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Event
Golden Age Jazz: A dinner show musical tribute to the great jazz musicians and singers of the 1930's to 1950's.
Join us for a very special dinner show, Golden Age Jazz: A musical tribute to the greatest jazz musicians of 1930's to 1950's performed by the extraordinary vocalist Jesse Earl Junior, pianist Bob Strain and guitarist Jonathan Pearlman.
Upon arrival guests are treated to reception of 'Nero Wolfe Beer Cocktail' tasting before dinner. Once seated in our romantic candlelit Victorian dining room, guests will delight in a classic 1930's three-course menu from The Brown Derby of Hollywood. The evening is made perfect while listening to the rich bass/baritone voice of Jesse; a wonderful reminder of the great singers from the 30's, 40's & 50's.
EXPERIENCE
FIRST SHOW 5:45pm OR SECOND SHOW 8:00PM
COCKTAIL RECEPTION
Nero Wolfe Beer Cocktail tasting
1930 HOLLYWOOD'S THE BROWN DERBY MENU
FIRST COURSE
Brown Derby Pineapple Ginger Shrimp Cocktail
or
Brown Derby Avocado Salad (vegetarian option)
SECOND COURSE
Grilled Tenderloin Steak, Garden Peas, Lyonnaise Potatoes
or
Neatloaf, Garden Peas, Lyonnaise Potatoes (vegetarian option)
THIRD COURSE
Moonshine Caramel Custard Cheesecake
TICKETS INCLUDE:
Cocktail tasting
Three-course dinner
Golden Age musical revue performance by vocalist Jesse Earl Junior, pianist Bob Strain and guitarist Jonathan Pearlman.
$48.00
Additional Alcohol; Sales Tax; 20% Gratuity Charge are not included and will be presented at the end of show.
ABOUT JESSE EARL JUNIOR
Written by Eddie LeShure
From Rapid River Arts Magazine
"Jesse has a real feeling for every song he sings and what a great instrument he has to deliver them with. While he can be compared with Johnny Hartman and other great baritones for his sound, the way he puts it across is all his own. Finding your own voice, which he has, is the ultimate goal a jazz singer can aspire to." ~ Vocalist Harry Schulz
A Milwaukee native, NYC expatriate, and now self-described "Asheville Jazzvillian", singer Jesse Earl Junior is steeped in the Original American Art Form. From his introduction to the genre by his brother, artist and musician Alvin Junior, to mentoring by jazz icon Barry Harris, jazz has been a major part of and influence on all aspects of his musical journey.
"Ironically my first awareness of music was polka, growing up in Wisconsin with a large polish community at the time. My father being a pastor in the African American Church, gospel music became a major part of my musical journey. But I think the transformative moment for me was the night that I first heard the Miles Davis album Porgy and Bess. It was literally my musical epiphany."
Jesse was a fixture on the New York jazz scene, singing at various clubs and jazz jams during his time there, along with Cobi Norita's Universal Jazz Coalition and Voices Inc. Barry Harris's Jazz Cultural Theater was also a major influence in his musical growth, as it allowed singers to showcase and perform in front of live audiences in the 80's and 90's.
"I love most musical genres: jazz, classical, gospel, R&B, and I also have a warm spot for Latin rhythms. But I always come back to Miles, Monk, Duke, Billy Strayhorn, Coltrane and Billie Holiday. These are the musical voices that influence me and move me to sing.
"Of all the vocalists in WNC, Jesse Earl Junior is my favorite. He's nothing but class. Jesse's vocal delivery and that rich bass/baritone voice are a wonderful reminder of the great singers from the 40's & 50's, such as Johnny Hartman, Billy Eckstine, Nat King Cole, Bob Eberly and Dick Haymes. He sings to his audience like he's singing to you and only you." ~ Vocalist/drummer Russ Wilson
Since coming to Asheville the Wisconsin native has incorporated his years of singing in the Jazz venues of New York under the mentorship of Jazz Icon, Pianist Barry Harris, and fit seamlessly into the burgeoning jazz and music scene in Asheville.
Jesse has played most of the major venues in and around Asheville and the WNC area including stints with the Gregg Gelb Big Band in Raleigh and Russ Wilson's big band here in Asheville.
Jesse loves the intimacy of a room like Lex 18 where people come to hear the music as well as fine dine.
Band mates for this engagement include jazz guitarist, Jonathon Pearlman and Bob Strain on piano who will bring there own unique and considerable talents to the evening.
ABOUT BOB STRAIN
Bob Strain is a classically trained pianist who specializes in jazz and the American songbook of standards.
His musical education is extensive as he holds a Bachelor of Arts in music from Shepherd University, and Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts in piano performance from Shenandoah Conservatory, where he was on the piano faculty for eight years.
