UPPER LAKE, Calif. — The great jazz trio of Robert Kennedy on the Hammond organ, Nancy Wright on sax and Scott Foster on guitar kick off the 17th season of informal Concerts with Conversation in the Meeting House next to the Tallman Hotel in Upper Lake on Sunday, Dec. 10, starting at 3 p.m.

The opening trio has made beautiful music separately and together for many years in the Bay Area.

Robert Kennedy is an accomplished pianist and accordionist but is best known as a Hammond organ virtuoso. He played piano in the Stanford Jazz Band and has lived and worked in the SF Bay Area since 1988. He has recorded two CDs on the Hammond organ and played with the SF Jazz Monday Night Band and at all the major Bay Area jazz venues.

Sax mistress Nancy Wright needs no introduction to Lake County music fans as she’s performed here at the Blue Wing Blues Festival, the Soper-Reese Theatre and a variety of other venues. She has recorded and performed in the U.S. and abroad with artists including John Lee Hooker, B. B. King, Elvin Bishop, Joe Louis Walker, and Commander Cody and she now has her own “Rhythm and Roots” Band.

A graduate of the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Scott Foster is an active performer as leader of his own trio and quartet and as a sideman with many local groups.

Tickets for the opening concert in the series can be purchased at Eventbrite.com or by calling the Tallman Hotel at 707-275-2244, Extension 0.

Here is a summary of the wide variety of music and conversation in store in the upcoming Tallman series:

Sunday, Jan. 21: This will be a rousing afternoon of music with the dynamic pianist Steve Lucky and the vibrant guitarist, vocalist and entertainer Carmen Getit. It will be a lively mix of jump blues, swing, jazz and rare gems from the ’30s, ’40s and ’50s.

Sunday, Feb. 18: The Joe and Hattie Craven Show. Enjoy a performance of rearranged pop songs for the folk tradition with stunning vocalist Hattie Craven supported by her father, award winning multi-instrumentalist story-teller and musical educator Joe Craven.

Sunday, March 17, St. Patrick’s Day: Celtic harp songs and stories with Patrick BallC. Now residing in Ireland, Patrick is famous for rekindling the fire and wonder of Irish storytelling while playing his ancient, brass-strung traditional Irish harp.

Sunday, April 21 (outside in the garden): The “Joni Mitchell Situation.” Vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Kate Foley-Beining performs the ballads, art songs and jazz of Joni Mitchell backed by guitarist Christian Foley-Beining, bassist Tom Shader, drummer Kendrick Freeman and special guest, the unparalleled Paul McCandless on sax. Weather permitting, this final show of the season will be outside in the garden.

Coffee and cookies are served to guests at all of these shows and the Tallman is offering a 10% discount on hotel bookings that weekend for people purchasing concert tickets.