THURSDAY, JANUARY 14: Darlingside @ Club Helsinki, Hudson. The Massachusetts-based quartet blends ’60s folk, classical arrangements, soaring vocal harmonies and modern indie-rock smarts. Their brand-new release, Birds Say, is cinematic, intelligent and deeply moving. 8pm. $18 & $25. (Also at Caffe Lena, Saratoga Springs at 8pm on Friday, January 15. $20 in advance; $22 at the door.)

THURSDAY, JANUARY 14: the subdudes @ the Iron Horse Music Hall, Northampton. The veteran New Orleans-rooted acoustic Americana/soul quartet steps back into the spotlight. The name is lower-case; the talent is all caps. 7pm. $35 in advance; $40 at the door.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 14: Guster @ Upstate Concert Hall, Clifton Park. The Boston-based band kicks off their winter tour in support of their latest album, the psych-chamber-pop-soaked Evermotion, produced by Shins keyboardist/Black Keys bassist Richard Swift. 8pm. $25 in advance; $28 at the door.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 21: What Moon Things @ the Low Beat, Albany. The indie Brooklyn-based band rolls into town in support of their brand new album, Space Jams. With Dirty Dishes. 7:30pm. $10 in advance.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 22: Mike Stern @ the Van Dyck, Schenectady. The jazz-fusion guitar great earned his stripes for his stunning five-year stint with Miles Davis in the early ’80s, but he’s also done a lot more since then, including 16 solo albums. 7 & 9pm. $25 in advance; $29 at the door.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 23: Birds of Chicago @ MASS MoCA’s Club B-10, North Adams. The husband-wife duo of JT Nero and Allison Russell anchors this soul-inflected, groove-based Americana band in support of their brand new Joe Henry-produced album, Real Midnight. 8pm. $16 in advance; $22 at the door; $28 preferred; $10 students. (Also at Caffe Lena, Saratoga Springs at 8pm on Friday, January 22. $20 in advance; $22 at the door.)

SATURDAY, JANUARY 23: Bobby Previte & the Visitors @ the Parish Public House, Albany. Drummer-composer Bobby Previte leads his all-new band – featuring Michael Kammers on organ/tenor sax, Mike Gamble on guitar and Terence Murren on bass. 9pm. (Also at the Half Moon, Hudson at 8pm on Thursday, January 21.)

FRIDAY, JANUARY 29: Stefon Harris & Sonic Creed @ The Egg, Albany. The jazz vibes master returns for a homecoming concert with his new band, featuring Elena Pinderhughes (flute), Mike Moreno (guitar), James Francies (piano), Joshua Crumbly (bass) and Jonathan Pinson (drums). 8pm. $29.50.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 30: Joey Alexander @ the Woodstock Community Center, Woodstock. The 12-year-old wunderkind jazz pianist (and two-time Grammy nominee) returns to Greater Nippertown for the next concert in the Jazzstock series. And believe me, he’s no mere novelty act. 7:30pm. $35.