SARAH VAUGHAN: A SASSY CENTENNIAL
Featuring Patti Austin, Randy Brecker, Lisa Fischer and 2023 Sarah Vaughan Vocal Competition Winner Tyreek McDole with Shelly Berg and the Frost School of Music’s Henry Mancini Institute Orchestra and its resident conductor, Scott Flavin
This celebration of the versatile and widely influential jazz singer Sarah Vaughan, whose nicknames included Sassy and the Divine Sarah, will find talented admirers performing her music in front of a full orchestra. “Among the singers of her generation, only Ella Fitzgerald enjoyed comparable stature,” The New York Times wrote of Vaughan, whose hits included “It’s Magic,” “What Lola Wants” and “Make Yourself Comfortable.”
Tickets: $40.00 ~ $130.00
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SINNE EEG & TIVOLI BIG BAND
A Tribute to Tivoli’s Jazz History with Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan
Tivoli’s Big Band and Sinne Eeg celebrate Tivoli’s rich jazz history and pay tribute to three of jazz’s greatest artists who performed regularly on Tivoli’s stages in the 1950s, 60s and 70s.
Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald visited the Tivoli numerous times over those three decades, and another of jazz’s greatest voices, Sarah Vaughan, recorded her personal masterpiece, “Sassy Swings The Tivoli,” in 1963, with none other than Quincy Jones as producer.
Tivoli’s Big Band and Sinne Eeg delve into the rich repertoire from Ella Fitzgerald’s “Duke Ellington Songbook” album and recreate for the first time a handful of the titles from “Sassy Swings The Tivoli” in newly written big band arrangements. Inspired by how Quincy Jones might have written them, these arrangements are created by Tivoli’s Grammy-nominated bandmaster and house arranger Peter Jensen.
DKK 195.00 ($28.21) ~ DKK 325.00 ($47.02) Includes ticket fee and entrance to Tivoli Gardens.
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JIVA
The Sous Vide Trio opens the night of great music with a 30 minute set. This will be followed with the headliner consisting of the 10-piece Soul band JIVA returns with an amazing performance. They will be performing their unique blend of upbeat soul and Brazilian-inspired songs.
Cleveland Jones, Lavahi and Chanda Leigh will be the singers on the show.
Cover Charge: $20.00 Adv | $25.00 at Door
Doors @ 7:30pm | Show @ 8:00pm
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The Jazz Voyager
The Jazz Voyager is heading west once again to the Los Angeles/San Fernando Valley where film producer Mack Sennett built his studio lot on twenty acres in 1927 and subsequently where the surrounding area became known as Studio City. It is there that I will be entertained at The Baked Potato jazz club. This small storied venue offers up an array of its namesake and world class jazz.
I’ll be flying in a day early to visit LA’s Natural History Museum, a nostalgic architecture drive-by of the Brady Bunch house and for some stargazing at the Griffith Observatory. This weekend performance heating up the stage is by six time Grammy winner, pianist and composer Billy Childs. A recipient of several commissions he has worked with orchestras and symphonies, as well as leading his ouw groups.
The Baked Potato is located at 3787 Cahuenga Boulevard, Studio City, CA 91604. For more information visit https://www.thebakedpotato.com.
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JOHNNY O’NEAL TRIO
After more than 45 years as a professional pianist, vocalist and entertainer, Johnny O’Neal has earned the title of “master” with fellow musicians and audiences around the world. Highlights of his awe-inspiring career include stints with Ray Brown, Milt Jackson and Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, as well as a Carnegie Hall debut in 1985 on solo piano opening for Oscar Peterson and induction into the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame in 1998. While playing with Blakey, he accompanied some of the great jazz divas, including Sarah Vaughan and Carmen McRae. O’Neal has also been tapped for appearances by Dizzy Gillespie, Joe Pass, Nancy Wilson, Anita O’Day, Lionel Hampton, Kenny Burrell, Sonny Stitt, Benny Golson, Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis and Clark Terry, among others.
Performances in Canada, Europe, Australia, Japan, China, Israel and South Africa have gained him an international following, and he is beloved by audiences around the U.S. Yet, he remains a fixture on the New York jazz scene, regularly playing in local clubs or stopping by a jam session to check out the young talent. A stint in his band has become a coveted apprenticeship among young players, comparable to that of Betty Carter or Art Blakey. He is the tie that binds the classic jazz traditions to the evolution of the form, making him legendary in his own right.
The Detroit native considers himself a piano player first, but was encouraged to sing in his sets more by Joe Williams. He recalls Williams advising him, “If you’ve got it, flaunt it!” Astonishingly, he is largely self-taught. His playing evokes the influences imbued in him by his idols Oscar Peterson and Art Tatum, with a nod to bebop master Barry Harris (who first heard O’Neal play as a teenager in Detroit). He has reshaped these elements into his own very swinging and melodic approach.
In live performances, he is apt to catch his audience off-guard with his blues shouting, soulfully rendered yet unpretentious vocalizations or seemingly effortless scatting. No two sets are ever alike. O’Neal explains, “I’m a tune guy. I know 1,500 songs. My father was a pianist and singer who emphasized that learning lyrics creates dynamics and a better interpretation of melody. I rehearse so that the bassist, drummer and I can get familiar with each other’s styles—not to set the songs we’ll play.”
Cover: $25.00 ($3.50 fee)
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