Jazz Arts Group recently announced the schedule for the 12th annual JazZoo, taking place on four Fridays over the course of five weeks this summer at the Columbus Zoo. Held in the lovely outdoor setting of the zoo’s Water’s Edge Events Park along the O’Shaughnessy Reservoir, these concerts will pair the Columbus Jazz Orchestra with special guests for four exciting programs focusing on different elements of jazz and popular song. This season brings a variety of talented guest vocalists and instrumentalists to the stage, including Columbus favorites Kelly Crum Delaveris, Dave Powers, Phil Clark and Jonathan Elliott, and in a new addition for 2017, each show will include a 6:45pm opening set by community performers before the 8pm main event. Keep reading for full details and ticket information from the Jazz Arts Group:
THE COLUMBUS JAZZ ORCHESTRA
TAKES JAZZ TO A WILDER PLACE THIS SUMMER
WITH ITS OUTDOOR JAZZOO CONCERT SERIES
AT THE COLUMBUS ZOO AND AQUARIUM
Concerts Take Place Four Fridays: July 14 & 21 + August 4 & 11
Columbus, OH – The Columbus Jazz Orchestra (CJO) takes jazz to a wilder place this summer with its outdoor concert series, JazZoo. The four-concert series returns to the Water’s Edge Events Park at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium (4850 West Powell Road, Powell) providing a beautiful waterfront setting along the O’Shaughnessy Reservoir. Gates open at 6:30 p.m. and there is pre-show entertainment from 6:45 – 7:30 p.m. for each concert. The Columbus Jazz Orchestra takes the stage nightly at 8 p.m.
JazZoo, now in its 12th summer season, is produced by the Jazz Arts Group in collaboration with the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, and is presented by Cardinal Health. Additional support for JazZoo comes from HBK CPAs & Consultants, The Dispatch Media Group, City Scene Magazine, Sunny 95 and WOSU Public Media.
All tickets for JazZoo — single and full series tickets and tables — can be purchased from the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium online at www.columbuszoo.org or via phone at 614.724.3485 or 800.MONKEYS. Food vendors are onsite at each event and advance catering options are available for reserved tables.
The 2017 JazZoo Performance Schedule:
Friday, July 14 at 8 p.m. – “Sing, Sing, Swing”
Your favorite swing era hits by Stan Kenton, Count Basie, Duke Ellington and more performed as only the Columbus Jazz Orchestra can featuring red-hot solos by your favorite CJO musicians along with special guest vibraphonist, Chuck Redd.
Opener at 6:45 p.m. – The Columbus Youth Jazz Ensemble
Friday, July 21 at 8 p.m. – “The Ultimate American Songbook”
Songs by George Gershwin, Richard Rodgers, Cole Porter and others culled from beloved Broadway shows and classic movie musicals performed by one of Columbus’ favorite songbirds, Kelly Crum Delaveris, and high-spirited xylophone virtuoso, Ian Finkel. The concert will also feature a special guest appearance by acclaimed soprano and Opera Columbus Artistic Director, Peggy Kriha Dye.
Opener at 6:45 p.m. – Members of Opera Columbus
Friday, August 4 at 8 p.m. – “Basie, Brubeck & Beyond”
‘Take Five’ with Byron Stripling and the high octane Columbus Jazz Orchestra as they perform classic tunes by Dave Brubeck, Count Basie and others featuring up-and-coming DC-area jazz vocalist, Lena Seikaly and Columbus’ favorite singer/pianist, Dave Powers.
Opener at 6:45 p.m. – The Winchester Steel Company
Friday, August 11 at 8 p.m. – “Rock & Jazz Hits of the ‘70s & ‘80s”
Jump into the hot tub time machine and travel with us to the ‘70s and ‘80s for some of the biggest rock-jazz hits of Blood, Sweat & Tears, Chicago, Steely Dan and more featuring Columbus’ own blue-eyed soul man, Phil Clark and The Floorwalkers’ front man, Jonathan Elliott.
Opener at 6:45 p.m. – Jazz Arts Group Community Jazz Band
Ticket Information:
(Ticket prices include Zoo admission and concert. Parking is $10 per car for all but Columbus Zoo and Aquarium members.)
