Mojoto trio plays jazz, blues & rock in Sauquoit. Barn concert series 'a community spot'
The Thursday Night Music Series at the Paris Hill Barn and Café in Sauquoit continues July 21 with the Mojoto trio.
Mojoto - an acronym for the first two letters of the first names of members Monk Rowe, John Hutson and Tom McGrath - is a versatile trio performing music that engages their audience with sets featuring a mix of jazz, blues, rock 'n' roll and tunes from the Great American Songbook. With the stellar musicianship and spontaneous wit they bring to their concerts, music fans can never quite know in advance what will happen when this trio takes the stage.
But the Barn venue offers more than just musical entertainment. Bob Sonia, now of Texas but formerly a longtime Waterville resident, was up for a recent concert while on vacation and said he quickly got reacquainted with several lifelong friends there at the Barn.
"For years and years I went there for chicken barbecues so it was great to still see it being used," Sonia said of the Barn. "I got there and half of Waterville was there. It's just neat to come back after all these years and find a place like this."
Billy Howard and his wife Jackie are two of the volunteers working the concerts at the Barn. Howard said the venue provides guests like Sonia and fellow concertgoers a gathering place for both a meal and mingling.
"The Paris Hill Barn music event is the perfect place for him and others like him to rekindle relationships or to forage new ones," Howard said. "It’s the perfect summertime community spot where friends can join together for an evening of live music and great food."
All concerts in the weekly summertime music series are from 6:30-7:30 p.m. There is no admission charge but the series is supported by audience donations. There are tables and chairs indoors and an outdoor listening area.
There is also a cash snack bar with proceeds going to Three Steeples United. The Paris Hill Barn and Café is located behind Three Steeples United at 2817 Old Route 12 in Sauquoit.
Mike Jaquays is the community news reporter for the Mid-York Weekly. Email him at mjaquays@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: Mojoto trio plays stellar jazz, blues & rock at free Sauquoit concert
