All Colleen Goff wanted was a modest little sanctuary, nestled somewhere on Dahlia Farm’s 3-acre expanse, where she could strum songs on her guitar. But her husband Jim ended up taking his wife’s request to another level: He constructed a complete outdoor stage under immense oak trees in an area where the natural acoustics stretch out to the surrounding hills.
“It’s loud enough so you can be a couple acres away and hear the music,” Colleen says. “It’s very peaceful.”
Dahlia Farm has been growing and selling 550 varieties of perennials – plus a sprawling assortment of hydrangeas and daylilies – for more than 15 years. After Jim built the bandstand, the farm also started to become a mini hub for singer-songwriters – Colleen began inviting her musician friends to experience the serenity of performing in the middle of the private garden refuge. The Goffs eventually opened up their serene spot to the public with the annual Summer Butterfly Concert series.
The fifth installment of the series, which happens every Sunday through September 29, begins this Sunday with the Plateau Jazz Band.
The Santa Cruz collective features Ti Lamb (trumpet and cornet), Jeff Byers (trombone), Tony Bendura (clarinet), Peter Thomas (banjo and ukulele), David Kaufman (drums) and Peter Young (string bass). All six members are armed with backgrounds in a vast array of musical styles, from Americana to rock. Kaufman, for instance, plays in local bluegrass groups Beer Wine and Turpentine and Moonshine Jubilee.
“We’re a group of friends who like to get together to play old traditional jazz,” Lamb says.
Plateau tweaks, twists and spins obscure tunes from yesteryear – including Howlery Haviland’s “Bill Bailey, Won’t You Please Come Home?” and Lu Watters’ “Emperor Norton’s Hunch.”
“That’s the benefit of pulling together people who play various styles,” Lamb says. “Everyone adds a little.”
Thomas’ ukulele down strokes on Clarence Muse’s “When It’s Sleepy Time Down South” add a gypsy jazz flavor while Kaufman’s sped-up rhythms gives Louis Armstrong’s “Dippermouth Blues” a modern syncopated sound.
The Summer Butterfly Concerts that follow the Plateau Jazz Band will deliver an assortment of music just as versatile, from Philly bossa nova singer-songwriter Avi Wisnia (July 21) to the swampy, harmonica-happy blues of Harpin Jonny (Sept. 8) to the Santa Cruz Americana ensemble The Junco, who come endowed with the spirit of Woody Guthrie, the rowdiness of a honky-tonk and the good-time energy of a jug band, leaving trails of foot-stomping everywhere they play (Sept. 21). Full schedule HERE.
PLATEAU JAZZ BAND plays at 1pm (gates open noon-5pm) Sunday, July 7, at Dahlia Farm, 14581 Tumbleweed Lane, Royal Oaks. $10. 763-9251.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.