Category Archives: Live Music

Live Music at Carmen’s Café! Tapas and live music and good friends!

Todd Nelson Trio: TN3 Live Friday Night

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Todd Nelson brings Impeccable Jazz and Snappy Hats to Carmen’s this Friday, June 15
Shows at 6 & 8, $5 Cover

Todd Nelson Trio TN3 mixes elements of jazz, rock and electronics, playing original songs and new arrangements of unusual covers, including pop, folk and gospel and any other genre signified by the muse.
The music of TN3 is improvisational but not noise; exploratory in texture and sound but melodic; arranged but open-ended; structured while embracing the random; aware of the past without repeating it; unafraid of space, subtlety or beauty, and it rocks.

Bio:

Todd Nelson  has recorded or performed with Terry Adams (NRBQ), Gary Burke (Bob Dylan, Joe Jackson), Hayseed, Aimee Mann, Ed Mann (Frank Zappa), Pal Shazar, Jules Shear, Rumdummies, Malcolm Travis (Sugar), The Wheelers and Dealers and others.  Todd is currently performing original songs and arrangements for his instrumental trio, TN3 featuring Kyle Esposito on fretless bass and Manuel Quintana on drums and percussion.  He also performs with singer-songwriters Anna Cheek and Bruce Kean.

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This Sunday—  Free Brew for Dad on Father’s Day!
Dads, Come to Carmen’s for a meal and get a free beer*
*or Sangria, Raspberry Lemonade, or Coffee, Tea, Juice

Dinner Specials for Friday, June 15:

Ham Croquettes

Cuban Pancetta Board
House-Made Pancetta w/ Manchego Cheese, Multigrain Roll,
Dijon Mustard & Lightly Dressed Arugula

Cuban Crusted Filet Mignon
Grilled & Sliced, Served w/ Grilled Peppers & Onion
over Saffron Rice & Plantains

Sauteed Scallops & Shrimp
w/ Tomatoes, Onions, Peppers, & Corn
Topped w/ Fried Yucca Slivers & Avocado,
served on a Bed of Greens

Pan Seared Chicken Breast w/ Grilled Pineapple
topped with Avocado, served w/ Saffron Rice & Beans

House Made Grilled Flatbread w/ Sun Dried Tomato Tapenade
w/ Manchego Cheese & Seasonal
Veggies, Topped w/ Arugula

Peach Pie

Raspberry Lemonade
Either Dry or Wine Based

 ~Breakfast-Lunch Specials ~
for Sat & Sun, June 16 & 17:

Steak & Eggs
Put the Pow into Powerful Father Figure
with sliced Filet Mignon, Two Eggs & Home Fries, toast and coffee

Ranch Eggs
Two Eggs Sunny Up
Your Choice of Chorizo or Veggie Hash
Mashed Black Beans w. Spicy Tomato Sauce Drizzle
Our Own Homemade Lime Cremé Dressing & Toast

Charlie Smith & Rob Aronstein: The Bluesmen Are Back

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Friday June 8  Charlie Smith & Rob Aronstein bring the Blues back to Carmen’s.

Get rhythm when you get the blues. These guys have the stuff to get your feet happy as you start tapping your toes, bopping to the beat these cats lay down as they have for decades. Charlie can evoke that sophisticated big city Chicago blues in the vein of Otis Rush, or just as handily, take you on a river cruise of the Mississippi Delta. Rob is going to tickle those ivories in a perfect weave to Charlie’s guitar licks.

It’s a killer combination, it’s a blues sensation.

Cafe open from 5–10pm with music in two live shows from 6–7:30 or 8–9:30 5$ Cover.
Call 518 326 2064 for reservations

~ Friday Night Specials Menu June 8 ~

Appetizer
Bacon wrapped scallops w/avocado sauce.

Tapas Specials

Cuban BBQ Spare Ribs, served w/arroz con gandules (rice with pigeon peas) and veggie.

Fried Chicken…boneless thighs w/ a spicy mango sauce, served with saffron rice and black beans.

Grilled Salmon w/black bean mango salsa, served w/yucca fries and veggie.

Crispy Tofu w/seasonal veggies in a cool coconut curry sauce.

Eggplant sliders….grilled, and served with avocado slices and guava glaze on a multigrain roll.

