old-timey jazz and blues

5.29.22 ~ Mama Train at Mystic Seaport

It’s been so long since we’ve listened to live music outdoors! So on Sunday afternoon we made our way through holiday traffic to Mystic Seaport and enjoyed a fantastic two-hour concert by Mama Train. We were happy to be sitting under shade trees.

vocals

Mama Train blends the warmth of rich female vocals with dynamic expressive piano. Their sound embodies the soul of classic jazz and blues artists like Billie Holiday, Annette Hanshaw, and Django Reinhardt. Performing a variety of classic songs from the 1920s to 1950s, this Gatsby-era band delivers soulful melodies and vibrant instrumentation that resonate with every audience, a small act with a big vintage sound!
~ Mama Train website

keyboards

Unfortunately I couldn’t find out the names of the band members but maybe when they become better known that information will become available. They are from Connecticut, though.

bass
drums

I hope we will get a chance to see them again sometime soon!

24 thoughts on “old-timey jazz and blues”

  1. Thanks for sharing. Loved the video. That girl has a fairly deep and smooth voice. Wish I had been there – I do love many types of music.

    1. Do you have outdoor music concerts in your area, Peggy? When the woman started singing I was surprised how deep her voice was and grew to love it more and more as the concert went on.

      1. The closest place for outdoor concerts is 50 miles away at the river park in Little Rock. The crowds for those concerts get pretty rowdy most of the time. Always late evening when they have those concerts.

        1. It does seem like the bigger the venue the more rowdy the crowd. I gave up going to big concerts (indoors or outdoors) years ago. Too bad you don’t have any smaller outdoor venues closer to home. πŸ™

    1. Happy to hear you enjoyed the video, TD! We have savored all kinds of music outdoors at the Seaport in the past and are happy we’re getting a chance to hear some again.

  2. So nice having outdoor concerts once again — let’s hope this can continue! And you’re awfully good to support local musicians (I know how important audiences are, ha!)

    1. Will your community band be doing any outdoor concerts this summer, Debbie? I’m kind of excited because our local beach is having a few this summer. I love the connections between musicians and audiences. πŸ™‚

    1. Doesn’t she? I wish I could find out her name but their website doesn’t mention it! The concert was such a treat. πŸ™‚

  3. Happy that you got to experience live music. I haven’t heard any live music in so long that I can’t remember when or where it was. Covid-19 certainly changed many things in my life.

    1. Me, too. I’m still racking my brain trying to remember when or where… There’s still a lot of covid transmission around here so outdoor live music is our only option for the foreseeable future…

  4. This sounds like a good time Barbara and that keyboardist is fabulous! I’m trying to recollect who the woman sounds like? At the Botanical Gardens, they have jazz groups every Wednesday for “Music and Art in the Gardens”. I’ve never been as I can’t make it up there on time after work due to traffic congestion in the area. I once tried but didn’t get there early enough for a ticket. I wanted to watch David Zinn, a talented street artist (3-D chalk art). He did chalk drawings all over the pavilion while the band played on. They resumed the Wednesday events in 2021 but he was not there.

    1. Wow! I checked out David Zinn’s website — his creations are amazing! It would be an experience to see him working at his craft. Too bad you didn’t get the chance. It’s a good thing that there are so many things happening outdoors now that the warmer weather is here. I’m still not willing to attend indoor events because of the covid danger. Planning to make the most of the summer days.

      1. His chalk art is so fun Barbara. I decided to go the next morning to the Botanical Gardens and I figured, just like me when I see chalk art, no one would step on it. I crossed my fingers it would not rain, but it did, so I didn’t go up. The last schedule of events David Zinn posted on his site was back in 2019. I will try again if he is slated to visit. In the past, the Gardens posted a video of him doing the chalk art then posing next to it. I’m with you – I just came from getting the mail, the envelope with my shirt and finishing medal from the Fish and Loaves (food pantry) 5K run/walk event this past Sunday. When I signed up in January, I was pretty sure I’d do it virtually as that was an option and ended up going that route. In fact, I did my 5K walk over Memorial Day since I didn’t want to be with the crowd on Sunday the 5th and at that venue the day before was the Relay for Cancer, a 12-hour event which begins around 9:00 a.m. and goes to sundown. So not going then either. They don’t care when you do your miles and it is a good charity. I went grocery shopping yesterday and was double masked (an N95 no less and it was hot and humid out) and this Thursday I have a dentist appointment where I have to be unmasked … already have angst over that. I hope everything went well for Tim this morning. You were both in my thoughts and prayers … I unfortunately have a long prayer list of blogging friends and other friends who have illness in their families.

        1. Thank you, Linda. So many health problems for so many of us, as you say. You have a lot of walk events in your area to choose from, almost year-round. It’s great that you can participate in spite of covid. I’m hoping all goes well at your dentist appointment today! Tim’s doing very well. When we go grocery shopping it’s always interesting to see how many people are still wearing masks, including us. It’s usually older folks.

          1. I’m glad Tim is doing well – I know it is a routine procedure these days. My friend’s husband is going to be getting a new battery or revamp to his – her best friend had that procedure done last year. Carol’s husband has had it eight or nine years and is in good health heart-wise … he had half of his pancreas removed in January due to cancer, but heart-wise he is A-okay.

            Today I heard about a bus buddy/friend who was diagnosed with Covid. She worked from home for two years and just returned on site to her job two months ago. She is in her early 60s but has not been boosted but only had mild symptoms but went to the doctor the first day she tested positive. My dentist appointment went fine Barbara, but I have to tell you I was watching everything I touched. I was out of my comfort zone. I never removed my mask until I got in the chair. No one i.e. the office staff was wearing masks – none of them and they have a large staff. No one in the waiting room was masked but me. The pandemic is far from over.

          2. You’re doing well to remain vigilant. It seems like every time I turn around someone else is testing positive, including my kids and grandkids. Even though they’ve all been vaccinated and boosted, except for the 3-year-old who has had covid twice now. Fortunately it’s been like “only” a bad cold or flu for them but they had to isolate for 5 days, etc. It seems more like a nuisance to them but they’re young and need to get on with their lives. They do respect our caution and won’t come to visit without getting tested first. I think this is the best we can hope for but I do get the feeling that catching it at some point is probably inevitable. Sigh.

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