August is amazing month at Arts Garage.
Russell Malone is one of today’s most commanding and versatile guitarists. He has performed and recorded with some of the highest profile artists including Diana Krall, Gladys Knight, Aretha Franklin, B.B. King, Natalie Cole, David Sanborn, Shirley Horn, Christina Aguilera, Harry Connick, Jr., Ron Carter, and Sonny Rollins.
21 Blue stars, Longineu Parsons and Ted Shumate, have played with the legendary list of performers and have been described as “Professional, classy, smooth, sophisticated and urbane,” by Jazz& Blues Florida Magazine.
And the dynamic duo of jazz, Stephanie Nakasian and Hot O’Brien, have been lauded by the New York Times for their impeccable style that runs the gamut from easygoing ballads to soft, Brazilian scat singing, and punchy pep songs.
With the continued success of Theatre at Arts Garage’s presentation of Beyond the Rainbow: Garland at Carnegie, two Judy Garland inspired special events are being showcased.
A panel discussion about Judy Garland’s impact on film is a special partnership with the Ft. Lauderdale Film Festival. The event will be hosted byWLRN radio host, Caroline Breder-Watts.
The other special event is a radio play presentation of A Star is Born. This will be the first production of a new initiative called, Arts Garage Radio Theatre.
“From Orson Welles and the thrilling Mercury Theatre broadcasts of the 1930’s to Guy Noir and the hilarity of A Prairie Home Companion, the radio play has been one of America’s most beloved art forms,” explained Lou Tyrell. “Classic scripts from the heyday of radio will be performed live, with performers utilizing specially designed sound effect devices, providing a nostalgic trip to the past with a modern twist.”
In keeping with the nostalgic yet modern theme, Arts Garage is proud to introduce the Swing All-Stars Dance and Concert, which features a band of legendary musicians who will get everyone on the dance floor. And two left feet is not an excuse, because Arts Garage is hosting a free dance class one hour prior to the show.
“This is the best damn swingin’ band I’ve ever seen. It’s a great combination of jazz musicians who know just how to swing the music for dancers,” said
Isidor (Izzy) Shniadorski Instructor, Event Organizer at South Florida Lindy Exchange (SOFLEX), Swing Out South Florida, Sing Affair South Florida.
Every event this month is a must experience, so get your tickets now!
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For tickets www.artsgarage.org
8/1-8/11 Theatre at ArtsGarage | Beyond the Rainbow: Garland at Carnegie Hall by William Randall Beard | Wed-Fri, 7:30pm | Sat, 2pm | Sun, 7pm
Featuring 24 of Garland’s greatest hits, including “Get Happy,” “That’s Entertainment,” “The Trolley Song,” and of course, “Over the Rainbow,” this is an unforgettable musical portrait of a child actor turned Hollywood star who captivated a nation with her spectacular talent and tumultuous life.
Tickets: $30-$40
Sat 8/3 Special Event | Swing All-Stars Dance and Concert
7pm FREE Swing Dance Class with Izzy Shniadoski
8pm Swing All-Stars
Bring your dancing shoes and swing the night away on the Arts Garage dance floor with the high-energy, finger-poppin’, high-steppin’ live band, featuring renowned talent including celebrated jazz vocalist Brenda Alford, legendary saxophonist/entertainer Jesse Jones Jr., one of the finest jazz pianists in South Florida Mike Orta,, the great base player Paul Shewchuk and Kevin Campfield, a great swinging drummer and jazz vocalist.
$25, open seating in advance, no tables. $5 more at the door.
Tue, 8/6, 7:30pm Special Film Event | Judy Garland: A Life on Film
Inspired by our summer production Beyond the Rainbow, this special presentation uses film clips and a panel discussion to examine the amazing performances of the legendary Judy Garland. From her iconic performance in The Wizard of Oz to her dramatic late career work in Judgment at Nuremberg and A Child is Waiting, the evening will provide a comprehensive look at one of the most beloved entertainers of all time.
Presented by Arts Garage in partnership with the Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival, a portion of the proceeds will benefit FLIFF . The evening will be hosted and moderated by Caroline Breder-Watts, film historian and midday host of 91.3 WLRN and Rob Davis.
