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Concerts in the Redwood Grove: Sugar Pie DeSanto + John Brothers Piano Company

Thu Jul 06, 2017 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
UC Botanical Garden

REDWOOD GROVE SUMMER CONCERT SERIES! Every Thursday, June through August Enjoy a magical music experience this summer under towering redwoods in the Berkeley hills. TONIGHT: Sugar Pie DeSanto The Garden is honored to present legendary soul artist Sugar Pie DeSanto. A fiery, sassy vocalist known for her electric live shows (including somersaults onstage!), Sugar Pie recorded a stack of records over her career which still to this day ignite dancefloor mayhem – including “In the basement” and “Do I make myself clear” which she recorded with cousin Etta James, “Go go power”, “Soulful dress”, and too many others to count. Born in San Francisco, and dubbed “Little Miss Sugar Pie” by bandleader Johnny Otis when she made her recording debut with him for Federal Records in 1955, DeSanto is far more than a great blues singer. She’s also a first-class soul singer, a commanding jazz stylist, an uproarious comedienne, a show-stopping dancer and an expert tunesmith. John Brothers Piano Company The innovative sounds of The John Brothers Piano Company are the colors of timeless energy – early jazz meets stride and swing, waltzed through a Barbary saloon, laid to rest on a bed of rambunctious roses. But the definitive quality of this dynamic quartet does lies not just in genres they bend or blend, but in a strong notion that the audience has been the primary inspiration in the development of their sound. The skillful compositions and playful dynamics of John Thatcher Boomer (piano, clarinet), Arlo Perlstein (piano, trumpet), Jimi Marks (drums, piano) and Dustin Smurthwaite (bass, trombone) explore and unfold new musical possibilities with unrelenting energy, elegance, and humor flowing through everything they produce. NOTES ABOUT REDWOOD GROVE CONCERTS: Shows will sell-out – buy online in advance. (No surcharge!) All tickets are “will call,” non-refundable and non-trasferable. Your name will be on a check-in list both at the Garden Kiosk and at the Redwood Grove gate. Parking is limited and not guaranteed – carpooling is highly encouraged. Ticket includes admission to the Botanical Garden before it closes at 5:00pm. ($12 value for adults!) Redwood Grove door opens at 5:00 p.m. Snacks and drinks available; picnics welcome. Warm clothes recommended.