Al Jarreau News

Jazz singer Mark Winkler has just released a new album on singer Bobby Troup and will do a CD release party at Feinstein's Upstairs at Vitello's on August 23. In our chat, Winkler talks about his background, his love for Troup, jazz and the overall world of music. Tell our readers about your background. Where are you from? How did you get interested in music, especially jazz?

Last year, when Drama Desk Award Winner and Tony Nominee, Saycon Sengbloh, was in Dallas, she joined us for a mini-set at the Opening night of the Dallas Cabaret Festival.  This year, Ms. SENGBLOH returns to headline the  4th Annual Dallas Cabaret Festival!!  An accomplished performer of song, stage and screen, she comes back to close out the Festival the way she brought it in last year a?' with a BANG!

Live @ Peck Pavilion returns to the Marcus Performing Arts Center grounds this summer. The season will run from June 26 through September 5 with each day of the series featuring a different program focus. Optimist Theatre: Shakespeare in the Park returns to Peck Pavilion from June 26-July 13 with their presentation of The Comedy of Errors. Community Partners, Milwaukee Ballet's Ballet Beat, True Skool Block Party and Milwaukee Fringe Festival, also return this summer. All events in Peck Pavilion are free and open to the public.

Rubicon Theatre Company announces two performances of an intimate concert featuring Golden Globe Award-Winner and Grammy nominee Amanda McBroom, presented as part of the 2018-2019 Janet and Mark L. Goldenson Broadway Concert Series. Amanda McBroom, a Rubicon favorite both as a singer and actress, returns to Rubicon with a concert version of her hit play Lady Macbeth Sings the Blues on Saturday June 8 at 8p.m. and Sunday June 9 at 2 p.m.

The Asia America Symphony Association (AASA) presents a Benefit Concert for youth in arts featuring internationally acclaimed vocalist, Oleta Adams on Saturday, June 29, 2019. Oleta will be joined by Music Director, Pianist and Conductor, David Benoit, and members of the Asia America Youth Symphony Orchestra (AAYS).

Resonance Records discovery Polly Gibbons, a British-born star on the rise, has a sound and style that give off sparks. It's raw, raspy, and full of heat; it sputters and growls, carves out funky grooves, and wails into the skies. All I Can Do, her third Resonance release, the label's founder George Klabin, places Gibbons in front of an audience, where she's at her most explosive.

The Philly POPS and the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts will present the School District of Philadelphia's All-City Jazz Festival. The day of free jazz performances by student and professional musicians will be held in the Kimmel Center's Perelman Theater and Commonwealth Plaza on Tuesday, April 16, 2019 from noon 9 p.m. This will be the POPS's fifth year presenting this event and the third year in partnership with the Kimmel Center.

Lively McCabe Entertainment Co-President Michael Barra proudly announces a slate of three new stage musicals in partnership with licensing agency Theatrical Rights Worldwide (TRW) and music powerhouse BMG. These initial three projects, all which will have premiere productions in 2020 (TBA), will feature select music from the BMG catalog, as part of their previously announced partnership with Lively McCabe.

Resonance Records discovery Polly Gibbons, a British-born star on the rise, has a sound and style that give off sparks. It's raw, raspy, and full of heat; it sputters and growls, carves out funky grooves, and wails into the skies. All I Can Do, her third Resonance release, the label's founder George Klabin, places Gibbons in front of an audience, where she's at her most explosive.

One of the Southwest's largest jazz festivals will return to Texas Christian University March 22-23, 2019, for its 42nd year, featuring legendary American jazz drummer Duffy Jackson to the exciting theme,  "Tribute to the music of Count Basie and Buddy Rich." The 2019 TCU Jazz Festival will host more than 700 middle and high school students at Ed Landreth Auditorium and PepsiCo Recital Hall during the annual competition, encompassing two days of performances from some of the most highly-regarded names in jazz, TCU ensembles and young artists from across the state.

The Philly POPS will offer free tickets for furloughed government employees during the federal government shutdown. Government employees may present their IDs at the Kimmel Center Box Office to receive one free, complimentary pair of tickets to JAZZED! running January 18, 19 and 20 (One pair per Government-issued employee ID).

