Les Paul Tribute Concert to be Held Feb. 28 in Mahwah

Press release:

New Jersey’s seven-string guitar wizard Charlie Hunter and drummer Scott Amendola will headline the fourth annual Les Paul Tribute Concert at Ramapo College on Saturday, Feb. 28, in the Sharp Theater at 8 p.m.

The Austin Marcelo Group and Victor Soldano will open the concert, which will include an award ceremony to jazz guitarist Lou Pallo. The concert is co-sponsored by Ramapo College’s Music Program, the Ramapo Music Club, and the Mahwah Museum.

Hunter and Amendola combine diverse styles of American music through the songs of Duke Ellington, Cole Porter, Hank Williams, The Cars, Bob Marley and others.

“It’s always been amazing whenever we play, but it keeps growing, getting more intuitive,” said Amendola. “What Charlie does is so uncanny. When you watch him play, it’s hard to understand what he’s doing, but when you close your eyes it’s so beautiful and deep and compelling.”

Hunter and Amendola have covered many thousands of miles on the road and released two acclaimed albums: the recession-inspired “Not Getting Behind is the New Getting Ahead” in 2012 and “Pucker” in 2013. In their latest project, four 5-track Eps each focus on the music of a particular artist or band. The project opens with ingenious distillations of Duke Ellington/Billy Strayhorn gems such as “Rockin’ In Rhythm,” “Daydream” and “Mood Indigo.” From Cole Porter’s songbook, they interpret standards, including “Too Darn Hot,” “Every Time We Say Goodbye” and “Anything Goes.”

Country music and jazz are often cast as antithetical styles, but the truth is far more complicated. For Hunter and Amendola, a great song is simply a great song, and they find plenty of grist for improvisation in Hank Williams’ classics like “Cold Cold Heart,” and “Ramblin’ Man.” They find fertile ground even further afield from typical jazz fare in the music of new wave rockers The Cars, digging into hits like “Candy-O,” and “Let’s Go.” This project was the topic of a glowing cover story in “The New York City Jazz Record,” August 2014.

Concert tickets are $30, $27 and $24 and may be purchased by contacting the Berrie Center Box Office at (201) 684-7844 or ramapo.edu/berriecenter.

To view the Facebook event, click here.

Other free festival events:

• Tuesday, Feb. 24, 11:30 a.m., Les Paul’s Harmonic Concept Workshop: Sue Williams and Marc Sganga (BC-308)
• Wednesday, Feb. 25, 9:50 a.m., Jazz Improvisation Workshop: Peter Prisco and PJ Cotroneo (BC-301)
• Wednesday, Feb. 25, 3 p.m., Workshop/Q&A: Charlie Hunter (Alumni Lounges, SC-136)