Author: mitchmuse

Global communicator, Journalism, Entrepreneur, Web editor, Blogger, Freelance writer, Jazz enthusiast

Last chance! Auditions tonight for murder mystery dramedy “Night of January 16th”

Post author By mitchmuse
Post date November 17, 2009

Auditions for “Night of January 16th,” a murder mystery dramedy by Ayn Rand, will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Stone Canyon Elementary School, 7305 N. 177th East Ave. in Owasso (east on 76th street from Oklahoma State Highway 169).

A murder mystery with a twist, “Night of January 16th” by Ayn Rand, will keep audience members guessing. Who killed Bjorn Faulkner? You be the judge – no – you are the jury! Based on courtroom testimonies, drama, and comedy presented by the cast members, the guilt or innocence of the accused will actually be decided each performance by a jury selected from the audience.

Many adult male and females needed. No preparation is required for auditions. Performances will be Thursday, Jan. 21 through Saturday Jan. 23, 2010. Directed by George Romero. For more info, go to www.octok.org, call (918)237-1656, or e-mail info@octok.org.

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Bluesman Bryan Lee releases “My Lady Don’t Love My Lady” this week

Post author By mitchmuse
Post date October 27, 2009

Justin Times Records recently announced the release of Blues guitarist Bryan Lee. Titled “My Lady Don’t Love My Lady,” the compilation features a star-studded blues affair, featuring top tier, special guest performances by the legendary Buddy Guy; Kenny Wayne Shepherd, who was mentored by Bryan early in his career; pianist David Maxwell, who intuitive playing blends seamlessly with Bryan’s; and guitarist Duke Robillard, who also expertly produced the session at his studio in Rhode Island.
According to Lee’s bio, he was born in Two Rivers, Wis., and he completely lost his eyesight by the age of eight. His avid interest in early rock and blues was fostered through the 1950s by late night listening sessions via the Nashville-based radio station WLAC AM, where he first encountered the sounds of Elmore James, Albert King and Albert Collins. By his late teens, Lee was playing rhythm guitar in a regional band called The Glaciers that covered Elvis Presley, Little Richard and Chuck Berry material. In January 1982, Lee headed south to New Orleans and eventually landing a steady gig at the Old Absinthe House, where he became a favorite of tourists in the city’s French Quarter.
Lee’s been a regular at the Festival International de Jazz de Montreal (FIJM) since signing with the Montreal-based label in the early 1990s, and also performs regularly throughout Europe and North America.

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Mitch’s Reflection: The Whispers “Thankful”

Post author By mitchmuse
Post date October 21, 2009

Legendary R&B group The Whispers release their first gospel project “Thankful” this week on Kingdom Records. Grammy-winning gospel artist Fred Hammond lends his creative production skills to the project, along with the songwriting and vocal skills of Magic of Magic Muzik Productions Inc., Ralph Hawkins of ND Hawk Entertainment and Nicholas Caldwell of Heavens Gate and Unified Tribe.

“Working with The Whispers was truly a dream come true,” Hammond said in a news release. “I grew up listening to The Whispers and patterned a large part of my personal vocal style after, who have now become affectionately known as, uncles Scottie and Walker.”

The Whispers’ perfect, harmonious style is prevalent throughout the 10-track CD. Fans will appreciate up-tempo tracks such as “Praise His Holy Name” and the soft disco rhythm track of “In the Name of Jesus.” For a bit of Quiet Storm, The Whispers offers the track “For Thou Art With Me,” now viewed as a hit for Urban AC and gospel radio formats.

With almost 50 R&B chart singles, The Whispers are one of the most successful vocal groups in soul music history. The Grammy and American Music Award nominated ensemble has earned seven gold or platinum singles/albums, a 2002 NAACP Image Award and an induction into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2003.

Editor’s Note: Review CD was provided by record label.

