J azz and blues provide the cool, urbane soundtrack to a week marked by warm, country-style experiences.
Monday, August 29
Having begun last Friday, Jazz Week, part of the 2016 New Haven Jazz Festival, forges ahead with nightly shows through Saturday. The next, beginning at 9 p.m. or so, stars a familiar face in a familiar place: guitarist Rohn Lawrence in Lilly’s Pad (Toad’s Place; 300 York St, New Haven; 203-624-8623; $5), where he and a band of music buddies offer “a night of smooth jazz.” For info on the rest of the week’s shows, happening at eclectic places like The Owl Shop, Oak Haven, Three Sheets, Cave a Vin and Elm City Social, check the official schedule.
Tuesday, August 30
Tailored to Yalies but open to the public, today’s Yale Entrepreneurship Bazaar on Cross Campus—the long courtyard north of Elm Street and west of College—“brings together Yale’s many entrepreneurial organizations and clubs under one big tent.” Offering info about the school’s “prizes, programs, hackathons, classes and opportunities for entrepreneurial students and faculty”—plus samples from Yale food startups—the bazaar begins at 10 a.m. Free; register here.
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Wednesday, August 31
Today marks the end of this summer’s “Blues, Berries & Jam” lunchtime concert series on the New Haven Green. From 12 to 1:30 p.m., enjoy steel-guitar blues from The Delta Blues Boys—and while you’re there, check out CitySeed’s downtown farmers’ market, situated right across Church Street from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Thursday, September 1
Before tonight’s free 8 p.m. performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Edgerton Park hosts Elm Shakespeare Company’s annual fundraising gala and auction from 5 to 7:30. With ticket tiers of $125 and $175—plus a $75 option for guests of regular ticket holders who’ve never attended before—there’s a buffet-style dinner from the likes of Caseus, Caffe Bravo and Geronimo; desserts from Lucibello’s and Bread & Chocolate, among others; cocktails, wine and beer from Ordinary, Puglia Imports, Odd Bins and Black Hog; and even coffee from the Happiness Lab. 75 Cliff Street, New Haven.
Friday, September 2
Rising to fame in 2015 via a third-place run on America’s Got Talent and sustaining that notoriety through a series of early-morning and late-night TV appearances, benign trickster Oz Pearlman brings his “unique blend of magic and mentalism” to SCSU’s John Lyman Center tonight for an 8 p.m. show. Tickets, which go on sale today at 11 a.m., cost just $5—or nothing at all if you’re an SCSU student or employee. 501 Crescent Street, New Haven. (203) 392-6154.
Saturday, September 3
Yesterday through Monday—lasting from noon to 10 p.m. the first three days and noon to 7 the fourth—the St. Barbara Greek Orthodox Church invites the public to its 36th annual Odyssey Festival, showcasing “the sights, sounds, and tastes of our Hellenic traditions.” Alongside cooking demos, an agora (marketplace) and customary music, dancing and costuming, there’s plenty of food for sale: 21 Greek dishes of varying familiarity—from gyro and baklava to pastitsio and kourabiedes—plus some American standbys. 480 Racebrook Road, Orange. (203) 795-1347. Free to attend.
Sunday, September 4
The bucolic Massaro Community Farm (41 Ford Rd, Woodbridge; 203-736-8618) throws its annual Dinner on the Farm today from 4:30 to 9 p.m., with a little extra to celebrate: “the 100th anniversary since the Massaro Family arrived in Woodbridge.” Featuring “an all-you-can eat meal prepared by award-winning chef Denise Appel, incorporating local meat, cheese, breads, brews and, of course, farm vegetables,” partygoers will “dine amid the fields and flowers,” take a tour of the farm, enjoy an open bar and mull what to bid in a silent auction. Proceeds from sales of tickets, which cost $175 apiece, support “the farm’s food donation program and farm-based education.”
Written by Dan Mims. Photo provided courtesy of the organizers of the Odyssey Festival. Readers are encouraged to verify times, locations and prices before attending events.