Tickets $12
Sat 8/10 Jazz Project | Stephanie Nakasian and the Hod O’Brien Trio
Performing together for over 30 years, Nakasian and O’Brien have entertained audiences all around the world as featured artists. Pianist O’Brien brings spirited tempos and seasoned pure style as he sets the standard from ballads to bebop, along with Nakasian, who evokes Fitzgerald and Vaughan, and their daughter, jazz singing sensation Veronica O’Brien.
Tickets $25-$35, $5 more at the door.
Thurs 8/15| 7:30 p.m| Arts Garage Radio Theatre presents A Star is Born
Inspired by Arts Garage’s summer production of Beyond the Rainbow, the Arts Garage Radio Theatre brings to life one of Judy Garland’s most famous films. As aspiring actress Vicki Lester rises to stardom, her once famous husband Norman Maine sinks into a downward spiral of alcoholism and obscurity.
Tickets $15, $5 more at the door
Fri, 8/16, 7pm Special Event | …AND ALL THAT JAZZ!!!
The League of Women Voters and Arts Garage invite you to an exciting evening of music, wine, food and dancing to breathtaking jazz of the Charmaine Forde Band.
Proceeds will benefit the outstanding work that the League to educate ALL the citizens of Palm Beach County. The goal of this evening is simple: See old friends make new ones and have fun!!
Tickets are $75 each or $125 per couple.
Sat 8/17, 8pm| Garage Blues | 21 Blue
Blues for the 21st century, featuring Longineu Parsons and Ted Shumate, that will take you from Louis Armstrong to Howlin’ Wolf to Miles Davis to Jimi Hendrix and beyond. Parsons has been hailed by critics internationally as one of the world’s finest trumpet players. He also performs on recorder, flute, percussion and is a vocalist. Acclaimed worldwide, guitarist Ted Shumate has performed and recorded with some of the most famous musicians in the history of jazz and blues.
Tickets are $25–$35 in advance, $5 more at the door.
Sat 8/23, 8pm| Jazz Project | Amandah Jantzen
An enthusiastic and charismatic performer who is also subtle and refined, Jantzen is on her way to becoming a major name in the overlapping worlds of jazz, cabaret and classic American pop music. She has the rare ability to reinterpret standards and make vintage songs sound fresh, new and topical. Her warm voice and swinging style, combined with a large repertoire, result in consistently memorable performances. She is never shy about embracing melodies and lyrics from the Great American Songbook, bringing out the hidden beauty in both, but her renditions are never predictable.
Tickets $25-35, $5 more at the door.
Sat 8/24 , 8pm| Jazz Project | Linda Witsell
Linda Witsell continues her traditions of communing and jamming on straight-ahead jazz and contemporary styles. Linda is something of an inconspicuous insurgent in the regional jazz kingdom. Her adeptness on flute is sweet and particularly outspoken. She’s got big, healthy, highly individual ideas on flute, about how to push jazz beyond its own boundaries.
Tickets: $25-$35, $5 more at the door
Mon, 8/26, 7:30pm Summer Theatre Reading Fest | Off Center of Nowhere by David Sirois
Explore the arts and the cultural community with Arts Garage, WLRN and South Florida Theatre League with a reading of a play by a South Florida playwright.
Tickets are $10
Fri, 8/30, 7:30pm Jazz Project | Michelle Manzo
A singer who is dedicated to jazz, Michelle Manzo has a warm voice, a four-octave range, she puts her heart into every word she sings, and she has a unique and individual sound. With her many musical influences she has proven to be extremely versatile in taking many different musical directions.
Tickets: $25-$35, $5 more at the door
Sat, 8/31, 8pm Jazz Project | Russell Malone
One of the most commanding and versatile guitarists performing, Malone can move from blues to gospel to pop to R&B and jazz without hesitation. Named the Jazz Journalists Association Guitarist of the Year in June 2011, he has played on three Grammy-nominated albums with renowned vocalist and pianist Diana Krall and has also been a regular performer with Harry Connick Jr.
“Not only is his swing headlong, but his ideas don’t stop coming.”- New York Times
Tickets: $25-$45, $5 more at the door
SEPTEMBER 2013
Fri, 9/6, 8pm Jazz Project | Kenny Drew, Jr. ($25-35) PHOTO
An American jazz
Sat, 9/7, 9pm, Urban Underground | Dutch with Plaid Blazer ($10-15) PHOTO
Hip hop recording artist Dutch brings his brand of street-edged, lyric-laced eclectic hip hop, dance and club compositions as the headliner with Arts Garage house collective band Plaid Blazer. Opening set by J Savvy.
