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ADAMS - Somehow it seems appropriate that the audience for the musical performance of Too Human will be sitting in chairs that were once used by Civil War veterans.
The meeting room on the second floor of the Adams Free Library holds a wealth of history, making it a uniquely ideal backdrop for the range of music performed by Roger Bruno and Ellen Schwartz.
"We just love the area, and that room in the Adams Library is amazing," Schwartz said.
Schwartz and Bruno will perform Tuesday, May 13, at 7 p.m. at the library, located on Park Street.
This will be the third local performance by the duo, whose music often includes jazz standards from the American Song Book.
"We try to feature songs that have a broad appeal across age groups, the kind of jazz classics that most people recognize and enjoy," Bruno said.
'It's still working'
The love affair Bruno and Schwartz have had with their music - as well as with each other - has spanned the continent over several decades.
They grew up in New York and both were enamored with music at an early age. Bruno was playing an accordion that was almost as big as he was at age 7, and Schwartz was the headline act
Both became interested in writing their own music. They were introduced to each other by a mutual friend who thought their interest in songwriting would give them something to talk about. The friend was right - they haven't run out of things to say or songs to write.
"We've been together pretty much forever," Schwartz said. "It's still working."
However, they did have some differences to work out. Schwartz's style of music ranged from folk and pop to good old rock 'n roll, while Bruno favored jazz and R&B. Despite this, they admired each other's music. And over the next few years, their musical styles as well as their lives began to mesh so well they decided to team up to write music together.
The songwriting journey took them to Los Angeles, where they worked for the music publishing giant Warner and Chappell. While there, they wrote music that was performed by such noted celebrities as Cher, Pat Benatar and many others. Some of us may have heard their music on "General Hospital" or other TV shows.
"We went to LA because that's where the music scene was then," Bruno said.
Although the Los Angeles lifestyle was exciting, part of both of them yearned to come home to New England.
"Someone once told us we were too human to be in LA. And besides, we missed the Northeast. We even missed the snow," Bruno recalled with a laugh.
The last straw was the 1994 earthquake. The timing was right: They had been in Los Angeles for 15 years, and their contract was up. So they decided to come back East. They settled in Springfield and have performed at a variety of venues around New England and the East Coast since then.
'Fun with it'
The audience never knows exactly what to expect at one of their shows because they don't plan them out in detail ahead of time. Songs chosen are generally a mix of old favorites, folk songs, jazz, blues and their own original music.
Sometimes they even make up a song on the spot with audience participation.
"Songs are chosen spontaneously depending on the cues we get from the audience," Schwartz said. "But we always try to have fun with it."
The guiding principle in their choice of music is that they select songs they love, music that touches their hearts and moves them. It shows and it brings their music to life. This isn't just a job for them or even a lifestyle, it is a labor of love.
This also makes it an excellent event for the whole family. Grandparents will recognize some tunes from their childhood, and the kids will be delighted with the toe-tapping folk tunes. Schwartz will be playing the guitar and keyboard as well as singing. Bruno will be adding percussion and hopefully bringing out the mouth trombone that has become a signature piece.
Genevieve Rose will be accompanying them on the upright bass for the performance in Adams. They have different bass players perform with them depending on where the show is.
"We're always looking for bass players. We were lucky to find Rose. Her name was on a list of bass players and she was in the 413 area," Schwartz said.
Adams head librarian Deborah Bruneau said she has been working to expand the role of the library in the community, using funding from the state aid to libraries awards to offer events like the concert for free.
"Our goal is to offer a wide variety of programming," Bruneau said.
Other special events scheduled for the Adams Free Library reflect the summer reading theme of "wild reads." Upcoming programs include "Birds Of Prey," featuring live birds at 6 p.m. June 24 and Wolf Talk at 6 p.m. July 17. Also, a pastel painting class will be held June 17 and another musical performance with Dana and Susan Robinson will be held Oct. 7. Some of the programs have been funded by the Cultural Council of Northern Berkshire, a local agency sponsored by the Massachusetts Cultural Council. For more information, call the library at 413-743-8345.
Too Human also will perform June 28 at the Pittsfield Brew Works on Depot Street in Pittsfield. For more information, visit
toohumanonline.com.
