PORT TOWNSEND — Jim Nyby will perform at the Candlelight Concerts series at 7 p.m. Thursday.
The series, at Trinity United Methodist Church, 609 Taylor St. in Port Townsend, also is simulcast on KPTZ FM 91.9 and streams at www.trinityumcpt.org.
The concert is free, although a donation of $15 per person is requested.
Half of the proceeds from the concert will go to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, whose mission is to empower families and individuals living with mental illness to better understand and cope with the special challenges posed by this kind of illness.
Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. Masks are encouraged for in-person attendees.
The program features a selection of blues, ballads, folk and gospel songs.
Nyby, a singer and pianist, has performed in the Port Townsend area for the past 25 years.
Nyby will play the church’s Czechoslovakian Petrof Grand Piano and will be joined by his wife, vocalist Kellie Nyby, and Baila Dworsky on vocals and guitar.
Nyby began his musical career by plunking around on the family piano at a young age.
“I have a very early memory of my brother Mike playing piano in the living room for my dad one night,” Nyby said. “He mostly plays guitar, but on this occasion, Mike was picking out Tennessee Waltz on the piano, one of dad’s favorites. I remember the emotion in that room, the satisfaction and the mystery that the simple chord progression of the song created. I think at that moment, subconsciously I knew I wanted to be part of that.”
Nyby had a long-running gig performing weekly at the Ajax Café, played with Joel Levy’s Café Combo, and he currently plays with Andy Koch’s Badd Dog Blues Society, Sagebrush Honky Tonk Band.
He also plays saxophone with The Unexpected Brass Band.
