Toes were tapping and heads were nodding as Thomasville Entertainment Foundation kicked off its 2017-18 concert series last Thursday.

Chris Brubeck’s Triple Play, an incredible blues/jazz/folk trio, rocked the Thomasville Center for the Arts for some two hours with a diverse play list, ranging from Tin Pan Alley standards to Delta blues to original tunes. To borrow a phrase from a previous Los Angeles Times review of Triple Play, the concert was a rollicking good time, and audience members were generous with both their applause and reactions.

Employing a varied cadre of musical instruments — piano, jaw harp, acoustic guitar, harmonica (actually a large collection of different harmonicas), electric ukulele, bass trombone, various percussion pieces (think kazoo and duck call) and electric bass, among others — Chris Brubeck, Joel Brown and Peter “Madcat” Ruth displayed the heart and soul of Southern sharecroppers worshipping at the altar of the Mississippi Delta.

As wonderful as the concert was in an intimate concert hall with excellent acoustics, one could almost imagine the night as part of an impromptu jam session in a ramshackle juke joint on the banks of Lake Pontchartrain, with three unusually gift musicians interpreting uniquely American music and art forms with cool jazz, catchy scat-singing, hot syncopation and soulful, mournful rhythmic vocals.

The resulting performance brought together well satisfied music lovers from pre-teens to several well into their 90s, and every age in between.

Highlights from the program could comprise almost the entire set list, but a few very special works included “New Stew, Opus 2,” “Blue Rondo a la Turk,” “Unsquare Dance,” “Mississippi Hesitation” and a hauntingly beautiful piano and harmonica homage to Chopin.

The performance marked the fourth Thomasville appearance for Brubeck, Ruth and Brown, and the highly sought-after ensemble took several opportunities to pay tribute to Thomasville Entertainment Foundation during its 80th anniversary.

“It’s so good to be back in Thomasville,” Brubeck said, opening the concert, “and we congratulate TEF on its 80th anniversary.”

“With all that’s going on in the world, thank God we have music as a refuge,” he added. “We feel very fortunate to be three musicians, playing on a beautiful night, in a beautiful hall, for beautiful people.”

Triple Play even shared an original ballad inspired by one of their previous TEF appearances here, “The Road to Thomasville,” highlighting the area’s hunting plantations, moss-laden canopy roads and cotton fields.

“We’ve played that song all over the country and around the world,” Brown said, “but there’s something special about performing it here.”

After many such popular TEF concerts, readers of the Times-Enterprise and Facebook members express regret at having missed the performance. If you’re feeling that way today, there is some good news.

As happens frequently throughout each season, TEF’s public radio partner, WFSU, recorded the season opener for later broadcast on WFSL-FM 90.7 in Thomasville and WFSQ-FM 91.5 in Tallahassee; details and dates will be announced later in the season.

More than 80 years in, Thomasville Entertainment Foundation continues to impact this region’s quality of life with its series of classical and variety concerts by world class artists and ensembles, its recently implemented series of family performances and events aimed at younger audiences and its outreach and education efforts to expose students to quality arts programming and support and encourage exceptionally talented students in the arts through scholarships and travel awards.

For more information on its mission, its programs and its engagement or ways to support the organization, visit www.TEFconcerts.com or call (229) 226-7404.