Though the weather forecast says rain, rain rain for this weekend, the fun forecast is decidedly more upbeat.
There are a gaggle of good times to be had on Bainbridge Island over the next 72 hours or so, and here are just a few of them:
FRIDAY
Gypsy jazz musicians from around Puget Sound will celebrate Django Reinhardt’s 108th birthday with a special group concert event from 7 to 10 p.m. Friday, Jan. 19 at the Treehouse Café.
Reinhardt was an itinerant Gypsy who earned international acclaim in the 1930s. Many of his compositions became jazz classics and he is considered one of the top guitar soloists of all time. Duke Ellington referred to Django as “the most creative jazz musician to originate anywhere outside the United States.”
Decades later, Jerry Garcia said, “Even today, nobody has really come to the state that he was playing at…nobody plays with the whole fullness of expression that Django had.”
The concert will feature local gypsy jazz band Ranger and the Re-Arrangers, plus guest appearances by many of Puget Sound’s top gypsy jazz musicians, and the evening will feature songs from their repertoire of swing standards, traditional gypsy melodies and, of course, several of Reinhardt’s compositions.
Group frontman and violinist Ranger Sciacca said, “Our goal is to make this a really fun show, featuring as many great musicians and different instruments as we can.”
Admission is free. Donations are accepted.
In honor of Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, music lovers can celebrate a day of community with the Anzanga Marimba Ensemble as they return for their sixth annual appearance at Bainbridge Performing Arts in a special one-night-only offering at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 19.
The group will present the lively and beautiful melodies of Southern Africa.
Anzanga celebrates 30 years performing throughout the Northwest and globally this year. The Seattle-based ensemble regularly brings the electrifying and energizing music of African marimba to the national and international stage, with regional appearances at the Northwest Folklife Festival and Bumbershoot, as well as performances in South Africa and China.
The troupe’s repertoire is primarily from Zimbabwe, with influences from throughout Africa, in addition to original compositions.
Anzanga plays using seven marimbas — three sopranos, two tenors, a baritone, and a bass — and hoshos, or gourd shakers.
The marimbas are hand-crafted xylophones made from various hardwoods. The tuning is based on the tonalities found in Zimbabwean music. Each key sits above a resonator that has a vibrating membrane which amplifies the sound and adds a unique “buzz” to the music.
For additional information, visit Anzanga online at www.anzangamarimba.band.
Tickets, $12 for adults and $10 for children (ages 12 and under), may be purchased online at www.bainbridgeperformingarts.org, by phone at 206-842-8569 or in person at BPA (200 Madison Ave. North).
Marimba enthusiasts are invited to sign up for the workshop held at BPA at 4 p.m., in advance of the show. Space is limited. Reserve your spot by calling the BPA box office at 206-842-8569; reservations are $20 per person for ages 8 and older.
SATURDAY
Though not technically on Bainbridge, this one’s got island talent slathered all over it.
Fourteen artists from Bainbridge Island are among the talented creatives chosen for inclusion in the 2018 Collective Visions Gallery showcase, more than any other Washington city except Bremerton and Seattle.
The CVG Show, as it is called, is one of the largest in the state, awarding more than $9,500 in cash and purchase prizes.
The selected works of the island artists, and the rest of the 2018 selectees, will be on display in the Bremerton gallery (331 Pacific Ave.) from 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 20 through the end of February.
Voting for the coveted People’s Choice prize begins upon the opening of the exhibit. The juried awards reception is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 20, in the Kitsap Conference Center (100 Washington Ave., Bremerton).
The People’s Choice award winner will be announced on Friday, Feb. 23.
The island artists in the show this year are: John Adams, William Baran-Mickle, John Benjes, Sandy Haight, Tom Martin, Kathleen Mitchell, Jacqueline Moseley, Norman Press, Judith Rayl, Cyndy Salisbury, Dinah Satterwhite, Joanne Schoener-Scott, Terry Siebert and Alisa Steck.
Visit www.cvgshow.com for more information, and to view the art.
A free workshop with panels on the process, profession and business of songwriting, presented by Space Craft, will take place on from 12:45 to 4:15 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 20 at Rolling Bay Hall.
Included will be a panel moderated by author Charles R. Cross (“Heavier Than Heaven: The Biography of Kurt Cobain”) and featuring Andrew Joslyn, artist and songwriter (a Bainbridge native who has worked with Kesha and Macklemore), songwriter Sue Ennis and National Trustee of The Recording Academy, hip-hop artist and songwriter Grieves.
Another panel will address business opportunities and pitfalls for songwriters, and includes Sub Pop Publishing head Gareth Smith and music attorney Edward Pierson.
The event is free to the public with seating/standing on a first come first served basis.
Doors open at 12:45 p.m., with a “Welcome and Introductions” session from 1 to 1:15. The “Business Opportunities and Pitfalls for Songwriters” panel is from 1:15 to 2:45, the “Process and Profession of Songwriters” panel from 3 to 4:30.
Visit www.spacecraftpresents.org for more information.
Get ready to laugh, as Bainbridge Performing Arts presents an evening of live stand-up comedy hosted by Dan Rosenberg and featuring Brad Upton, Bridget Young, band leader Raffi Minasian and announcer Jonathan Hibbs at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 20.
Rosenberg has been performing stand-up in clubs, theaters, and festivals more than over two decades, appearing at the prestigious Montreal Just For Laughs Festival, as well as festivals in Las Vegas, New Orleans and Boston. He has hosted radio and TV shows in Orlando, New Orleans, Los Angeles and Seattle, and he has shared the stage with many comedy legends, such as Kevin Nealon, Chris Rock, Richard Belzer and the late Rodney Dangerfield.
He is the author of “The Book On Hosting, How Not To Suck As An Emcee.”
Upton first stepped on stage in September 1984. This ex grade-school teacher is now in his 32nd year of comedy and is nearing 6,000 lifetime performances. He is a past winner of the Las Vegas Comedy Festival and appeared recently at Caesar’s Palace as part of the HBO Comedy Festival. He has spent the last eight years as the opening act for the legendary Johnny Mathis, and did multiple shows all over the country with the late, great Joan Rivers.
Tickets, $15 per person, may be purchased online at www.bainbridgeperformingarts.org, by phone at 206-842-8569 or in person at BPA (200 Madison Ave. North).
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