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   from the issue of May 3, 2007

     
 
  Favorites return for jazz series

Sweet 16

Jazz in June's Sweet Sixteen summer concert series promises great jazz and great food in the great outdoors.

Organized by the Nebraska Art Association, the 2007 free jazz series turns "Sweet Sixteen" and features return engagements by some of the most popular Jazz in June musicians. The concerts are held in the plaza west of Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery.

The free jazz concerts begin at 7 p.m., each Tuesday in June - June 5, 12, 19, and 26. Those who attend are encouraged to bring blankets or lawn chairs.

In conjunction with the performances, the Jazz in June Market offers visitors dinner and midweek shopping. Dinner items, fresh produce, baked goods, ice cream from the UNL Dairy Store and many more delights are available for purchase. The market opens at 5 p.m. on 12th and R streets and is organized by the Downtown Lincoln Association, the City of Lincoln and UNL.

Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery docents will offer tours of the exhibition "Sculptors on Paper" inside the museum and visit select artworks in the Sculpture Garden before each concert. Visitors may join a tour at 6 p.m. in Sheldon's Great Hall.

Before each concert, the String Beans, the popular children's band from Lincoln that includes Curtis Bright of University Communications, will perform from 6:15 to 6:45 p.m. in front of Kimball Auditorium.

The popular Super Sleuth will once again be offered for all concerts. Designed primarily for younger audiences, Super Sleuth provides opportunities for engaging with works of art both inside and outside Sheldon. Clipboards, pencils and questions can be checked out at the Super Sleuth table, and upon completion returned for a small prize.

UNL campus garden tours will be offered beginning at 6 p.m. before each concert. Visitors wanting to take a tour should gather at the east entrance of Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery.

Refreshments will be for sale at each concert, along with Jazz in June T-shirts and CDs by that week's performers.

Admission to the concerts and Sheldon Art Gallery are free. The Nebraska Art Association, the dedicated nonprofit support group of the Sheldon, encourages visitors to made a donation at each concert.

For more information on Jazz in June, go online to http://jazzinjune.com.


Schedule - Jazz in June 2007


June 5 - Kendra Shank

Shank is a jazz vocalist who has won rave critical notices and fans internationally. She came to jazz during a residency in the late 1980s in Paris. Her career blossomed quickly and she caught the attention of jazz legend Shirley Horn, who co-produced Shank's acclaimed debut 1994 CD, "Afterglow."

Shank's group, formed in 1999, includes pianist Frank Kimbrough, bassist Dean Johnson, and drummer Tony Moreno. This ensemble is featured on her newest album, "A Spirit Free: Abbey Lincoln Songbook." Released in February, the album includes special guests Billy Drewes (tenor and soprano sax, bass clarinet, percussion), Ben Monder (guitar), and Gary Versace (accordion).

For more information, visit www.kendrashank.com.



June 12 - Hot Club of San Francisco

The versatile musicians in this accomplished ensemble celebrate the music of Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli's pioneering Hot Club de France. The ensemble borrows the all-string instrumentation of violin, bass and guitars from the original Hot Club, but plays innovative arrangements of classic tunes and original compositions from the group's lead guitarist Paul Mehling.

Hearing the ensemble live, or on any of their eight albums, carries the listener back to the 1930s and to the intimate jazz clubs of Paris or the refined lounges of the famous Hotel Ritz. For more information, visit www.baylinartists.com/hotclub.htm.



June 19 - Stan Kessler and the Sons of Brasil

Since their inception in 1991, Stan Kessler and the Sons of Brasil have brought Brazilian jazz to their hometown of Kansas City and beyond.

Led by Kessler on trumpet, flugelhorn and percussion, these six musicians create great melodies and sophisticated harmonies within the driving pulse of bossa nova. The founder of the group, Kessler, has been an important figure in the Kansas City jazz scene for many years. Other members of the group include Doug Auwarter on drums, Danny Embrey on guitar, Greg Whitfield on electric bass, Gary Helm on percussion, and Roger Wilder on keyboards.

For more information, visit www.stantonkessler.com.



June 26 - The Nebraska Jazz Orchestra
with guest artist Angela Hagenbach

Kansas City singer/songwriter Hagenbach will highlight the Nebraska Jazz Orchestra's annual date at Jazz in June.

Hagenbach is a fashion model turned jazz singer. She sings everything from swinging, straight-ahead jazz standards, blues and original compositions to sensual Latin jazz.

Founded in 1975 the Nebraska Jazz Orchestra is one of the Midwest's premier big bands.

Members of the orchestra include UNL's Scott Anderson, Peter Bouffard, Paul Haar and Tom Harvill.

For more information on Hagenbach, go online to www.angelahagenbach.com. For more information on the Nebraska Jazz Orchestra, go online to www.artsincorporated.org/njo.


GO TO: ISSUE OF MAY 3

ARTS HEADLINES FOR MAY 3

'On the Land' features Sartore photography
American Life in Poetry
'Anatomy of Charley Friedman' opens May 11 at Sheldon
HEAD UP
Schaffert's third novel out May 15
Sweet 16
'The Host' continues run on Mary Riepma Ross screen
'Torn Notebook' conservation to begin May 7
Woodwind Quintet, Chiara Quartet play 'Nebraska Concerts' in May

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