If last night's concert by Bakithi Kumalo was any indication, Winterfest goers are in for a strong weekend of live music. The live music concert series presents its final concerts Friday night through Sunday afternoon. Still on tap are performances today (Saturday) at North Fork vineyards by Jared Gold (Rapahel), Lucky Tones (Clovis Point), Jack Morelli Trio (Pellegrini Vineyards and The Day's Beneath Us (A Lure). Miles to Dayton performs tonight from 7 to 11 p.m. at the Hotel Indigo Ballroom in Riverhead.
Tomorrow's final concerts take place tomorrow (Sunday) on the North Fork with performances by Buddy Merriam's Back Roads Trio (Bedell), Danny Kean & Friends (Pellegrini Vineyards) and George Tebbit (A Lure).
Last night, upright bassist Kumalo led a "lounge-style cool" performance at Hotel Indigo in Riverhead to a packed house. Joined by Robbie Kumalo on piano and Liberty on percussion, listeners were treated to an intimate performance filled with joy by accomplished musicians.
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Bakithi Kumalo and Liberty perform at Hotel Indigo as part of Winterfest. Photo by Pat Rogers.
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Kumalo was fresh from a performance on March 4 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, where he played with Paul Simon and Sting as part of the five-week tour "Sting & Paul Simon On Stage Together". Kumalo's show in Riverhead was more of the jazz club kind, with the musicians playing to a crowd of attentive listeners dining or sipping cocktails.
In jazz club tradition, they were joined later on by percussionist Dan Bailey. Afterwards, Kumalo was headed back to his home in Philadephia to catch up on some rest before gigs start to call. Kumalo has performed at Winterfest every year since the series's conception in 2006.
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Bakithi Kumalo, Liberty, Robbie Kumalo and Dan Bailey perform at Hotel Indigo. Photo by Pat Rogers.
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Kumalo, a South Africian bassist, composer and vocalist, sprung into fame in 1986 while performing fretless bass with Paul Simon on his Graceland tour. He is known for his bass run in Simon's song "You Can Call Me Al".
Kumalo has performed with a wide range of performers including Josh Groban, Laurie Anderson, Paul Simon, Gloria Estefan, Herbie Hancock, Chaka Khan, Harry Belafonte, Cyndi Lauper and others.
Winterfest is a multi-week live music festival taking place on the North Fork and Riverhead in various venues. Most take place in vineyards on the North Fork. The festival is presented by East End Arts of Riverhead in partnership with The Long Island Wine Council and the Long Island Convention & Visitors Bureau, with support from Suffolk County under the auspices of the Office of Film & Cultural Affairs.
BASIC FACTS: The seventh annual Long Island Winterfest takes place from Feb. 7 through March 23. For a concert schedule and details, visit www.liwinterfest.com.