The Philly POPS presents Jazzed! The Philly POPS BIG Band with Terell Stafford, a swinging program honoring Philadelphia's unique contributions to the history of jazz, January 18 20 at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. This performance is a part of The Philly POPS 40th Anniversary Season, which celebrates artists and music with connections to Philadelphia and the POPS.

The Philly POPS presents Jazzed! The Philly POPS BIG Band with Terell Stafford, a swinging program honoring Philadelphia's unique contributions to the history of jazz, January 18-20 at The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. This performance is a part of The Philly POPS 40th Anniversary Season, which celebrates artists and music with connections to Philadelphia and the POPS.

KPFK Radio's Arts in Review, Los Angeles's longest-running radio showcase on live theater and cabaret, presents its annual one-hour Christmas Day Holiday Drama Special, highlighted by the premiere radio dramatization, Christmas at the Algonquin, performed by the Arts in Review (AIR) Repertory Players, and the 15th annual concert presentation of Dylan Thomas' A Child's Christmas in Wales, featuring actor Al Alu.  Also featured is the music of singer/songwriter Al Jarreau, guitarist AnnaMaria, Koto Keys (Mara Purl & Marilyn Harris) and Pacifica Archives Music For the Holidays. Hosted by entertainment journalist Julio Martinez, the program airs Tuesday, December 25 (10-11am) on KPFK 90.7.FM and is streamed live worldwide on kpfk.org.

The Eli and Edythe Broad Stage in Santa Monica presents Amy Keys, on Friday, December 7 at 8:00pm. Amy Keys is the fourth evening of blackbox @ the edye, which transforms The Edye into a club featuring up-and-coming jazz and blues artists.  The series is curated and hosted by The Reverend Shawn Amos; he and his house band perform at select shows during the season as well.   

After an extraordinarily successful year with the release of their #1 Billboard Contemporary Jazz album ICONIC and a world tour, Take 6 is capping off the year on a high note with four nights at the Blue Note in NYC (Nov. 8-11), a Friar's Club Billy Crystal tribute on November 13 at the Ziegfield Ballroom which they will be opening (additional performers/attendees include Bette Midler, Robert DeNiro, Alec Baldwin, Katie Couric, Meg Ryan, Martin Scorcese,  to name a few) and a Christmas special they participated in with Bebe Winans and Cece Winans, Anthony Hamilton, and others. "The Soul & Spirit of Christmas" will air on GetTV on November 23 at 8pm EST. They will end the year with additional tour dates in Europe (dates below.)

The Empress Theatre presents Raul Midon, Sunday Jazz Champagne Brunch on Sunday, November 11th at 1pm at The Empress Theatre - 330 Virginia St, Vallejo, CA 94590.

The Adrienne The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County (@arshtcenter) proudly launches the 11th season of its internationally acclaimed JAZZ ROOTS series with LEONARD BERNSTEIN 100 AND BEYOND, a centennial celebration of one of America's greatest and best-loved music superstars, on Friday, November 9, 2018. The one-night-only tribute to the world-renowned composer, conductor and pianist features performances by vocalists Ann Hampton Callaway and Jon Secada, saxophonist Kirk Whalum, pianist Shelly Berg and the Henry Mancini Institute Orchestra.

Recognized by the world not only for their bold-face names, but especially by their superb talents, New Jersey Performing Arts Center's seventh annual TD James Moody Jazz Festival (November 4-18) is packed with performances by today's most listened-to luminaries on the jazz scene. NJPAC Jazz Advisor, six-time Grammy winner Christian McBride says, 'I'm beyond excited to announce the seventh annual TD James Moody Jazz Festival at NJPAC. It's gonna be a good one, baby. There's something very, very special about jazz vocalists, and we're committed to making sure the legacy of jazz vocals is alive and thriving. This year we'll present the world's finest singers, from Dianne Reeves and Gregory Porter to Cecile McLorin Salvant and Lalah Hathaway, and will continue to search for the next greats through the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition -- the SASSY Awards -- which is always a huge hit.'