Aarhus Gallery

A Murder of Crows

May 3-27, 2012
Opening Reception May 4th, 5-8

It may have taken a congress of baboons to come up with ‘murder’ as the collective noun for a flock of crows, but knowing how congress can act like a colony of vultures at times, it’s not surprising. What also may not be surprising is the range of interpretations the precocious crow can elicit, which is likely why they’ve found a place in myth, magic and folklore for centuries now. Indeed crows are intelligent, social creatures, often displaying more sense than some of us, and family values as strong as any warren of wild turkeys. Is all this why Åarhus is doing a show on crows?....you betcha. Not to mention we think it will look really great in here with a murder of crows on the walls.

Featured artists include; Susan Amons, kdb-Karen Dominguez, Sallie Findlay, Stephen Florimbi, Kevin Johnson, Mia Kanazawa, Mark Kelly, Mark Kindschi, Elena Kubler, A. C . Kulik, Richard Mann, Holly Meade, Ivan Rasmussen, Rebekah Raye, Abbie Read, Wesley Reddick, Willy Reddick, and Susan Webster.

Ameranouche in Concert

Friday May 11, 2012 at 7:30pm
$12 Suggested donation
Light refreshments
CD's will be available for purchase

Ameranouche (pronounced uh-MARE-uh-noosh) features two French acoustic Gypsy jazz guitars and upright bass, and is a winner of Best of New Hampshire awards as well as being veterans of the famed Newport Jazz Festival. The group tours nationally, year-round, and has released two albums, largely of original music inspired by legendary Gypsy guitarist, Django Reinhardt. National Lampoon director, Kevin Wheatley, calls Ameranouche "the new sound of America". After hearing these folks sail through a melodious tune with such love, musicality, and signature, jaw-dropping velocity, you'll be hard pressed not to agree. www.ameranouche.com has plenty of tunes to check out -- if you've never experienced hot acoustic swing music, now's your chance to fall in love with the joyful, uplifting, and dance-inducing sounds of Gypsy jazz.

Tom Luther Quintet

Friday May 25, 2012 at 7:00
$10 Suggested donation
Light refreshments

Åarhus Gallery welcomes back Tom Luther and his band (formerly Luna Madidus) for a concert on Friday May 25th at 7:00pm. The Tom Luther Quintet’s sound is modeled after such jazz icons as Charles Mingus and Thelonious Monk, as well as the “downtown” style of NYC as embodied by such groups as The Lounge Lizards and trumpeter Tom Harrell. Throughout its two-year history, the group has grown from a quartet, to a quintet with vocals, to its current two-horn quintet lineup. The band has performed live on Public Radio twice, had airplay on WRFR and MPBN, and has played in Portland and Lewiston in addition to its home base in the mid-coast.

Tom Luther, the group's composer and arranger holds to a core philosophy that all music carries similar messages and what separates genre and style is simply a matter of language. Luther's music reflects the harmonic and rhythmic language of jazz as well as formal aspects of European classical music, and shows the influences of ambient music and the avante-garde.

In addition to the band's veteran members, trumpeter Mike Whitehead and pianist Tom Luther, a trio of talented young lions rounds out the ensemble. The bass player, Noah Fishman, is a Silver Prize winner for the 2011 MMEA All State Jazz Instrumental Competition, as well as a Bay State Chamber Young Stars Award Winner from 2010. Gideon Forbes, tenor saxophone, is a recipient of the outstanding jazz solo award at Festival Disney 2010 and has performed with both the PJO and Fogcutters Big Band. Jacob Forbes, drums, is a winner of the Bay Chamber Concert's Nathan E Corning Jazz Prize, and has performed with the Maine State Musical Theater and the Windham Center Stage Theater.

A $10 suggested donation at the door includes cider, tea and snacks.