Art Garfunkel, the eccentric singer from Queens, has found his voice after suddenly losing it in 2008. On Oct. 24, Garfunkel read poetry, told stories and, of course, sang to an admiring crowd at Poughkeepsie’s Bardavon Opera House. A true master of singing, Art has reacquired his talent and is proud to share his voice with fans once again.
The legendary performer was joined by Nashville native Tab Laven on the acoustic guitar for a long set of music. The room was held in reverence as Art sang Simon and Garfunkel classics “Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme,” “Scarborough Fair” and “Homeward Bound.” The evening included much more than Garfunkel reproducing hits, though. He painted a picture of singing to a sold out Royal Albert Hall, recalling fans leaning over five tiers to cheer him on. Garfunkel described the tragedy of losing his voice and the challenges imposed by finding it again with a national audience listening. He joked about whether he or Paul Simon would speak at the other’s funeral, leading into a goosebumps-inducing “Sound of Silence.”
Dressed in dark jeans, a white button-up shirt, and black vest, tufts of Art’s signature curly hair still sprouted from the sides of his head. While most of the proud anti-war singer’s hair may be gone, his vocal acuity is breathtaking once again. After taking a couple of songs to get primed, Garfunkel’s unmistakable voice carried beautifully during “Perfect Moment.” He later stated his top five favorite singers, then sang a hit from one of them—Randy Newman’s “Real Emotional Girl.”
Garfunkel also read prose poetry including pieces dedicated to Jack Nicholson and his son Beau. He read another poem to a nine-year old version of himself: “Life is a fabulous mystery. You must be kind to people and remember that singing brings joy.” From 8:10-9:40 Friday night, he brought that joy, massaging souls with the melodic caress of his voice. The evening concluded with a version of “Bridge Over Troubled Water” that launched the audience onto its feet, whistling and catcalling to the adoring singer.
It is hard to imagine a singer as soothing and comfortably familiar as Art Garfunkel. His voice is a national treasure that was on full display in Poughkeepsie Friday night. If you get the chance, do not pass up the opportunity to catch this living legend.
It was a seated show at Dazzle jazz except for the eccentric 
“Ride to You,” a song of longing, off their new album was a true highlight. Washburn’s voice and intonation adding gravity to the composition. Béla then stepped off to the side of the stage and performed a solo, captivating the audience and treating those left of center.
Fleck came out alone to start the second set, dedicating a medley improv including portions of “Caravan” and “Big Country,” to his teachers who were in the audience; Marc Horowitz and Bill Keith, of whom Fleck added, “Without them, I’d be nothing.” Washburn joined shortly after, the two speaking to their individual banjo playing styles – Washburn, utilizing the clawhammer style with its African roots and Fleck with the three-finger style honed by Earl Scruggs and many others – combining for a truly pleasant binary-banjo sound. “Bring me my Queen” with lyrics “She takes all my love, all my notions, tears them all down to the ground. Oh, bring me my queen,” shared the dual nature of love, the pains and needs that come with territory.
Growing up in the 70’s and 80’s, the popular music of that time was an eclectic mix for certain. The politically driven folk type songs of the 60’s were being replaced with a fun mix of Motown disco and R&B, a new wave of synthesized pop, Southern and hard rock, a cross over at times from country radio and adult contemporary to the top 40, heavy metal and punk rock bands, and a taste of what we commonly refer to today as rap. During this time we also saw an influx of pop and rock from across the pond. These English artists brought to us some amazing music, and a culture all their own. Vinyl albums were purchased for their artwork, and listened to from start to finish introducing listeners to not only the popular music, but the B side which many times was as good if not better than those songs chosen for release by the record companies. It was a pleasure being able to grow up during this era and be open to listening to so many genres of music. Trying to pick just one favorite during this time period is near to impossible. However there are several favorites that come to mind, one being 
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Breaking Benjamin just kept the flow of the night going and just jammed out song after song. Ben asked the crowd “so how do you like the acoustic stuff?” The fans cheered with acceptance which brought a big smile to Ben’s face. BB then went into the song “Blow Me Away”. The crowd sang every word to every song of the night so far which prompted Ben to say how much he loved the crowd here in Clifton Park. He then told the fans that we are going to play some stuff off our first album -“Water” then played through the venue.
After a very short exit from the stage. Breaking Benjamin gave the fans not only one more song, but how about a four song encore. They started with a cover of the Nirvana song “Polly”. Before the last encore song of the night “Rain” Ben stated again how f’in amazing the crowd was.