James Taylor News

Award-winning global entertainment and event distributor Trafalgar Releasing brought the filmed version of the star-studded tribute concert, The Music Center Presents Joni 75: A Birthday Celebration, to more than 410 movie theaters across the US and Canada on Thursday, February 7, for a one-night cinema event.  This successful theatrical release, which has already amassed more than half a million dollars at the box office and achieved the highest per screen average of all titles showing in more than 100 locations on Thursday, comes on the heels of Trafalgar Releasing's record-breaking release of Burn the Stage: the Movie featuring K-Pop sensation BTS, and the critically acclaimed Coldplay: A Head Full of Dreams, which both released in November 2018.

Due to extraordinary demand, Aerosmith has announced 17 additional dates for their Las Vegas residency at Park Theater at the new Park MGM resort. America's all-time top-selling rock 'n' roll band will launch AEROSMITH: DEUCES ARE WILD Saturday, April 6, with several of their 18 previously announced shows already sold out.

GHOSTLIGHT DELUXE, an imprint of Ghostlight Records, has announced the release of For Centennial Reasons: 100 Year Salute to Nat King Cole - the new album from the JOHN PIZZARELLI TRIO - in physical, digital and streaming formats today, Friday, February 8. Following high-profile collaborations with Sir Paul McCartney and Michael McDonald, Pizzarelli returns to his roots to honor his hero, the legendary jazz/pop vocalist and pianist Nat King Cole, whose centennial is being celebrated around the world this year with various concerts, books and recordings. For Centennial Reasons completes an epic trio of Pizzarelli albums saluting Cole, starting with Dear Mr. Cole, which helped put Pizzarelli on the map as an influential jazz guitarist and singer in 1994, and continuing with P.S. Mr. Cole, which cemented his legacy five years later. To order the album, please visit ghostlightrecords.lnk.to/pizzarelli-natkingcole

Isaac Mizrahi returns to Cafe Carlyle with an all-new show, Isaac Mizrahi: Queen Size, February 5 - 16. His previous two residencies in the room were sellouts, receiving widespread critical acclaim.

Multi-GRAMMY®-winning artists and current GRAMMY nominees Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Phillip Sweet, and Jimi Westbrook of Little Big Town have been announced as hosts of the 2019 MusiCares®Person of the Year tribute concert honoring Dolly Parton on Feb. 8. GRAMMY winner Yolanda Adams, current GRAMMY nominee Jon Batiste, past GRAMMY nominee Cam, current GRAMMY nominee Brandi Carlile, GRAMMY winner Jennifer Nettles, and current GRAMMY nominee Margo Price will join the performance lineup at the star-studded annual fundraiser for MusiCares, the signature health and human services charity founded by the Recording Academy. Previously announced performers include Leon Bridges, Garth Brooks & Trisha Yearwood, Miley Cyrus, Lauren Daigle, Vince Gill, Don Henley, Norah Jones, Shawn Mendes, Kacey Musgraves, Willie Nelson, Katy Perry, Linda Perry, P!NK, Mark Ronson, Mavis Staples, and Chris Stapleton. GRAMMY winner Dolly Partonwill close the evening's performances. Greg Phillinganes will be the musical director.

Whether it's the national anthem played before every game, the music ballplayers select to accent their 'walk up' to home plate, or the seventh inning stretch when fans sing 'Take Me Out To The Ball Game,' music is an integral part of the baseball experience. To celebrate the soundtrack of our national pastime, the GRAMMY Museum® proudly presents Take Me Out To The Ball Game: Popular Music And The National Pastime. The exhibit will open on March 14, when Bob Santelli, Founding Executive Director of the GRAMMY Museum and the exhibit's curator, will discuss the history of music in baseball with Barry Zito at the Museum's Clive Davis Theater as part of the Museum's Public Programs. The exhibit will run through baseball season until fall 2019.

Honoring musical icon Joni Mitchell's legacy and 75th birthday, Decca Records will release The Music Center Presents Joni 75: A Birthday Celebrationon March 8, 2019. On Joni's 75th birthday last November, a star-studded roster of musicians gathered together to pay tribute to the legendary singer-songwriter. The evening was recorded and is now subsequently being released. It features performances by Brandi Carlile; Glen Hansard; Emmylou Harris; Norah Jones; Chaka Khan; Diana Krall; Kris Kristofferson; Los Lobos with La Marisoul, Cesar Castro & Xochi Flores; Graham Nash; James Taylor; Seal; Rufus Wainwright; and more. The full track list is below.

Dreamgirls follows the story of a black, all-girl singing trio from Chicago called 'The Dreams' and the behind-the-scenes reality of the entertainment industry. At first, the Dreams' manager falls in love with the lead singer, Effie. Later, he abandons her both romantically and professionally, replacing her with someone thinner. Eventually, Effie manages to recover from the blow and builds a successful career going solo. Will they reunite, resulting in a happy ending for all?

