One of my favorite folks in the Brattleboro arts scene is guitarist Draa Hobbs. A jazz musician and former student of Vermont Jazz Center founder Attila Zoller, Draa has stayed in the area, and seems to be playing locally quite a bit these days.
My wife and I have fond memories of him. We asked to play at our wedding, and he did, accompanying the ceremony (my wife marched down the aisle to his version of the Pachelbel Canon) and later supplying some mellow jazz licks as background for the reception before a DJ took over the dancing. It was a hot Indian summer day, the last really nice day of the season, it turned out, and the yellow jackets were out in force. I have a crystal clear image in my mind of a yellow jacket sitting placidly on the strings of Draa's guitar, and Draa fingering madly around it, trying hard to keep playing without getting stung. It was a pretty stunning display of professional musicianship - those are skills they don't teach you at guitar school.
Since then, we've held fond feelings for Draa. It is in that spirit that I'm writing about some upcoming gigs of his, in the hopes that you'll check out a man who is equal parts fine musician and fine human being.
He has a regular gig Monday nights at Alici's Bistro and Martini Bar on Harris Place in Brattleboro, but I guess he's having trouble attracting a crowd. Monday night is a tough night, I guess, but why not treat yourself to a fine evening out and some fine music at a place that is rapidly gaining a reputation as a very happening and high quality establishment. Draa and some guest musicians usually perform there from 8:30 to 11:30 p.m.
Later on this week, Draa welcomes guitarist John Stowell to town for a concert on Saturday at the White Church in Grafton. The two will perform standards and jazz classics in an intimate and acoustically perfect setting. The music begins at 7:30 p.m., and admission is $10. Stowell will join Hobbs for his Alici's gig on Monday, Aug. 27, as well.
If you miss all this - and you shouldn't, Hobbs often joins Howard Brofsky for his Tuesday night gig at Gillies in West Brattleboro, and the two of them always sound so nice together - old friends catching up with each other through the language of jazz. And you get to listen in. What could be better?