British bard, Al Stewart, has been leaving his mark on the music world for nearly three decades. His distinctive voice and imaginative lyrics, telling the tales of history's more colorful people, places, and events, gained wide recognition in the mid-1970s, with the release of two hit albums, Year of the Cat and Time Passages. Al's music has undergone a crucial refining and shifting of gears with a return to his folk roots -- early in his career Al was a regular at London' s legendary club, les Cousines, where he shared evenings with acoustic artists Richard Thompson, Bert Jansch, and John Renbourn. These roots are apparent in Al's 1999 album, Between the Wars, a collection of sharply focused musical snapshots inspired by the turbulent times of Europe in the 1920s and 1930s. His recent album, Down in the Cellar (EMI) is another striking collection of songs marked by Al' s signature blend of good humor, sharp wit, and sincere emotion. Dave Nachmanoff performs an opening set and accompanies Al on guitar, mandolin, and accordion.