Evento

Sunnyhill Live!: Christopher Mark Jones & The Roots Ensemble

Christopher Mark Jones is a singer/songwriter--and he speaks five languages and once played professional basketball and taught French.

The Roots Ensemble mixes originals from Jones' five albums and selected covers by artists such as Keb Mo, John Hiatt, The Band, Ry Cooder, Taj Mahal, the Neville Brothers, Mose Allison, Don Williams, Tom Waits, and Little Feat.

Jones' early musical performances included busking in Paris; playing the British folk club circuit; appearing at folk festivals in Denmark, Holland, the UK, and other parts of Europe; and radio appearances in London. Back in the US, during his electric period, Jones played Boston-area clubs.

These days, Jones enjoys playing festivals, clubs, small concert series, and house concerts in formats varying from solo to full band. The emphasis, in all venues, is story-driven lyrics with varied textures and rhythms.

Jones has released four albums of original songs--Heartland Variations (2010), Suburban 2-Step (2012), Atlantica (2014), and Incantations (2017)--as well as a re-mastered version of No More Range to Roam (1978).

Ensemble members include Vince Camut (electric and pedal steel guitars), a Johnstown native and Berklee School of Music graduate; Eric Kurtzrock (drums and vocals), a producer, engineer and session player, who has played jazz, rock and bluegrass in New York City and San Francisco before returning to his native Pittsburgh; and Mark Perna (bass), a medical physicist who plays electric and upright basses, produces and records with jazz saxophonists Richie Cole and Don Aliquo, Sr., and songwriter Peter King.

The performance takes place in the 220-seat sanctuary of the Unitarian Universalist Church of the South Hills (Sunnyhill) in Mt. Lebanon, PA. Refreshments will be available for purchase before the show and during intermission. The building and restrooms are wheelchair accessible. Service dogs welcome.