Pop to Rock to Reggae
An abundance of nationally and internationally acclaimed musicians will perform on the South Fork this summer. The more prestigious venues offer a broad range of musical shows, many of which will take place in a setting more intimate than audiences are likely to find anywhere else.
The Stephen Talkhouse in Amagansett will welcome many repeat performers to the tiny venue that nonetheless boasts a big and thoroughly professional sound. Jorma Kaukonen, a founding member of Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna, returns on Sunday at 8 p.m. Junior Brown, the category-defying Texan, will take his double-necked “guit-steel” to the Talkhouse on June 28, also at 8 p.m. Leon Russell, who has been called the ultimate rock ’n’ roll session man, a collaborator with icons from Jerry Lee Lewis to Elton John to the Rolling Stones, arrives July 19 for an 8 p.m. show. On July a founder of the band Squeeze and one of the finest pop songwriters around, will play the Talkhouse on Aug. 2 and 21, both shows starting at 8 p.m. On Aug. 16, the original Wailers, Bob Marley’s band, will perform at 8. And Labor Day weekend will see other reggae legends as Toots and the Maytals take the stage on Aug. 30 at 8 p.m. and Aug. 31 at 9 p.m.
It’s not a live concert, but Guild Hall in East Hampton will present a screening of “Rockshow,” a concert film documenting Paul McCartney and Wings’ 1975-76 world tour, on June 22 at 8 p.m. Another concert film, “The Doors: Live at the Bowl ’68,” will be screened on June 30, also at 8 p.m.
Laurie Anderson, another genre-defying artist with a long history of avant-garde performances, appears at Guild Hall on Aug. 17 at 8 p.m. The Doo-Wop Project, starring cast members of the Broadway show “Jersey Boys,” arrives Aug. 19, also at 8 p.m. Wynton Marsalis, one of the world’s best known and loved jazz musicians, plays Guild Hall on Aug. 24 at 8 p.m. The following night at 8, the Beatles’ album “Abbey Road,” the last the band would record, will be presented “note for note, cut for cut” by Classic Albums Live. On Aug. 31, the Taj Mahal Trio, with Bettye LaVette as special guest, performs at 8 p.m.
Aaron Neville, the Grammy-winning singer, will play with his quintet at the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center on Saturday at 8 p.m. Country and Western music is in store at the center in July, as Lyle Lovett and his acoustic group appear on the 14th at 8:30 p.m., and Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell will take the stage together on the 20th, also at 8:30.
The Fab Faux, featuring Will Lee of the “Late Show With David Letterman” band and other top session musicians, will perform music of the Beatles on July 27. The band, along with the Creme Tangerine Strings and Hogshead Horns, will play at 7:30 p.m. and again at 10. Buddy Guy, the legendary blues guitarist, plays on Aug. 4 at 8:30 p.m. Vince Gill, another country legend, appears on Aug. 11 at 8:30. And on Aug. 18 at 8:30, the 1980s pop superstars Huey Lewis and the News will celebrate the 30th anniversary of their album “Sports.”