• Courtesy Of Alan Squire Publishing
• Reuben Jackson

We lost a real one last week. Reuben Jackson, a poet, jazz historian, music critic and DJ, died at the age of 67. Vermonters know Jackson for hosting the Vermont Public show "Friday Night Jazz"; during his run there, his dulcet tones on the mic and encyclopedic knowledge of jazz made the program essential listening. Find a reported obituary on page 43 and read about all the ways Jackson touched Vermonters with his love of music; sharp wit; and gentle, shy soul.

I never met Jackson in person — he was famously introverted, and he moved back to Washington, D.C., in 2018 — but we corresponded over the years I've sat in the music editor's chair. Jackson kept an eye on his former home, whether to correct me gently when I botched a detail about a jazz artist or just to comment on things happening in the scene.

"I may have left Vermont, but it'll stay in my heart until I'm in an urn," Jackson told me in an email a while back. I read it again this morning and found myself smiling through a little tear.

When I wrote a story on the fandom of rising star Noah Kahan, Jackson was a surprise source, as he had become a huge fan of the Strafford-born singer-songwriter.

"I don't really care what genre a song is," Jackson told me. "My parents played us everything from Pete Seeger to Rachmaninoff, you know. I just need to be moved and to believe it's authentic."

Fare thee well, Reuben.

A new music series is coming to downtown Rutland's Merchants Hall. A Sound Space Live consists of four shows, running from February to May, that feature musicians from Vermont, the Upper Valley and beyond.

The series was conceived by Josh Cote of Aformal Audio and George Nostrand, who operates A Sound Space, a rehearsal space in Rutland.

"I've tried many times to put on shows here in the Rutland area," Nostrand wrote in an email. "People often underestimate what it takes to produce a high-quality production."

With that in mind, Cote and Nostrand sought out sponsors, including the original landlord of A Sound Space, Mark Foley. When Foley asked Nostrand if he thought such a project might pay off, Nostrand replied, "I don't know, and I still don't," he recalled. "But Mark is the type of person willing to take a risk on something if it's good for the community."

The series kicks off with a February 29 show by Luminous Crush, followed by Wolcott singer-songwriters Christine Malcolm and Rudy Dauth on March 28, folk duo the Stapletons on April 25 and Americana act Pepper and Sassafras on May 30.

For more information, visit asoundspace.brownpapertickets.com.

Indie-folk singer Audrey Pearl drops her latest single this week. The Burlington native wrote "A Time Like This" after witnessing the clear-cutting of a forest near her childhood home.

"I was inspired to write this song about a future without trees, clean water or breathable air — and what childhood would look like in that future," she said.

The result is a haunting and tender folk ballad, with Pearl's voice warm and up front in the mix as she sings, "It's sinking in that you can't be a kid at a time like this."

"A Time Like This" hits streaming services on Friday, February 23.

Eye on the Scene

Photographer Luke Awtry surveys local nightlife

• Luke Awtry
• South Burlington ArtMix 2o24

South Burlington ArtMix 2o24, Higher Ground Ballroom, South Burlington, Friday, February 16: The SB ArtMix 2024, hosted by the South Burlington Friends of the Arts, went down last week at Higher Ground. The charity focuses on students in the arts, but some local pros capped the night, including singer-songwriter Troy Millette and indie-pop songstress Andriana Chobot. When headliners Dwight + Nicole came on, what I would call an extravaganza ensued, crowning the evening. But nestled in the middle of it all was a returning favorite, the South Burlington High School-born Ms. Lee Fan Club. And they came to rock. The Ms. Lee Fan Club Fan Club came out, too, and guess who had the biggest crowd dancing up front? I used to wear a Minor Threat shirt in my mid-'90s high school bands, just like the Ms. Lee Fan Club bassist, but I didn't mention it when I saw the group backstage. I mean, they even had their own photographer. Talk about intimidating.

Listening In

Spotify playlist of Vermont jams