Friday, Aug. 7, the Opera House at Boothbay Harbor will be filled with the mesmerizing music of Jerron “Blind Boy” Paxton and Dennis Lichtman, drawing on blues, jazz and Cajun music for their show. The duo were Artists-In-Residence at NYC’s Symphony Space for the 2024-25 season and have toured the US and internationally together since 2019.

Paxton is a vocalist and multi-talented instrumentalist who counts Fats Waller and Blind Lemon Jefferson among his influences. According to Will Friedwald in The Wall Street Journal, Paxton is "virtually the only music-maker of his generation — playing guitar, banjo, piano and violin — to fully assimilate the blues idiom of the 1920s and '30s, the blues of Bessie Smith and Lonnie Johnson."

Originally a banjo player, he has also added harmonica, Cajun accordion, ukulele, and the bones to his repertoire. His storytelling and humor are hallmarks of his performances. Paxton says, “I grew up playing for the last generation of folks who grew up listening to Black banjo players ... Born from the lives of the people who raised me, I hope these songs resonate with listeners as a continuation of our shared history.”

Dennis Lichtman’s artistry is deeply entrenched in early- to mid-1900’s American music, from traditional jazz and swing to bluegrass and western swing. Playing clarinet, mandolin, fiddle, and more, he has been living, performing, composing, and teaching in New York City since 2002. His music was recently used in director David Simon’s "The Plot Against America" (HBO) and he has appeared this year as a clarinetist on "Succession" (HBO) and "The Blacklist" (NBC).

Lichtman says of their collaboration, “We always connected over our love of all sorts of jazz-adjacent folk and string-band music. In 2015, I invited Jerron to record on an album of mine, including a duo tune. We eventually made a video of that tune on the steps of Louis Armstrong's house in Queens, and had such a blast that we soon began making plans to perform as a duo. It took us a few years to get our act together, but we hit the road as a duo for the first time in late 2019, just before the pandemic.”

An evening with these two talents promises to be a memorable one! Advance discounted tickets are $25 available now, from the box office at 86 Townsend Avenue, Boothbay Harbor or by calling 207-633-5159. Advance tickets are $25. The box office is open Wednesday-Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Regular tickets are $30, on the day of the concert and online at https://boothbayoperahouse.com.

Doors for seating open at 7 p.m. and the music begins at 7:30. The bar will have cold drinks for sale, cash only.