A reggae giant returns
Clinton Fearon, a beloved reggae legend who lives in Seattle, will return to Vashon at 9:30 p.m. Saturday for a CD release party for his latest album, “Heart & Soul,” at Red Bicycle Bistro. Tickets to the show (open to all ages until 11 p.m. and 21 and older after that) are $10 and can be purchased in advance at the Bike or by calling 463-5959.
Fearon was invited to perform the show by his friend and fan, Islander Pete Welch, who is the music booker for the Bike.
“He’s such a cool cat …. so positive, so in love with life, so talented,” said Welch, who is in charge of lining up weekly music shows at the Bike. “I feel fortunate to know him.”
Fearon is considered a music legend, having come of age in Jamaica, where he was a member of the acclaimed roots reggae band The Gladiators. While on tour in Seattle with that band in 1987, Fearon decided to stay and has made music in the Northwest ever since, though he frequently tours to stages all over the world. As usual, he’ll bring his Boogie Brown Band with him to the show on Saturday, and he’ll also have plenty of copies of his new CD on hand. The album presents 12 acoustic tracks of music Fearon wrote for The Gladiators.
String ensemble performs
Members of Con Brio, the Vashon youth string ensemble, will perform a program of classical and popular music at 7 p.m. Friday at the Methodist Church. Vashon Youth String Ensemble is a group of students from McMurray Middle School, The Harbor School and Vashon High School who are coached by Gaye Detzer. Violinists are Kaia Lynne Boonzaier, Hugh Davis, Ana DeGuzman, Rhea Enzian, Alden Rogers and Charlotte Schoen. Ethan Sedgemore and Natalie VanDevanter play viola, and Camille DeGuzman is the cellist. Soloists will be Adela Thompson Page, Alden Rogers, Graham Peet, Hank Rogers, Hugh Davis and Kale Scheer. They will play music by Vivaldi, Bach, Wieniawski and others. Admission is by donation.
Free music in the park
Vashon’s free Summer Concerts in the Park Series begins at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, at Ober Park, with a double bill of lively, danceable global sounds from from Avaaza and Manooghi Hi. (For additional information about the concert, see page 8.)
A concert in a garden
Cami Lundeen, an Island singer/songwriter, will play an outdoor show in the garden of Scott and Lisa Betz from 2 to 4 pm. Sunday at 12931 S.W. 300 St. Bring your own seating to the all-ages show, which will raise money for recording Lundeen’s debut album of indie folk/pop music. The suggested donation is $5 per person or $15 for a family.
A pianist to play and teach
“Attuning: An Evening of Listening and Music,” by improvising pianist Lee Pui Ming will take place at 7 p.m. Saturday, June 30, at the gardens and barn of Hanna Studios, 7712 S.W. Point Robinson Rd. Tickets are $20. At 2 p.m. Sunday, July 1, a workshop, “Mandala: Journeying Through Music and Music, will be co-facilitated by Lee Pui Ming and movement artist/craniosacral therapist Mary Ganzon. The workshop will explore personal journeys through contemplative dance practices and the use of wisdom cards. There is a $20 fee, with a sliding scale, for the workshop. Call 463-3530 to reserve a spot for either the concert or workshop.
Ming, a masterful practitioner of improvisation, is a classically trained pianist who has recorded six CDs, organizers say. Her 2011 album “She Comes to Shore” features solo improvisations and a concerto for improvised piano and symphony orchestra.
