Local Showbiz: Ebony and ivory, jazz and bluegrass acts to take the stage

Ebony and ivory will blend together quite nicely Thursday at the Brewery Arts Center as

duo-pianists Squeek LaVake and Jane Theiss pair up in an All-American tribute highlighting the works of Barber, Copland, Joplin, Gershwin and Gottschalk. The show begins at 7 p.m.

Jane Theiss and Squeek LaVake, two well-known local musicians with extensive training and performance credits, will present this unique musical experience in what promises to be a packed house.

Squeek is a pianist, teacher and composer and holds a bachelor of arts degree in music from Oberlin Conservatory of Music and a master's degree from Catholic University of America, with additional study at the Mozarteum in Austria.

Locally, she performs not only classical music but also ragtime and popular music.

She has composed several musical scores for several documentaries and is currently composing music for a local dance company. Squeek is an instructor for UNR and lives in Virginia City and performs at the Gold Hill Hotel and the Bucket of Blood Saloon.

Jane is a graduate of Carleton College and received her master of arts degree from Eastman School of Music in New York. She has performed in workshops in Utah, San Diego and California.

Her many performances have been as piano soloist, as pianist with High Noon String Quartet in Reno and Dayton, as accompanist for the Sierra Nevada Master Chorale at Carnegie Hall and many collaborations with singers Lenora Morvaya, Jon Fay, Patrick Jolly and Karen Randall.

Jane and Squeek sold out the house last year.

Tickets are $10 general public, $8 students, seniors and BAC members for $6 for children 12 and under. Call the Brewery Arts Center at 883-1976 for tickets or for information.

- Jazz legend Marsalis at the Silver Legacy

Talk about a legend, Northern Nevada jazz enthusiasts will have a rare opportunity to see arguably one the greatest living jazz performers around.

The Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis Sound of the Century Tour will perform one concert at the Silver Legacy Resort Casino at 8 p.m. on Wednesday in the Grand Exposition Hall. Concert proceeds benefit KUNR 88.7 FM, the public radio station for northern Nevada and northeastern California.

The Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra -- composed of many of the finest jazz soloists and ensemble players today -- has been the Jazz at Lincoln Center resident orchestra for more than 10 years.

The group performs and leads educational events in New York, across the United States and around the globe.

Under the direction of Wynton Marsalis, the group features a vast repertory from rare historic compositions to Jazz at Lincoln Center commissioned works. The music includes arrangements by Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Fletcher Henderson, Thelonious Monk, Mary Lou Williams, Billy Strayhorn, Dizzy Gillespie, Benny Goodman and many others.

Wynton Marsalis is the Artistic Director of Jazz at the Lincoln Center. He made his recording debut as a leader in 1982, and over the past 17 years has recorded more than 30 jazz and classical recordings that have won him eight Grammy Awards. In 1997, Marsalis become the first jazz artist to be awarded the prestigious Pulitzer Prize for his oratorio "Blood on the Fields" that was commissioned by the Jazz at Lincoln Center.

Tickets to see the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis Sound of the Century Tour are $45, $39, and $25 and can be purchased at BASS Ticket centers or by calling 1-800-225-BASS, or through Silver Legacy Reservations at 1-800-MUST SEE or at the Club Legacy Booth on the main casino floor.

- Comedy Night in Minden

Comedy Night Live returns to the Carson Valley Inn's Shannon Ballroom on Friday night, June 23, starring Mike Welsh and Derrick Leonard, with producer and emcee Kat Simmons. The show starts at 9 p.m. and tickets are just $10 in advance at the Inn's Gift Shop or $12 the night of the show.

Formerly the host and producer of his own TV show Comedy Closet, a sculptor and a cartoonist for National Lampoon and the San Francisco Chronicle, Mike Welch is a stand-up comedian who grew up in what he calls a sensory deprivation tank. The place is called Iowa. After undergoing study in acting and creative writing, Welch defected to the San Francisco Bay Area where he lives a double life of comedian and gamma radiation accident.

His show show has an edge, if you like sarcasm, while at the same time, convinces his audience that he's not only smart, hip and funny, but so is his audience.

Derrick Leonard is a former Reno resident and now lives in the Bay Area. He is noted among his peers for his "clean" performance style that features witty observations about life. Derrick is a regular at the Improv in San Francisco, as well as Cobbs, Punchline, Giggle's, and Laughs Unlimited.

The Carson Valley Inn is located on Highway 395 in Minden near the Junction of Highway 88.

I should also make mention that Tommy Bell known in the local show circles as the "King of the Graveyard" returns to CVI through June 25. Louie Fontaine will return the following week, beginning June 27.

