Santa Monica College Presents Jazz, Symphonic Tone Poems and the Music of Leiber and Stoller This Month

By Lookout Staff

October 1, 2018 -- Symphonic and ensemble works, jazz and the theatrical music of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller will be presented next month at Santa Monica College.

The highlight performance is "Smokey Joe’s Café: The Music of Leiber and Stoller," which will "bring to life the songs of the legendary hitmakers in a rock-and-roll musical revue.

Among the memorable tunes composed by the songwriting team is “Hound Dog,” which Elvis Presley's turned ito one of the top selling singles of alll time, “On Broadway” and “Stand By Me.”

The numbers will be performed on the first two weekends of the month under the direction of Perviz Sawoski, with music direction by Gary Gray. The performances are October 5, 6, 12, 13 at 8 p.m. & October 7, 13, 14 at 2 p.m. in the Theatre Arts Main Stage at the SMC main campus, 1900 Pico Boulevard.

Santa Monica Symphony Orchestra (Courtesy SMC)

On October 7 at 4 p.m. in The Broad Stage the SMC Wind Ensemble under the baton of Kevin McKeown (not the Council member) will perform both traditional and new repertoire written for the ensemble. All ages are welcome.

On October 12 at 7 p.m. in the Music Hall veteran bassist and composer Kevin Brandon and his ensemble will perform jazz, funk and some of the leader's "challenging original tunes" that promise to have the band “swinging,” organizers said.

The many moods evoked by nature will be the theme of a performance by the Santa Monica College Symphony on October 14 at 4 p.m. in The Broad Stage.

Under the direction of Brian Stone, the symphony will present a program featuring saxophonist Harvey Pittel in Paule Maurice’s evocation of the countryside in the South of France.

The program also includes "Mendelssohn’s depiction of the rugged islands to the West of Scotland," organizers said.

"The fountains of the Eternal City and woods outside the Imperial Capital are illustrated in Respighi’s famous tone poem and Strauss’ swinging, sentimental waltz."

The October lineup concludes with a performance by the SMC Jazz Band titled “Notes from Flyover Country” October 21 at 4 p.m. in The Broad Stage.

Frederick Keith Fiddmont will conduct the band in a concert "dedicated to the music contributed to the jazz lexicon by musicians from St. Louis, Missouri."

The band will perform compositions by Clark Terry, Ernie Wilkins, Oliver Nelson and Miles Davis.

With the exception of Smokey Joe’s Café, all performances are held at the SMC Performing Arts Center, located at 1310 11th Street.

Advance tickets for each concert cost $10, plus a service charge, and can be purchased by going to smc.edu/eventsinfo or by calling 310-434-3005 or 310-434-4323 Monday through Friday. Tickets are $3 higher at the door before performances.

Advance tickets for Smokey Joe’s Café range from $17 to $20 ($10 for preview), plus a service charge, and can be purchased by going to smc.edu/mainstage or by calling 310-434-4319 or 310-434-3005 Monday through Friday. Tickets are $3 higher at the door before performances.