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Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame honors inductees on Wednesday

Post author By mitchmuse
Post date October 21, 2009

The Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame presents the 21st Annual Induction Banquet Gala at 6 p.m. Wed. Oct. 21 at the Jazz Depot, 111 E. First Street, in Tulsa. There is a reception at 6 p.m., dinner at 7 p.m. and awards ceremony at 8 p.m. Tickets are $100 each, and dinner is catered by Just Catering by Orr. The black-tie fundraiser assists the Jazz Hall with educational programming.

The event’s theme is “Swinging All the Way Up,” which honors Oklahoma music all-stars such as the legendary western swing patriarch Bob Willis, the late former NBA player and jazz musician Wayman Tisdale, Steve Pryor, Dr. Stephen Wiley, Olivia Duhon and John C. Wooley.

There will be special musical performances by saxophonist Tom Braxton, members of Rockin Acoustic Circus, vocalist Brenda Johnson and Jazz Rhapsody Trio, Olivia Duhon, Steve Pryor and Dr. Stephen Wiley. The gala chair for 2009 is Regina Tisdale, and honorary gala co-chairs are Cassandra Gaines and Grady Nichols.

Tickets may be obtain by calling the Jazz Depot at (918)281-8600, (918) 281-8608 or (918) 281-8609 or online at MyTicketOffice.com.

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“Vanities” presented this weekend at VanTrease PACE Studio Theater

Post author By mitchmuse
Post date October 17, 2009

Jack Heifner’s Broadway production “Vanities” (directed by William Carter) will be presented at 8 p.m. today and 2 p.m. Sunday at VanTrease PACE Studio Theater, Tulsa Community College’s Southeast Campus, 10300 E. 81st S. in Tulsa, OK.

“Vanities” is a bittersweet comedy that chronicles the lives of three small-town Texas girls deal with personal upheavals of the 1960s, as dreams wither and friendship turns sour. In 1963, Joanne, Kathy and Mary are presented as aggressively vivacious cheerleaders. Five years later in their college sorority house, they are forced to confront their future. In 1974, they reunite briefly in New York. Their friendship, which thrived once on assumption, is strained and ambiguous. Their attempts at honest conversation show that times have changed and they can no longer have very much in common.

For ticket information, call (918) 595-7777.

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Sapulpa Community Theatre presents “Finders Creepers” this weekend

Post author By mitchmuse
Post date October 17, 2009

Sapulpa Community Theatre presents “Finders Creepers” by Donald Payton today though Sunday, Oct. 18 and Oct. 23-25. Show times are 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students. Reservations are required.

Directed by Sean Ballard, “Finders Creepers” is a Halloween show that features Hercules Nelson. His aunt and uncle invite he and his best friend Lucas to spend the weekend with them. With suitcases in hand, the boys arrive at Uncle Bob’s to discover that Uncle Bob is a mortician, and there’s a funeral scheduled on Monday. Well, it’s not long before things start happening in ways that would put most brave men to
flight.

Needless to say, the boys are terrified until they find out that Mr. Quigley, the corpse, isn’t dead. Someone tried to knock him off while he was sleeping so he devised a plan: he’d make his family think he was dead, then show up at his funeral and trap the guilty party. No doubt Mr. Quigley had a good plan and no doubt things would have ended peacefully, but there are two things he failed to consider … Lucas Maxwell and Hercules Nelson.

The Sapulpa Community Theatre is at 124 S Water St. in Sapulpa, OK. For more information, call (918)227-2169 or send an e-mail to stheatre@sbcglobal.net.

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Teacher Randy Barron to conduct arts education workshop in Oklahoma City

Post author By mitchmuse
Post date October 15, 2009

Randy Barron, a 25-year teacher specializing in arts education, will be in Oklahoma City Oct. 19-22, conducting teacher training at Wilson Elementary School in the Oklahoma City Public Schools District and at Highland Park School in the Mid-Del Schools District. The announcement was made today by Anita Arnold, executive director of Black Liberated Arts Center (BLAC) Inc.