Graham Tichy Trio Friday June 1st

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Cafe open from 5–10pm with music in two live shows from 6–7:30 or 8–9:30 5$ Cover.
Call 518 326 2064 for reservations

And the Graham Tichy Trio is gonna rock and swing the night away. Let’s heat up the night with some good friends, some great tapas, homemade sangria, and the rockin beat of Graham Tichy’s trio.

Dinner Specials for Friday, June 1:

Ropa Vieja
Shredded Beef in Spicy Tomato Sauce
w/ Peppers & Onion, Served w/ Yucca Fries & Veggies

Seafood Bouillaibasse
w/ Shrimp, Scallops, Tilapia & Red Snapper over Saffron Rice

Marinated & Slow Roasted  Chicken
Served w/ Mashed Potatoes & Veggies

Asparagus Rolled in Fried Eggplant
w/ Tomato Thyme Sauce

Eggplant Sliders
Grilled Eggplant & Sliced Avocado
Topped w/ Guava Sauce

Jazzmin, AKA The Robert Brainard Trio May 25th

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Jazzmin, AKA The Robert Brainard Trio May 25th

Cafe open from 5–10pm with music in two live shows from 6–7:30 or 8–9:30 5$ Cover.
Call 518 326 2064 for reservations

For greater taste and freshness, We are now making our own Chorizo!
We’ll be giving out samples of our famous Chorizo Stuffed Mushrooms.
And for our Vegetarian friends, Vegetarian Stuffed Mushrooms!

Specials for Friday, May 25:

Pan Seared Chicken Breast
Simmered in White Wine Sauce
Served w/ Sun Dried Tomatoes and Artichoke Hearts
over Ruby Red Jasmine Rice

Beef Tamales
Served w/ Veggies and Yucca Fries

Crab Cakes w/ Spicy Remoulade Sauce
Over Ruby Red Jasmine Rice

Cuban Risotto
Served w/ Mushrooms, Zucchini Squash,
Red Pepper, Eggplant & Asparagus

Cous-Cous Salad
w/ Cilantro, Mint, Jicama, Tomatoes, & Red Onions
Over A Bed Of Greens w/ Lime Vinaigrette

Mundo Nuevo (New World)

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Mundo Nuevo return to Carmen’s Friday May 18th.

Join us for an evening of – Mundo Nuevo ‘New World’ – Latin Music with a Cuban Emphasis. Like our own Buena Vista Social Club!

Tapas specials and homemade Sangria Wine.

Plenty of on-street parking.

Bring your friends – share the Carmen’s Experience! Good times is our specialty.

Cafe open from 5–10pm with music in two live shows from 6–7:30 or 8–9:30 5$ Cover. Call 518 326 2064 for reservations

Specials for Friday, May 18:

Pan Seared Red Snapper
w/Black Bean Mango Salsa Over Saffron Rice
Grilled Lamb Chop
w/Mint Coriander Pesto
Served with Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Chorizo Stuffed Boneless Chicken Thighs
Served w/ Yucca Fries
 
Avocado & Roasted Red Pepper
Macaroni w/ Three Cheeses
Eggplant Sliders—
Grilled Eggplant w/ Seasonal Vegetables
Topped w/ Our Own Guava Sauce

Sonny & Perley – Jazz, Bossa Nova, American Songbook & International Cabaret

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Sonny & Perley – Jazz, Bossa Nova, American Songbook & International Cabaret. Friday May 11th.

Cafe open from 5–10pm with music in two live shows from 6–7:30 or 8–9:30 5$ Cover.
Call 518 326 2064 for reservations

From the Sonny & Perley Website:

Sonny Daye and Perley Rousseau achieve a rare musical symbiosis. The husband and wife team have spent the last several years developing and perfecting their unique blend of Jazz, Brazilian Bossa Nove, and International Cabaret which has become their musical signature. An eclectic repertoire including Great American Songbook standards, French love songs and irresistible Bossa Nova sounds of Jobim is part of the reason for their impressive performance schedule, an average of 250 dates per year throughout New York, New England and in Europe. The true test, however, is in live performance where “they deliver the goods”. (7 Days Magazine)

