The City of West Hollywood announces its 2017-18 “Winter Sounds” concert series, which will feature three free indoor Saturday-evening concerts to take place at the City of West Hollywood’s Council Chambers/Public Meeting Room, located at 625 N. San Vicente Boulevard. All performances will begin at 5 p.m.
This season’s Winter Sounds series will kick-off with world-renowned jazz bassist, composer, and vocalist Jennifer Leitham on Saturday, December 2, 2017. Leitham will make the season bright with her take on well-loved holiday classics and standards.
Leitham has released ten albums of her own and has performed on more than 140 others. She has performed with Mel Torme, Doc Severinsen, Peggy Lee, k.d. lang, and other music greats. Her public gender transition from John to Jennifer was documented in the film I Stand Corrected, which has won 11 “best of” awards at film festivals internationally, including at Outfest, the Los Angeles-based LGBTQ film festival. Reservations are not required but are recommended at http://bit.ly/WehoArtsJenniferLeitham.
The series will continue on Saturday, January 20, 2018 with French and Russian classics performed by Paris Chansons, Los Angeles’ premier French and international band, which is known for its original renditions of favorites from Aznavour, Brel, Dassin Piaf, and Montand, as well as songs by contemporary artists, including Zax. Paris Chansons features four multilingual singers and superb musicianship on the keyboard, violin, bass, guitar, and drums. Performances are punctuated by traditional jazz standards in addition to classics performed in many languages. Reservations are not required but are recommended at http://bit.ly/WehoArtsParisChansons.
The 2017-18 Winter Sounds series will conclude with the Peter Kavanaugh Quartet performing American Jazz standards on Saturday, February 17, 2018. Bandleader, composer, and guitarist Peter Kavanaugh’s heart and soul are firmly rooted in American jazz and popular classics. He revitalizes these standards with a smooth and sophisticated 1960s West Coast cool jazz take, based in electric guitar and vibraphone. His upbeat sound transports listeners to post-war, mid-century swing sounds of Southern California, with the addition of unexpected elements such as bossa nova, blues, bop, and gypsy jazz. Reservations are not required but are recommended at http://bit.ly/PeterKavanaughQuartet.
Winter Sounds is organized and sponsored by the City of West Hollywood’s WeHo Arts program. All performances are free and open to the public. Validated parking is available at the adjacent West Hollywood Park five-story parking structure. For additional information about the Winter Sounds concert series, please visit www.weho.org/wintersounds.
For more information about the City of West Hollywood’s WeHo Arts programs, please visitwww.weho.org/arts, or contact Mike Che, Arts Coordinator, at (323) 848-6377, or mche@weho.org. For people who are deaf or hearing impaired, please call TTY (323) 848-6496.
Photo of Jennifer Leitham by Mary Ann Halpin, Courtesy of the City of West Hollywood.
