Sunday Afternoons at Goodnow

The Friends of Goodnow Library’s popular “Sunday Afternoons at Goodnow” series proudly present the Guy Van Duser and Billy Novick Jazz Duo on Feb. 5 at 3 p.m.

Together as a duo for more than 30 years, Guy Van Duser and Billy Novick have performed in concerts, clubs and festivals all over North America and Europe. You may have also heard them as frequent guests of the Prairie Home Companion show, NPR’s All Things Considered, or on one of the numerous film and television soundtracks they have been featured on.

The combination of Guy’s innovative finger-style guitar wizardry and Billy’s ever-inventive and soulful clarinet playing packs a real swing and creates a pulse as driving as any big band.

Guy Van Duser is internationally known for his unique “stride guitar” style of playing, as well as his imaginative and sometimes outrageous arrangements for finger-style guitar. A graduate of Oberlin College in music, he has recorded thirteen albums and CDs for Rounder, Daring and Linnet Records. As a composer, Guy produces soundtracks for films and public television programs such as “Frontline,” “Nova,” and “The American Experience.” It is his guitar playing you hear on the “Antiques Road Show” theme song. He is a professor of Guitar at Berklee College of Music in Boston.

Billy Novick is recognized as a musician, performer, arranger and composer. He has toured extensively throughout North America, Europe and Asia, and has made spotlight appearances at festivals, including the Kool, Newport and Edinburgh jazz festivals as well as the Philadelphia and Winnipeg folk festivals. He recently created a musical score for The Washington Ballet’s adaptation of “The Great Gatsby.” His studies have carried him from Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota to the Berklee College of Music in Boston.

Mr. Novick joined the internationally acclaimed New Black Eagle Jazz Band in 1986 and continues to perform and record with them. His clarinet playing can be heard on theme songs of the popular PBS shows “Antiques Road Show” and “This Old House.” As a composer or arranger, his music has appeared in dozens of feature films including John Sayles’ “Eight Men Out” and “Lone Star.”

The duo has a musical telepathy and understanding that has been honed by more than years of playing together, a rhythmic drive that doesn’t quit and a thorough mastery of their instruments. Add to this their relaxed and engaging stage manner and you will be treated to a joyously entertaining and musically enchanting show that has already stood the test of time.

Admission is free and refreshments will be served. Goodnow Library is located at 21 Concord Road, Sudbury Ma. For more information, call 978/443-1035 or go to http://www.town.sudbury.ma.us/departments/Library/.