Photo By Lisa Marie Mazzucco

Pianist Simone Dinnerstein, whose recordings have topped the classical charts, will perform at 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 28, in the Carlsen Center’s Yardley Hall at Johnson County Community College.

Tickets, which are $35 and $25, can be purchased online or through the college box office at 913-469-4445.

When Telarc released Dinnerstein’s “Goldberg Variations” in 2007, she became a sensation in the classical world virtually overnight. The Telarc recording zoomed to No. 1 on the US Billboard Classical Chart in its first week of sales.

Dinnerstein’s follow-up album, “The Berlin Concert,” also hit that top spot, as did her latest album, “Bach – A Strange Beauty.” The latter one, released in January 2011, also made the Billboard Top 200, which compiles the entire music industry’s top-selling albums in all genres.

Her most recent recording, “Something Almost Being Said,” will be released Jan. 31.

The Kansas City Star recently called Dinnerstein “an ambassador for Bach,” detailing her “educationally enriching Bach invasion” at her son’s school. Read more about her school invasion in the Star.

Dinnerstein will talk with Patrick Neas on Radio Bach between 8:30 and 9 a.m. Thursday. Listen live online.

And, of course, check out the video below to hear a sample of Dinnerstein’s work.

Brubeck Brothers Quartet

Two of the nation’s top jazz bands, plus 10 of Kansas City’s best jazz groups, will perform during Jazz Winterlude, which will run from Friday, Jan. 20, through Sunday, Jan. 22, at the Carlsen Center. See the full schedule.

Various forms of jazz will be presented, including contemporary, Kansas City swing and New Orleans style.

The Kansas City Star dubbed Jazz Winterlude this week’s top jazz event.

The Brubeck Brothers Quartet, which will perform Friday, Jan. 20, at 8:30 p.m., likes to integrate straight ahead jazz with influences of funk, blues and world music.

Poncho Sanchez

Read more about the Brubeck Brothers in the Star.

Poncho Sanchez and his Latin Jazz Band, which performs at 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 21, serves up a medley of sounds that include soul and salsa.

• Full Agenda
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Special Offer!
Buy tickets to the Performing Arts Series event “Poncho Sanchez and his Latin Jazz Band” and get discounted 2-day passes to Jazz Winterlude.

"Fiddler on the Roof"

If you’re eagerly anticipating “Fiddler on the Roof” this weekend at Johnson County Community College, you’ll want to watch NBC Action News Weekend Today show Saturday morning.

Brooke Hills, the actress who plays Tzeitel, Tevye’s eldest daughter, will be interviewed on the newscast at 9:40 a.m. CST.

In the show, Tzeitel sings “Matchmaker, Matchmaker” with Hodel (Sarah Sesler) and Chava (Chelsea LeBel) in the Broadway smash and Tony Award winner.

Based on the stories of Sholom Aleichem, Tevye the Milkman is a Jewish peasant in pre-Revolutionary Russia, coping with the day-to-day problems of shtetl life, his Jewish traditions, his wife and daughters, and state-sanctioned pogroms.

In addition to “Matchmaker, Matchmaker,” Fiddler’s familiar score includes “If I Were a Rich Man;” “Sunrise, Sunset;” and of course, “Tradition.”

Tickets are still available for this weekend’s performances at 8 p.m. on Saturday and at 7 p.m. on Sunday in Yardley Hall in the Carlsen Center.

Buy your tickets online today or purchase tickets by phone, by fax or in person at the JCCC box office. Online service fees apply.

Brubeck Brothers Quartet

The Brubeck Brothers Quartet has been all performing all over the world recently, and they’ll be at Johnson County Community College on Friday, January 20, 2012.

Theirs will be a featured performance at Jazz Winterlude, a three-day jazz festival.

We caught up with Chris Brubeck during the holidays and he graciously took some time to tell us exactly what’s been going on with him and his brother Dan Brubeck and their quartet. Here’s what Chris had to say in his own words.

Where have you and the band been playing recently?

