Jon Pousette-Dart will play the Sounding Board in West Hartford on April 26.

By Manon L. MIrabelli

Jon Pousette-Dart described West Hartford’s Sounding Board as one of his favorite venues to play his music, a significant statement from a man who has toured the world for more than four decades and graced famous stages alongside musical legends.

From his early days of playing the Chicken Box in Nantucket to opening for monster acts such as Peter Frampton, The Eagles, and Yes, Pousette-Dart has had a hand in shaping and keeping alive the gritty blues influence that impacted everything that was to come in the future.

“The roots of American music go very deep across all races and boundaries,” he said. “It is the roots of the American music scene that spawned some of the greatest music in the world. I draw from that, and it never gets old.”

Coming from a family of artists, Pousette-Dart was inspired to follow his heart and found himself moved by and embracing jazz – the kind of jazz coming out of Chicago and New Orleans.

Jon Pousette-Dart. Photo credit: David Spagnola (courtesy photo)

But his formal musical education began playing the classics penned by Beethoven, Chopin, Mozart, and other esteemed historical greats. While he appreciated the complexity of the music, the symphonies and sonatas proved too restrictive for his free spirit, and Pousette-Dart was drawn to the counter culture of the 60s and early 70s that sparked creativity and social consciousness.

“Classical music was too structured for me and not my chosen form,” he said. “You have to serve a master, and technique is of the utmost importance.”

The native New Yorker who would move to Boston first picked up a guitar at the age of 10 and has been using one since to compose original scores and play music recorded by legendary artists who embodied the sound of American blues rooted in rural areas and country music that told stories. He taught himself how to play guitar by listening to a record player and mimicking the sounds he heard.

“It is the roots of the American music scene that spawned some of the greatest music in the world,” said Pousette-Dart. “I draw from that, and it never gets old.”

It was a music scene from which came Elvis Presley, Muddy Waters, Paul Butterfield, and The Band, who Pousette-Dart described as being “way ahead of their time.”

The Band, comprised of guitarist Robbie Roberston, hailed by Rolling Stone magazine as one of rock’s top 100 guitar players, Levon Helm, Rick Danko, Richard Manuel, and Garth Hudson, got its start as a warm-up act for Bob Dylan.

“The Band really changed the entire picture for a lot of people,” he noted. “I was fortunate growing up in that area (upstate New York where The Band recorded and where the Woodstock festival would change rock history.) I was at the tail end of the original deep well.”

He also lauded the off-the-charts skill of guitar master Jeff Beck, who died in January 2022, and the incomparable Jimi Hendrix.

“They were in a space of their own,” he said. “Jeff Beck was from another planet as a musician.”

While Jeff Beck focused mainly on instrumental music, Pousette-Dart wanted to not only play guitar, but sing as well.

“I decided early on I wanted to be proficient in guitar and singing,” he said. “I split my time between guitar and voice. I live in that place.”

Despite Pousette-Dart’s deep admiration for the powerhouse singer/songwriters who changed the landscape of music with raw talent and soul-searching messages, he shies away from picking a specific influence.

“There is so much and so many,” he said. “There was the early country blues with such amazing storytelling – real storytelling, the most immediate form.”

His motivating goal, Pousette-Dart said is to use his music to remain down-to-earth and not be affected.

“I want to be honest and uplifting and raise people through music.”

Pousette-Dart will perform, along with West Hartford’s Jim Chapdelaine, at The Sounding Board, 433 Fern Street (Universalist Church), West Hartford, on Saturday, April 26, from 7:30-9:30 p.m. Doors open at 7 p.m. For more information, or to purchase tickets, click here.

Like what you see here? Click here to subscribe to We-Ha’s newsletter so you’ll always be in the know about what’s happening in West Hartford! Click the blue button below to become a supporter of We-Ha.com and our efforts to continue producing quality journalism.