About Spring Concert: Jake Blount
The Spring Concert Series at Fruitlands Museum is back. Kicking off this year’s series on May 4th is Jake Blount!
Jake Blount (pronounced: blunt) is an award-winning musician and scholar based in Providence, RI. He is half of the internationally touring duo Tui, a 2020 recipient of the Steve Martin Banjo Prize, and a two-time winner of the Appalachian String Band Music Festival (better known as Clifftop). A specialist in the early folk music of Black Americans, Blount is a skilled performer of spirituals, blues and string band repertoire. Blount has performed at the Kennedy Center, the Newport Folk Festival, NPR’s Tiny Desk, and numerous other venues across and beyond the United States. He has presented his scholarly work at museums and universities including the Smithsonian Institution, Berklee College of Music and Yale University. His writing has appeared in Rolling Stone, Paste Magazine, No Depression, and NPR. His most recent album, The New Faith, is the latest installment of Smithsonian Folkways Recordings’ African American Legacy Series.
Blount’s latest record, The New Faith, was released on September 23, 2022 as part of Smithsonian Folkways Recordings’ African American Legacy Series, in collaboration with the National Museum of African American History and Culture. An Afrofuturist concept album, The New Faith explores traditional Black religious music as it might exist post-climate crisis. The album represents a significant progression in Blount’s sound, utilizing his formidable skills as an acoustic musician as well as newfound affinities for electric guitar, looping, and digital processing. The album received widespread critical acclaim, garnering five-star reviews from The Telegraph, Songlines and Financial Times and receiving positive coverage from outlets including NPR, Bandcamp, The Guardian, The Los Angeles Times and more. It appeared on “Best of 2022” lists from Rolling Stone, NPR, PopMatters, Songlines, Folk Alley, The Guardian and more.
Most recently, Blount has been nominated for Artist of the Year at the 2023 International Folk Music Awards.
Concert begins at 6:30PM, Doors Open 6PM
Spring Concerts at Fruitlands are seated concerts that take place under the event tent. With coverage these events are able to move forward rain or shine. Tent sides can also be lowered for heating for cooler temperatures.
Space is limited and pre-registration required.
Photo by Tadin Brown
Spring Concert Series at Fruitlands Museum
May 4th – Jake Blount
May 11th – Melissa Ferrick
May 18th – Celia Woodsmith
May 25th – Kalyn Fay
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