For the past six years, LifeLine Music Coalition has produced the Friday Night Jazz Series @ Woodmere Art Museum! Come see the music and hear the art – a perfect combination! Sit back, sip some wine and enjoy America’s music..jazz.
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FRIDAY NIGHT JAZZ | 6:00-8:00 p.m.
KUKURU JONA FREEDOM JAZZ ORCHESTRA: ROMANCE IN ANOTHER KEY
FEBRUARY 10
Join the Kukuru Jona Freedom Jazz Orchestra, conducted by Warren Oree,
for a musical journey through the ups and downs of romantic entanglements. Musical compositions resonate with love, passion, heartbreak, betrayal, and surprise.
MUSIC TO LOVE WITH: ROMANTIC JAZZ
FEBRUARY 17
Romance loves music, and music loves to be a part of romance. Join us as we marry these two natural partners in classic songs like “My Romance,” “I Love You,” “At Last,” and many more. Vocalists Suzanne Burgess and Michael Andrews bring the songs to life in a jazzy and romantic way. It’s time to hear the love!
EDDIE LANG: WELCOME TO THE JAZZ GUITAR
FEBRUARY 24
Philadelphia’s own Eddie Lang is called the father of the jazz guitar, with sounds more suited for the swing and rhythms of jazz music. Arpeggio Jazz Ensemble guitarist Frank Butrey explores the style and impact of Eddie Lang with songs like “Georgia on My Mind,” “Stringin’ the Blues,” and more.
SWEETHEARTS OF RHYTHM
MARCH 3
A tribute concert to the Sweethearts of Rhythm, the first interracial women’s swing band, which broke racial barriers and performed throughout the United States in the 1930s and 1940s, and toured Europe during World War II. The group generated excitement wherever they went. In conjunction with The Storybook Magic of Jerry Pinkney.
SAUCY AND SASSY: SARAH VAUGHAN AND EARTHA KITT
MARCH 10
Vocalists Suzanne Burgess and Jackie Greggs bring us the music of two divas, one a classic jazz singer, the other a sultry siren who melted hearts everywhere. Be entertained, seduced, and serenaded with songs like “Misty,” “Fever,” “ My Funny Valentine,” “The Touch,” “I Remember You,” and more.
THE REAL SMOOTH JAZZ: JOHN COLTRANE AND JOHNNY HARTMAN
MARCH 17
These two musical icons epitomize mellow, contemplative jazz. Saxophonist John Coltrane defied critics who said he could only play “loud and angry” by delivering silky, velvety notes to complement Johnny Hartman’s rich baritone. Join us for classics like “My One and Only Love,” “Dedicated to You,” “In a Sentimental Mood,” and others featuring vocalist Michael Andrews and Arpeggio Jazz Ensemble saxophonist Umar Raheem.
WHAT’S STILL GOING ON? MARVIN GAYE
MARCH 24
In 1970, Marvin Gaye asked a question that resonates today: “What’s Goin’ On?” The Motown man who sang his way into so many hearts and onto so many dance floors is featured as we explore the power and influence of his music and his message. Vocalist El Barak brings Gaye’s repertoire to life, from early songs like “How Sweet It Is” to his socially conscious “Mercy, Mercy Me.”
JAZZICAL: A COURAGEOUS MUSICAL EXCHANGE
MARCH 31
Come explore the possibilities when classical meets jazz: Miles and Mozart, Coltrane and Chopin. Harpist Gloria Galante and a classical pianist join the Arpeggio Jazz Ensemble in a performance featuring music by Thelonious Monk, McCoy Tyner, and Ahmad Jamal, including “’Round Midnight,” “Mr. PC,” “Blue Monk,” and others.
JAZZ PIANO: PLAY IT AGAIN SAM
APRIL 7
Pianists Jeff Knoettner and Adam Faulk offer their interpretations of some of the great jazz piano players: Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Dave Brubeck, Fats Waller, Nat King Cole, Thelonious Monk, and others with songs like “Sweet Lorraine,” “Ain’t Misbehavin’,” “Take Five,” “’Round Midnight,” and more jazz classics.
BROADWAY JAZZ
APRIL 21
The lights of New York’s famed theater district always shine a little brighter when they put the jazz on stage. Vocals, dance, and swinging music will be a part of this tribute to the sound that made—and make—Broadway the jazziest street in New York. Join us for music from Ain’t Misbehavin’, Sophisticated Ladies, The Wiz, and more.
