Category: performances

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Helen Sung jazz performances tour United States

Pianist/Composer Helen Sung announces East Coast tour dates

Jazz pianist/composer Helen Sung

According to a recent news release, award-winning jazz pianist/composer Helen Sung has announced a run of East Coast tour dates, which will include the debut of her experiment with all things electric titled “Wired” at the 55 Bar in New York City on April 26 and May 25, 2011.  Other New York area dates include Sung with her trio at WBGO Radio’s “Jazz For Kids” series at the Montclair, N.J., Museum on April 16, 2011, presenting the program “I Got Rhythm, You Got Rhythm, We All Got Rhythm” with special guest tap dancer Maurice Chestnut. Sung will also perform in Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Chamber Jazz Series in Washington, D.C. on April 12, 2011.
Sung recently released a collection of re-worked jazz standards from the American songbook, titled (re)Conception.  Sung said in a release, “Nils Winther, owner of Steeplechase Records, called me on a Thursday in October 2009 asking if I’d like to do a trio recording session for him that coming Sunday: there’d been a cancellation. I’d done a couple of Steeplechase sessions before with other bands (Greg Tardy, Ronnie Cuber) and enjoyed them; besides, recording is always a terrific multi-faceted learning experience: producing, arranging, composing, the whole studio setting with its constellation of booths, mikes, the control room. Thus, I accepted this last minute opportunity.”
“I’ve always felt the American songbook is one the great proving grounds in jazz artistry,” Sung said. Referred to as “jazz standards”, these songs are timeless and have a strength that can withstand almost any type of treatment. For  more information on Sung’s tour dates, go to http://www.helensung.com/.




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Art Blakey jazz Oklahoma Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame performances tulsa United States

Jared Johnson, others honor longtime Tulsa jazz drummer Art Blakey on March 27, 2011

Art Blakey

The Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame will close out the month of March with a tribute to Tulsa jazz icon and drummer Art Blakey at 5 p.m. Sunday, March 27, 2011, at the Jazz Depot, 111 E. First Street (Upper Level) in Tulsa, OK.  Jared Johnson will lead some of Tulsa’s finest jazz musicians to honor this legendary jazz drummer.   

 Swinging the night away, the all-star cast includes trumpeter Jeff Shadley, tenor saxophonist Dr. Tommy Poole, bassist Jim Loftin, Scott McQuade on piano and Johnson on drums. Doors open at 4 p.m. General admission is $15 and front-row table seating is $20. For more information, call (918)  281-8609 or go online to http://purchase.tickets.com/buy/TicketPurchase?organ_val=2762&pid=6950615.
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Ailey II arts BLAC Inc. Black Liberated Arts Center Inc. Oklahoma Oklahoma City performances United States

Ailey II performance to bridge gaps in Oklahoma City

In a recent news release Anita Arnold, executive director of Black Liberated Arts Center (BLAC), Inc. announced that the 8:00 p.m. Ailey II performance on Saturday, March 26, 2011, at Douglass High School Auditorium in Oklahoma City has become a family engagement activity.  
“One of the common complaints we hear about lack of success in schools is that there is little or no parental involvement,” Arnold said. “As we contacted principals at Douglass High School, M. L. King, Wilson, and Highland Park Elementary Schools, for distribution of complimentary tickets to students made possible by one of the local foundations, it was suggested that this event could engage children and parents to bridge the gap between family and school.  We embraced the idea.” 
 The idea caught on quickly and the request for tickets quickly outpaced available tickets.  BLAC Inc. immediately extended their fundraising campaign to provide tickets to fill the requests.
 Hundreds of children and two members of their families will have an opportunity to see and meet the artists that perform with this world renowned dance company, in their community and in one of the local high schools.  
“It gives children a chance to dream and see new possibilities that they never imagined.  In some cases, it may be the light in a life filled with hopelessness,” Arnold said.  “We are happy to step forward to provide this service to our community.  It just might inspire a student to go on to a better future with parental support.”  
Family packets of 3 are available for $75, and 10 tickets may be purchased for $250 by persons or organizations interested in making a tax-deductible donation to sponsor families in the family engagement project.  Donors will be acknowledged in the printed program and by letter.
Ailey II will perform several well-known pieces such as “I Been Buked,” “Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel,”  “Fix Me, Jesus” “Rocka My Soul in the Bosom of Abraham” and “I Wanna Be Ready.”  General admission is $30, and tickets are on sale at Capitol Square Station, Charlie’s Jazz Rhythm and Blues Store, Hopkins Haircare, KM66, and Learning Tree Toys and Books.  $60 tickets for reserve seating and VIP reception may be purchased through BLAC Inc.  For more information on family packets, students, seniors and groups discounts, call BLAC Inc. at (405) 524-3800 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            (405) 524-3800      end_of_the_skype_highlighting.
This performance is made possible through funding from the Inasmuch Foundation and the Oklahoma Arts Council.

