Photo by Jack Casey / What'sUpNewp.

T Bone Burnett, multi-award-winning American record producer, songwriter, and guitarist, made a rare appearance at The JPT on Tuesday, April 1, after not having been on the road for more than two decades.

He is touring with remarkable musicians including Dennis Crouch on bass, Colin Linden on guitars, and David Mansfield on fiddle and mandolin.

The quartet are touring in support of Burnett’s new release, “The Other Side,” which was performed in its entirety, song for song.

The group took an intermission and returned to celebrate several songs that Burnett wrote for Ringo Starr’s new number one country album, “Look Up.” Burnett also celebrated songs written by those he has admired who have since passed away, including Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson, and Leonard Cohen. He also performed several of his pieces to celebrate his first writing partner, Stephen Bruton.

The music was exceptional, and the sound in the theater was perfect for this program of nearly 3 hours of acoustic string work and vocals. Burnett impressed as a very well read gentleman who, for the most part, was all business but showed evidence of a keen sense of humor while expressing his concern that the Internet has set back humankind beyond measure. The audience hung on to every word and supported the artists enthusiastically. Burnett concluded the program, noting, “I’ve never had so much fun playing music”. The audience shared his joy in at least equal measure.

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Jack Casey has always loved music. Whether listening, playing solo or with friends these experiences over the decades have informed his photography. The passion to photographically preserve the pinnacle moment of a musicians’ performance is what fuels him. He has shot a diverse range of thousands of world class artists, dating back to the early 70s. Casey has photographed the Newport Festivals, the Philadelphia Folk Festival and New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festivals. It’s not uncommon to see him shooting at many local theaters, clubs and performance venues.

Casey’s work has appeared on CD covers and in publications, physical and online media as well as being included by Joan Baez in the book, Musicians As Artists. After being retired for a decade from a career in social work, Casey is working on a photo-story book reflecting upon his life on the stage, backstage and in the photo pit.