This weekend, a longstanding jazz venue and art institution in Columbus reaches a major milestone. The King Arts Complex and its renovated Pythian Theater on Mt. Vernon Avenue opened on March 27, 1987. To mark the occasion, on Saturday, March 25th, from 2pm to 6pm, the Complex will hold its 30th Birthday Party. The event includes performances by vocalist Sabrina Tutstone, keyboardist Otis Davenport, and the East High School Marching Band. The party also includes live artists, children’s activities, giveaways, game tables, and free refreshments including celebratory cake and ice cream. Admission is free, so grab your family and friends and celebrate with the community! For more information, please call 614-645-5464.
There is also news this week of a swingin’ cinematic offering at a local theater. This weekend, the Gateway Film Center in South Campus offers Columbus-exclusive screenings of Vince Giordano: There’s a Future in the Past, profiling hot jazz bandleader Vince Giordano and his band, the Nighthawks. Learn about the nearly 40 year history of Giordano’s band and how they “have brought the joyful syncopation of the 1920s and ‘30s to life with their virtuosity, vintage musical instruments, and more than 60,000 period band arrangements.” The documentary will be screened three times this weekend at Gateway – Click here for showtimes, tickets, and more information.
Shows To See This Week
Friday, March 24th (9pm – midnight): Vipers Gypsy Jazz Band at Rambling House Soda, Old North Columbus. Guitarist and New Zealand native Josh Hindmarsh revives a project he led downunder for a show in this intimate live music space. This acoustic trio will consist of Hindmarsh, bassist John Allen, and a special guest on second guitar. Taking the audience back to the Hot Clubs of 1940s Paris, the setlist will mix Django Reinhardt with American swing standards. Hindmarsh tells me that “The band performs in an acoustic setting with minimal amps and maximum swing!” Cover is $5. Read Hindmarsh’s 2016 JazzColumbus.com interview here.
Saturday, March 25th (7 – 11pm): Safety Squad at The Idle-A-While, East Side. Keyboardist Danny Bauer recently returned to Columbus after attending grad school at the University of North Texas, and his modern fusion super group of young jazz talents is returning to action to make its debut at this East Side live music destination! Bauer was kind enough to share a few thoughts on the band and this performance:
This is our first show in a while so we are excited to bring the heat, with an always fresh, spontaneous outpouring of original music and some covers. We will also be featuring Elaine Mylius on trombone on this show. …My time away from Columbus served to reinforce how much I miss Columbus and how much this city has to offer. I am excited to push Safety Squad forward, and people should expect a second album by the end of the summer!
Like all shows at Idle-A-While, admission is free! Reservations are strongly recommended and can be made at the venue’s website. The band’s next show is for Gallery Hop at Brothers Drake on Saturday, April 1st, where cover is $5.
Saturday, March 25th (10pm – 2am): Linda Dachtyl Quartet at Dick’s Den. Organist Dachtyl returns to this Columbus live jazz institution with a quartet of saxophonist and vocalist Chip Willis, guitarist Don Hales, and drummer Cary Dachtyl. The band also plays Passion Blues in Canton the night before, so they should be in rare form. Linda tells me that they’ll “be playing a mix of jazz and blues, and will feature some jazz vocals from Chip.” End your Saturday night with soulful sounds at “The One and Only!” Cover is $5.
Have a great week! Here’s a trailer for the Nighthawks documentary: