Cab Calloway Orchestra Kicks Off Ridgefield's 'Big Read'

From the Ridgefield Library:

The Cab Calloway Orchestra

Directed by Cab Calloway’s GrandsonC. Calloway Brooks

Friday, October 10, 7:30 PM @ The Ridgefield Playhouse Tickets $38 - Purchase here

Complimentary wine tasting courtesy of 109 Cheese & Wineand reception with artist in the lobby from 6:30 -7:15 PM.

Join us for the kick-off event to the town wide The Big Read: The Great Gatsby program. Come and enjoy a night of great music celebrating the roaring ‘20s! Wear a 1920s inspired outfit and get one FREE Prohibition Cocktail!

Smooth shiny instruments all in a row, red-hot lyrics, silky smooth ensemble work, spicy brass harmonies,a joyful audience bouncing and swaying to irresistible rhythms, and the sound of “Hi Di Ho!” filling theaters on cue: These have been the classic trademarks of concerts by The Cab Calloway Orchestra ever since the 1920s. They are the ingredients that made the orchestra a hit when it played the Palais Royale in downtown South Bend in 1939, and it’s the same mix that gives the group its energy and popularity today. These days, under the baton of Cab’s grandson, Calloway Brooks, the Orchestra delivers the same sizzling jazz sound and snazzy stage style, producing the jump, blues, and boogie sounds of “swing that is king and jive that’s alive.” The band, some of whose amazing musicians have played with the group for decades, uses original vintage orchestrations as a point of departure, creating an authentic brand of hot Cotton Club-style music and hi jinks.

The Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts designed to revitalize the role of literature in American culture and to encourage citizens to read for pleasure and enlightenment. The NEA presents The Big Read in partnership with Arts Midwest. Support has also been received from Connecticut Humanities (CTH), a non-profit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities that funds, creates and collaborates on hundreds of cultural programs across Connecticut each year. This program is also made possible with support from Liz and Steven Goldstone. The 2014 Big Read in Ridgefield is presented by The Ridgefield Playhouse for Movies and the Performing Arts and the Ridgefield Library, along with numerous community partners.

Click here to see a full listing of Big Read events taking place throughout Ridgefield this fall!

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