J. Geils’ Kings Of Strings Open Garde Oasis Room
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 17, 2008
Media Contact:
Amy Moum, 860-444-4406;
(New London) Two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominee Jay Geils and guitarist collaborator Gerry Beaudoin bring their acoustic jazz quintet THE KINGS OF STRINGS to the Garde Arts Center Oasis Room on Friday, April 25, 2008 at 8 pm.
Mar 20, 2008 6:36 PM -
Aaron Weinstein on violin and mandolin, Bob Nieske on bass, and Les Harris Jr. on drums join Geils and Beaudoin for a swinging evening of classics from the swing era plus some original blues and bebop. Co-presented with Kitchings Productions, the event will help raise funds for music and community education programs offered by the Garde. Tickets are $60 at seating is limited.
Ordinarily a venue for dinners, meetings, pre-show activities and fundraising events, the Garde’s Oasis Room, just off the Garde mezzanine lobby, will be specially outfitted to create a music performance space.
“There are so many artists that would be comfortably presented in a more intimate setting than our 1400-seat Garde Theater,” says executive director Steve Sigel. “This very unique evening allows us to test the viability of the Oasis Room for diverse programs that would reach new audiences and create a new Garde experience.”
The Kings of Strings hearken back to the Swing Era of the 1930’s and 40’s, with bop and blues added for spice. The quintet was formed in 2000 by guitarist Gerry Beaudoin and rock superstar-turned-jazz guitarist Jay Geils, leader and founder of the J. Geils Band. Since 1994, Geils and Beaudoin have toured the USA and Canada, thrilling audiences with their brand of mainstream, roots-oriented American jazz.
The legion of music fans that made the J. Geils Band one of the top attractions in rock and roll history have not been disappointed in Geils’ career switch; Jay plays interesting solos and lays down tight, four-to-the-floor rhythm guitar for Gerry and the rest of the band. Geils shows his affinity and skill in soloing in the tradition of the great American jazz guitar masters.
Beaudoin has appeared on over forty recordings and performed or recorded with jazz and blues luminaries including Howard Alden, Bucky and John Pizzarelli, Eddie Cleanhead Vinson, Jay McShann, Carol Sloan, Dick Johnson (leader of the Artie Shaw Band), Fred Lipsius (Blood Sweat and Tears), and Alan Dawson and Randy Bachman (the Guess Who and Bachman Turner Overdrive).
Bassist Bob Nieske, a graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music, is the Jazz Artist in Residence at the Brandeis University. Bob has performed or recorded with such notable jazz legends as guitarists Larry Coryell and Charlie Byrd, legendary jazz violinist Stephane Grappelli, chamber jazz reed man and composer Jimmy Guiffre, and blues guitarists Ronnie Earl and Duke Robillard.
Aaron Weinstein, a 22-year-old, jazz violin sensation, has performed with Bucky and John Pizzarelli as well as Skitch Henderson, Frank Vignola, Claude Fiddler Williams, Johnny Frigo and the legendary Les Paul.
Tickets for
J. GEILS’ KINGS OF STRINGS in the Garde Oasis Room on Friday, April 25 are $60 and are now on sale to the general public. Seating is limited.
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CALENDAR LISTING
What: J. Geils’ KINGS OF STRINGS
Join Jay Geils and Gerry Beaudoin with the Kings of Strings for a swinging evening of classics from the swing era plus some original blues and bebop in the Garde Oasis Room.
When: Friday, April 25, 2008 | 8:00 pm
Where: Garde Oasis Room, 325 State Street, New London, CT 06320
Ticket Prices: General Admission $60 Seating is limited.
Box Office Phone: 860-444-7373, ext. 1
On-Line Sales: www.gardearts.org
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MEDIA INFO
For high resolution photos and cast interviews, please contact Amy Moum, amy@gardearts.org
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Now in its eighty-first season, the Garde Arts Center is southeastern Connecticut’s non-profit center for the performing arts. The Garde owns and operates the historic Garde Theatre where it presents musicals, opera, orchestras, contemporary music, dance, and family events. The Garde produces the annual New London Film Festival, and provides after-school programs and matinee performances to more than 10,000 young people. Under the leadership of Steve Sigel, Executive Director, since 1988, the Garde has become a major catalyst for the cultural and economic revitalization of New London.
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