The most interesting gigs the Brubeck Brothers Quartet has played in the last year have included our second appearance at the Newport Jazz Festival in Rhode Island and our performance at a music festival in Dubrovnik, Croatia. Oddly enough, both venues are on the sea and by contrast, the Newport Jazz Festival is one of the original jazz gatherings and Dubrovnik just started last year. Newport has been a great jazz celebration since the 1950s. My brother Dan and I used to go the concerts as kids with our dad. It felt amazing to go back there a half-century later playing as professional musicians. The dreams of two little kids had come true. Imagine a beautiful walled city and castle that sits right on the coast of the Adriatic Sea – that’s Dubrovnik. We played with the city orchestra there plus we did a separate concert as the Brubeck Brothers Quartet. The communication we enjoyed with the Croatian musicians was a blast. While Dan was doing an amazing drum solo, the orchestra members started screaming with enthusiasm like they were reacting to a soccer goal in a playoff game. You won’t get that reaction in the states.

Judging from your website, it looks like you do a lot of traveling.

I do travel a lot. In fact, I just got back from Brazil where I was playing as a guest soloist on trombone, piano and bass with an orchestra in Sao Paulo. Prior to that, Dan and I played at a jazz festival in Poland and toured for three weeks in the United Kingdom. The Brubeck Brothers Quartet also recently flew to Guatemala to play a concert. The audiences were great and jazz appreciation is universal.

What do you know about Kansas City?

I’ve played a couple of times in Kansas City. Once – I think it was in the early 1980s – I was playing bass in The Dave Brubeck Quartet. The concert was in a big park. The other time was back in the early 1970s when my rock band was the group featured in a local production of Jesus Christ Superstar. It is a long story but, in short, Chris Brown, the bass player in my group called New Heavenly Blue, ended up singing the role of Jesus Christ and also ended up on the cover of Life magazine. A local talented kid, who was really a guitarist, replaced Chris on bass. That kid turned out to be Pat Matheny. Amazing!!

Do you do a lot of clinics with students like the one you’ll be doing here?

We do quite a few clinic situations. Last year we did a concert and some clinics at University of Oklahoma in Norman. We also did a clinic at Chico State in California. Workshops provide an opportunity for us to hear young musicians and to give them some pointers plus answer their questions. It can be very rewarding to know you may have given some feedback that really connects with the students.

Can you give us an idea of what people should expect if they attend your concert here?

We have had a lot of nice reviews that say we actually sound like a group – not simply a collection of skilled jazz musicians. We have developed our own style of playing together. Our last two CDs have been in the “Top 10″ of straight ahead jazz radio so we must be doing something right. Part of that is the instrumentation, which includes our gifted guitarist, Mike Demicco, and our extremely inventive pianist, Chuck Lamb. It is tricky but rewarding for piano and guitar to work so well together. My brother Dan has a very unique approach to the drums which combines the tradition of a jazz approach infused with a blend of Latin, rock and funk. I play a fretless electric bass, which sounds a lot like an upright bass, but I can fit it in the overhead compartment of the plane. Sometimes I play bass trombone too.

Dan and I have a special connection, having played together all of our lives. Dan, Chuck, Mike and I play music that has a wide range of moods, from ethereal jazz to hard-driving blues. We play a mixture of original compositions and also some of the tunes associated with The Dave Brubeck Quartet. Dan and I toured with Dave all over the world playing his music so it is in our blood and it is terrific music to boot. Dave’s music resonates with folks all over the planet. We play it in our own way of course…we are not a “ghost” or “tribute band.” I really like what the Boston Globe wrote about us a few years ago: “They bring a new spirit to straight ahead jazz.”  If you liked Dave’s music, you will like our approach to jazz. On the other hand, if you are someone who has never gone to a jazz concert, we would be a good group to introduce you to a beautiful and uniquely American musical experience.

Anything else you’d like to say would be welcome.

We are looking forward to working with young musicians and playing a great concert at JCCC early in the new year.

Twelve of the best brass and percussion players in the nation will perform the lively show at 8 p.m. in Yardley Hall in the Carlsen Center at Johnson County Community College.

