Herbie Hancock News

Opera singer Martina Arroyo, pianist, keyboardist, bandleader and composer Herbie Hancock, pianist, singer and songwriter Billy Joel, actress Shirley MacLaine and musician and songwriter Carlos Santana received honors at THE 36TH ANNUAL KENNEDY CENTER HONORS, to be broadcast tonight, Dec. 29 (9:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Below, check out performances by Broadway vets Patina Miller, Sutton Foster and more as they pay tribute to this year's honorees!

The latest in unauthorized gossip and buzz from the heart of Chicago's showtune video bars, and musical theater news from Chicago to Broadway. Davenport's serves up the holidays, Theo Ubique's January Cabaret Series, Kevin Cole on the Marvin Hamlisch PBS special, the Muellers make the 'Post,' BET announced rep, and a listing of Chicago shows to catch this week, plus the BroadwayWorld Chicago Awards and more!

Watch Garth Brooks, Snoop Dogg and more pay tribute to the honorees at the annual event to be broadcast Sunday, Dec. 29 (9:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

In recognition of her outstanding lifetime contribution to American culture, Martina Arroyo was saluted as one of five recipients of this year's Kennedy Center Honors in a star-studded gala celebration held on December 8 that will be broadcast nationwide as a two-hour prime time special on CBS-TV this Sunday, December 29 at 9pm, ET/PT. Seated with President and Mrs. Obama at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, as well as with her fellow honorees (actress Shirley MacLaine and musicians Herbie Hancock, Billy Joel and Carlos Santana), the pre-eminent American soprano was introduced in a speech by Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who also narrated a short video about Arroyo. She was then saluted by a musical tribute celebrating her legendary portrayal of the title role in Verdi's Aida. First, Maltese tenor Joseph Calleja performed Radames's aria 'Celeste Aida,' and soprano Sondra Radvanovsky sang Aida's aria 'O patria mia.' Then the two star singers were joined by graduates of the Martina Arroyo Foundation's programs-Ryan Speedo Green, Chantelle Grant, Robert Kerr, and Yuriy Yurchuk-as well as the Army Herald Trumpets and the U.S. Naval Academy Glee Club, to perform the opera's Act II finale.

Ring in the New Year with hits from legendary musicians Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder… performed a capella. On Sunday, January 5 at 3:00 pm, two of the hottest acts in New York's remarkably resurgent a cappella music scene, m-pact and Duwende will perform I Wish… For All Time: Celebrating the Genius of Michael Jackson & Stevie Wonder at The Granada Theatre. These amazing reinterpretations of the classic Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson songbooks are accomplished with only the voices on stage - not a single string, keyboard, wind instrument, or drumstick. This truly unique performance is presented by the Granada Theatre Concert Series, sponsored by Lexus, Montecito Bank & Trust, and the Santa Barbara Independent.

(Boston) Celebrity Series of Boston will present Luciana Souza Trio on Saturday, January 25, 2014, at 8pm at Sanders Theatre, Memorial Hall, Harvard University, 45 Quincy Street, Cambridge. Sponsored by Amy and Joshua Boger.

BET Networks confirmed today that actor and comedian Wayne Brady will host the 2014 'BET HONORS,' a star studded unforgettable night celebrating distinguished Africans Americans performing at exceptional levels in the areas of music, literature, entertainment, media, service and education.

In celebration of the 60th anniversary of the world-renowned Newport Jazz Festival (August 1-3, 2014), clarinetist/saxophonist Anat Cohen, vocalist/pianist Karrin Allyson, bassists Larry Grenadier and Ben Allison, pianist Peter Martin, guitarist Mark Whitfield, trumpeter Randy Brecker, and drummer Clarence Penn embark on the 17-city 'Newport Jazz Festival: Now 60' Tour, February 8 - March 30, 2014, with more dates during June, July and August in North America and Europe.

Yoshi's San Francisco announces updated calendar for club and restaurant through January 5, plus new shows through March 2014.

Maltese tenor Joseph Calleja gave a very special surprise performance at last night's presentation of the 2013 Kennedy Center Honors.

Below are the official remarks by President Obama at the 2013 KENNEDY CENTER HONORS reception, held Sunday, December 8th from the East Room of The White House

The Chicago Jazz Orchestra (CJO) under the direction of Jeff Lindberg is excited and honored to have been chosen to perform at the 36th Annual Kennedy Center Honors Gala tonight, December 8, 2013 in Washington, D.C. This performance marks the 25th consecutive year that the CJO has been chosen for this singular honor.

Fiddle supergroup Childsplay, a who's who of fiddlers, fiddles and fiddlemakers, has released As the Crow Flies, their sixth album in 26 years of performances throughout North America and Europe. In addition, the group has released a concert DVD Live from the Zeiterion Theatre. Both the CD and concert DVD are being released in advance of the group's upcoming Northeast tour dates.

Continuing the tradition of preserving and celebrating great recordings, The Recording Academy® has announced the newest additions to its legendary GRAMMY Hall Of Fame®.

Continuing the tradition of preserving and celebrating great recordings, The Recording Academy® has announced the newest additions to its legendary GRAMMY Hall Of Fame®.

Fiddle supergroup Childsplay, a who's who of fiddlers, fiddles and fiddlemakers, has released As the Crow Flies, their sixth album in 26 years of performances throughout North America and Europe. In addition, the group has released a concert DVD Live from the Zeiterion Theatre. Both the CD and concert DVD are being released in advance of the group's upcoming Northeast tour dates.

Ballads reign on Moment To Moment on the extraordinarily self-possessed new album by pianist Cava Menzies and trumpeter Nick Phillips. But this recording is much more than just a 'ballads album.'

In recognition of her outstanding lifetime contribution to American culture, Martina Arroyo will be one of five recipients of this year's Kennedy Center Honors on Sunday, December 8 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC. Seated with President and Mrs. Obama, as well as with her fellow Honorees (actress Shirley MacLaine and musicians Herbie Hancock, Billy Joel, and Carlos Santana), the pre-eminent American soprano will be saluted with performances and tributes during the star-studded gala celebration that will be broadcast nationwide as a two-hour prime time special on CBS-TV (Dec 29 at 9pm, EST). The honor is a fitting one, for Arroyo has devoted herself to opera over the course of a decades-long career. Since retiring from the stage, where her voice was heralded by the New York Times as "among the most glorious in the world," the Harlem-born soprano has continued to serve the art form through the Martina Arroyo Foundation, the non-profit cultural organization she established ten years ago to provide new generations of talented young singers with the tools to pursue careers in opera and prepare them for the stage.

(Boston) Celebrity Series of Boston will present the Wayne Shorter 80th Birthday Celebration, tonight, November 24, 2013, at 5pm at Symphony Hall, 301 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston. Sponsored by PTC.