WILMINGTON — The Southern Vermont Deerfield Valley Jazz Concert Series concludes its season on Saturday, Oct. 8, at 8 p.m., with a benefit for the West River Habitat for Humanity, according to a news release.
The local Habitat affiliate serves the towns of central southern Vermont from Jamaica to Readsboro. West River Habitat for Humanity is part of the larger Habitat for Humanity International founded by Jimmy Carter in 1976 to address the issue of affordable housing worldwide.
Members of the community who wish to help the group with its mission of providing homes for qualified families may contact West River Habitat for details. There is no need to be a professional carpenter, plumber, or electrician.
The concert will feature master drummer Billy Arnold, bassist Avery Sharpe, and pianist Chris Bakriges.
Arnold has played in Germany, Switzerland, Australia, and South Africa, where he was working with artists through a cultural exchange program at the Institute for Training and Development in Amherst, Mass.
He was recently honored at the first annual L.E.G.A.C.Y. (Living Entertainment Greats in the Arts, Culture and Youth Development) awards, which acknowledged him as one of the greatest known and unknown contributors to the world of entertainment, the arts, culture, and youth development from the Western Massachusetts area.
Sharpe, a recording artist, bassist, composer, and Artist Associate in Jazz at Williams College, has recorded and toured with such diverse artists as Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, McCoy Tyner, Wynton Marsalis, and Pat Metheny.
Bakriges is a pianist, composer, and educator who has served as musical director for this concert series.