Savannah is more than just a nice place to visit in the spring. It's the perfect setting for great music. During the Savannah Music Festival, the city's venues, many of them fascinating historic sites in and of themselves, come alive with the sounds of jazz, country, folk, blues, roots, classical and everything in between. Here are our picks for the top don't-miss performers and events for the 2018 Savannah Music Festival, which runs over three weekends from March 29 to April 14.
Benedetto Guitars 50th Anniversary
The world-famous Benedetto archtop guitars have been coveted and played by jazz musicians for generations. This year, a special concert event celebrates the 50th anniversary of the world-renowned company, originally founded in 1968 by luthier Robert Benedetto and based in Savannah since 2007. During the one-time event, acclaimed Benedetto devotees take to the stage to play blues and jazz on a range of beautiful instruments that have come from the famous workshop. The line-up includes jazz guitarists Pat Martino and Howard Alden, Brazilian musicians Romero Lubambo and Chico Pinheiro, and young bluesman "King" Solomon Hicks making his Savannah Music Festival debt. 8 p.m., March 29, $32-$80. Lucas Theatre for the Arts, 32 Abercorn St.
Festival Finale at Trustees Garden
This year, the festival unveils a new venue in a big way. A major four-year renovation project recently added a multi-use, indoor/outdoor event space to downtown Savannah. Centering on two historic industrial buildings at Randolph and Broughton streets — the Kehoe Ironwork building and the Kehoe Smithy — Trustees Garden event space boasts an expansive outdoor area slated to host the marquee event of the 2018 Savannah Music Festival. The sprawling, all-day finale concert will begin around noon and continue well into the night. The musical line-up includes Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Tedeschi Truck Bands, Gillian Welch, Mark Broussard, Brent Cobb, Brett Dennen, Septeto Santiaguero, Mipso, Sammy Miller & the Congregation, Betsayda Machado Y Parranda El Clavo, Velvet Caravan with Jessica Ann Best and Stringband Spectacular. Noon-11 p.m., April 14. $99.50 general admission. Trustee's Garden, 10 E. Broad St.
Rhiannon Giddens
Recently awarded a MacArthur "Genius" Grant for her research into and performance of historic roots music, the soulful-voiced singer Rhiannon Giddens marks her third Savannah Music Festival appearance this year. Expect plenty of songs from throughout her catalog, from her extensive knowledge of the black string band tradition and from her 2017 second solo album "Freedom Highway," a rich and historically minded work weaving together threads of blues, folk, gospel, soul, country and jazz. 7:30 p.m., April 13. $32-$80. Lucas Theatre for the Arts, 32 Abercorn St.
Rosanne Cash with John Leventhal
The legendary Rosanne Cash returns to the Savannah Music Festival to perform a concert with her husband and collaborator, guitarist John Levanthal. The concert will include material from throughout Cash's entire career and extensive catalog of 15 albums. 7:30 p.m., April 10. $37-85. Lucas Theatre for the Arts, 32 Abercorn St.
Dr. Lonnie Smith
It's high time for a consultation with the good doctor, jazz master organist Dr. Lonnie Smith, who has been practicing his art for more than five decades. From the George Benson Quartet, where he started, to Blue Note Records, where he first recorded, his name is inextricably linked to the jazz organ and its storied history. Expect the real deal from the first note to the last. The Dr. Lonnie Smith Trio performs three concerts at the Savannah Music Festival: once on their own and twice on a double-bill with young pianist Sullivan Fortner and his trio. 12:30 p.m., April 5. $30. Charles H. Morris Center, 10 E. Broad St. With the Sullivan Fortner Trio: 6 and 9 p.m., April 5. Charles H. Morris Center, 10 E. Broad St.
PIAF! The Show
Edith Piaf fans have every reason to enjoy "La vie en rose" at the festival this year. "PIAF!" a celebration of the life and music of the legendary chanteuse stars acclaimed French singer Anne Carrere, who, for the duration of the 90-minute show, transforms in look and sound into the "Little Sparrow." Backed by a band of four — accordion player, pianist, contrabassist, and percussionist — and by projections of vintage photographs, the show plunges viewers right into the heart of Paris during the Piaf era. To date, the critically acclaimed musical has sold more than a million tickets in more than 30 countries around the world. The people love their Piaf. 7 p.m., April 11. $32-$80. Lucas Theatre for the Arts, 32 Abercorn St.
Zurich Chamber Orchestra with Daniel Hope
Renowned British violinist Daniel Hope is responsible for the great classical music of the Savannah Music Festival, having served as its associate artistic director since 2004. His creative vision guides the programming, and listeners are lucky enough to hear the musician himself perform throughout the event. Hope is also music director of the Zurich Chamber Orchestra, and this year the ensemble will complete a three-day residency at the festival, performing multiple concerts led by Hope. The shows take place at a venue new to the festival, the Yamacraw Center for the Performing Arts, at Savannah's Esther F. Garrison School for the Arts, with 600 seats, state of the art sound and a 3,251-square-foot performance stage. The group performs a Vivaldi and Schubert program on March 29, a mostly Mozart program on March 30 and an especially intriguing program of contemporary compositions based on J.S. Bach and a collaboration with the Marcus Roberts Trio playing arrangements of music by Kurt Weill and George Gershwin on March 31. 6:15 p.m., March 29; 6:15 p.m., March 30; 3 p.m., March 31. $52-$62. Yamacraw Canter for the Performing Arts, 649 W. Jones St.
Stile Antico
Talk about old school. The 12 members of Grammy-nominated European vocal ensemble Stile Antico bring Renaissance polyphony to life with their "unearthly" sound, thrilling neophytes and music scholars alike. For their Savannah appearance, the group will present "Tenebrae Responsories," a set of 18 motets for a cappella voice written by late Renaissance Spanish composer Tomás Luis de Victoria. The opportunity to hear the choral work unfolds at the oldest Methodist church in Savannah, the beautiful 1848 Greek revival Trinity United Methodist Church on Telfair Square. 6:15 p.m., April 3. $57. Trinity United Methodist Church, 127 Barnard St.
EVENT PREVIEW
Savannah Music Festival. March 29-April 14. $30-$80, with some free events. Ticket bundles available. Various venues. 912-525-5050, www.savannahmusicfestival.org
About the Author