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Bartlesville blues fundraiser jazz music nonprofit Oklahoma performances rock United States

GNOTE to headline 9th annual All That Jazz Fundraiser on Feb. 19 in Bartlesville

GNOTE (from left): George Allen, Annette Peters and Toby Denton

GNOTE, a high energy trio that specializes in music from the 50s through today’s hits, will headline the 9th annual All That Jazz Fundraiser at 6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 19, 2011, at the Hillcrest Country Club, 1901 Price Road in Bartlesville, OK. Attendees will enjoy a reception featuring hors d’oeuvres and music by the Bartlesville High School Jazz Band at 6 p.m., dinner at 6:30 p.m., program at 7:45 p.m. and music by GNOTE from about 8:15-11:15 p.m. For ticket information, call (918) 336-6760.
GNOTE, consisting of group members George Allen, Annette Peters and Toby Denton, covers genres from R&B to country to rock-‘n’-roll to jazz as well as blues. Oklahoma Magazine selected the group as one of the Who’s Who of Oklahoma Entertainment in 2005.
All That Jazz is a fundraiser that supports the programs of the Westside Community Center (WCC) in Bartlesville. The Westside Community Center, founded in 1950 as a center for the black community, has enriched the lives of Bartlesville residents through the encouragement of self-motivation and self-reliance. The Westside Community Center also provides vital services and meets many needs that aren’t addressed by other local organizations. Although the center primarily serves minorities, low-income families, senior citizens and children who reside in the western sector of Bartlesville, membership is open to anyone who wishes to join and benefit from WCC programs.

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BLAC Inc. Black Liberated Arts Center Inc. contemporary jazz jazz Kirk Whalum Oklahoma Oklahoma City performances United States

“Kirk Whalum Plays Donnie Hathaway” on January 22 at Soul Food Dinner Theater in Oklahoma City

Kirk Whalum, smooth jazz saxophonist, music educator and songwriter, will perform on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2010, at the Petroleum Club in downtown Oklahoma City, OK.  A soul food buffet begins at 7 p.m., and the show starts at 8 p.m.
“It is not everyday that one has an opportunity to have a scrumptious meal and see an 11-time Grammy nominee perform live at the most elegant restaurant in their city,” Anita Arnold, executive director of Black Liberated Arts Center (BLAC), Inc. said in a news release.  Whalum is the opening act of BLAC Inc.’s 2011 season opener.

Whalum, born in Memphis, Tenn., grew up surrounded by music.  

“He was the son of a preacher man, Rev. Kenneth Whalum and wife, Helen,” Arnold said.  “Memphis was known as the R&B capital of the South during those days.”
In addition to singing in his father’s church choir, Whalum also learned to love music from his grandmother, Thelma Twigg Whalum, a piano teacher and two uncles, Wendell Whalum and Hugh “Peanuts” Whalum, who performed with jazz bands across the country.  
These influences proved lasting, as Kirk Whalum once told magazine “Ebony” in a 1994 profile: “The music I like to play and write encompasses the four elements I grew up with: Memphis R&B, gospel, rock and jazz.  The emphasis, though, is on melody, period.”  
In recent years, Whalum’s musical genius and experiences have led to him obtaining 11 Grammy nominations, becoming chief executive officer of Soulsville Foundation and other honors.  The Soulsville Foundation includes oversight responsibility for the STAX Museum of American Soul Music and the Soulsville Charter School of Memphis.
Cost is $70 for the dinner and show.  Tickets can be purchased at Capitol Square Station, Charlie’s Jazz Rhythm and Blues Store, Hopkins Haircare, KM66, and Learning Tree Toy Store or through BLAC Inc., all in Oklahoma City.  For more information, call (405) 524-3800.  The Oklahoma Arts Council and the Ad Astra Foundation are sponsors of this event.


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Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir Christmas gospel music performances United States

Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir hosts dinner/concert for homeless on Dec. 18, 2010

According to a recent news release, the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir will sponsor a holiday celebration for more than 1,500 homeless people at 3 p.m. Dec 18, 2010, at the Brooklyn Tabernacle, 17 Smith St. in Brooklyn, NY. The church that the choir is named for will rent buses and bring hundreds of men, women and children from eight different New York-area shelters to the historic church for a hot meal, a gift bag of toiletries, and a special performance of the choir‘s annual Christmas concert.
“We’re in the inner-city,” choir founder/director Carol Cymbala says of the church’s year-round outreach activities like their February benefit that raised $80,000 for Haitian relief efforts. “A lot of the people come from deprived neighborhoods. When they come in the church, it’s an oasis. It brings joy to their hearts. I think of that when we decorate the church for Christmas. The Word of God says we should reach out to the poor. When we go to prisons, Jesus is there to meet us. The poor are very special. We do a special Christmas production just for the people in the shelters and pack this place out with the homeless and they just love it.”
This year’s concert will feature songs from the choir‘s new CD, “A Brooklyn Tabernacle Christmas” (Integrity Music). The project consists of several tracks ranging from elegant Nelson Riddle-styled tunes such as “It’s Christmas Once Again” to festive pop tunes like “Amazing Love.”
The 300-voice troupe was founded by Cymbala (wife of The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir‘s Senior Pastor Jim Cymbala and daughter of the church founder, the late Rev. Clair Hutchins) with eight members in 1973. The ensemble is a blend of ethnic and economic backgrounds, with members ranging from lawyers and doctors to ex-drug addicts.  Over the years, the choir has performed at major venues such as Radio City Music Hall and Madison Square Garden.  The ensemble has backed gospel artists such as CeCe Winans and Michael W. Smith. The choir’s musical legacy includes six Grammy Awards, seven Dove Awards, two #1 Billboard charting CDs and sold more than four million albums.

