Tag Archives: Oxford American

David Starr & Ben Harris headline tonight’s Local Live at South on Main

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llsom dsbhThis week’s installment of South on Main’s Local Live concert series features David Starr & Ben Harris.  Presented by the Oxford American magazine, Local Live showcases the best of local and regional music talent and is always free and open to the public. Call ahead to South on Main to make your reservations and ensure a table: (501) 244-9660.

The concert starts at 7:30 tonight (January 13).

 

David Starr is a singer/songwriter/musician with Arkansas roots and a Colorado mountain address. He has shared the stage with artists as diverse as John Oates, Kenny Edwards, John McEuen, Dan Fogleberg, and Sonny Bono.

His sixth solo album, Love and Sabotage, includes fifteen songs (originals, co-writes and one cover) as well as cameo vocal and instrumental performances by John Oates, Steve Cropper, Richie Furay, and Dana Cooper.

Starr tours stateside and in the UK, both as a solo artist and with guitarist Ben Harris. He also fronts the David Starr Band several times a year. Ben Harris is a versatile guitarist and educator based in Fayetteville, Arkansas, he is the Instructor of Guitar at the University of Arkansas.

Grants for Rep, ASO, Oxford American announced by National Endowment for the Arts

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nea-logo-960Three Little Rock based cultural institutions were among the eight Arkansas recipients of National Endowment for Arts grants recently announced.

These were Art Works and Challenge America grants. Art Works grants supports the creation of art that meets the highest standards of excellence, public engagement with diverse and excellent art, lifelong learning in the arts and the strengthening of communities through the arts. Challenge America grants offer support primarily to small and mid-sized organizations for projects that extend the reach of the arts to underserved populations whose opportunities to experience the arts are limited by geography, ethnicity, economics or disability.

The Arkanas Repertory Theatre received $15,000 to support a production of An Iliad by Lisa Peterson and Denis O’Hare.  The playwriting team has adapted Homer’s Trojan War epic into a compelling monologue that captures both the heroism and horror of warfare. A key theme is the personal cost of war. The theatre will continue and deepen its ongoing partnership with the Little Rock Air Force base and will engage with the service members and their families during the project. During the performance run, veterans returning from service overseas will share their personal stories as part of a post-performance community conversation. Activities will occur in the theater’s newly constructed second stage and center for community engagement on the Main Street Creative Corridor.

The Arkansas Symphony Orchestra received $10,000 to support performances and educational workshops that will culminate in the world premiere performance of a composition by D.J. Sparr, featuring guitarist Ted Ludwig.  The composition is inspired by Ludwig’s flight from New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. In addition to performances, electric guitarists Ludwig and Sparr will lead workshops for student musicians and community members from central and southeastern Arkansas, including a high percentage of low-income residents.

The Oxford American received $20,000 to support the publication and promotion of the magazine.  Exploring the complexity and vitality of the American South, the magazine publishes poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and criticism by emerging and established authors. The magazine will be promoted through social media, the magazine’s website, a weekly e-newsletter, and events throughout the South.

In addition, TheatreSquared in Fayetteville received $25,000 for its Arkansas New Play Festival. This is presented in Fayetteville and Little Rock. The Little Rock performances are in conjunction with the Arkansas Rep.

Other Arkansas recipients were the Walton Arts Center, Sonny Boy Blues Society (for the King Biscuit Blues Festival), Ozarks Foothills Film Festival and John Brown University.

MarQuis & MOOD headline tonight’s Oxford American Local Live at South on Main

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llsom marquisTonight (Wednesday, December 9) at 7:30 PM—Join the Oxford American magazine for this week’s Local Live concert at South on Main, featuring MarQuis & MOOD! As always, Local Live is free and open to the public. To guarantee a table/seat for this popular series, call ahead at (501) 244-9660.

 

Marquis Hunt, a.k.a. MarQuis, is a Stellar Award nominated recording artist most noted for his soprano sax ability. MarQuis has performed, written, and produced for Grammy and Dove Award-nominated albums. This Delta-born Arkansas native has gathered to himself a band of musicians called MOOD who together make up over fifty years of combined professional and skillful experience. His brand of jazz is soulful, sultry, spirited, and smooth—guaranteed to pierce the heart of his audience. MarQuis is also a published writer and poet, and he is known to combine elements of spoken word with his live performances.

Tonight’s Oxford American Local Live at South on Main features Finger Food!

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llsom fingerTonight (December 2) at 7:30 PM, join the Oxford American magazine for this week’s Local Live concert at South on Main, featuring Finger Food! As always, Local Live is free and open to the public. To guarantee a table/seat for this popular series, call ahead at (501) 244-9660.

 

Finger Food is a feast not only for guitar lovers, but also for anyone with a passion for acoustic music. The guitarists perform “in the round” and trade songs and stories about their compositions and their approach to the guitar in a casual concert setting. The music focuses on contemporary instrumental American Fingerstyle Guitar with folk, jazz, Celtic, classical, and blues influences.

The guitarists are very different stylistically, and these different styles contribute to an evening of broad musical tastes. They will play solo, duets, and trio work. The guitarists also will be performing on some very unique custom built instruments and historic instruments.