Perley was raised on the jazz greats from day one (Ella was the first recorded voice she remembers hearing), and as a young girl she was captivated by the Bossa Nova sounds of Sergio Mendez and Brazil 66. At the age of 22, while living in Chicago, she entered a talent contest on a dare from a friend. Singing a capella “My Funny Valentine” and “Lady is a Tramp”, she won first place, which gave her the impetus to study jazz vocals. While studying in Chicago and sitting in as guest vocalist in many jazz clubs she landed her first “real paying gig” and began persuing a dream that had been brewing since childhood. Desiring pure tone and a firm foundation, she continued her study of voice in New York with 4 years of private study in classical technique with international opera diva Sylvia Kutchukian, which Perley in turn teaches to her own vocal students. Having a “beautifully rich voice, with the emotional power, swing and improvisational feel of a true jazz singer” (The Jazz Observer) brings a distinction to her captivating effervescence and saucy stage presence in cabaret performance. Yet it is her genuine warmth and love of the music graced by her “inimitable style” (Paul Elisha, WAMC radio) which draws listeners into her unpretentious and heartfelt interpretation of Great American Standards, BrazilianBossa Nova, and French songs, many sung in the original language.

Sonny’s musical training began with the drums which he began playing at 7 years old. His inspiration came from his father, his aunt Marion and his godfather who made sure he had a heavy dose of listening to the jazz greats. Aunt Marion, a nun at the time, took it straight to the top when she sat in on drums with the Lionel Hampton Orchestra in full habit! His love of rhythm and improvisation were firmly established as he immersed himself in jazz and began playing in bands in his teens. He later went on to study music at North Texas University where his foundation for piano work began. Some touring and free lance work ensued in his 20’s and early 30’s including a tour with the Ted Weems Orchestra. Sonny met Perley when he returned to upstate NY and worked as a substitute drummer in her trio. It was love at first sound. The two were soon married and began a lifelong musical collaboration.Their performances are often sprinkled with a spontaneous banter that only a 25 year marriage can enliven. Perhaps that is why Chronicle Magazine declares them “harbingers of aesthetic jazz…[and] romanticism”.

Sonny & Perley keep a busy performance schedule, touring with their trio, quartet, or quintet, performing for concerts, festivals, cabaret shows and private events.. Three CD releases, “Love Dance” 1996, “East of the Sun” 1999, and “Let It Happen” 2004, and “Love Is Here To Stay ~ LIVE!” 2009 have generated international air play and received critical acclaim. In 2005 they were invited to participate in a collaborative effort of original compositions involving 13 other outstanding artists of the Capital District of NY which resulted in “Saratoga Pie”, a CD produced by the Grammy winner Joel Moss, producer of Tony Bennett, Rod Stewart, Bill Charlap and many other notables.

Dinner Specials for Friday, May 11:

Braised Beef Short Ribs w/ Guava Glaze
Served w/ Veggies & Yucca Fries

Ceviche of Shrimp, Scallops & Tilapia
Served On a Halved Avocado Over Mixed Greens

Fried Chicken Thighs w/ Spicy Mango Sauce
Served w/ Rice & Beans

Polenta Cakes w/ Portabella Mushrooms
& Seasonal Veggies, Topped w/Tomato Tapenade

Gabriel’s Groove

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Gabriel’s Groove: Friday May 4th.

Marcus Benoit, well known local jazz artist, saxophonist, pianist and composer who performed and recorded with the Cole Broderick Quartet for ten years and is featured on his Seasons of Saratoga CD series. Since then he has recorded three original music CDs that incorporate the musical styles of jazz-fusion to blues to R&B and beyond.

Noelle Marie is native to this area. Noelle has created and directed various small choral groups and church choirs over the past 15 years. She is a song-writer/collaborater/lyricist on Marcus Benoit’s last CD release, “Let’s Get Away” and is co-writing and producing on his newest CD to be released late in 2010.

Music Link.

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Cafe open from 5–10pm with music in two live shows from 6–7:30 or 8–9:30 5$ Cover.
Call 518 326 2064 for reservations.

~ Friday May 4th  Tapas Specials ~

Pork Pernil (pork shoulder)
marinated and slowly roasted, served with saffron rice and black beans

Chicken Tamales
with a spicy tomato sauce, served with yucca fries

Pan-seared Tilapia
with a white wine-lemon-garlic-cilantro sauce, served over saffron rice

Fried Tofu
with curried nappa cabbage, and sauteed peppers and onions

~ Appetizers ~

Eggplant Sliders
with avocado and a spicy guava sauce

Zucchini Fritters
with an herbed sour cream dipping sauce

Gideon Freudmann calls it CelloBop

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April 27th:  Gideon Freudmann

Cafe open from 5–10pm with music in two live shows from 6–7:30 or 8–9:30 5$ Cover.
Call 518 326 2064 for reservations.