He has performed extensively in the Washington, DC region, with long-term solo engagements at venues such as the Willard Intercontinental Hotel, the Gaylord National Hotel at National Harbor, MD, Mr. Henry's of Georgetown, the Bavarian Inn of Shepherdstown, WV, and Friends piano bars at Dupont Circle and Georgetown. He also has worked at various times in DC-region big bands, in funk/dance bands, and with the Howard Burns jazz trio as well as in his own trio with bassist Matt Lewis and drummer Danny Tait.
As a solo pianist, Bob has an extensive repertoire of American standards (Gershwin, Kern, Berlin, Porter, Arlen, Rodgers, and more), and is fluent in a range of styles from "cocktail piano" to stride, ragtime, Dixieland, and pop. Bob has served as pianist and music director for productions at the Contemporary American Theater Festival. His jazz repertoire includes classic works by Ellington, Evans, Monk, Shorter, and others. He also maintains a substantial repertoire from the classical canon. Bob Strain is a regular performer at Lex 18 throughout the year.
ABOUT JONATHAN PEARLMAN
Written by Eddie LeShure
From Rapid River Arts Magazine
Jonathan Pearlman (JP) grew up "way down south" in Valdosta, GA hearing light jazz and pop music. His first musical icons were Elvis Presley and Bobby Darin, and he was performing for audiences at age seven and playing guitar at age nine. "The first outfits I played in were country bands and that's how I got my first recording session when I was about 15. I opened for some famous country artists like Bill Anderson, Charlie Pride, Ferlin Husky, etc."
Yet JP's influences have been far-reaching, absorbing Lennon/McCartney, Hendrix, Clapton, and Motown during the 60's. Jazz-fusion bands like Mahavishnu Orchestra, Weather Report and Frank Zappa of the early 70's were also influential. These all became JP's earliest jazz-rock influences.
Jonathan continually wrote, sang and played in bands throughout his college years, and he graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in Broadcasting in 1978. Fast forward the next 20 years or so and he'd become quite successful as a videographer and producer while also pursuing his music, plus recording albums and production music. During the 1990's, JP began to win songwriting competitions and adopted the pseudonym Alien Music Club essentially an on-going studio project. "The idea of Club came from my desire to incorporate the talents of other musicians and friends into the creative process. The Alien concept comes from the wildly eclectic nature of the music which defies categorization. It's really a musical melting pot." says JP.
His guitar heroes include George Harrison, Jeff Beck, John Scofield, Wes Montgomery, Joe Pass and Pat Martino. JP had a major breakthrough in 2001 as he began to rediscover his musical roots. He started to study and transcribe jazz standards by Miles Davis, Wayne Shorter, Thelonious Monk, Chuck Mingus, John Coltrane and many others.
Jonathan's local roots go way back to the 60's when he attended summer camp in Hendersonville and played bluegrass and folk music in Asheville festivals. He finally realized his lifelong dream of moving to Asheville in the early 80's and has never looked back! He feels fortunate to be in the midst of a musical Renaissance currently taking place here. His closest musical colleagues are pianist Chuck Lichtenberger and vocalist Stephanie Morgan, along with Zack Page (bass) and Tim Haney (drums). JP is also part of The Archrivals, Crybaby, and Stephaniesid.
"It's all a great opportunity to meet and share musical ideas with some of the best players while at the same time mentoring young musicians new to jazz. I feel extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to play with some of the finest musicians on the planet, and for them to consider my playing worthy! Chuck really instigated the AMC Jazz Jam. We'd been doing it at Tressa's for several years as the Chuck Lichtenberger Collective, and the opportunity arose to move it to Barley's each Thursday night at 9 p.m. It was Chuck's idea to put it under my moniker. The motivation was to keep playing this amazing music we all love, keep our chops, keep learning, keep sharing, just to keep it going."
Lichtenberger added, "JP and I have really connected over our love of combining rock and jazz."
2012 has been a year of many milestones for JP. He took the stage in Atlanta with his son's band The Shadowboxers in winter. He performed the first ever AMC Live Show in the summer. He then performed his original jazz compositions at The Altamont Theatre this past fall. "It was quite a humbling and fulfilling year!" Future music by JP and Alien Music Club will be more experimental and collaborative in nature, as the audience for his special brand of jazz-influenced fusion continues to expand.
DRESS
Adding to the experience is the "dressing-up" for a dinner show. To enhance your experience we recommend our guest to come in cocktail attire or in vintage 1930s to 1950s.
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LocationLex 18 Supper Club (View)
18 North Lexington Avenue
Asheville, NC 28801
United States
Categories
| Minimum Age: 16 |
| Kid Friendly: No |
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Non-Smoking: Yes! |
| Wheelchair Accessible: Yes! |
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