January 2013 off to an eclectic start at the Iron Horse with Folk, Jazz, Tuku from Zimbabwe, and a Lilith Fair icon.

Livingston Taylor 

Livingston Taylor plays two nights at the Iron Horse Friday & Saturday, January 4th and 5th at 7PM
Chelsea Berry opens both nights.

Livingston Taylor picked up his first guitar at the age of thirteen, beginning a forty-year career that has encompassed performance, songwriting and teaching. Born in Boston and raised in North Carolina, Livingston is the fourth child in a very musical family that includes Alex, James, Kate and Hugh. Livingston recorded his first record at 18 and has continued to create well-crafted, introspective and original songs that have earned him listeners worldwide. From top-forty hits “I Will Be in Love with You” and “I’ll Come Running,” to “I Can Dream of You” and “Boatman” both recorded by his brother James, Livingston’s creative output has continued unabated. His musical knowledge has inspired a varied repertoire, and he is equally at home with a range of musical genres—folk, pop, gospel, jazz—and from upbeat storytelling to touching ballads. Livingston has never stopped performing since those early coffeehouse days, touring with major artists such as Linda Ronstadt, Jimmy Buffett and Jethro Tull, and he maintains a busy concert schedule of over eighty shows a year. He is a natural performer, peppering his shows with personal stories, anecdotes and ineffable warmth that connect him to his fans.

Chelsea Berry (opening for Liv Taylor)

Chelsea Berry, who opens both nights, is a 29-year-old Alaskan born Boston based singer/songwriter with the edge, power, and finesse of legends. Livingston Taylor said she has  “A voice of remarkable power and control with a joyous soul. Brave and bright, Chelsea Berry is the real thing. She draws the entire house into her world like moths to a flame.”

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World renowned jazz pianist Bill Charlap brings his trio to the Iron Horse Thursday, January 10th at 7PM

Bill Charlap 

One of the world’s premier jazz pianists, BILL CHARLAP has performed and recorded with many leading artists of our time, ranging from jazz masters Phil Woods and Wynton Marsalis to singers Tony Bennett and Barbra Streisand. Since 1997, he has led the Bill Charlap Trio with bassist Peter Washington and drummer Kenny Washington, now recognized as one of the leading groups in jazz. Charlap is the artistic director of New York City’s Jazz in July Festival at the 92nd Street Y, and he has produced concerts for Jazz at Lincoln Center, the JVC Jazz Festival and the Hollywood Bowl. A two-time Grammy nominee, Charlap is married to renowned jazz pianist Renee Rosnes, and the two often collaborate in a duo piano setting. In the spring of 2010,  Charlap and Rosnes released "Double Portrait", their acclaimed duo piano recording on the Blue Note label. "Charlap approaches a song the way a lover approaches his beloved...when he sits down to play, the result is an embrace, an act of possession. The tune rises, falls, disappears and resurfaces in new forms as Charlap ranges over the keyboard with nimble, crisply swinging lines, subtly layered textures, dense chords and spiky interjections.” -TIME Magazine

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Cheryl Wheeler plays two nights at the Iron Horse -Thursday and Friday, January 11th and 12th at 7PM

Cheryl Wheeler 

 It hardly seems fair that Cheryl Wheeler is as funny as she is gifted as a singer and songwriter. Wheeler uses both to excellent effect, in her songs and especially in concert. If you’re unfamiliar, listen to her new concert album “Greetings: Cheryl Wheeler Live,” where she sets up funny songs like “Pop Tarts and Spam” and “Lady Gaga’s Singing Program” with funny stories. She does more than goof around, though: like many performers with a wry sense of humor, Wheeler also has full command of a finely honed sense of poignancy that follows laughter with a deep sigh. It’s a powerful combination. Raised in a Maryland suburb of Washington D.C., Wheeler moved to Rhode Island in the mid-’70s, so she’s practically a native New Englander by now. Although she’s been releasing albums — and good ones, at that — for decades, they represent but a fraction of her catalog. Wheeler’s music lives mostly on stage, where she often performs songs that never make it onto albums. In other words, you’ll never know what you’re missing until you see her perform.

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Oliver Mtukudzi + Black Spirits at the Iron Horse on Wednesday, January 16th at 7PM

Oliver Mtukudzi + Black Spirits

Oliver “Tuku” Mtukudzi is arguably the most powerful creative force to emerge from Zimbabwe in the last three decades. Carefully balancing compelling rhythms and accessible melodies with insightful lyrics, Tuku has built a vast body of work that is politically and socially relevant, yet entertaining and accessible to a worldwide audience. Throughout a career that spans more than 45 recordings and virtually every corner of the globe, he has remained committed to the live music scene of his homeland, where he and his band, The Black Spirits, continually play to enthusiastic audiences in even the most remote regions. Worldwide response to Mtukudzi’s music has been glowing. Parade called him “one of the few genuine innovators of the Zimbabwean music scene,” while Prize Beat in his native country proclaimed that his music “has been instrumental in strengthening our freedom, socially, politically and economically.” American blues/country/roots artist Bonnie Raitt has referred to him as a cross between soul shouter Otis Redding and reggae legend Toots Hibbert.

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Paula Cole plays the Iron Horse on Friday, January 18th at 7PM

Paula Cole 

“An extraordinary songwriter with a gorgeous voice” – Rolling Stone
“… a feisty poet with a soaring voice and a funky groove.” – Entertainment Weekly
“Paula is an original voice both in what she is saying and how she is saying it.” – Peter Gabriel.

Grammy winner and 7 time Grammy nominee Paula Cole has released six solo albums spanning an eighteen year career.  The Lilith Fair icon has sold approximately three million albums and has performed with everyone from Peter Gabriel to Dolly Parton.  Cole’s emotionally deep and thrilling performances are a trademark.  Poetic and fiercely touching, intelligent writing makes Cole stand apart.  Her compositions have been covered by Herbie Hancock, Annie Lennox, and others..  Paula Cole was raised in Rockport, Mass. in a musical family with whom she and her daughter remain close.  Cole is a scholarship alumna from Berklee College of Music with a background in jazz.  Paula teaches and gives clinics in a spirit of giving back to the circle of music.  With a loving allegiance to her fans, she maintains loyal communication online and after her live shows. She was the first woman in history to solely produce and receive the Best Producer Grammy nomination for her work, “This Fire”, her second album released in 1996. The album's debut single, "Where Have All The Cowboys Gone" became an instant smash. The follow-up single,  "I Don't Want To Wait" was a #11 pop hit single and the seminal theme song for the hit teen drama series Dawson's Creek.  From her top ten hits of the 1990’s to her more recent critically acclaimed albums, Paula Cole continues to write, produce, record and perform heartfelt, meaningful, lasting music that defies categorization.

Tickets for these shows and more are on sale now at Northampton Box Office, 76 Main Street, 413 586 8686 and online at IHEG.com.