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jazz music Oklahoma Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame performances tulsa United States

Northeastern State University Jazz Ensemble to perform at Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame

The Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame presents Northeastern State University Jazz Ensemble at 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 5, 2010, at the Jazz Depot, 111 E. First Street, in Tulsa, OK. Attendees will hear NSU Jazz professor and music director Dr. Tommy Poole and his band, along with special guest vocalists Cynthia Simmons and Shannon Unger plus Jon Bueno on percussion and Mike Bennett on trumpet. General admission is $15, or $10 for seniors and students. Front-row table seating available for $20 per person. Tickets can be obtained online at http://purchase.tickets.com/buy/TicketPurchase?organ_val=2762&pid=6852091 or by calling (918) 281-8600. Tickets are also available at the door on the evening of the concert.  Doors will open at 4 p.m.
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Christmas holidays Oklahoma Oral Roberts University performances tulsa

Oral Roberts University presents “Christmas Joys” in December 2010

Oral Roberts University presents “Christmas Joys” at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 3, 2010, at the ORU Mabee Center, 81st Street and South Lewis Avenue in Tulsa, OK.
“Christmas Joys” is a musical celebration featuring ORU combined choirs and orchestra, Victory Christian School Children’s Choir, Andrew “The Whistler” Parker, the ORU Singers, Souls A’Fire and the Ladies and Gentlemen of Jazz. According to a news release, a Children’s Open House will take place before the concert with games, hands-on activities and refreshments from 6:15 to 7:15 p.m.
Admission to the concert is an unwrapped toy. All donations will be distributed to families in the Tulsa community through the Salvation Army. For more information, call (918) 495-6591.

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Barron Ryan Donald Ryan jazz music Oklahoma Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame performances tulsa United States

Ryan and Ryan duo performs Sunday at Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame in Tulsa


The Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame will host Jazz Hall inductee, piano icon Donald Ryan and his son Barron at 5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 14, 2010, at the Jazz Depot, 111 E. First Street in Tulsa, OK.  Donald and Barron will play favorite jazz standards and a bit of ragtime. 
Doors will open at 4 p.m. Tickets are $15, or $10 for seniors and students, and front-row table seating is available for $20 per person. Tickets may be purchased online at myTicketOffice.com or call (918) 281-8600.


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African Children's Choir arts Black Liberated Arts Center Inc. Oklahoma Oklahoma City performances United States

Famed African Children’s Choir to perform in Oklahoma City in November 2010

According to a recent news release, the world-renowned African Children’s Choir will perform at 7 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 7, 2010,  at the Frederick A. Douglass High School auditorium, 900 N Martin Luther King Ave. in Oklahoma City. The event marks the opening performance of the 2010-11 season of performing arts presented by Black Liberated Arts Center (BLAC) Inc.  As BLAC Inc. nears the end of its 40th anniversary, the choir that started in 1984 will be the first performance of the season but will end a year-long celebration of the arts as presented by BLAC Inc.
The African Children’s Choir performances are a fundraiser to help orphans on the continent.  Funds from performances support projects that provide food, medical assistance and education.  Through the music of choir members, many of whom are homeless, millions of dollars have been raised to start schools, fight diseases such as AIDS and establish centers where children are fed.
“Good Morning America” featured the choir in 2009 in concert following a magnificent performance on “American Idol.”  The African Children’s Choir have also appeared on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” and at the White House in August 2008 as former President George W. Bush signed the H. R. 5501, or the Global AIDS Initiative Renewal bill, to greatly increase foreign aid for those in Africa suffering from AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. The African Children’s Choir performed for Her Majesty the Queen of England and former South African President Nelson Mandela.  
 “It is a way that Oklahoma can make a contribution to these projects while enjoying a performance fit for a Queen or President, for that matter,” said Anita Arnold, BLAC Inc. executive director.  “This is one of many ways, Oklahoma can make an impact felt around the world, through BLAC Inc. and its programs.  The performance is open to the public, and we encourage you to come.” 
The performance is made possible through funding provided by the Oklahoma Arts Council. Tickets are on sale and may be purchased at the following Oklahoma City locations: Capitol Square Station, Charlie’s Jazz, Rhythm & Blues Store, KM66 and Learning Tree Toy Store.  For more information, call (405) 524-3800 or to sample some of the choir’s music, go online to http://africanchildrenschoir.com/.