Single Tickets: $35 (advance) / $40 (day of)
CJO Subscribers/Columbus Zoo Members Single Tickets: $30 (advance)/$35 (day of)
Concert Series (1 Ticket for each of the 4 concerts): $100 per person (through June 17)
Concert Series (1 Ticket for each of the 4 concerts): $115 per person (after June 17)
Single Concert Table of 8: $400 (food not included – catering option available)
Concert Series Table of 8: $1,400 (table of 8 for all four concerts – food not included – catering option available)
All tickets — single and full series tickets and tables — can be purchased from the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium online at www.columbuszoo.org or via phone at 614.724.3485. Advance catering options are also available and food vendors are available onsite at the events.
About Our Guest Artists:
Chuck Redd is an accomplished performer on both drums and vibraphone. He began performing and recording internationally when he joined the Charlie Byrd Trio in 1980 at the age of 21. That year, he also joined the Great Guitars (Barney Kessel, Charlie Byrd and Herb Ellis). Redd is featured on over 70 recordings including his Arbors CD, “All This and Heaven Too,” featuring Gene Bertoncini and George Mraz, and “The Swing Kings,” an all-star session featuring Bucky and John Pizzarelli, Ray Kennedy and Ken Peplowski. He can also be heard on the sound track to the popular PBS television series, “The Great Chefs,” and the NPR broadcast, “Jazz Smithsonian.” He served as Artist-In-Residence at The Smithsonian Jazz Café in Washington, DC from 2004-2008. In addition to leading his own groups, Chuck was a member of the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra for 15 years. He frequently performs in New York City and headlines nationally at festivals and clubs. Chuck is on the faculty at The University of Maryland School of Music and presents master classes, workshops and lectures around the country.
Kelly Crum Delaveris has been singing professionally since 1978, inspired by her father’s collection of big band singers and Sergio Mendes recordings. She has performed with a variety of instrumentation, from a duo to a symphony, and is a frequent guest of the Columbus Jazz Orchestra. Kelly is a fan-favorite among local Columbus jazz fans. She was voted Best Vocalist in Columbus by the Columbus Dispatch 2006 Readers Poll. John Petric, when writing for the Columbus Dispatch, praised her “…rapid-fire phrasing, practically turning the lyrics into liquid sounds. Amazing.” Kelly has opened for Sarah Vaughn, Bob James, Bob Newhart, Joan Rivers, Tito Puente, Tony Bennett and many more. Kelly also sings with the group Brasileira, performing Brazilian standards and favorites in Portuguese. In 2012, Kelly left her home city of Columbus, Ohio and moved to York, Pennsylvania.
Ian Finkel is regarded as the World’s Greatest Xylophone Virtuoso. He has appeared and written for such stars as Michael Feinstein, Sid Caesar, Ginger Rogers, Tito Puente, Larry Gatlin, Martin Mull, Madeline Kahn to name just a few. Mr. Finkel has covered much ground in the music world. He has appeared on all major television stations, recorded for most record labels and has had successful concert tours in Japan, Korea, Canada, Mexico, England, Norway, Puerto Rico and throughout the U.S. Ian has collaborated with Philip Glass and has heard his works performed by numerous orchestras such as the American Symphony Orchestra and the Little Orchestra Society.
Finkel has performed in and written for numerous television shows, films, and live performances including: Martin Mull (Showtime), The Jerry Lewis Telethon, Woody Allen’s “Radio Days,” Emo Phillips, Judy Tenuta, Taj Mahal hotel (Atlantic City), “Michael Feinstein on Broadway,” Sid Caesar at the Village Vanguard and on Broadway, “Second Avenue to Broadway,” “Fyvush Finkel Live,” Read-a-thon w/Sesame Street Players, “Rainbow Wars” (nominated for Academy Award), “Songs from the Neighborhood” (Grammy Award), It’s Up To All Of Us, “Sophie Tucker In Person” (Director, Writer, Orchestrator), “Addicted to Show Business” (Director, Writer, Arranger), Nick at Nite Music of Vic Mizzy (Adams Family, Green Acres), IBM Industrials, CNN Cable News, Port Authority, hundreds of colleges across the US and
Canada (Juilliard, Manhattan School of Music, Peabody, etc.).