- Eddie and the Cruisers at the Carson Nugget

Rock on all this week with Eddie and the Cruisers, who will return to the Carson Nugget Show Lounge, through June 25. If you like your rock and roll upbeat ala Bruce Springsteen, don't miss this band.

- Check out the Monte Vigna Lounge

Jazz singer and pianist Erika Paul performs Wednesdays through Sundays from 5 to 10 p.m. at the Monte Vigna Lounge on the second floor of the Atlantis Casiono Resort Hotel. Enjoy wine, spirit and ambiance from all over the world, not to mention some great music. Call 825-4700.

- David Grisman in Truckee on the Fourth

Fourth of July weekend offers excellent entertainment in the way of mandolin virtuoso David Grisman and the David Grisman Quintet.

This is the fourth year in a row that Grisman has entertained on the Fourth of July weekend at the Truckee Amphitheater.

As of this year, this annual event will be a two-day festival. On the first day, Karl Denson's Tiny Universe and West Coast Rhythm Section will perform, and the second day has David Grisman Quintet, also Jorma Kaukonen with Michael Falzarano.

This promises to be one of the Tahoe area's premier outdoor concerts this summer. It is set next to the Truckee River in the beautiful, natural grassy amphitheater of Truckee Regional Park on Highway 267, just 1/2 mile south of downtown Truckee.

Advance tickets are available in Carson City at Java Joes, Reno at Soundway CDs and Recycled Records and all BASS outlets. Call 1-800-225-BASS. Advance tickets can also be ordered online at www.ticketweb.com, or by phone with a credit card, by calling 530-583-2801.

- Music festival announces summer line-up

From Bach to Blues and Beyond is the theme for this year's Lake Tahoe Summer Music Festival 2000.

The music festival has scheduled a variety of music for the performances under the stars, including classical orchestra music, jazz, big band, swing and pop tunes.

Jazz greats Chuck Mangione, Pete Escovedo and Marlena Shaw are on the bill, as well as world class violinist Phillip Ruder.

The Lake Tahoe Musical Festival is also the summer home of The Reno Philharmonic Orchestra, led by musical director and conductor Barry Jekowski.

This summer's events will be held between July 12 and Sept. 2 on Wednesdays and Saturdays with most performances beginning at 7 p.m. Spectacular venues around Lake Tahoe and Truckee include Topol Pavilion in Homewood, Sand Harbor, Sierra Nevada College, Squaw Valley, Sugar Pine Point State Park, Tahoe Donner, Northstar, Valhalla and Granlibakken Resort.

The music festival schedule is:

- Wednesday, July 12: gala; My Fair Lady, Topol Pavilion.*

- Sunday, July 16: Donor event with piano recital.

- Wednesday, July 19: An Evening of Shakespeare at Topol Pavilion.*

- Saturday, July 22: Pops Concert on the Green, Tahoe Donner.*

- Wednesday, July 26: Jazz headliner Chuck Mangione, Topol Pavilion.

- Saturday, July 29: Argenta Quartet featuring Phillip Ruder, Sierra Nevada College.

- Wednesday, Aug. 2: Family Night, Topol Pavilion.*

- Saturday, Aug. 5: Cabaret with Marjorie Tede, Granlibakken Resort.

- Wednesday, Aug. 9: Pete Escovedo and Marlena Shaw: An Evening of Legendary Jazz, Topol Pavilion.

- Saturday, Aug. 12: Beatrice et Benedict based on Much Ado About Nothing, Granlibakken Resort.

- Wednesday, Aug. 16: Sierra Swing Band, PlumpJack Squaw,Valley Inn.

- Saturday, Aug. 19: Classic Brass Quintet, Valhalla.

- Wednesday, Aug. 23: Swing Fever, Northstar at Tahoe.

- Saturday, Aug. 26: Chamber Music, Sierra Nevada College.

- Wednesday, Aug. 30: Bluegrass with the Slide Mountain Boys, Sugar Pine Point State Park.

- Saturday, Sept. 2: Reno Philharmonic's American Salute, Sand

* Performances by the Reno Philharmonic Orchestra

The Lake Tahoe Music Festival began as a small two-week summer series of concerts on Lake Tahoe's North Shore, providing classical music in beautiful surroundings.

The festival has grown into a Tahoe tradition with two months of summer concerts featuring quality music rarely found outside major cities. The festival also hosts a number of special events during the winter months.

For more information and tickets call the Lake Tahoe Music Festival office at 583-3101, visit the Web at www.tahoemusic.org or E-mail info@tahoemusic.org.

(Jeff Munson, content editor for tahoe.com, writes Local Show Biz with Jeff for Diversions magazine. You can reach him at 881-1216 or by e-mail: editor@tahoe.com)