Ella Fitzgerald News

Sponsored by Thornapple Consulting LLC, 'Geoffrey Mark Sings ELLA' is a celebration of what would have been Ella Fitzgerald's 101 on April 25th, a new show and book about the Legendary Ella Fitzgerald, with full support of the Fitzgerald estate and foundation, has been produced and written by Emmy(R) Award winner, Grammy(R) Award nominee and best selling author, Geoffrey Mark.

Six of Broadway's most sought-after stars will join Mark Cortale's "Broadway @ The Art House" and "Broadway @ Town Hall" concert series in Provincetown in August.

"How Hope Happens," the Fourth Season at Mosaic Theater Company, will open with Marie and Rosetta, written by George Brant and directed by local artist Sandra L. Holloway. This play featuring gospel music, blues, and rock n' roll tells the story of the first rehearsal between Sister Rosetta Tharpe (recently inducted into the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame), and her young protegee Marie Knight.

Marvelous Marilyn Maye has moved into the brand-new Birdland Theater for two weeks, much to the delight of the club's staff, as well as Marilyn's legion of fans. The "Queen of Cabaret" will be in residence for two weeks, running Tuesday to Saturday through August 4, with shows at 7pm each night.

Pittsburgh CLO is proud to produce THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE for the first time, August 7-12 at the Benedum Center.

The acclaimed male vocal group The Flyboys will make their Edinburgh Fringe debut this year when they perform their fusion act of vintage and modern music in four part harmony nightly at the Gilded Balloon's Rose Theatre (Main Theatre) from August 1 to August 24 at 10.30pm. The Flyboys brand of swing re-imagined has been described as "if Sinatra formed a band with Bruno Mars" or "a night where Pharrell Williams croons with Judy Garland, Ricky Martin scats with Cab Calloway and Maroon 5 groove with Ella Fitzgerald."

Brainfeeder is proud to present Resistance - a 2018 Funk odyssey by keyboard maestro, vocalist, composer, producer, arranger and astral traveller Brandon Coleman. A regular fixture in the Kamasi Washington band, wylin' out on the keys or wielding his keytar, he is introduced onstage at gigs as “Professor Boogie” by his longtime friend and collaborator. Resistance - released on September 14 via Brainfeeder - represents a new chapter in the Funk dynasty that spans George Clinton / Parliament Funkadelic and Zapp through to Dr. Dre, DJ Quik and Dam Funk as the Los Angeles resident salutes his musical heroes - Herbie Hancock, Peter Frampton, Roger Troutman - and honours their ethos of freedom and experimentation in his search for Funk's future.

In The Mood, a 1940's musical revue featuring singers, dancers and a 13-piece orchestra, takes the stage at the Napa Valley Performing Arts Center at Lincoln Theater for two performances on Sunday, September 9, 2018, with a matinee at 2 pm and evening performance at 7 pm. Complete with the String of Pearls Big Band Orchestra and the In The Mood Singers & Dancers, a nostalgic atmosphere transports the audience back in time - a time when everyone was singing and dancing to the same kind of music.

Tickets are now on sale for the Sunday, October 14 performance of 'Remembering The Latin Casino: Eddie Bruce and The Swinging Band,' an eagerly-anticipated reprise of last year's headline-making show that celebrated Philadelphia's fabled showplace. 'Remembering The Latin,' with special guest-'La Chanteuse de Jazz,' Paula Johns-will take place at Drexel University's Mandell Theatre, 33rd and Chestnut Street, on Sunday, October 14 at 3pm.

Marilyn! The New Musical, an original musical based on the life of Marilyn Monroe recently made its world premiere in Las Vegas. The show will opened at Paris Las Vegas on June 1, just in time for Marilyn's birthday. Get a peek at the production below as star Ruby Lewis performs the 11 o'clock number!

