Pianist Marty McGinn, a Jefferson native, will be featured at Thomas Jefferson Gardens of Greene County on Saturday, Aug. 6, at 7 pm. The public is invited to another entertaining evening at the gardens at 201 E. Lincoln Way in Jefferson. Although there will be some chairs provided, attendees may want to bring a lawn chair.
To add to the evening, Sara Ostrander, chef at The Centennial restaurant in Jefferson, will offer to-go “grazing” boxes filled with delicious food to munch on. For more information on the contents and to pre-order the boxes, which will be delivered to Thomas Jefferson Gardens for the concert, contact Sara at 515-386-3888 or by email at thecentennialjefferson@gmail.com.
Marty McGinn is a 1999 graduate of Jefferson High School. A graduate of the University of Iowa with a bachelor of music in composition, he subsequently moved to California to study with Pauline Oliveros at Mills College. He earned his master of arts in composition in 2005. Following his studies McGinn began teaching piano privately and playing professionally in a variety of settings.
About the same time, McGinn began a songwriting project under the pseudonym Art Elliot. This project, which led to his song “Earth Abides”, which received the Best Song by Oakland Solo Artist award at the inaugural Oaktown Music Festival, which continues to this day. His music has been compared to Paul Simon, James Taylor, and Elliott Smith, among others. In the same way the topics he sings about span the confessional to the vastness of outer space, McGinn’s music weaves a multitude of genres together from jazz and blues to pop and classical.
In addition to writing and performing original music, McGinn has collaborated with many bands and musicians including Jack O’ the Clock, The Eli Wise Band, Larry Gallagher, and the Dirty Snacks Ensemble.
In 2021, McGinn and his wife Hannah and 2 year old son Arthur moved to Minneapolis.
The Thomas Jefferson Gardens board has arranged six concerts over the summer months for the enjoyment of residents and visitors alike. Generous sponsors have made these concerts possible along with other donations. For more information, go to www.tjgardens.org or to the Thomas Jefferson Gardens’ Facebook page.
The Gardens board is also serving as the host for the weekly Greene County Farmer’s Market that will run into September, located adjacent to the Gardens on Chestnut St. To serve a meal (no fee charged to non-profit groups) or be a vendor, contact Jean Walker at 515-370-1905 or message through the Farmer’s Market Facebook page.
