Interlude - February 4
February 4, 2021
Jazz standards, iconic Black artists, Civic's Pride & Prejudice and more
Welcome back to Interlude! We’re all excited about the big sportsball match Sunday, but don’t forget your weekly dose of enriching arts opportunities.
How does a song become a “standard”?
Some popular tunes are so indelible that they take on a life of their own, transcending the original context – a movie or Broadway show, for example – and becoming “standards” that any working musician should know if he or she wants to keep getting calls. Jazz players often write or improvise additional elements that over the years become part of the standard approach to a particular song.
The Center’s resident jazzologists, VP of Programming Doug Tatum and veteran saxophonist and educator Todd Williams, will explore this beautifully mysterious process in the next installment of our online discussion series JazzTalk, sponsored by Drewry Simmons Vornehm. To enjoy it free of charge and maybe pose a question or two, just register now for “The Standards of Jazz” on Tuesday, February 9.
Bring the kids to jam with Mr. Daniel
Got some little ones getting stir-crazy in these winter months? Then suit them up and come out to the Studio Theater on Saturday, Feb. 20, for the next event in the Center’s Faegre Drinker Peanut Butter & Jam series.
Children’s performer Mr. Daniel will take the young’uns on a musical ride with familiar songs, interactive games and provided instruments so everyone can join in the action – with health precautions in place, of course. Buy a ticket now for your favorite kid and snag a couple adult tickets for free!
Celebrate the Songbook's influential Black artists
Names like Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole and Duke Ellington can instantly bring a timeless melody to your ear. As legendary artists of the Great American Songbook, they paved a path for generations of Black singers and songwriters who continue to leave an indelible impact on our culture.
Our friends at the Songbook Academy® are celebrating Black History Month on Instagram with profiles of Black composers, lyricists and vocalists who have shaped music history. Kicking off the series is pianist Scott Joplin (1868-1917), one of the most influential composers of the early 20th century. Known as the “King of Ragtime,” he composed over 40 original pieces, one ragtime ballet and two operas. If you’re thinking “The Entertainer,” you’re right on the money! Even now, he has nearly 215,000 monthly listeners on Spotify – we encourage you to be the 215,001st and enjoy this playlist.
Civic brings live theater direct to you
If you’ve been missing the magic of seeing real actors in real time on a real stage, our creative friends at Civic Theatre have an answer for you: A new production of the Jane Austen classic Pride and Prejudice, with a performance each Friday and Saturday evening from Feb. 12 through 27, livestreamed from the Tarkington to your favorite viewing device.
And if that timing doesn’t work for you, fear not. Recorded performances will be available on demand starting Feb. 14. So why not get that Civic ticket now?
This week in performing arts history
February 1: On this date in 1896, Giacomo Puccini's opera La Boheme premiered in Turin, Italy. The Indianapolis Opera presented its production of the show in September 2018 at the Tarkington (pictured above).
February 3: On this date in 1959 – known to some as “the day the music died” – pop stars Buddy Holly, J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson and Ritchie Valens died in a plane crash shortly after takeoff from Clear Lake, Iowa. Holly had hired the plane after heating problems developed on his tour bus. The three were traveling to Fargo, North Dakota, on their Winter Dance Party tour of 24 cities in three weeks.
February 4: On this date in 1962, country singer-songwriter Clint Black was born in Long Branch, New Jersey. His 1989 debut album, Killin’ Time, spawned four consecutive No. 1 singles on the Billboard country chart. Black – who now boasts 13 country No. 1s and 15 other Top 10 singles – has performed at the Palladium twice, in June 2011 and August 2016.
