Les Davis News

For nearly five decades, Michael Jackson and his music affected and moved generations of people all over the world. His accomplishments as an entertainer were unprecedented, he embodied the definition of a superstar and his music is intimately intertwined with some of the most memorable moments of our lives.

In her new show, Some People's Lives, singer Moira Danis gives audiences a glimpse into the lives of those around us - friends, lovers, relatives, and strangers.

The award-winning Broadway musical Fela!, Harlem's Hue Man Bookstore and the Arts and Entertainment Task Force of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) have joined forces to bring a unique promotion to Broadway audiences.

The Steve Hudson Chamber Ensemble (www.SteveHudsonMusic.com), led by composer Steve Hudson - piano/melodica, and featuring Zach Brock - violin, Jody Redhage - cello/voice, and Martin Urbach - cajon/percussion, plays two CD release events for their newly released album 'Galactic Diamonds' - on Saturday, December 18th, 7:30pm, at Mo Fiddles (www.mofiddles.com), 4260 Town Center Way, Livingston, NJ (Admission is $15, (973) 994-1083 for more information) and on Sunday, December 19th from 7:30-9:30 pm, at Miles Café (www.milescafe.com), 212 E. 52nd St. 3Fl. (b/2nd & 3rd Ave. - E/V train to 53rd St./Lexington, 6 train to 51st St.), New York, NY ($10 admission with $10 drink/food minimum).

Ottmar Liebert returns to the RRazz Room for a series of solo guitar performances. Liebert's incredible global success on a musical level often seems like a simple outgrowth of his cultural background and powerful wanderlust in his formative years. Born in Cologne, Germany to a Chinese-German father and Hungarian mother, he began playing guitar at 11, and traveled extensively through Europe and Asia intent on fully absorbing each musical tradition he encountered. After pursuing his Rock and Roll dreams, first in his native Germany and then in Boston, he abandoned the frustrations of the East coast and settled in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Fela!, recipient of three 2010 Tony® Awards including Best Choreography, will celebrate its One Year Anniversary on Broadway on Tuesday, November 23 @ 7pm at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre (230 West 49th Street) where it opened a year ago to rapturous reviews.

Joe Chambers and M'Boom Re-percussion Concert and Clinic/Demonstration Thursday, December 9th 9:30 a.m. Chester High School, Chester, Pa.

Grammy award-winner John McLaughlin is known as an extraordinary solo artist, a collaborator and sideman for artists such as Miles Davis, as the leader of both the ground breaking Mahavishnu Orchestra and the revolutionary indo-jazz group Shakti, and as the composer of some of the most stunning classical jazz-fusion pieces written. Through the almost four decades of his career, one constant has been his artistry as a guitarist and improviser.

There aren't many bass/piano duos more musically familiar with one another than Charlie Haden and Paul Bley. The two legends have been playing together off and on since the late 1950s. Charlie Haden's career as a sideman (Ornette Coleman, Keith Jarrett, Charles Lloyd) and as a leader (Liberation Music Orchestra, Quartet West) have made him one of the most respected jazz musicians of our time. Some of Haden's most beautiful and introspective music has appeared in his duo work (the most recent of which can be heard on Jasmine, recorded with celebrated pianist Keith Jarrett on ECM). Paul Bley, an equally innovative pianist whose recording credits range from Lester Young and Charlie Parker to John Scofield and Bill Frisell, will share the stage with Haden from Nov. 18 - 21.

Fela!, recipient of three 2010 Tony® Awards including Best Choreography, will celebrate its 400th performance on Tuesday, November 8 @ 7pm.

In her new show, Some People's Lives, singer Moira Danis gives audiences a glimpse into the lives of those around us - friends, lovers, relatives, and strangers.

LA MIRADA THEATRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS & UPRIGHT CABARET are thrilled to announce a second season of shows at the theatre and the performers for its first show of the season!

There aren't many bass/piano duos more musically familiar with one another than Charlie Haden and Paul Bley. The two legends have been playing together off and on since the late 1950s. Charlie Haden's career as a sideman (Ornette Coleman, Keith Jarrett, Charles Lloyd) and as a leader (Liberation Music Orchestra, Quartet West) have made him one of the most respected jazz musicians of our time. Some of Haden's most beautiful and introspective music has appeared in his duo work (the most recent of which can be heard on Jasmine, recorded with celebrated pianist Keith Jarrett on ECM). Paul Bley, an equally innovative pianist whose recording credits range from Lester Young and Charlie Parker to John Scofield and Bill Frisell, will share the stage with Haden from Nov. 18 - 21.

John Mellencamp and his band are set to embark on the first leg of the No Better Than This Tour in late October following the August 17 release of his Rounder Records debut album, No Better Than This. The tour, designed as a uniquely formatted 'evening with,' brings Mellencamp's music to theater-sized venues, a rare opportunity to experience one of America's most iconic songwriters and performers in an intimate setting, highlighting all phases of his artistry.

The Town Hall, Broadway's landmark concert venue, (123 W. 43rd Street) announces its 90th Anniversary season lineup. Headliners include Tony Award ®winning Broadway star Ben Vereen; the acclaimed musical comedy troupe Capitol Steps, back by popular demand; Grammy Award® winning singer and songwriter Don Mclean; the world premiere of a new production by the Romulo Larrea Tango Ensemble; Broadway stars Linda Eder and three time Tony Award® nominee Kelli O'Hara; celebrated singers and actors Andrea Marcovicci and Jeff Harner; Grammy and Tony Award® winner Dee Dee Bridgewater and the acclaimed concert series Broadway By The Year®, featuring the years 1921, 1932, 1982 and 1997.

The RRazz room at Hotel Nikko is San Francisco's premiere nightclub, offering the finest in world-class Cabaret, Jazz, Comedy and Popular music entertainment.

Upright Cabaret is thrilled to announce the performers for their first concert at the Scherr Forum Theatre at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza. On Sat, Oct 23, 2010, Matt Cusson, Jake Simpson and Nita Whitaker will sing the sounds of 'Motor City' as Upright Cabaret expands their unique, one-of-a-kind cabaret experience to Thousand Oaks, CA.

UPRIGHT CABARET is thrilled to announce the performers for their first concert at the Scherr Forum Theatre at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, 2100 Thousand Oaks Blvd. in Thousand Oaks.

Marcos Vega Quintet plays Friday, October 22 - 7:00 p.m.

LA MIRADA THEATRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS & UPRIGHT CABARET are thrilled to announce a second season of shows at the theatre and the performers for its first show of the season!