Interlude - October 29
October 29, 2020
Rock livestream tonight, Halloween concerts, jazz Q&A and more
Welcome back to Interlude, bringing you opportunities for entertainment and enlightenment as we face the spine-chilling approach of both Halloween and Election Day. We’ve got indie rock tonight, a jazz Q&A Monday, and some frightfully fun stuff in between.
Saturday: Spooky sounds abound for all ages
Yes, Saturday is Halloween, and family-friendly guitar-slinger Ruditoonz has brewed up a themed batch of original songs for a special edition of Faegre Drinker Peanut Butter & Jam. Tickets are still available to attend the physically distanced 10:30 a.m. performance in the Studio Theater, where the youngsters are encouraged to wear costumes and celebrate the occasion! Families who are more comfortable viewing from home can watch it live on the Center’s Facebook page.
Later on Saturday, the Center’s resident Indiana Wind Symphony will present A Haunted Palladium, featuring spooky selections inspired by vampires, skeletons and other things that go bump in the night. Get tickets here for the 2 p.m. matinee, which will take place, logically, at the Palladium.
Take note – it’s time to vote!
With just a few days until the election, alumni of the Great American Songbook Foundation’s Songbook Academy® across the country are doing their part to rouse voters through song. They have rearranged and recorded songwriter Hy Zaret's 1940s PSA-style radio jingles (housed in the Songbook Archives) called Little Songs for Busy Voters, with each performer bringing new life to the messages:
- Make a plan so you can say “I'm Goin' to Vote” with Lily Bogas (2019) and her friends from Eastman School of Music.
- Tracey Beresford (2015) reminds you to take the time to become a “Well-Informed Voter” and choose candidates who will make America and your community stronger and better.
- If you like the feeling of having your say when it "Comes Election Day," you'll connect with this rendition by Julia Goodwin (2013).
Now get out and #NotetheVote!
Tune in tonight for Indy indie rock
Our new Live at the Center livestream series continues at 7:30 tonight with a set from the heavy but melodic rock duo Moxxie, named gold-level winner of Best Local Band honors in last year’s Indianapolis Star reader poll. NUVO music writer Seth Johnson just previewed the show with this interesting profile of the band. Watch the show free!
Live at the Center, sponsored by Allied Solutions, premiered last week with a fabulous set of folk- and rock-flavored jazz from the Charlie Ballantine Quartet. You can relive it on the Center’s YouTube channel, in all of its shimmering 4K Ultra HD stereo glory.
Jazz veteran to drop some knowledge
Todd Williams knows a thing or three about jazz and the life of a professional musician, having earned his stripes playing with Wynton Marsalis’ combo as well as the esteemed Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. These days, the saxophonist-clarinetist-flautist is sharing his knowledge as a professor with students at Indiana Wesleyan University and – at 7 p.m. Monday – with the viewers of our next KAR Front Seat session.
Via Zoom, a select group of music students will enjoy a Q&A with Williams (co-host of the Center’s JazzTalk series), and the rest of us can watch for free!
This week in performing arts history
October 26: In 1952, actor Hattie McDaniel dies of breast cancer at age 57. McDaniel was the first African-American woman to win an Oscar when she was named Best Supporting Actress for her role in Gone with the Wind. Producer David O. Selznick had to call in some favors for McDaniel even to attend the 1940 awards ceremony, but she was gracious in her acceptance speech: "This is one of the happiest moments of my life … I sincerely hope I shall always be a credit to my race and to the motion picture industry.” In the final days of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we salute her spirit.
October 27: In 1995, the tap revue Bring in 'Da Noise, Bring in 'Da Funk featuring Savion Glover is previewed on Broadway in advance of a long, acclaimed run that landed three Tony Awards, including Best Choreography for Glover. He performed at the Palladium in 2011 and 2012, taking time to meet with fans (at right).
October 30: In 1938, a brilliant young actor, writer, director and producer named Orson Welles reportedly causes a panic over Martian invaders with a live radio adaptation of H. G. Wells’ The War of the Worlds.
