Here are this week’s BEST BETS: November 25th – December 1st:
JASON MORAN & THE BANDWAGON – Village Vanguard – New York, NY – November 26th – December 1st
It’s Thanksgiving week and time for the annual series of shows by Jason Moran & The Bandwagon at the Village Vanguard in New York City. Moran is once again joined by Tarus Mateen on bass and Nasheet Waits on drums.
I haven’t seen Jason Moran & The Bandwagon at the Vanguard during Thanksgiving week, but having seen him (and them) before, it’s no wonder this is an annual event. They are terrific.
For tickets and more information, please go here.
LESLIE ODOM, JR. – THE CHRISTMAS TOUR – Multiple Venues – November 29th – December 22nd
Tony Award winner Odom, Jr. take sot the road to celebrate the holiday season with sixteen concerts starting in San Francisco and concluding in Detroit.
His 2020 The Christmas Album probably serves as the foundation for these concerts.
He’ll be at the Golden Gate Theater in San Francisco on November 29th; Jacobs Music Center in San Diego on November 30th; Walt Disney Concert in Los Angeles on December 1st; Benaroya Hall in Seattle on December 3rd; Elsinore Theatre in Salem, OR on December 5th; Boettcher Concert Hall in Denver on December 7th; Delta Hall at The Eccles in Salt Lake City on December 8th; Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville on December 11th and 12th; Atlanta Symphony Hall on December 13th; MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, MD on December 15th; Hershey Theatre in Hershey, PA on December 17th; Paramount Theatre in Charlottesville, VA on December 18th; Southern Theatre in Columbus, OH on December 19th and 20th and Orchestra Hall in Detroit on December 22nd.
Click on each venue’s name for tickets and more information.
GREAT PERFORMANCES: HENRY MANCINI 100 AT THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL – November 29th (check local listings)
Moon River, Days of Wine and Roses, Peter Gunn Theme and The Pink Panther Theme are just four of composer Henry Mancini’s best-known works. They are amongst over a dozen songs performed in this celebration of the composer’s 100th birthday at The Hollywood Bowl.
Performing Mancini’s songs are Michael Bublé, Dave Koz, Monica Mancini, the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra led by Thomas Wilkins. Also appearing is Cynthia Erivo.
If Wicked Part One had you flying high over Erivo’s performance, you won’t want to miss her heartbreaking version of Days of Wine and Roses plus two songs from the musical Victor, Victoria: Crazy World and Le Jazz Hot. The concert is hosted by Jeff Goldblum (who is also in Wicked).
You can watch this show on your local PBS station and/or on the PBS website.
DIE FRAU OHNE SCHATTEN – Metropolitan Opera – New York, NY – November 29th – December 19th
Richard Strauss’s 1919 opera is a showcase for a trio of sopranos and the Met has three terrific women lined up for this production: Elza van den Heever, Lise Lindstrom and the incomparable Nina Stemme.
Joining them are bass-baritone Ryan Speedo Green, tenor Russell Thomas and baritone Michael Volle. Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts.
The production is directed and has sets, costumes and lighting design by Herbert Wernicke. His production debuted at the Met in 2001 approximately 4 months before his death.
Die Frau Ohne Schatten is a complex and challenging opera. With a cast this good, it’s impossible to miss. This marks the first time the opera has been performed at The Met since 2013.
For tickets and more information, please go here. If you won’t be in New York, you can listen to the November 29th and December 7th performances live on Metropolitan Opera Radio on SiriusXM.
Those are my Best Bets: November 25th – December 1st.
For those celebrating this week, Happy Thanksgiving.
Enjoy your week!
Main Photo: Jason Moran and The Bandwagon at The Village Vanguard (Courtesy Music Works International)