Burning River Brass

With infectious joy, the group will present a variety of music designed to satisfy the tastes of every audience.

You’ll hear fresh arrangements of classic Christmas melodies as well as original works – all praised for their energy, sound and style.

Download the program (PDF) for details then buy your tickets online now or before the show at the JCCC box office.

Remember, Performing Arts Series gift certificates make great stocking stuffers. Purchase yours online today.

They’ll only have two hours to prepare with the quartet for “Solstice Celebration: A Festival of Lights,” but the choir’s artistic director, Matthew Christopher Shepard, isn’t worried.

“I am really excited to put this together,” Shepard said. “It’s always a great experience to work with such talented musicians.”

Eight members of Te Deum will sing four pieces, accompanied by the quartet and arranged by the violist:

• Charlie Brown Christmas, “Christmas Time is Here”
• “Bringing in the Sheaves”
• “Silent Night/All Blues”
• Arrangement of “O Tannenbaum,” or “O Christmas Tree”

Shepard won’t know many more details about Te Deum’s role until the choir members meet the quartet.

“The choir is working hard and making sure we come in fully prepared and with our own ideas,” Shepard said. “We have to have our own ideas and then be flexible as we see what the quartet has in mind.”

Te Deum performs with the Turtle Island Quartet at 8 p.m. Saturday in Polsky Theatre in the Carlsen Center at JCCC.

Only a few tickets are still available online or through the box office, 913-469-4445.

If you see Te Deum at JCCC and want to hear more from the choir, they’ll be performing a concert entitled “Lenten Meditations” in March at two nearby locations:

• Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
  7:30 p.m.
  Saturday, March 24, 2012
  416 W. 12th St.
  Kansas City, MO 64105
  (816) 842-0416
• Southminster Presbyterian Church
  3 p.m.
  Sunday, March 25, 2012
  6306 Roe Ave.
  Prairie Village, KS
  (913) 432-3505

Both performances are free.

“That concert is going to be all a cappella choral music, a mix of traditional choral anthems and some less traditional, music from the baroque all the way to 21^st century,” Shepard said.

The concert consists of five sections, each focusing on elements of Lent.

“We have a set of pieces that reflect on the recognition of our sin, a section of the pieces that reflects on the feast or the Holy Supper, then a section that reflects on Mary, the mother of Jesus, and her role in this Lenten time, and then a section of pieces that reflects on theimportance of the cross, and finally, a section I titled “The Promise,” which reflects on what this crucifixion, means to our lives.”

The concert ends with “Beautiful Savior.”

More than 400 people attended the choir’s last two performances.

Shepard said, “We’re thrilled tott5 share our music with as many people as possible.”

KC Star: Young People Leading Ukulele Renaissance

Jake Shimabukuro has redefined the ukulele, and he’s bringing his “utterly unique” sound to JCCC in March.

It’s a performance local ukulele fans won’t want to miss – and it seems – there are a lot of them.

Repopularized by recently by rock stars Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam, Train and Jason Mraz, young people are starting ukulele clubs at high schools and playing them on college campuses, according to a recent article in the Kansas City Star Magazine.

Emily Behrmann, general manager of the Performing Arts Series at JCCC, told the Star magazine’s James Fussell she’s seeing a lot of interest in ukuleles.

“I met with our student senate (last month) and they wanted me to give them an overview of what’s coming up,” Behrmann told Fussell. “I asked for suggestions. After they mentioned Adele and Lady Gaga, which we obviously can’t afford, one of them said, ‘How about Jake Shimabukuro? He plays the ukulele.’ And I said, ‘I’m glad you mentioned him, because he’s already coming.’ A few of them then broke into applause.”

Shimabukuro, a 34-year old Hawaiian, has been compared to Jimi Hendrix and Miles Davis for entirely redefining the ukulele, according to his website.

“In the hands of Shimabukuro, the traditional Hawaiian instrument of four strings and two octaves is stretched and molded into a complex and bold new musical force,” his bio on this website reads. “On his most recent album ‘Peace Love Ukulele’ (which debuted at #1 on the Billboard World Album Chart), Jake and his “uke” effortlessly (it seems) mix jazz, rock, classical, traditional Hawaiian music, and folk, creating a sound that’s both technically masterful and emotionally powerful…and utterly unique in the music world.”