Birdland will kick-off their exciting month of programming with the following acts:

Internationally renowned singer Barb Jungr and Grammy & Emmy award winner John McDaniel are together again with their newest collaboration: Float Like A Butterfly - The Sting Songbook. This collection has audiences and critics glowing. The pair continue to have worldwide success with live concerts and the CD of their Beatles collection, Come Together, available worldwide. This new show features some of Sting's best known and also lesser known songs, with Jungr as always bringing new meaning to classics "Fields of Gold", "Message in a Bottle" & "Englishman in New York", with McDaniel's nonpareil musicality, harmonies and her radiant humor.

Announced today, arts PR executive and cultural strategist Fatima Jones will join the legendary Apollo Theater as the Senior Director of Public Relations and Communications to lead their communications and social media team. Starting on July 9, Jones will work closely with the organization's leadership team, raising awareness and buzz for the legendary theater's range of artistic and community programs.

When you think of the song, 'Summertime,' perhaps you hear the elegant Ella Fitzgerald-or the earthy Janis Joplin-singing in your mind. But, while many great covers exist, there's nothing like experiencing the song where 'fish are jumpin' and the cotton is high,' as Gershwin first wrote it: for the powerful voice of an opera singer.

The eighth and final production of Mosaic Theater Company's upcoming fourth season will be Twisted Melodies, a critically acclaimed one-man show about the life and music of troubled genius Donny Hathaway performed by the multi-talented Kelvin Roston Junior. Twisted Melodies is being produced by Baltimore Center Stage and Congo Square Theatre Company in association with The Apollo Theater and Mosaic in a unique three-city co-production.

Historic Club Harlem will roar back to life as City College Center for the Arts (CCCA) presents a special three-week return engagement of On Kentucky Avenue: A Celebration of Atlantic City's Famed Club Harlem at Aaron Davis Hall in New York beginning on Thursday, July 12. The show, which thrilled audiences when it premiered at Aaron Davis Hall in 2016, offers viewers a glimpse inside the celebrated nightclub that was the center of nightlife in Atlantic City's segregated Northside beginning in the 1930s. On Kentucky Avenue: A Celebration of Atlantic City's Famed Club Harlem was created by Jeree Wade, written by Adam Wade and Ty Stephens, and directed by Lee Summers.

Bay Area Cabaret announces its 15th Anniversary Season of shows, its ninth at the legendary Venetian Room (Fairmont Hotel 950 Mason Street atop Nob Hill). This season's stellar lineup features many performers making their Bay Area Cabaret debuts, as well as the return of several favorites. It kicks off on Sunday, September 30, 2018 at 7:00 pm with the San Francisco solo concert debut of Tony, Emmy and Golden Globe award-nominee Matthew Morrison (Glee, Hairspray, South Pacific, Finding Neverland).

Today's subject, Eva Noblezada, made a huge splash in the West End a few years back in the revival of Miss Saigon, playing the coveted role of Kim. This was after being discovered at the Jimmy Awards, which recognizes excellence in high school theatre across the United States. Eva then went into Les Miserables on the West End before reprising Kim in Miss Saigon on Broadway. That performance garnered her a well-deserved Tony Award nomination for Best Actress in a Musical.

The Apollo Theater today announced that it will bring to its iconic stage two new performances that continue its commitment to articulating and projecting the African American narrative through arts and culture.  In October 2018, The Apollo will celebrate the 50th anniversary of "Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud," the Godfather of Soul James Brown's seminal Black Power anthem, with the premiere of Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud at 50 under the musical direction of six-time GRAMMY®- Award-winner Christian McBride.  In May of 2019, in a co-production between The Apollo, Baltimore Center Stage, and Mosaic Theater, Kelvin Roston Jr. will pay homage to Donny Hathaway in the New York premiere of the one man play Twisted Melodies.  Tickets for both productions will go on sale July 1st.

An excited Flying Lotus shared news of Georgia Anne Muldrow's signing to Brainfeeder earlier this year, prompting knowing smiles and ripples of anticipation amongst fans and commentators who recognised the perfect symbiosis of their musical pathways, heritage and spirituality.