PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Jazz Cabaret, a classic jazz tribute, is a magical recreation of the soulful 1940’s jazz club phenomenon will be held on Friday, July 25, 8:00 p.m. at the Victoria Hall Theater. The Cabaret, co-produced by Richard Weiss and Nick Blagoev, is slated to be an unforgettable evening of reverence to the legends of jazz and a breathtaking celebration of jazz music spontaneously performed from the heart. Live performances, artist interplay, spontaneous improvisation, narration, interviews and rare archival film footage will bring to life the golden days of jazz. This is an opportunity to see and hear some of the most beloved musical material of that time. 

The concert features the showmanship of jazz pianist extraordinaire Nelson Kole, a former Frank Sinatra collaborator. He will present a live musical overview of classic jazz styles and engage the audience in an intimate and exhilarating journey into the golden days of jazz. His professional resume as a composer/arranger and pianist for live shows, television, film scores and recordings seems endless, having worked as musical director and composer for Dionne Warwicke, Don Rickles and Clint Holmes. He also collaborated with Billy Crystal and Martin Short for their television and film projects. 

Another guest star in the program is the show-stopper jazz vocalist, Perlene Thurston, a "heart-felt jazz stylist" from Los Angeles.

The show segment "To Nat King Cole…with Love" will pay homage to the extraordinary musical achievement of the Nat Cole swing trio from the 1940’s. Old-timer jazz vocalist Jerome Smith, an 84 year-old encyclopedia of jazz, whose style possesses the full bouquet of charm and elegance of the classic jazz era, will share rare glimpses of his life in Kansas City and Saint Louis and his personal experiences with many of the jazz legends such as Louis Armstrong, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Jay McShann and Chet Baker. Pianist Frank Frost and bass player Hank Allen are outstanding jazz musicians with credits from concert stage, studio work and jazz clubs. Hank has played with such jazz luminaries as Erroll Garner, Buddy Rich, Kei Akagi (a former Miles Davis pianist).

The Dennis Berger Jazz Quartet is a swing jazz ensemble featuring the lyrical and emotionally sophisticated alto and tenor sax performance of its leader. The quartet plays in the style of and with the musical expertise of such cherished classic jazz groups as the Stan Getz Quartet and The Dave Brubeck Quartet. Dennis Berger plays the saxophone with the poetic sound quality, musicality and poignancy of Paul Desmond and Stan Getz.

Co-producers are Richard Weiss and Nick Blagoev. Weiss has served as Assistant Director for the last four sold-out Opera Santa Barbara productions. His extensive background in Theatre and Music makes him uniquely capable of producing completely professional productions infused with that energy that can only be achieved by someone doing something they deeply know and love.

Nick Blagoev holds a graduate degree in jazz and is a recipient of the prestigious Eubie Blake Grant for jazz studies from the Eubie Blake Trust in New York City (founded by legendary pianist and composer Eubie Blake). In New York he worked actively with the Lincoln Center Jazz Department on implementing his vision of creating a national jazz television network in the United States. Nick Blagoev has worked as an executive producer in the areas of television and film development and as a music/record producer and talent manager.

Tickets are $27.50 and $35 and are available through Ticketmaestro, (805) 565-9359 or on-line at http://www.ticketmaestro.org