Choose artist...

Top 10 for Feb

Flushing Town Hall takes a musical march into womens history featuring: Gabriele Tranchina / QUEENS Chronicle

QUEENS Chronicle's Kristen Guglielmo writes….March is Women’s History Month, and Flushing Town Hall is going to make the month extra special with a variety of themed musical events that anyone can appreciate.

Jazz producer Clyde Bullard produced three concerts titled the Women’s History Month Trilogy. The first show is called “The Golden Girls,” and will be on Friday, March 3. The concert will focus on the music of female icons, including Dionne Warwick, Shirley Bassey, Barbra Streisand, Carole King and Petula Clark. It will also include music from more recent pop artists Katy Perry, Alicia Keys and Lady Gaga.

“The title of the concert is a concept I came up with. All of these women have achieved gold record status,” Bullard explained. “They were beloved. You could call them golden women.”

The concert will be performed by Zoe Lyons Nieves, an award-winning singer-songwriter.


The second show is called “Paris is for Lovers,” scheduled for Friday, March 17. German-born singer Gabriele Tranchina will be performing a multitude of French classics, including “La Vie En Rose” by Edith Piaf and “Autumn Leaves” by Jacques Prévert. Tranchina, her ensemble and music director Joe Vincent Tranchina are sure to bring warm feelings of Parisian romance to the hearts of all attendees.

Gabriele Tranchina is musically at home in many styles. With a strong background in jazz, she moves between Jazz, Latin and World Fusion, making her a perfect crossover artist.

Gabriele has her roots in Germany, where she was born, but her love for other cultures inspired her extended travels throughout Europe and Asia.

These experiences bring a unique sensibility to her work, matching her one-of-a-kind voice.  ?Settling in New York, Ms. Tranchina took advantage of its multi-cultural environment, giving her further inspiration for her work as an artist.


The final concert in the trilogy will be held Friday, March 31. Titled “I’m Every Woman,” the show will honor the music of even more notable female vocalists. Singer Emilie Surtees will be joined onstage by a band and background vocalists for a night of exciting songs by Amy Winehouse, Whitney Houston, Olivia Newton John, Aretha Franklin, Dusty Springfield and Loretta Lynn.

Bullard promises all three concerts will be a delight. “The women performing in the trilogy are consummate entertainers, not just performers,” he said. “They aren’t just getting through song after song while you watch them. They connect with the audience and create a continuum.

“Different cultures use different languages and instruments to express themselves. So, whenever you’re hearing any music, you should realize it’s culture being expressed through sound. These concerts are included in that.”

The Women’s History Month Trilogy concerts are not the only women’s history-themed events to see at FTH. On Friday, March 24, Town Hall’s long-term Louis Armstrong Legacy Jazz Jam house band leader and saxophonist/flutist Carol Sudhalter will lead a quintet for an event called “Octogenarian Women of Jazz.”

“It’s something special when anyone reaches the age of 80 and continues to play. It deserves to be honored,” Sudhalter said.

Sudhalter, who will be belatedly celebrating her 80th birthday at the concert, will play alongside world-renowned pianist Bertha Hope, drummer Paula Hampton of the legendary jazz Hampton family, and popular vocalist Keisha St. Joan. They will be joined by a rare appearance from esteemed bassist and columnist Bill Crow.

“I had people along the way telling me unwarranted opinions — telling me it’s too late in life to play, or the jazz world is not a safe world for women. Just a variety of refusals to accept that I had a contribution to make,” she said of her journey in the jazz world as a woman. “It’s definitely changed over the years, and I’m glad I don’t have to deal with that negativity much anymore.”

 

SEE THE QUEENS Chronicle PAGE