Fall 2016 Schedule:
Celebrate music at Woodmere with Friday Night Jazz and Classical Saturdays. With exceptional performers, an acoustically astounding space, and amazing works of art, the concert experience at the Museum is like no other.
Tickets are available for purchase at the door, beginning at 4:30 p.m. on the day of the performance. No advance reservations. All parties must be present to purchase a ticket.
Limited parking is available at the Museum. Please do not park on Bells Mill Road. Food and drinks are allowed only in the galleries in the historic section of the Museum.
$22 ($12 members)
WRTI is a partner for Music at Woodmere. Friday Night Jazz is offered in partnership with LifeLine Music Coalition.
FRIDAY NIGHT JAZZ | 6:00-8:00 p.m.
Chicken Bone Beach . . . The Black Music Experience in Atlantic City!
September 30
Atlantic City was once the place to catch celebrated performers like Pearl Bailey, Ray Charles, Sammy Davis Jr., and Billy Eckstine, who seemed to convey the very essence of black culture. Back then there were no casinos and there was not much integration, but there was plenty of good, soulful music. Join the Arpeggio Jazz Ensemble andreturn to the heyday of black nightlife in Atlantic City. Chicken Bone Beach music for everybody!
Nina Simone—High Priestess of Soul
October 7
Nina Simone was one of our most prolific and dynamic singers. Explore her legacy with vocalist Suzanne Burgess as she performs classic Simone songs like “Four Women” and “I Loves You Porgy.”
Ladies of Motown Meet Ladies of Memphis
October 14
Motown had a sound all its own, as did the Memphis Soul Stew. The Arpeggio Jazz Ensemble brings together—both musically and culturally—the ladies who championed each of these significant musical styles. Plenty of surprises are in store.
What If . . . Miles Davis and Chet Baker
October 21
Amid accusations of favoritism and a racist music business, trumpeters Miles Davis and Chet Baker had no love for each other. But both felt the pull of jazz and couldn’t have stopped the music if they had wanted to. What would it have been like if they had shared the same stage at the same time? Find out with two dynamic Philadelphia musicians: Will Wright and Josh Lawrence. Enjoy a night of good jazz and a coming together of ideas.
Lionel Hampton—Breaking Barriers
November 4
Pay tribute to one of the great innovators and bandleaders in jazz music. A talented drummer and an early master of the vibraphone, Lionel Hampton also became a pioneer of racial progress when he joined one of the first integrated jazz bands—the world famous Benny Goodman Quartet. You will hear some of his best-known tunes, including “Flying Home,” “One O’clock Jump,” and “Stompin’ at the Savoy.”
Lee Morgan and Benny Golson—Two Horns, Many Sounds
November 11
Trumpeter Lee Morgan and saxophonist Benny Golson helped redefine jazz music. Morgan added some funk to the jazz swing in songs like “The Sidewinder” and “Cornbread,” while Golson moved the genre to the TV screen with his scores for The Mod Squad, Room 222, and Mannix, in addition to writing popular songs such as “Killer Joe.” Explore their work in this ongoing series celebrating the jazz giants of Philadelphia.
It Don’t Mean a Thing Unless Duke and
Ella Swing
November 18
Two jazz icons put some swing in our step as we snap our fingers, tap our feet, and move our hips to classics like “Take the ‘A’ Train,” “Satin Doll,” “How High the Moon,” and “A-Tisket, A-Tasket.” Pianist Adam Faulk and vocalist Suzanne Burgess, accompanied by the Arpeggio Jazz Ensemble, do the honors of interpreting the music of Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald.
Ragtime to Our Time
December 2
Ragtime has had an indelible impact on decades of jazz thanks to brilliant composers like Scott Joplin and others who put new twists on the older genre, including Jelly Roll Morton, James Johnson, and Fats Waller. Pianist Adam Faulk guides us through the growth of jazz as it exploded from the cradle of ragtime and came to walk upright with a stride all its own.
Ornette Coleman and the Future History of Jazz
December 9
Jazz is an ever-evolving, moving, and searching style of music that sometimes defies description. Ornette Coleman was a saxophonist and innovator of “free jazz,” an improvisational approach whose lasting impact on the genre is now history. Saxophonist Julian Pressley takes on some of Coleman’s classic compositions—“Lonely Woman,” “The Shape of Jazz to Come,” and more.
Holiday Sings the Holidays
December 16
Spend the holidays with the sounds of Miss Billie Holiday. Michal Beckham evokes the celebrated vocalist as she sings seasonal favorites “Let It Snow,” “We Three Kings,” “The Christmas Song,” and more.
