Culver City Music Festival
This year marks the 16th annual Culver City Music Festival, presented by the Culver City Redevelopment Agency, featuring 8 weeks of free concerts every Thursday night from 7pm-9pm from July 8th thru August 26th. Musical styles this year include Swing, Salsa, Zydeco, Blues, Rock, and more. Shows occur in the Culver City City Hall Courtyard. Access to the courtyard begins at 4:30pm for each show. Parking is free underneath City Hall. Additional parking is free for the first two hours in designated structures. Bring the family and dine out in various fine eateries in Downtown Culver City either before or after the show.
For additional program information call: (310) 253-5716 or email Music.Festival@culvercity.org.
Culver City City Hall — 9770 Culver Blvd
(the corner of Culver Boulevard and Duquesne Avenue) in Downtown Culver City.
Artists this year include:
July 8
Dean Mora Orchestra & the Lindy Sisters:
Classic Big Band with the Lindy Sisters’ superb vocals of 30s-40s gems
Dean Mora & his 17 piece swing/big band perform the classic repertoire of the 30's and 40's. Add to this the Lindy Sisters with their three part harmony reminiscent of the Andrew Sisters and you get a complete entertainment package. Pianist Mora leads probably the best band in town doing music from this era, featuring several superb i iinstrumentalists. The authenticity of the sound, based on period arrangements and transcriptions from the original recordings, along with the period appearance of the musicians, sets this band aside from many others. Receiving great acclaim by dancers and big band enthusiasts alike, this band promises to make you feel like you might run into Clark Gable coming from MGM across the street to see the show.
July 15
Teresa James & the Rhythm Tramps:
New Orleans meets Texas blues
With a sound described as New Orleans meets Texas Blues, Teresa James with her super vocals fronts this great blues band guaranteed to give everyone a good time.
The band grooves and features tasteful and funky originals delivered by this eclectic mix of musicians and the Texas native. She's performed live with a who's who of legendary artists including one of her big fans Bonnie Raitt. She even did a duet with Mickey Mouse on the Disney album, "Mickey's Comedy for Kids." "Teresa James is a true original, When she sings you can feel it in your bones." ......Levon Helm, "The Band"
July 22
Los Pinguos:
Buenos Aires natives performing Latin rhythms, salsa, flamenco, reggae, rumba, and Argntine rock...
Direct from their native Buenos Aires comes Los Pinguos (a derivative of "penguins") with a mixture of Latin rhythms, salsa, flamenco, reggae, rumba, Argentine rock, and sambas, performed with Spanish guitars, a Cuban Tres, Peruvian cajon (box-drum) and harmonizing vocals. Dubbed by one of their fans as the "South American Beatles," people have referred to them as a hot Argentine folk groove band. Since winning the "Next Big Star" talent competition hosted by Ed McMahon they have developed into one of LA's hottest groups with a following that crosses most boundaries.
Plus... The Gonzalo Bergara Quartet
Gonzalo and his hot guitar and jazz ensemble
Touring worldwide since 2000 the Bergara Quartet fuses elements of music from his native Buenos Aires with traditional jazz and the music of Django Reinhardt.
Selected as the Best Jazz Group in Los Angeles by Los Angeles Magazine they have received glowing reviews (Editors Pick in Guitar Player Magazine) for the CD Portea Soledad. Featuring stellar playing on hot guitar, sax and clarinet, and upright bass
July 29
Yari Moré:
The Colombian-born Salsa singer and his orchestra
From his first performances in Bogota, Colombia and then on to Ecuador, this singer/bandleader has captured an audience around the world. Originally performing mainly romantic ballads and winning many accolades including the national "Star Search" he moved into a career fronting an 11 piece superb salsa band. The "Queen of Salsa" herself Celia Cruz chose Yari Moré to be her official West Coast Orchestra. Very energetic and designed for movement.
August 5
Geno Delafose & French Rockin’ Boogie:
A rich gumbo of Cajun, Zydeco, R&B, country and blues
Hailing from the small town of Eunice, deep in Southwest Louisiana's bayou country, the Grammy nominated Geno cut his musical teeth at the age of seven in his father's legendary John Delafose & the Eunice Playboys ensemble. Now 38, he and his house-rocking band, French Rockin' Boogie, have tapped the wealth of inspiration found in the traditional Cajun and Creole repertoires and created their own rich gumbo of Cajun, Zydeco, R & B, country and blues. By taking his explosive live show to nearly 200 arts centers, festivals and nightclubs each year, Geno Delafose has undeniably earned his place as "...the young hope of traditional zydeco." (The Boston Herald). Living Blues magazine praised La Chanson Perdue , the latest of Geno Delafose's three Rounder Records CDs, as "...one of the most remarkable releases in the new era of Zydeco."
August 12
Hot Club of Cowtown:
The swingin’est western swing trio on the planet
The swingin'est trio on the planet is the Hot Club of Cowtown. The Hot Club of Cowtown's precise mix of classic jazz and western swing is technically stunning, and the unabashed joy they project while playing is contagious. Their tight driving ensemble sound features Elana James (Toured in Dylan's band) on fiddle and vocals, Whit Smith on hot swing guitar and vocals, and Jake Erwin on bass and vocals.
The Hot Club of Cowtown's progressive traditionalism flies in the face of modern Nashville's cookie cutter country, openly embracing the past while boldly setting new standards for alternative country's future. Their trademark sound features blazing fiddle and guitar licks, and percussive upright bass. You'll hear it in their own original compositions to the jazz standards of Louis Armstrong's era to the fiddle tunes & songs from the Bob Wills days of western swing.
August 19
Alasdair Fraser and Natalie Haas:
World reknowned Scottish Fiddler with cello ace Haas
One of the finest fiddlers Scotland has ever produced (considered by many the finest of this generation) with his dancing sense of pace and sparkling humor. His performance is electric, beguiling, and mesmerizing. With the addition of virtuoso Natalie Haas on cello this makes for a captivating show. Natalie's affinity with Scottish melodic nuance, driving rhythms (historically cello used to comprise the rhythm section in Scottish dance bands) and rich harmonies afford a sparkling interchange with Fraser. Don't miss the man considered to be the finest Scottish Fiddler on the planet today. A huge talent.
August 26
The John Jorgenson Quintet:
Hot gypsy jazz guitar with an all-star band
The Jorgenson Quintet is at the forefront of the Gypsy Jazz movement in the U.S.
Jorgenson, known for his work as guitarist in the Rhythm Brothers, Desert Rose Band and the Hellecasters (album voted guitar album of the year by Guitar Player magazine in 1993), was voted Academy of Country Music Guitarist Of The Year for three consecutive years. Elton John asked Jorgenson to join his band in a stretch that lasted 6 years with Jorgenson playing guitar, mandolin, and sax. The quintet made up of great Nashville players also features superb clarinet, hot viola and upright bass.