Cab Calloway Orchestra Performs at Ridgefield Playhouse Tonight

It was the jazz age. In Jay Gatsby's garden, "...men and girls came and went like moths among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars," wrote F. Scott Fitzgerald in one of the greatest pieces of American literature, The Great Gatsby. Tonight, October 10, at 7:30 p.m. when the Cab Calloway Orchestra performs at The Ridgefield Playhouse, it will be possible to relive the past.... if just for one night.... through the silky smooth ensemble work, spicy brass harmonies and iconic "Hi-De-Ho" lyrics of one of the greatest American orchestras, now led by Cab's grandson, Calloway Brooks. The irresistible dance beat will make the audience want to get up, bounce, tap, sway and swing...just as if they were at Gatsby's house in the decadent '20s era portrayed so magnificently by F. Scott Fitzgerald in the great American novel The Great Gatsby, the book selected by The Ridgefield Playhouse, in partnership with Ridgefield Library, for Ridgefield's town-wide participation in The Big Read. Launching the Big Read with the Cab Calloway Orchestra show adds a unique twist highlighting the music that was so prevalent at Gatsby's parties and throughout the '20s.

A complimentary wine tasting by No. 109 Cheese & Wine and an artist's reception will start the evening off in style from 6:30 -7:15 p.m. Piccolo's Pizza & Pasta Jazzeria (24 Prospect St., Ridgefield) will pour a complimentary glass of wine with dinner the night of this show when ticket is presented. Ticket holders can also enjoy a special $45 prix-fixe menu at Bernard's (20 West Lane, Ridgefield), or a free glass of wine with dinner, the day of this event when tickets are presented; reservations suggested. This event is made possible with support from Liz and Steven Goldstone and is part of the Ridgefield Magazine Broadway & Cabaret Series?and No. 109 Cheese & Wine "Art, Wine & Jazz" Series, with media sponsor WSHU Public Radio Group.

Today's Cab Calloway Orchestra features musicians who have played with the group for decades and uses original vintage orchestrations as a point of departure to create an authentic brand of hot Cotton Club-style music and hijinks. The original leader Cabell (Cab) Calloway became famous for his hot jazz orchestras at the Cotton Club in the late 1920s. Cab's career went on to include major films and musicals including Stormy Weather, Porgy and Bess, The Cincinnati Kid, Hello Dolly!, The Blues Brothers and even a video with Janet Jackson in Design of a Decade. After his death in 1994, Cab was inducted posthumously into the International Jazz Hall of Fame.

Cab's grandson is carrying the Calloway Orchestra legacy forward. Growing up in a musical family, today's Orchestra Director Calloway Brooks started playing guitar at age seven, won his first awards at the advanced age of nine, and later graduated from the prestigious New England Conservatory of Music. According to Calloway, the many years of experience with his famous grandfather created the cornerstone for his musical education. It's not surprising that Brooks has appeared with a veritable "Who's Who" of jazz and big band stars and orchestras, or that he performs at venues ranging from the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and Lincoln Center, to the Rome Opera House to The Ridgefield Playhouse.

The Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts designed to revitalize the role of literature in American culture and to encourage citizens to read for pleasure and enlightenment. The Playhouse, in partnership with Ridgefield Library, is one of 77 not-for-profit organizations to receive a grant to host a Big Read project between September 2014 and June 2015. The NEA presents The Big Read in partnership with Arts Midwest and support from Connecticut Humanities (CTH), a non-profit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. The Ridgefield Playhouse will also be screening The Great Gatsby films on Sunday, November 23, at 4 p.m. for the 1974 Robert Redford film and at 7:30 p.m. for the 2013 version with Leonardo DiCaprio.

For tickets ($38), call (203) 438-5795 or visit ridgefieldplayhouse.org. The Ridgefield Playhouse is a not-for-profit performing arts center located at 80 East Ridge, parallel to Main Street, Ridgefield, CT. Visit www.ridgefieldlibrary.org for a complete listing of The Big Read events.

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