Napa Valley Arts Week Sept. 9 – Sept. 15, 2009

  • Arts
  • by WINECOUNTRY ADMIN
  • on SEPTEMBER 9, 2009
  • 35
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By Louisa Hufstader
nvArts_GlennMiller

Glenn Miller Orchestra

This week gets off to a swinging start with a concert by the Glenn Miller Orchestra at the Lincoln Theater in Yountville. The great Glenn Miller was one of the most successful dance bandleaders of all time, recording hit records like “Tuxedo Junction,” “In The Mood” and “Chattanooga Choo Choo. ” At the height of his fame, in 1942, Miller volunteered for the Army; two years later, his plane disappeared. The group that bears his name has been active since the 1950s, playing the original Miller arrangements along with modern selections in big-band style. Hear the 19-member band at the Lincoln Sept. 9; tickets for the 7 p.m. show are $29, $35 and $39 at www.lincolntheater.com or (707) 944-1300. Small bands can swing, too, as the Napa trio known as the Rhythm Cats has been proving for the past few years. The Cats also play jump blues and rockabilly, and they dress to kill. Silo’s Jazz Club–a comfortable, intimate spot at the Napa River Inn–is the perfect place to enjoy their music. There’s no dance floor, but that’s never stopped folks who are determined to cut a rug. The Rhythm Cats play Sept. 10 from 7 to 10 p.m.; cover charge $10. www.silosjazzclub.com, (707) 251-5853. It’s a good weekend for theater, with shows opening Friday at both Napa Valley College–more on that in a moment–and Dreamweavers Theatre in south Napa. Dreamweavers will hold an opening-night gala with free wine and finger foods before its first performance of the thriller “Night Watch,” by Lucille Fletcher. Beginning at 7 p.m., Napa vintner and firefighter Dan D’Angelo will be pouring his “Rescue Red” in honor of the first responders who lost their lives on Sept. 11, 2001. Show time is 8 p.m. “Night Watch” plays weekends through Sept. 27; tickets $20, $18 for students, seniors and military: www.dreamweaverstheatre.org or (707) 255-LIVE (5483).
Jeffrey Broussard

Jeffrey Broussard

Saturday, Sept. 12 brings more zydeco than the Napa Valley may ever have seen in a single weekend. The infectious beat of this southern Louisiana party music was made for dancing, and that’s just what folks will be doing at the Napa Valley Opera House Cafe Theatre, where Jeffery Broussard and the Creole Cowboys will be making a rare California appearance. Not sure how to do the zydeco? Dance lessons start at 7:30. Tickets are $30 at www.nvoh.org or (707) 226-7372. Or if you think you can stay in your seat for an evening of this irresistible, accordion-driven music, Buckwheat Zydeco is playing the Lincoln Theater the same evening; tickets are $25, $30 and $35, see Sept. 9 for contact information. The Napa Valley College Repertory Theater production of “All the Great Books, (Abridged),” promises nonstop laughs at the expense of all those musty tomes we were supposed to read in college. Written by Reed Martin and Austin Tichenor–two of the comic minds behind the sidesplitting “Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)”–the show is directed by the college’s gifted artistic director, Jennifer King and plays at 8 p.m. Sept. 11, 12, 18 and 19, 2 p.m. on Sept. 13 and 20. Tickets are $15, $10 for students/seniors/military, at (707) 259-8077. Sept. 14 is “Motown Monday” at Piccolino’s Restaurant in downtown Napa, with music by Matt Appin and the Midnight Band from 7 to 10 p.m. There’s no cover charge, so reservations are recommended: (707) 251-0100. Tuesday nights, the Welcome Grange on Hagen Road offers Afro-Caribbean dance classes to live drumming. Drop-in fee is $13 for the 6:30 p.m. classes; to confirm schedule and learn more about the classes, call (707) 337-8540 For more on what’s happening in Napa Valley’s arts scene, visit the Master Arts and Culture Calendar at the Arts Council Napa Valley Web site: www.nvarts.org.

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WineCountry Admin

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