Barron has conducted more than 100 professional development workshops and more than 75 in-school residencies in 23 states. Barron has written arts curriculum reaching more than 250,000 students in urban and rural school districts. He is a founding member and current curriculum coordinator for the Rio Gallinas School, an elementary charter school in Las Vegas that is focused on ecology and the arts.

As a professional dancer, Barron has choreographed, performed with and directed ballet and modern dance companies throughout the United States and Europe. He is a co-founder and former artistic director of City in Motion Dance Theater in Kansas City, Mo.

While in Oklahoma City, Barron will conduct the workshop, “Scientific Thought in Motion,” at Highland Park School and will spend three days coaching teachers at Wilson Elementary School. This is his third trip to Oklahoma City to work with classroom teachers.

This project, a part of BLAC Inc.’s arts education program, is funded in part by the Oklahoma Arts Council and the Oklahoma Department of Education.

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Clark Youth Theatre presents Shakespeare’s “As You Like It ”

Post author By mitchmuse
Post date October 11, 2009

Clark Youth Theatre presents Shakespeare’s “As You Like It” at 2 p.m. Oct. 11 and 25; and 7:30 p.m. Oct. 23-24 at Clark Theatre, 11440 E. Admiral Place in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The show is directed by Julie Tattershall.

Clark Theatre’s annual classic play for 2009 transports the audience to the mythical Forest of Arden, where they will follow the adventures of Rosalind, considered by many to be Shakespeare’s greatest female character. Forced to flee her evil uncle, she disguises herself as a boy and searches for her exiled father. Comedy and romance inevitably ensue. Containing Shakespeare’s classic “All the world’s a stage” monolog, “As You Like It” is one of his best-loved comedies.

Clark Theatre is a youth theater program and is part of the City of Tulsa Park and Recreation Department. Clark Theatre won the Tulsa Area Theatre Excellence award for Outstanding Youth Production for 2009. Tickets are $6 for students and seniors and $8 for adults. For more information, call (918) 669-6455 or (918) 746-5065, or go to clarktheatre.com. Watch the trailer:

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Vijay Iyer releases a bit of “Historicity”

Post author By mitchmuse
Post date October 11, 2009

In a recent news release, Vijay Iyer explains the word “historicity” as the simple fact of being placed in the stream of history — along with everything it may imply. The idea of today’s creations drawing from older sources compelled Iyer to title his new trio CD “Historicity.”
A presentation of interpretations of other composers’ material, “Historicity” explores tunes ranging from Leonard Bernstein to Andrew Hill to Stevie Wonder to M.I.A. Joining Iyer on this project is bassist Stephan Crump and drummer Marcus Gilmore.
Iyer has worked with a wide range of contemporary artists, including Steve Coleman, Roscoe Mitchell, Amiri Baraka, Wadada Leo Smith, Oliver Lake, Imani Uzuri, Dafnis Prieto, Karsh Kale, and John Zorn, composed pieces for classical ensembles including the string quartet ETHEL and Imani Winds, and scored film, dance and theater works. Iyer shares a bit about his project to fans via youTube.

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Heller Theatre to present “The Exonerated”

Post author By mitchmuse
Post date October 4, 2009

Heller Theatre will present the second show of the 2009-2010 season, “The Exonerated” by Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen. Performances will take place at 8 p.m. Oct. 23-24, 29-31 and 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 1. There will be talk-back sessions with the cast following the Friday evening performances. This will be the first production performed in the new theatre located in Henthorne Park, 4825 S. Quaker.
“Exonerated” tells the true stories of six former death row prisoners who were released from prison after their convictions were reversed. This drama examines their false accusations, wrongful convictions, and eventual exoneration. The cast includes Darrell Christopher, Liz Masters, Stephen Brown, Shrae Johnson, Ron Friedberg, Craig Walter, B.J. Johnson, Susan Dergoul, W. Bryan Thompson, Michael Remington and Kathern Shaine. George Romero directs, and the production is stage managed by Melissa Childs.
Admission is $8 for adults and $6 for seniors and college students. For more information, call (918) 746-5065, or go to www.hellertheatre.com.