Sat, 9/14, 8pm Jazz Project | Sammy Figueroa ($25-35) PHOTO
Figueroa has long been regarded as a great musician, equally comfortable in a multitude of styles, from R&B, rock, pop and bebop to Latin, Brazilian and New Age, and has twice been nominated for Grammy Awards. As one of the world’s leading percussionists he has played on countless records, providing the rhythmical framework for hundreds of hits.
Fri, 9/20 Kiki Sanchez | Jazz Project ($25-35) PHOTO
Sanchez is a multi-dimensional musician, a master of both Latin rhythm and the musical language of jazz. A formidable piano player, he has collaborated with many bands and top studio musicians in the South Florida area, and also has been honored for his work as performer, arranger and producer on two Grammy Award nominated albums.
Sat, 9/21, 8pm Barrelhouse Chuck | Garage Blues ($25-35) PHOTO
Barrelhouse Chuck draws on a distinguished lineage to create a blues, boogie-woogie and barrelhouse piano style that places him at the forefront of a celebrated tradition. Grammy Award nominee, and BMA Pinetop Perkins Piano Player of the Year nominee, Chuck is the only Chicago blues pianist to have studied under Sunnyland Slim, Pinetop Perkins, Blind John Davis, Detroit Junior and Little Brother Montgomery.
Fri, September 27, 8pm Jazz Project | Arturo O’Farrill/Phoenix Rivera ($25-35) PHOTO
O’Farrill is a world-renowned, Grammy Award-winning pianist, composer, educator and creator of the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra (ALJO), which brings the vital musical traditions of Afro Latin jazz to appreciative audiences. He teams with Rivera, Latin funk and fusion jazz drummer who excels at fusing original rhythms with a New York sound.
Sat, 9/28, Jazz Project | Uri Gurvich ($25-35) PHOTO
Critically acclaimed saxophonist, bandleader, and composer, Gurvich blends the sinuous sounds of the Middle East and Hebraic folk melodies with thoughtful harmonies and brawny rhythms to create a unique jazz experience. “It’s meta-world jazz, and it’s breathtaking.” Washington City Paper
OCTOBER 2013
Fri, 10/4, 8pm Jazz Project |Antonio Adolfo ($25-35) PHOTO
Adolfo is an award-winning pianist, composer, educator and arranger who is internationally known and respected as a guardian and promoter of Brazilian heritage and cultural initiatives.
Sat, 10/5, 8pm Garage Blues | Grand Marquis ($25-35) PHOTO
Classic, timeless straight-from-the-Kansas City-speakeasy sound—hot,swinging jazz and jumping blues. Their distinct and refreshing versatility has been developed over the last 14 years of playing together and is what placed them as finalists in the 2011 International Blues Challenge.
Fri, 10/11, 8pm Jazz Project | Nicole Henry ($25-35) PHOTO
One of the jazz world’s most acclaimed vocalists, whose expressive, soulful voice and uplifting energy has earned her three top 10 albums along with international accolades from Moscow to Madrid. “Nicole Henry emerges hands down as this generation’s First Lady of Jazz.”—Huffington Post
Sat, 10/12, 8pm Jazz Project | Jonathan Kreisberg( $25-35)PHOTO
Guitarist and composer Kreisberg is a major voice on the international jazz scene, and has worked in the bands of many jazz greats including Lee Konitz, Joe Locke and Dr. Lonnie Smith. “There can be no doubting that this guitarist is a major talent … the future of jazz guitar in the worthy hands of Jonathan Kreisberg” – Jazz Chicago
Fri, 10/18, 8pm Jazz Project | Michelle Amato ($25-35) PHOTO
A dynamic vocalist who conveys the deep passion of a lyric, and whose voice soars effortlessly through the stratosphere, she has performed and recorded with a diverse array of artists, including Liza Minelli, Al Green, Jon Secada, Donna Summer, Michael McDonald, Ira Sullivan, Celia Cruz, Rita Marley and world-renowned composer Yanni.
