The Sounds of Soul

After a quiet summer — in part to allow for renovations — the historic Tower Theatre in downtown Bend will roar to life later this month as it kicks off its 2022-23 season.

The Tower’s schedule includes dance troupes, films, comedy shows and more, but mostly it features performances built around music. And since this is the music section of GO!, here are a few musical highlights of the theater’s upcoming schedule. More info about these shows and more can be found at towertheatre.org or by calling 541-317-0700.

September

20: Lee Ritenour & Dave Grusin

Guitarist Lee Ritenour and pianist Dave Grusin have been exploring the borders between jazz, pop, classical and Brazilian music since the mid-1970s, turning out albums like 2000’s “Two Worlds,” a collection of originals and reinterpretations of works by Bach, Bartok, Segovia and more.

October

17: Robert Cray (blues)

November

1: Majesty (Queen tribute)

2: Ben Sollee

Like a lot of classically trained musicians, Kentucky-based cellist Ben Sollee has spent much of his career as a composer pushing and pulling on the boundaries of his instrument, regularly blurring the lines between classical, folk, jazz, bluegrass and roots music.

5: Postmodern Jukebox (pop)

6: The Sounds of Soul (classic soul)

8: Dave Mason (rock)

9: Soweto Gospel Choir (African)

10: Keller Williams

Funky jam-rockin’ guitar wizard Keller Williams used to stop in Bend regularly for shows. It has been a while, but this fall he’ll return to celebrate the 20th anniversary of his 2002 album “Laugh.” The musicians who played on the record, Tye North of Leftover Salmon and Dave Watts of The Motet, will join Williams and help him re-create “Laugh” live.

28: Canadian Brass (classical and pop)

December

10-11: Central Oregon Mastersingers “Messiah & More” (choral)

12: Gangstagrass Holiday Party (rap meets bluegrass)

15: Jake Shimabukuro — Christmas in Hawaii (ukulele)

21-23: Swingin’ Tower Christmas (holiday faves)

January

22: Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Songs We Love

If you want a primer on the early years of jazz music, you could do a lot worse than Songs We Love, which was first presented as Jazz at Lincoln Center’s season opener in 2016. The program features three vocalists and a top-shelf band performing favorites from the 1920s through the early 1950s, highlighting Ma Rainey, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra and Judy Garland along the way.

23: Recycled Percussion (junk-rock jams)

24: Blind Boys of Alabama & Charlie Musselwhite (gospel/soul)

30: International Guitar Night (guitar masters)

February

17-18: A Cappella Fest with Naturally 7 (vocal)

19: Diane Schuur (jazz)

20: Memphis Jookin’ with Lil Buck

Memphis Jookin’ is a celebration of the expressive hip-hop dance style known as jookin’ and the city where it was born. Not only did Charle “Lil Buck” Riley create and choreograph the show, he took jookin’ worldwide via a viral video a decade ago. In his stage show, Buck will be joined by 10 skilled dancers and a DJ playing music that evokes the energy of the streets and clubs of Memphis.

22: Yamato Drummers (Taiko drumming)

28: Take Me to the River — New Orleans (NOLA funk)

March

1: HillBenders (The Who, bluegrass-style)

5: Rodney Marsalis Philadelphia Big Brass (jazz)

17: Irish Rambling House (Irish song and dance)

23: Siren Songs (folk/Americana)

28: The Sweet Remains

Bands are lucky if they have one gifted songwriter, much less two. The Sweet Remains are a fine folk-rock group whose memorable melodies and lush harmonies are written by three men: Rich Price of Burlington, Vermont, Greg Naughton of New York City and Brian Chartrand of Phoenix, Arizona. Fans of Ray LaMontagne, John Mayer, Simon & Garfunkel and The Eagles, take note!

30: Always…Patsy Cline (country)

April

11: Yesterday & Today (Beatles)

17: Skerryvore (Scottish)

25: The Black Market Trust (gypsy-jazz-rock)