Benefit: Church of the City & Bank Street Blues Project

NEW LONDON, CT — Church of the City and the Bank Street Blues Project are co-sponsoring an awareness concert to benefit the New London Community Meal Program on Saturday, Nov. 2 at 6 p.m., at the church located at 250 State St. The concert is free though donations will be accepted for the community meal program.

The concert features songs and instrumental works written by New London composer Charles
Frink from the late 1970s until one month before his death in 2014 and collectively titled The
Bank Street Blues. These pieces were inspired by the people who lived and worked on the
famous downtown New London street as well as on events the composer had witnessed there
over the years.

Throughout his lifetime, Frink was committed to the study, creation and performance of musical
works rooted in the American musical tradition. In keeping with other compositions in this
tradition, Frink's music continues the artistic practice of memorializing local history and
characters using elements of native music such as jazz, and including new sounds that reflect
new cultures and influences, such as Latino rhythms. This project's goal is to keep that music
alive and introduce it to a new generation of New London residents.

Songs and instrumental pieces from the new CD Bank Street Blues Intro will be performed by
Phred Mileski, Jurate Waller, Bil Groth, Patrice Newman, James Hunter, James McNeish, and
Ché Cartafalsa. The public is invited to a Q/A session with performers at the end. Two CDs will
be raffled, and CDs will also be available for sale.

This performance is made possible with support from the Department of Economic and
Community Development and the Connecticut Office of the Arts, which also receives federal
support from the National Endowment for the Arts.