PUTNEY — Twilight Music begins its 13th annual Twilight on The Tavern Lawn series of folk, world beat, rock, jazz, zydeco, Celtic, swing, blues, and bluegrass summer concerts on Sunday, May 31, with an evening of blues by The Chris Kleeman Band.
The seven-concert series continues every other Sunday through Aug. 23. All concerts begin at 6 p.m. in downtown Putney on the Putney Tavern lawn (bring a lawn chair or blanket) or at The Putney Community Center at 10 Christian Square in case of rain.
The Chris Kleeman Band has been called Vermont's best kept blues secret. From his first record produced by B.B. King and his 2002 appearance with King at the Montreux Jazz Festival, Kleeman has kept the blues alive and well.
Kleeman's blues vary from slide guitar to rag-time; from the southern styles of Mississippi John Hurt, Robert Johnson, Blind Willie McTell to the blues of Chicago and Muddy Waters and Elmore James, with the Piedmont Blues of people like Blind Boy Fuller and Brownie McGhee thrown in.
While blues-based, his trio also incorporates instrumentals with influences from many genres. Kleeman has shared the stage with the likes of B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Taj Mahal, Chris Smither, and Susan Tedeschi, and has released six CDs.