Popular saxophonist Kenny G returns to the Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall as Pacific Symphony's guest artist for the "Valentine's Day with Kenny G" concert, led by guest conductor Albert-George Schram. After Pacific Symphony opens the show with lush love themes by Puccini, Offenbach and Gottschalk, including Richard Rodgers' "My Funny Valentine," Kenny G will perform his greatest hits. 

Bay Area Cabaret welcomes back world-renowned guitarist and singer John Pizzarelli and singer Jessica Molaskey, a duo Time Magazine calls the "Astaire-Rodgers of the cabaret world." Bay Area Cabaret audiences will have the chance to see, or choose between, two varied programs:  The first, at 3:30 is a centennial tribute to Nat King Cole, a Venetian Room regular, whose work is celebrated on Mr. Pizzarelli's upcoming CD, Centenially Yours. The second show, American Stories, at 7:30, is a duo show by John and his talented wife Jessica that debuted at Cafe Carlyle and features an eclectic mix of music by George and Ira Gershwin, Johnny Mercer, Paul Simon, Stephen Sondheim, Stevie Nicks and the couple's signature mashups and medleys. Aligned both in their love of the American Songbook and their desire to expand and present it to new audiences, Bay Area Cabaret and John Pizzarelli and his wife Jessica enjoy a partnership that reaches back well over a decade.

The Russell Howard Hour has been commissioned for a further series three and four whist the second series is currently on air until Thursday 28th February on Sky One. The first series of the topical entertainment show, which sees Russell Howard offer his unique and acclaimed perspective on news and current affairs, was the most successful new non-scripted entertainment series to launch on the channel since 2010 and had over 100 million views across social media. The third, fourteen-part series (14 x 60') will go into production in autumn 2019.

Jazz saxophonist David Sanborn will perform with his new quintet at Kean Stage's Enlow Recital Hall at 3 p.m. on Sunday, February 10.

NEIL BERG'S ROCK & ROLL PART 2 at Rockland Community College

EPIX has greenlit Laurel Canyon, a feature-length documentary that will pull back the curtain on a mythical world and provide an up-close look at the lives of the musicians who inhabited it. Through a wealth of rare and newly unearthed footage and audio recordings, the documentary will feature an intimate portrait of the artists who created a music revolution that would change popular culture. Alison Ellwood (History of the Eagles) will direct the feature-length film, which will premiere in late 2019 on EPIX.

Happy New Year to the Syracuse area theater community! We have a new year filled a variety of theatrical productions throughout the greater Syracuse area coming up! We are fortunate to live in an area that has so many talented actors, technicians, and directors as well as dedicated theater companies - not to mention supportive theatergoers. From the local theaters to the Equity tours that come through the area, we are lucky that Syracuse offers many opportunities to experience live theater. Having seen countless productions in this area since I was young and reviewed many shows for the past few years, I thought I would take a moment to share which productions I am most excited about in 2019!

GHOSTLIGHT DELUXE, an imprint of Ghostlight Records, has announced the release of For Centennial Reasons: 100 Year Salute to Nat King Cole - the new album from the JOHN PIZZARELLI TRIO - in physical, digital and streaming formats on Friday, February 8. Following high-profile collaborations with Sir Paul McCartney and Michael McDonald, Pizzarelli returns to his roots to honor his hero, the legendary jazz/pop vocalist and pianist Nat King Cole, whose centennial is being celebrated around the world this year with various concerts, books and recordings. For Centennial Reasons completes an epic trio of Pizzarelli albums saluting Cole, starting with Dear Mr. Cole, which helped put Pizzarelli on the map as an influential jazz guitarist and singer in 1994, and continuing with P.S. Mr. Cole, which cemented his legacy five years later. To pre-order the album, please visit the label HERE.

Internationally-acclaimed pianist Yuja Wang continues her season-long Perspectives series this February, launching into performances that offer creative collaborations, reunions with recital partners and artists who have influenced her career, and a night of classical music comedy-all displaying the pianist's eclectic interests and musical versatility.

A songwriter's songwriter, Pierce Pettis is back with his first new studio album in nearly a decade with FATHER'S SON, out January 18 on Compass Records. NPR Folk Alley is premiering the entire album online as part of their 'Hear It First' seires; listen to it here:

Honoring one of the world's most revered artists, Joni Mitchell, on her 75th birthday, The Music Center Presents Joni 75: A Birthday Celebration brings an incredible array of singers and musicians to cinemas across the US and Canada for a one-night-only celebration on February 7, 2019 in collaboration with global event cinema distributor Trafalgar Releasing and The Music Center, Los Angeles' premiere performing arts center.

Aurora Theatre Company continues its dynamic 27th season with the Bay Area premiere of Anna Ziegler's ACTUALLY. Tracy Ward directs this powerful "he said/she said" that explores the intersection of race, gender, and sex on college campuses. Michael Curry and Ella Dershowitz each make their Aurora debut.