Lena Seikaly hails from Washington, D.C. and is a fresh voice on the national jazz scene. Named “one of Washington’s preeminent jazz singers” and “brightest voices in jazz” (The Washington Post), as well as a “major league young talent in jazz” by Duke Ellington’s biographer, Dr. John Hasse, Lena is already making her mark as both a revivalist of traditional jazz vocals, as well as an innovator in contemporary vocal jazz styles. She began her training at age four with piano, continued with classical voice in her teens, and went on to complete a B.M. in classical vocal performance at the University Of Maryland School Of Music. Ms. Seikaly was one of 11 semi-finalists for the 2015 Thelonious Monk Institute International Jazz Vocals Competition, and performed in the internationally televised competition adjudicated by Al Jarreau, Freddy Cole, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Patti Austin and Luciana Souza. She was a Strathmore Artist-In-Residence in 2009-2010, a participant in the prestigious Betty Carter Jazz Ahead residency in Washington, D.C., and a participant at the Jazz Aspen Snowmass program in Aspen, CO directed by Christian McBride. Lena has headlined with her own trio, quartet and quintet, at such renowned D.C. venues as Blues Alley, the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage, the Atlas Theater, Strathmore Mansion, the Carlyle Club, the Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club, various Smithsonian venues, and at festivals across the U.S. (including the Elkhart Jazz Festival and Mel Bay Jazz Festival) and in Holland, Switzerland, and France. Lena has three critically acclaimed albums – Written In The Stars (2009), Lovely Changes (2011) and Looking Back (2013).
Dave Powers is a Two-time Emmy® Award-winning composer and performer. Dave Powers has been a vital part of the Columbus music scene as a pianist, keyboardist, vocalist, entertainer and educator. He has performed nationally and internationally with noted performers such as Steve Allen, George Benson, Rusty Bryant, Buddy DeFranco, Mark Farner (of Grand Funk Railroad), Eric Gale, Terry Gibbs, Ernie Krivda, Wilbert Longmire, Johnny Lytle, “Blue” Lou Marini (of the Blues Brothers), Joan Rivers, Arturo Sandoval, Grover Washington, Jr., and many others. Dave has performed with the Columbus Jazz Orchestra and has, for the past six years, hosted a jazz concert series at the Clintonville Woman’s Club called “The House Jazz Concert Series.”
Phil Clark is a premiere area vocalist and instrumentalist. Clark was exposed to musicianship at a very young age. His earliest memories are of singing and playing along with his entire family, at home and at church, a church deeply rooted in music. The “son of a preacher man,” Phil realized early on that music was, simply put, his calling. In addition to his early singing, Phil (like his father) became a skilled saxophonist, playing at local jazz clubs with veteran Columbus players when he was barely out of high school. Throughout his musical career, he has brought his superb voice to a wide variety of top area music events; he lends a special spark to the standards, and a soulfulness and sophistication to more contemporary rock and soul numbers. Phil has joined the CJO on a number of occasions over the years, as a guest vocalist for our “Swingin’ with the CJO” and JazZoo performances. Also a highly talented multi-instrumentalist, Phil takes on front man duties in several top area bands — including The Apostles, The Ramshacklers, and Phil Clark and The Soul — doubling on saxophone, keyboards, guitar, and harmonica. He also regularly performs as a jazz vocalist and sax player, filling out veteran Columbus trios and quartets; his Sinatra and Ray Charles tribute shows are fan favorites. Last but not least, he is a longtime singer and horn player with the venerable HooDoo Soul Band.
About the Jazz Arts Group:
The Jazz Arts Group of Columbus (JAG) is America’s premier not-for-profit arts organization dedicated to producing, performing and promoting jazz. JAG is the third largest performing arts organization in Columbus and consists of four focus areas: the Columbus Jazz Orchestra (CJO), one of the world’s finest professional jazz orchestras; the Jazz Academy, JAG’s extensive instructional programs educating both students and adults about jazz and American music; Inside Track, a jazz and blues performance series presented at the historic Lincoln Theatre and beyond; and Affiliate Musicians, a program providing employment opportunities for professional musicians.
About the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium:
Home to more than 10,000 animals representing over 600 species from around the globe, the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium leads and inspires by connecting people and wildlife. The Zoo complex is a recreational and education destination that includes the 22-acre Zoombezi Bay water park and 18-hole Safari Golf Course. The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium also operates The Wilds, a 10,000-acre conservation center and safari park located in southeastern Ohio. The Zoo is a regional attraction with global impact; annually contributing more than $4 million of privately raised funds to support conservation projects worldwide. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the Columbus Zoo has earned Charity Navigator’s prestigious 4-star rating.