Shimabukuro will perform at 7 p.m. Sunday, March 11, 2012, in Yardley Hall of the Carlsen Center at Johnson County Community College.

Tickets are $25 and $35 in advance.

Tickets are available now online or through the JCCC box office. The box office – located in the Carlsen Center lobby – is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and one hour before curtain.

To purchase tickets by phone, call 913-469-4445 (913-469-4485 deaf and hard of hearing TDD/TTY).

Read the Kansas City Star Magazine article, and watch the video below to learn more about Shimabukuro.

Photo: Egbert Euser

Co-artistic directors for the puppet theater company Phantom Limb, Jessica Grindstaff and Erik Sanko, recently showed children at the Lawrence Arts Center how to operate marionettes.

The puppet theater company performs “69° South – The Shackleton Project” tonight at 8 in Yardley Hall of the Carlsen Center at Johnson County Community College.

Sanko created the marionettes the company will use to re-create the events of 1914 when Ernest Shackleton and 27 others set out to be the first team of explorers to cross Antarctica.

In a video clip posted Thursday on LJWorld.com, Sanko explained why he enjoys making marionettes.

“It’s something to do aesthetically, and there’s also a lot of engineering involved in it, so it’s like making a beautiful machine that somehow makes art,” Sanko told LJWorld.com.

Read about “69° South – The Shackleton Project” on the Performing Arts Series website.

Tickets are still available for tonight’s show. Purchase yours online now or stop by the JCCC box office before 5 p.m. or between 7 and 8 p.m. to buy tickets.

Max Weinberg

Folks who attend “The Max Weinberg Experience” Saturday night at JCCC are in for something special.

“You’ll get a little bit more than just sort of a concert,” Weinberg told 101 The Fox’s Slacker.

In the radio interview, Weinberg told Slacker that he and his band mates would play some 60s music, some blues, some rock ‘n’ roll and a couple of Bruce Springsteen songs.

Weinberg will share the stage with Bill Champlin, formerly of Chicago and a Grammy Award winning vocalist, songwriter and Hammond B3 player, so Weinberg told Slacker they’d also play “a couple of songs Bill made famous with Chicago.”

And, don’t expect Weinberg’s approach to be formal.

“We don’t rush out of the place. If people want to come hang out a little bit and say hello, you know, it’s a very informal kind of evening. And we’d love to say hello and meet you,” Weinberg told Slacker.

Weinberg added that the Kansas City metropolitan area is one of his favorite parts of the country.

“Your area has such an amazing history of music,” he said.

Listen to Slacker’s interview with Weinberg, and purchase your tickets for Saturday’s show online now before they sell out.

“The Max Weinberg Experience” is at 8 p.m. Saturday, November 12, 2011, in Yardley Hall of the Carlsen Center at Johnson County Community College. You can also purchase tickets through the JCCC box office.

Max Weinberg

Max Weinberg, legendary long time drummer for Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, and bandleader for “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” and “The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien,” will share the Yardley Hall stage at 8 p.m. Saturday night (Nov. 12, 2011) with:

• Bill Champlin, formerly of Chicago, Grammy Award winning vocalist, songwriter and Hammond B3 player
• Carmen Grillo (Tower of Power) on guitar and vocals
• George Hawkins Jr. (Fleetwood Mac, Kenny Loggins, John Fogerty) on bass and vocals

Bill Champlin is best known for his 28 years as the keyboardist/vocalist/songwriting mainstay of the legendary group Chicago (“Hard Habit to Break,” “Look Away”) as well as the founder and leader of the seminal 1960s San Francisco area “rock band with horns” Sons of Champlin.

Both Max and Bill will be featured, performing songs from their illustrious careers and sharing stories that will create a wonderful night of words and music.

This is a fantastic show that will be highly entertaining and full of songs from the 60s, 70s, 80s and today that we all know and love.