Danny Dozier is a legendary guitarist in the state of Arkansas. Danny’s solo performances showcase his wide range of guitar styles and his superb choice of material. He has performed at the Ozark Folk Center in many configurations over the years, fronts the Danny Dozier Band at gigs around the state and the country, and is the two-time winner of the Merle Travis Fingerstyle Guitar Championship at the Ozark Folk Center.

Steve Davison is a Little Rock guitarist who performs on the 6- and 12-string guitar. He tours the country with artists such as Ken Bonfield and Peter Janson. They have performed at acoustic venues around the country and shared the stage artist such as Larry Coryell, Muriel Anderson, Peter Janson, Tim Farrell, Dakota Dave Hull, Doug Young, Teja Gerken, Tim Sparks, and others. Steve was also the winner of the 2005 Arkansas Acoustic Music Festival in the solo category, and he has been a featured artist on AETN Presents. He has performed at the Montreal Guitar Festival, the Healdsburg Guitar Festival in California, and the Memphis Guitar Festival in Tennessee. More information about Steve is available at www.stevedavison.com

Micky Rigby is an exceptional guitarist from Little Rock who has performed at multiple acoustic venues across the state. He was a runner up at the Merle Travis Fingerstyle Guitar Championship at the Ozark Folk Center and was a familiar face at Acoustic Sounds Café in the past in Little Rock. Micky has an extensive repertoire and is an accomplished player of the guitar and the banjo.

Tonight at South on Main – UCA Jazz II Ensemble

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ucajazzTonight at Join the Oxford American magazine for a special concert at South on Main, featuring the UCA Jazz II Ensemble! This event is free and open to the public. To guarantee a table/seat, call ahead at (501) 244-9660.

Led by Dr. Gail Robertson, the UCA Jazz Ensemble II consists of students with a variety of jazz backgrounds. Some members are experienced while others may have never been in a jazz band before. This ensemble often provides valuable opportunities for our students to play on secondary instruments. There is a strong focus on learning improvisation that has become known as the weekly “Blues Around the House.” Jazz II performs standards such as works by Duke Ellington, Thad Jones, Neal Hefti, Billy Strayhorn, Herbie Hancock, Sammy Nestico, Les Hooper, Mark Taylor, Josef Zawinul, Woody Herman, as well as over 50 charts from our Dance Band Book!

The University of Central Arkansas is a vibrant and exciting place to study jazz. With generous funding from the College of Fine Arts and Communication, UCA Student Government Association, and a partnership with the Oxford American, UCA is able to host several guest artists and clinicians each semester.

Past featured artists are: Delfayo Marsalis, Gordon Goodwin Big Phat Band, Maynard Ferguson, The Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra featuring Wynton Marsalis, Poncho Sanchez, Chris Vadala, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Jim Cullum Jazz Band, The Bad Plus, Warren Wolf and Wolfpack, Peter Martin and Romero Lubambo, Bennie Wallace Quartet, Anat Cohen, Rhythm and Brass, and many more to come!

Tonight at South on Main, the Oxford American Local Live series features Dana Louise & Adams Collins

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llsom dana lAt 7:30 PM tonight, this week’s installment of South on Main’s Local Live concert series features Dana Louise & Adams Collins! Presented by the Oxford American magazine, Local Live showcases the best of local and regional music talent and is always free and open to the public. Call ahead to South on Main to make your reservations and ensure a table: (501) 244-9660.

Dana brings her vibrant, melodic vocals and finger picking to a body of complex songs. Drawing from jazz and bluegrass, carrying a contemporary beat, the sound is roots-rooted flung-into-the-future folk. Dana Louise and Adams Collins (vibraphone and five-string banjo) work to leave their audiences glowing with the magic music can bring: genuine human connection.

As part of Oxford American Jazz Series, Aaron Diehl headlines at South on Main tonight

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som diehlJazz returns to Main Street tonight at 8:00 PM!  The Oxford American magazine welcomes Aaron Diehl to Little Rock as the second show in its 2015 – 2016 Jazz Series!

Doors open at 6:00 PM, with dinner and drinks available for purchase at that time. This series is made possible by presenting sponsor, the UCA College of Fine Arts & Communication. Additional partners include The Summer Foundation, Arkansas Arts Council, Capital Hotel, Piano Kraft, Rosen Music Company, and FM-89.1 KUAR.

Tickets are $20 (General Admission), $30 (Reserved), and $32 (Premium Reserved).

In an era revolving around celebrity hype and mediocre entertainment, Columbus, Ohio native Aaron Diehl seeks to stand out as an artist in his generation that exemplifies excellence, sophistication, and a fluency in the American musical vernacular. The 2011 Cole Porter Fellow of the American Pianists Association, Diehl has been hailed by the New York Times as “a smart young pianist with a fastidious grasp of Jazz traditions.” He is committed to unearthing the treasures of a musical aesthetic through collaborative efforts with musicians across generations.

Born in 1985, Diehl grew up in a nurturing musical environment with his grandfather, Arthur Baskerville, who often played piano at local establishments in Columbus and sang in the church choir. Aaron began studying classically at age seven, and he discovered his passion for jazz music when attending the Interlochen Summer Camp. There he met piano prodigy Eldar Djangirov, who made a lasting impression on Diehl through his enthusiasm for Oscar Peterson and Art Tatum.

Diehl is the Artistic Director of the Catskill Jazz Factory, an organization dedicated to enhancing community development by means of America’s original art form.