Chattanooga's Patten Performances series schedule set

photo Cello Fury
photo Ramsey Lewis

Patten Performance Series schedule• Ramsey Lewis: Tuesday, Sept. 9, 7:30 p.m. Lewis burst onto the scene in 1956 with "Ramsey Lewis and the Gentlemen of Swing" album. He scored hits with "The In Crowd," "Hang on Sloopy" and "Wade in the Water" and has earned three Grammy awards and seven gold records.• Patten Unplugged Artists: Count This Penny. Saturday, Sept. 20, 7:30 p.m. The duo is Allen and Amanda Rigell, who made their national-radio debut on "A Prairie Home Companion." Their music can be compared to the Everybody Fields or the Civil Wars.• Rioult Dance: Tuesday, Oct. 14, 7:30 p.m. The troupe formed in 1994 in New York City, presenting modern dance interpretations of the sensual and musical works of choreographer Pascal Rioult.• Dave Mason: Wednesday, Nov. 5, 7:30 p.m. At the age of 18, Mason made a name for himself playing alongside Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi and Chris Wood in Traffic. He also wrote the rock staple "Feelin' Alright," which was a hit for Traffic and later Joe Cocker. In addition to his solo career, which had a Top 20 hit with "We Just Disagree" in 1977, Mason played guitar on albums by the Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Eric Clapton and Jimi Hendrix.• Mummenschanz: Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2015, 7:30 p.m. Mummenschanz has been presenting nonverbal storytelling since 1972. The trio uses shadow, light and creative manipulation of objects in its performances.• Rory Block: Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2015, 7:30 p.m. Block is a pioneer of female acoustic blues. She spent her early years absorbing the music of artists like Mississippi John Hurt and Robert Johnson. At 14, she became part of a Sunday jam session with artists like David Grisman, Frank Wakefield, Jodie Stecker and John Sebastian.• Patten Unplugged Artists: Cello Fury. Saturday, March 7, 2015, 7:30 p.m. Rock music played with three cellos and drums, though they've worked with artists in several genres, including dance, theater, opera and orchestral.• "The Great Gatsby" by Montana Repertory Theater: Tuesday, March 10, 2015, 7:30 p.m. F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic story about pursuing the American dream is brought to life by one of the most respected touring companies in the country.

Jazz legend Ramsey Lewis will kick off the Patten Performances series at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

The series will also include Rioult Dance, rocker Dave Mason of Traffic fame, the wordless storytelling of Mummenschanz, acoustic blues artist Rory Block and Montana Repertory Theater presenting "The Great Gatsby."

Patten Performances was created to showcase fine arts such as dance, spoken word, theater and music pieces or groups that are not generally offered elsewhere in the area.

"Ramsey Lewis and Dave Mason are names people will recognize, and they will be good shows, but the show I'm really excited about is Rory Block," says Patten presenter Bob Boyer. "She's an amazing blues guitar player."

photo Dave Mason

Block, a fan of acoustic blues since she was a child, has recorded several tribute albums to heroes such as Robert Johnson and Mississippi John Hurt.

The Patten Unplugged miniseries, which features a regional act, returns for a second year as well. This year, Count This Penny, a duo originally from Johnson City, Tenn., and Cello Fury, a quartet featuring three cellists and a drummer playing their special brand of rock, will be performing.

"The unplugged shows did well last year, so we are bringing them back," Boyer says.

Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354.

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