Fri, 10/25, 8pm Jazz Project | Jeff Harnar | Cabaret ($25-35) PHOTO
Winner of the 2012 Noel Coward Foundation Cabaret Award, recording artist Harnar is known for his critically acclaimed engagements at The Algonquin Hotel’s Oak Room, Feinstein’s at The Regency, The Metropolitan Room and most recently at Birdland and Iridium. “The most important male cabaret performer since Michael Feinstein”—The New York Times
Sat, 8pm, 10/26, Jazz Project | Troy Roberts
Hailing from the remote location of Perth, West Australia, saxophonist and composer Troy Roberts has won four consecutive Downbeat Jazz Soloist Awards, two consecutive West Australian Music Industry Awards was the only Australian finalist in the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Saxophone Competition, received his first Grammy Nomination Medal, and has shared the stage with greats such as Sammy Figueroa, James Morrison, Stephen Scott, Slide Hampton, Bobby Sparks, Jeff Hamilton and John Clayton.
NOVEMBER 2013
Sat, 11/2, 8pm Garage Blues | Tomcat Blake ($25-35) PHOTO
Rock ‘n’ roll for your bluesy soul. Known for his particular guitar phrasing and percussive rhythm style, Blake learned the blues by direct transmission from the great pre-war bluesmen Henry Townsend.
Sat, 11/9, 8pm Jazz Project | Nancy Kelly ($25-35) PHOTO
With refined stage presence, style, and the ability to quickly capture the emotions of
her audience, Kelly’s vocal style is a study in phrasing, style and swing. She was twice named Best Female Jazz Vocalist in the Down Beat Readers’ Poll. “If swing was gold, Nancy Kelly would be the richest woman on earth”—jazzreview.com
Fri, 11/22, 8pm Garage Blues | Doug Bell & Bellevue Cadillac ($25-35) PHOTO
Singer-songwriter Bell plays guitar, ukulele and piano and is the front man and bandleader of the all-American, all original Bellevue Cadillac, whose sound is a unique blend that Rolling Stone coined “Jazz, gospel, blues and soul, swing on top of rock & roll.”
Fri, 11/29, 8pm Jazz Project | Billy Stritch |Cabaret ($25-35) PHOTO
An award-winning composer, arranger, vocalist, and jazz pianist of extraordinary range and sophistication, Stritch breathes new life into the Great American Songbook. “Equally gifted as a player and a singer, and doing both with no-holds-power, Stritch is not afraid to dazzle!” — London Times
Sat, 11/30. 8pm Jazz Project | Drew Tucker ($25-35) PHOTO
Elegant and refined vibraphonist/percussionist Tucker returns with his globe-spanning ensemble to present an audiophile’s dream of high-minded jazz tinged with basement soul and glossed with street sophistication.
DECEMBER 2013
Thu, 12/5, 7:30pm OPENING NIGHT
Garage Players | Fame | Pre-professional Production GRAPHIC
Fri, 12/6 7:30pm | Sun, 12/8, 7:30pm |Fri, 12/13, 7:30pm | Sat, 12/14 2pm, 12/15 2pm, 7:30pm ($20-30)
Based on the 1980 movie, the play follows a group of performing arts students as they learn to master their craft and grow up alongside each other, rising to the various challenges that face them.
Sat, 12/7, 7pm Benefit Event | Grunge & Glamour Goes Latin ($TBD) WOO GRAPHIC
An unforgettable eclectic night with a Latin flair– full of music, passion, fun, food and drink. All proceeds from this event, hosted by Arts Garage Guild, benefit Arts Garage programming and education initiatives.
Fri, 12/20, 8:00pm | Sat, 12/21, 8pm | Sun, 12/22, 7pm Jazz Project | Dr. Lonnie Smith ($25-35) PHOTO
A true musical genius, Smith has won a plethora of critics’ polls as the world’s master of the Hammond B-3 organ, and was inducted into the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame and the Jazz Organ Fellowships Hall of Fame, and also named the Organ Keyboardist of the Year in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008, and 2009 by the Jazz Journalist Association.|
Fri, 12/ 27 Urban Underground |Eric Biddines ($10-$15)
Hip hop recording artist Eric Biddines will be bringing planetcoffeebean to you in a form rarely seen. This evening will feature live instrumentation and new songs from newest album planetcoffeebean 2, along with some select fan favorites. A definite must attend for new and old followers as Eric presents his most honest and intimate experience yet.
Sat 12/28 8pm Jazz Project | Melton Mustafa/Jesse Jones, Jr. ($25-35) PHOTO
Saxophonist Jesse Jones Jr. and his brother, Melton Mustafa, who is one of the great trumpet players of our time, have been a driving force in music for over 20 years. Jones and Mustafa have defined the Miami jazz sound and are at the forefront of the burgeoning jazz renaissance in south Florida.