A Little Night Music…

While the rest the world is scorching, Tucson welcomes monsoon rains and its afternoon cooling effect.

The monthly Tuesday night Pop-Up Piano Bar group has moved to Sundays and the crowd temporarily convened at a different venue for one evening. Tooley’s Cafe just east of downtown and in the Lost Barrio District hosted the event this month. Many regulars attended and the venue and date change gave some newcomers an opportunity to experience the vibes. Songstress Briggs Clinco and multi-instrumentalist Marco Rosano inspired some fresh new talent to come up to the microphone and belt one out!

A few days later we were at Sullivan’s to see vocalist Sheryl Ann Mckinley and her quartet with Max Goldschmid (p), Jack Wood (bs gtr) and Josh Carruthers (dr). Always a delightful evening with a variety of tunes and instrumentals in the mix with a crowd of Friday night happy-hour participants.

The Pop-Up Piano Bar resumed its now Sunday night residency at The Coronet just south of downtown and a few of the Tooley’s crowd found a new venue! Lively performances complete with show tunes and romantic ballads had everyone singing along and enjoying the variety. Wildcat Jazz Band member Evan Dain showed up with his banjo and became part of the entertainment for the evening.

The Sheraton Hotel hosted another event at their on-site Glowbal room so Sheryl Ann Mckinley could provide the guests with more music! This evening had Max Goldschmid on both trumpet and tenor sax with Even Arrendondo on bass and Sly Slipetsky on keyboard.

Another evening with Sheryl Ann at Sullivan’s had Rob Boone with his “world-class” trombone, Max Goldschmid on keys and Jack Wood with his five-string bass guitar. Sheryl Ann’s set list changes with her sidemen so it is always a pleasure to hear her latest renditions of familiar tunes. She showcases the many talents of the other musicians so every evening is a delightful interpretation of well known jazz standards.

A few days later it was off to the Tucson-founded Gaslight Theatre for an enjoyable montage of Broadway’s greatest tunes from its most famous musicals. One could picture Ethel Merman or Carol Channing in the lead role on any of its celebrated stages while the talented Gaslight performers give it their all! With their reasonable prices, great food and welcoming staff, both the Gaslight Theatre and the Gaslight Music Hall are always a fun evening with lots of smiles and laughs from the sold-out crowd.

Our late afternoon or early evening rains never “dampen” the enthusiasm of Tucson’s talented entertainers at these and other local venues—they will brighten anyone’s day!