“I never knew anyone could play so many instruments on the cello!”

… Cello innovator, composer, songwriter, improvisor, plays a fusion of Blues Jazz, Folk, Classical, Rock and more Gideon plays an electric cello with real time looping gear and fertile imagination

He calls it CelloBop.

“Taking a modern artist’s approach to the four-stringed instrument, Gideon Freudmann has brought the cello to a new realm. His latest album is a dreamy cinematic tour-de-force!”

– The Boston Globe

“Gideon Freudmann is a talented, experimental cellist that got the ear of producers from NPR’s All Thing’s Considered. There is sense of humor, a spirit of eclectic adventure and mastery of classic and jazz forms in these pieces. This fusion of talent and experiment makes for a peerless and unforgettable collection of gems.”

Cafe open from 5–10pm with music in two live shows from 6–7:30 or 8–9:30 5$ Cover.
Call 518 326 2064 for reservations

“Gideon Freudmann is a talented, experimental cellist that got the ear of producers from NPR’s All Thing’s Considered. There is sense of humor, a spirit of eclectic adventure and mastery of classic and jazz forms in these pieces. This fusion of talent and experiment makes for a peerless and unforgettable collection of gems.”

– Perfect Sound Forever


~ Friday Night Tapas Specials April 27th~

Fricassee de pollo…
Chicken Fricassee over rice

Grilled Churrasco skirt steak
served w/ yucca fries

Seafood Bouillabaisse
served over saffron rice

Vegetarian Cuban stuffed peppers
drizzled w/ spiced tomato tapenade

Cuban Eggrolls
pork, ham, swiss, pickles – wrapped in tight eggroll wrapper, deep fried,
served w/ Dijon mustard sauce on the side.

Charlie Smith & Rob Aronstein: The Blues Men Return

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Get rhythm when you get the blues. These guys have the stuff to get your feet happy as you start tapping your toes, bopping to the beat these cats lay down as they have for decades. Charlie can evoke that sophisticated big city Chicago blues in the vein of Otis Rush, or just as handily, take you on a river cruise of the Delta. Rob is going to tickle those ivories in a perfect weave to Charlie’s guitar licks. It’s a killer combination, it’s a blues sensation.

Cafe open from 5–10pm with music in two live shows from 6–7:30 or 8–9:30 5$ Cover.
Call 518 326 2064 for reservations

~ FRIDAY April 20th TAPAS SPECIALS ~

Brisket,
marinated and slow-cooked, served with seasoned roasted potatoes

Poached salmon
in a lemon-lime-ginger broth, served over saffron rice

Slow roasted chicken,
served with yucca fries

Zucchini coin presses
…ruby red jasmine rice wrapped in zucchini slices, drizzled with basil cream sauce

Sensemaya Trio: Hot Latin Dance Rhythms with Jazz Improvisation

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April 13th:  Sensemaya Trio

Sensemaya Trio fuses hot Latin dance rhythms with the cool sophistication of jazz improvisation.  Their repertoire includes funkified interpretations of classic salsa to originals written in the revolutionary timba style of Cuba.  Their own uniquely fresh Latin jazz compositions include a variety of styles from Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Brazil and the Dominican Republic. While Sensemaya can cater to the intimate jazz listener, their true purpose is to get audiences out of their seats and on to the dance floor.


Cafe open from 5–10pm with music in two live shows from 6–7:30 or 8–9:30 5$ Cover.
Call 518 326 2064 for reservations

~ FRIDAY April 13th TAPAS SPECIALS ~

Gambas al Ajillo
Shrimp Sauteed In A Garlic White Wine Sauce
Served Over Wild Rice

Arroz Con Pollo
Chicken Marinated and Cooked
In An Herb Broth with Saffron Rice

Cuban Meatballs in Sherry Tomato Sauce
Over Roasted Potatoes

Vegetarian Grilled Flatbread
Topped W/ Grilled Veggies & Manchego Cheese