Ladies and gentlemen: The Weekend! Five Things to Do in Springfield
Acclaimed bluesman Selwyn Birchwood and guitarist Albert Castiglia headline the Old Capitol Blues & BBQ in downtown Springfield Friday and Saturday.
Also on Friday, the Frank Trompeter Jazz Quartet celebrates the 90th birthday of jazz legend Wayne Shorter with Friday Night Jazz at Boone's.
Here's a look at what's going on in Springfield this weekend.
Old Capitol Blues & BBQ
Saturday's headliner Birchwood has won two major Blues Music Awards in a career that has spanned a little over decade playing what he calls "Electric Swamp Funkin’ Blues.”
One of those awards included the 2021 Song of the Year "I'd Climb Mountains" from "Living In A Burning House."
Birchwood's newest album, "Exorcist," came out under the tutelage of Grammy-winning producer Tom Hambridge (Buddy Guy, Susan Tedeschi) and includes the Frank Zappa-esque first single "Florida Man."
Rock & Blues Muse called "Exorcist" Birchwood’s "most fully realized effort to date and shows us all what it means to make smart, relevant, and body-rocking modern blues."
Castiglia, who got his professional break touring with Junior Wells, has worked alongside luminaries like Pinetop Perkins, Ronnie Baker Brooks, Eddy Clearwater and Otis Clay.
An acolyte of the late Junior Wells, Castiglia told The State Journal-Register in 2017 that Wells taught him how to front a band and how to be fearless on stage.
Castiglia's "I Got Love" from 2022 was released by Gulf Coast Records.
The music starts at 5:30 p.m.
Castiglia headlines Friday's lineup along with the Mary Jo Curry Band (5:30 p.m.) and the Gabe Stillman Band (7 p.m.) Castiglia takes the stage at 9 p.m.
On Saturday, Chris Camp and His Blues Ambassadors kick things off at 3 p.m., followed by the Soul Experience Band (with Reggie Britton) at 5 p.m., the Chris O'Leary Band at 7 p.m. and Birchwood at 9 p.m.
Tickets are $15 each night and available at the gates only. The music stage is at Fifth and Adams streets. For more information, visit the Old Capitol Blues & BBQ Facebook page.
Friday night jazz
Frank Trompeter's Jazz Quartet takes center stage at Friday Night Jazz at Boone's, 301 W. Edwards St.
Because of excessive heat warnings through Friday, the event will be indoors.
The quartet will recall Shorter (Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, Miles Davis, Weather Report) whose 90th birthday would have been Friday. Shorter died on March 3.
In addition to Trompeter on sax, it's Chris Miller on piano, Ben Taylor on bass and Reid Muchow on drums.
Rudy Zuiderveld memorial concert
Longtime Illinois College music professor and First Presbyterian Church organist Rudolf "Rudy" Zuiderveld will be honored at a concert at the church at 7:30 p.m. Friday.
Zuiderveld died on Oct. 29, 2021.
The concert will feature the Brombaugh Opus 35 pipe organ that Zuiderveld shepherded and promoted from its installation in 2001. The organ has 3,250 pipes, three manuals, and a pedal with 46 stops.
Performers include Zuiderveld’s former students and colleagues, featuring internationally acclaimed organist Stephen Tharp and current First Pres organist and Illinois College music professor Nichol DelGiorno, among others and pianist and music director Garrett Allman of Jacksonville.
Admission is free. Visit www.lincolnschurch.org for more information.
Comedy fundraiser for MERCY Communities
Kathy Brennan is among the local comedians coming together for Comedy for a Cause, a fundraiser for MERCY Communities at Arlington's, 210 Broadway, at 7:30 p.m. Friday.
MERCY Communities assists homeless persons and at-risk women with children to find the resources they need to provide a safe place for themselves and their families.
Brennan will be joined by other local comics Ryne Thorson, Jeff Tolbert, Kyle Fields and Dr. Shaw.
Tickets for the 21-and-over show are $20 and are available at www.eventbrite.com.
Motherland Gardens grand opening
Motherland Gardens Community Garden, 815. S. 15th St., marks its grand opening from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday.
It includes vendors, a market, a mini agricultural fair and demo, garden tours, entertainment for the kids, raffles and giveaways.
The project, the brainchild of Cameroon native Yves Doumen, aims to reduce disparities in access to fresh and healthy food in underserved communities.
Call (217) 900-0876 for more information.
Contact Steven Spearie: (217) 622-1788; [email protected]; X, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: A blues festival and comedy highlight the weekend in Springfield IL
