Andy Statman Performs Tonight at Irvington Town Hall Theater

Tonight, Dec. 6, at 8 p.m., The Andy Statman Trio will perform at Irvington Town Hall Theater in Irvington NY.

Had there been a planetarium in 19th-century Galicia, or a kosher deli in Depression-era Kentucky, Andy Statman's music might have been playing in the background. Meandering through time, geography and culture, the man and his inimitable hybrid sound move freely among the before, the after, and the present.

Andy Statman, one of his generation's premier mandolinists and clarinetists, thinks of his compositions and performances as "spontaneous American-roots music and personal, prayerful hasidic music, by way of avant-garde jazz." This modest man takes for granted that a performer might embody several worlds in his art, and seems humbled by the fact that his music, like his story, is extraordinary.

It's a story Andy Statman rewrites with his trio every time they perform: "We're creating an experience between the audience and us," with their unconstrained meditations on hasidic music and groove-driven explorations of American-roots music. Statman's long-time collaborators are bassist Jim Whitney and percussionist Larry Eagle. "At a certain point," says Statman, "we're just talking, just having a three-way conversation." This "conversation" changes each time they take the stage, with no melody sounding quite the same as it did before. A totally unselfconscious performer, Andy Statman leaves audiences elated and at times mystified, having experienced a musical performance unlike any other.

The concert is presented by Common Ground Community Concerts, based in Yonkers, in association with Irvington Town Hall Theater, 85 Main Street, Irvington NY. Tickets range in price from $15 to $38, but are discounted if purchased in advance online. www.irvingtontheater.com Box Office opens two hours before showtime on Saturday, December 6th.