Duke Ellington News

The Wallis Center for the Performing Arts presents Maurice Hines is Tappin' Thru Life for 19 performances only from today, May 9 - 24, 2014 in the Bram Goldsmith Theater.

America's Orchestra opened its 129th spring season with Keith Lockhart conducting and Jason Alexander as special guest artist. Best known as Seinfeld's best buddy George Costanza, the Tony Award-winning Alexander is a consummate showman and offered a celebration of Broadway music to complement the Pops' selections by American masters from Copland to Ellington to Gershwin.

Pacific Symphony's critically-acclaimed American Composers Festival (ACF) continues for the 14th year with 'From Screen to Score: New Concert Music by Famous Film Composers'-who happen to be four of today's biggest Hollywood heavy-hitters: John Williams ('Star Wars,' 'Raiders of the Lost Ark,' 'E.T., the Extra Terrestrial'), Howard Shore ('Lord of the Rings,' 'The Hobbit,' 'Hugo'), James Horner ('Titanic,' 'Star Trek,' 'Apollo 13') and Elliot Goldenthal ('Alien 3,' 'Batman Forever' and 'Batman and Robin'). Together, these iconic composers boast 11 Oscars and countless billions of box office dollars. They also hold the ironic position of simultaneously being the most-heard orchestral composers ever (the soundtrack for 'Titanic' sold 30 million copies), yet their music is the least performed.

Michael Feinstein will join Nick Ziobro, the 17 year-old pop/jazz vocal sensation, as a special guest for his CD release concert at Birdland Jazz Club (315 West 44th Street in Manhattan) on Thursday, May 22 at 6:00 PM. The CD's all-star band - led by Tedd Firth and featuring music legend Bucky Pizzarelli on guitar, Jay Leonhart on bass, Ray Marchica on drums, Brian Pareschi on trumpet and flugelhorn, and Marc Phaneuf on saxophone and clarinet - will also join the concert. Nick's debut album A Lot of Livin' to Do is produced by Michael Feinstein, the two-time Emmy and five-time Grammy Award-nominated vocalist, pianist and musicologist. Tickets - which include a complimentary CD - are $20 with an additional $10 minimum. Visit BirdlandJazz.com for more information.

The cast of After Midnight says farewell to their most recent guest star, Vanessa Williams. Williams' last performance is on Sunday, May 11 at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre (256 W. 47th Street). Set to replace Williams is The Color Purple's Fantasia Barrino.

I was just a little more than a year into my new side career as a cabaret show reviewer when I first saw a Karen Oberlin show. It was Valentine's Day night 2012 and Oberlin—with guitarist Sean Harkness and guest violinist Aaron Weinstein—would be performing her romance-laced set, Stringing Along With Love, at the Metropolitan Room. At the time, all I knew about Oberlin was that she was considered among New York's best female cabaret singers, and I hadn't researched her performing history pre-show. About a third of the way into her set I leaned over to my wife (it was Valentine's Day after all) and whispered, “You know, she has a real Doris Day quality in her voice and in the way she delivers some lyrics.” This immediately ratcheted up my appreciation for Oberlin since there are four passions I inherited from my Dad—baseball, reading the morning papers, sports writing and Doris Day (well, also Sophia Loren, but that's for another column). Since Dad had grown up during the prime of the Big Band Era of the 1940s, I heard the sultry sounds of a young Doris Day singing songs like “Sentimental Journey” on the family stereo more than a few times. Once I saw Day's strikingly adorable blondness on a record cover and her rocking body in one of her films, I knew what Dad was talking about. As popular, famous, and near iconic as Doris Day became, in my book, as a singer and screen beauty she's always been vastly underrated. Little did I know that Karen Oberlin had been doing a Doris Day tribute show so since 2001 at places like Firebird, Iridium, and the late Danny's Skylight Room, and produced a CD, Secret Love: The Music of Doris Day, in 2002. Karen Oberlin had instantly become my secret love.

The Houston Symphony kicks off the summer with a sensational line-up of FREE concerts, including an expanded 10 performances around Houston as part of its Summer Neighborhood Concert Series, 5 performances as part of the ExxonMobil Summer Symphony Nights at Miller Outdoor Theatre, and the free July 3rd performance at Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion.

The Houston Symphony kicks off the summer with a sensational line-up of FREE concerts, including an expanded 10 performances around Houston as part of its Summer Neighborhood Concert Series, 5 performances as part of the ExxonMobil Summer Symphony Nights at Miller Outdoor Theatre, and the free July 3rd performance at Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion.

This week's New York Times In Performance video features Vanessa Williams performing the number "I Can't Give You Anything but Love,"

Birdland Jazz Club has announed its schedule for May 12 - 18, featuring Joey DeFrancesco Organ Quartet with guest George Coleman, Miss Coco Peru: Have You Heard?, Jason Graae's "49½ Shades of Graae," the Jay Leonhart Duo, and more!

On the eve of the Tony Award nominations, 9-time Tony Award-winner Tommy Tune threw a lavish late night party to toast the cast and orchestra of After Midnight for their seven nominations at his upper east side penthouse, catered by Creative Edge Parties. BroadwayWorld brings you photos from inside the exclusive party below!

In the glow of its seven Tony® Award nominations, including one for Best Musical, Broadway legendTommy Tune threw a party to celebrate the show's success. Check out photos from the big event below!

In the glow of its seven Tony® Award nominations, including one for Best Musical, producers Scott Sanders and Wynton Marsalis announced today that a trio of true music legends will make their way to Broadway this summer in After Midnight. Multi-award winning icons Patti LaBelle, Gladys Knight and Natalie Cole (making her Broadway debut) are set to join the illustrious roster of 'Special Guest Star' vocalists in the red hot Broadway musical.

The Wallis Center for the Performing Arts presents Maurice Hines is Tappin' Thru Life for 19 performances only from May 9 - 24, 2014 in the Bram Goldsmith Theater. Maurice Hines, a Tony Award nominee, is a celebrated dancer, choreographer, director, and singer, whose impressive career spans over 40 years. Directed by Tony Award nominee Jeff Calhoun (Broadway's Newsies and Grey Gardens), Maurice Hines is Tappin' Thru Life features D.C.'s dynamic tap-dancing duo, the Manzari Brothers, 11-year old tapping phenomenon Luke Spring, as well as the all-female, nine-piece big band, The DIVA Jazz Orchestra.

Will Friedwald's 'Clip Joint: A Video Music Mixtape' will premiere on Tuesday, April 29 at 7 PM at Stage 72 / The Triad (Green Room.

Tap Soul Productions presents the Off-Broadway world premiere of the new unique tap dance musical "Show me the TAP! Show me the SOUL!" a one night only concert featuring the musical styling of vocal and upright bassist duo Acute Inflections at the Helen Mills Theatre (137 W 26th Street) Sunday, May 25th at 7PM.

The Ordway Center for the Performing Arts will feature many exciting events as part of its April-June calendar.

RADiUS-TWC proudly announced today that it has acquired worldwide rights as well as remake rights for the documentary KEEP ON KEEPIN' ON

The Muny announced principal casting for the second show of its amazing 96th season, Tarzan, directed by John Tartaglia, choreographed by Chris Bailey, with musical direction by Rick Bertone. Tarzan is sponsored by U. S. Bank.