There is a version of Raul Midón’s career that should have made him a household name. Grammy nominations. Collaborations with Stevie Wonder, Herbie Hancock, and Bill Withers. A breakthrough album that Elton John called “a soul classic.” That it hasn’t is the music industry’s problem, not his — and if you need proof, catch him at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center in Great Barrington on October 10.
About the Show
Midón brings his Lost & Found Tour to the Mahaiwe in support of his 2024 album Lost & Found, his 14th studio record, self-produced and released on his own ReKondite ReKords label. “I’ve made the choice to do what I want,” he has said of working independently. The album moves through alt-pop, folk, and jazz; the lead single “Keep On Keeping On” premiered on The Jennifer Hudson Show in December 2023. The title track draws its inspiration from a recording of Bob Dylan reading his poem “Last Thoughts on Woody Guthrie” at Town Hall in New York, an origin story that tells you something about how seriously Midón takes the songwriter’s craft.
He is a two-time Grammy nominee in the Best Jazz Vocal Album category, recognized for Bad Ass and Blind in 2017 and If You Really Want in 2018. His major-label breakthrough, State of Mind (2004), produced by Arif Mardin, drew a direct endorsement from Elton John, who called it “a soul classic,” and praise from Quincy Jones: “his music makes you smile.” His collaborators include Herbie Hancock, Stevie Wonder, Terence Blanchard, and Sting. Blind since birth, he was named Disability Rights Ambassador of the Year in 2021.
What distinguishes his live performances: he plays guitar and bongos simultaneously while his voice moves from deep baritone to soaring falsetto. The New York Times reached for three names to describe what he sounds like — Stevie Wonder, Bobby McFerrin, and José Feliciano. Glide Magazine called his live work “a stunning display of veteran musicianship.”
Venue & Logistics
The show takes place in the Indigo Room at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center in Great Barrington, in the Hudson Valley. Café table seating makes for an intimate format, well-suited to an artist who has said he prefers theater spaces: “I think theaters are pretty ideal. It’s still a big audience, but it doesn’t have that far away feeling.” Showtime is 5:30 p.m.
Tickets
General Admission tickets are $49 plus processing fees. Buy tickets