Family Concert Kicks Off BIG ARTS 2012-2013 Live Jazz & Pop Season on Sanibel

Aug. 22, 2012 - PRLog -- BIG ARTS on Sanibel has announced its 2012-2013 Live Jazz and Pop season. A special Thanksgiving weekend performance by Beckie Menzie and Tom Michael, celebrates famous singing families in their “All in the Musical Family” show. Concert begins at 8 p.m. Saturday, November 24.

The season’s line-up also includes Tom Rush (Jan. 12); Kathy Kosins in “A Toast to the Ladies of Cool” (Jan. 26); The Glenn Miller Orchestra (Feb. 2); Corky Siegel’s Chamber Blues (Feb. 16); Fred Hersch Trio (Mar. 8); “Cinema Toast: Celebrating The Music of the Movies” (Mar. 15); and Wendy Webb at the Herb Strauss Theater (Apr. 1).

All shows begin at 8 p.m. at BIG ARTS Schein Performance Hall, 900 Dunlop Road, Sanibel, with the exception of Wendy Webb, who will perform at the Herb Strauss Theater. BIG ARTS Herb Strauss Theater is located at 2200 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel.
BIG ARTS is now offering online ticket sales for select concerts. You may purchase single event tickets as well as series and subscription tickets at www.BIGARTS.org.
         
Beckie Menzie and Tom Michael’s “All in the Musical Family” celebrates the most popular music of famous singing families, including The Carpenters, The Andrew Sisters, The Jacksons, The Judds, Steve & Eydie, The Bee Gees, John and Bonnie Raitt, and many more. The pair has recently appeared at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center and has been included in New York’s Cabaret Scene Magazine’s “Top Ten Cabaret Acts” for five consecutive years. General seating: $37, Loge: $42, Student: $15.
           
Folk pioneer and singer-songwriter Tom Rush helped to shape the folk renaissance in the 1990s. James Taylor once told Rolling Stone, “Tom was not only one of my early heroes, but also one of my main influences.” Rush recorded three albums in the 1960s, culminating in The Circle Game in 1968, which included his signature hit, No Regrets. In 2009, Rush released What I Know, his first studio album in 35 years. A review by Randy Lewis of The Los Angeles Times says, “[Rush] hasn’t recorded a studio album in more than 30 years, but you’d never guess that he’d been away so long, from the lithe spirit in his voice on these 15 tracks ... At 68, Rush shows no sign of trying to push the boundaries of anything. Rather, he’s happy to sing about what matters to him and put the welcome mat out for anyone who cares to drop by and listen in.” Rush is a gifted musician and performer whose distinctive guitar style, wry humor and warm, expressive voice have made him a legend to fans around the world. General seating: $37, Loge: $42, Student: $15.

ASCAP Award-winning vocalist Kathy Kosins, with her jazz quartet, perform from the catalogues of June Christy, Chris Connor, Julie London and Anita O’Day in “A Toast to the Ladies of Cool.” Kosins is described by the Chicago Tribune as “one of the most alluring voices in jathe zz.” Songs in the show include When in Rome, Look Out Up There, Lullaby in Rhythm, Nice Girls Don’t Stay for Breakfast and You’re a Heavenly Thing. The New York Times declares, “Ms. Kosins’s nonstandard choice of standards is almost as winsome as her easy going, swinging style ...” General seating: $42, Loge: $47, Student: $15.

Considered by many to be one of the greatest bands of all time, The Glenn Miller Orchestra returns to BIG ARTS by popular demand. Formed in 1956 to continue the tradition and music of Glenn Miller, The Orchestra has toured consistently since its inception over the years and has included some of the most talented musicians in the world. One of the best-selling recording artists from the big band era, Miller’s hits include In the Mood, Tuxedo Junction, Moonlight Serenade, A String of Pearls, At Last, and That Old Black Magic. Today, the Music Director for the Glenn Miller Orchestra is Nick Hilscher. General seating: $42, Loge: $47, Student: $15.

Corky Siegel’s Chamber Blues is a genre-defying musical ensemble merging the sparkling qualities of classical music with the emotional style of blues. Says The Chicago Tribune, “...Blues and rarefied classical chamber music might not seem like a match made in heaven - until you’ve heard Corky Siegel bring the two together ... a crowning achievement.” Under Corky’s lead, The West End String Quartet and percussionist Frank Donaldson make up the Chamber Blues band; this concert also features special guest and Grammy-nominee, Matthew Santos. Santos is a rock and folk singer/songwriter, musician, and painter. Explains Corky, “Chamber Blues is a juxtaposition of classical and blues flavors. I consider jazz to be a blend of classical and blues and I think George Gershwin certainly blended the forms in a beautiful way. With jazz, for instance, the blues seem to disappear into the classical and vice versa, turning up a third form - called jazz.” General seating: $42, Loge: $47, Student: $15.

Fred Hersch is a five-time Grammy-nominated musician proclaimed by Vanity Fair to be “the most arrestingly innovative pianist in jazz over the last decade ...” Hersch’s 2011 CD, Alone at the Vanguard, was nominated for two 2012 Grammy Awards: Best Jazz Instrumental Album and Best Jazz Improvised Solo (for his interpretation of Thelonious Monk’s Work). Hersch is the recipient of a Rockefeller Fellowship and a Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship for composition. General seating: $42, Loge: $47, Student: $15.
A showcase of the greatest music on the silver screen, “Cinema Toast” salutes classic Hollywood films, including The Wizard of Oz, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, The Graduate, The Way We Were and Titanic. You can expect to hear all your favorite tunes, including Moon River, Over the Rainbow, Staying Alive, Goldfinger, The Rose, Footloose, Fame, Colors of the Wind, Can You Feel the Love Tonight, and The Sound of Music. “Cinema Toast” features singers Scott Coulter, Jessica Hendy, and Lee Lessack accompanied by pianist John Boswell and jazz musicians. General seating: $42, Loge: $47, Student: $15.
Singer-songwriter Wendy Webb returns to the Herb Strauss Theater by popular demand for a night of original folk, jazz, and blues. Her music stirs the soul, soaring toward heights flown by the likes of Joni Mitchell and Emmy Lou Harris. General seating: $30, Student: $10. Herb Strauss Theater is located at 2200 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel.

Want to read more? Please visit http://www.BIGARTS.org for more event information, including links to artists’ websites and to purchase tickets. Tickets also available at BIG ARTS Marks Box Office, 900 Dunlop Road, Sanibel, phone (239) 395-0900. Other BIG ARTS Box Office locations are BIG ARTS Gallery & Gift Shop at 2244 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel, phone (239) 472-9700 or at the Herb Strauss Theater, 2200 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel, phone (239) 472-6862.