Warwick guitarist James Emery to perform at Bethel Woods Center

Bethel - James Emery, virtuoso guitarist and composer, will bring his trio to Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, a new state-of-the-art cultural center located at the site of the 1969 Woodstock Festival. Emery’s trio will appear on Saturday, July 22, as part of Jazz Festival Weekend curated by four-time Grammy Award-winner Dianne Reeves. Scheduled feature performers during the festival include George Benson, Wynton Marsalis, Jimmy Heath, Paquito D’Rivera, John Pizzarelli Big Band, Chris Botti, Dave Douglas and others. Warwick-resident Emery has been active on the international jazz and contemporary music scene since 1975. He has recorded 24 CDs as a leader or co-leader and has performed his works in more than 25 countries. A Guggenheim Fellow, he has received international acclaim for his distinctive and highly original approach to both improvisation and composition. “Mr. Emery is a fleet guitarist with a personal touch and sound - mercurial, poised and thoroughly satisfying,” wrote Robert Palmer in the New York Times. Another music critic, Francis Davis, wrote: “Absolutely nobody sounds like Emery.” Emery will be joined by colleagues Robert DeBellis on woodwinds and Jay Anderson on bass. Tickets are on-sale and are available at www.bethelwoodslive.org/ or through Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.com or 845-454-3388. Doors open at noon.