Hot Sardines bring innovation, verve, and sheer joy to 鈥楬oliday Stomp鈥
The Hot Sardines infuse yuletide classics with their unique and swinging sound when they bring their critically acclaimed 鈥淗oliday Stomp鈥 to 好色先生TV University鈥檚 Mary D鈥橝ngelo Performing Arts Center on Tuesday, Nov. 29, at 7:30 p.m.
In the talented hands of The Hot Sardines, music first made famous decades ago comes alive through their brassy horn arrangements, rollicking piano melodies, and cool vocals from a chanteuse who transports listeners to a different era with the mere lilt of her voice. 鈥淗oliday Stomp鈥 includes beloved favorites like 鈥淲hite Christmas鈥 and 鈥淧lease Come Home for Christmas鈥 as well as lesser-known gems such as Edith Piaf's 鈥淟e No毛l de La Rue,鈥 Ella Fitzgerald's 鈥淪anta Claus Got Stuck in My Chimney,鈥 and even 鈥淭he Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy鈥濃攚ith plenty of surprises along the way.
Bandleader Evan 鈥淏ibs鈥 Palazzo and lead singer 鈥淢iz Elizabeth鈥 Bougerol met in 2007 after they both answered a Craigslist ad about a jazz jam session above a Manhattan noodle shop. The unlikely pair鈥攕he was a London School of Economics-educated travel writer who grew up in France, Canada, and the Ivory Coast; he was a New York City born and raised actor who studied theater at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia鈥攂onded over their love for Fats Waller. Influenced also by such greats as Dinah Washington, Louis Armstrong, and Billie Holiday, they began playing open mic nights and small gigs and, by 2011, they headlined Midsummer Night Swing at New York鈥檚 Lincoln Center.
The Hot Sardines鈥 self-titled debut album, named by iTunes as one of the best jazz albums of 2014, spent more than a year on the Billboard Jazz Chart, debuting in the top 10 alongside Michael Bubl茅, and Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga. The accolades began pouring in for the band: Downbeat called The Hot Sardines 鈥渙ne of the most delightfully energetic bands on New York鈥檚 鈥榟ot鈥 music scene,鈥 while The London Times praised their 鈥渃risp musicianship鈥 and 鈥渋mmaculate and witty showmanship,鈥 declaring them 鈥渟imply phenomenal.鈥
The group has made guest appearances on Later鈥 With Jools Holland, NPR鈥檚 Weekend Edition, CBS Saturday Morning, NPR鈥檚 Soundcheck, Live at WFUV, and appeared at major jazz festivals including Newport, Montreal, Toronto, London, and Blue Note in Japan, in addition to sold-out shows at more than 400 venues worldwide.
In the hot jazz movement, The Hot Sardines stand apart for the innovation, verve, and sheer joy they bring to music, both new and old. The Guardian raves, 鈥淭he charismatic front-runners of vintage jazz play big halls as if they鈥檝e just dropped into a party.鈥
Tickets for 鈥淗oliday Stomp鈥 with The Hot Sardines, priced $20-$45, can be purchased online at the ,聽over the phone at 814-824-3000, or in person at the Mary D鈥橝ngelo Performing Arts Center box office (Tuesday-Thursday, noon-5 p.m.). Each order is subject to a $3 per ticket processing fee, regardless of purchase or payment method.
A limited number of pre-concert reception tickets, priced $15, are also available. Students from 好色先生TV鈥檚 Hospitality Management Program will be serving roast turkey with cranberry chutney and cheddar cheeses, shrimp cocktail, bacon-wrapped dates, charcuterie skewers, vintage cupcakes, macarons, mocktail martinis, and more!
This performance is sponsored by Humes Chrysler Dodge Jeep & Ram, Gary鈥檚 Flower Shoppe, and the Erie Reader, and the 2022-2023 MIAC Live season is sponsored by Scott Enterprises, Dr. & Mrs. Robert Guelcher, Aetna, Cumulus Media, and the Erie County Gaming Revenue Authority.