PORTSMOUTH — Jazz singer Tish Adams asked the dozen or so young children before her if they had ever found a quarter while playing outside.

“Sometimes when you get money that you don’t expect, they call it ‘Pennies from Heaven,’ and that’s the name of the next song,” said Adams, who performed at Greenvale Vineyards Thursday for its annual Jazz for Kids program, which is part of the Newport Winter Festival.

“The theme of it is,” Adams continued, “if you’re having a bad day, things are going wrong, don’t worry; it will work out because there are always pennies from heaven. If they’re not actual pennies, it will be good news or something nice.”

Adams and her band — drummer Rick Wells, saxophonist Dennis Cook, and keyboardist Yvonne Monnett — had the attention of the young tykes, who danced, sang and even did the “Ring Around the Rosie” while being introduced to many tunes from the Great American Songbook.

Sometimes, Adams threw the crowd a curveball, like the time she called for the theme song of a popular animated TV series from the ‘60s.

“Hey, I’m going to sing you a song about Fred Flintstone and his family. Are you ready?” she asked her young fans. 

And when it came time to yell — “WILMAAAAAAA!!” — she made sure they all joined in.