Vocalist Sara Jones will put you in a mellow mood for the holidays with “Winter’s Greeting: A Seasonal Collection of Jazz Standards” on Sunday, December 2, 3:00 p.m., at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Annapolis (UUCA), 333 Dubois Road. She will be accompanied by Paul Langosch on bass and David Kane on piano. The concert is part of the UUCA Arts in the Woods music series. Tickets are $15 at the door and free for 16 and under. Visit www.uuannapolis.org or call 410-266-8044 for information.
In describing the December program, Jones says it is designed “to celebrate the sparkle of winter, the warmth of cozy gatherings, friendship, and joy!” She invites listeners to come into the intimate setting, get comfortable, and bask in the glow of cheerful melodies that will lighten the heart and ease the mind. Praised by critics for her trademark “lush vocals” and her “velvet embrace” of the music, her vocal interpretations of seasonal songs by Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Irving Berlin, and Johnny Mercer will delight and charm her audience as she has done in performances nationwide since she began singing professionally in 2001.
Jones is the first place winner of the 2004 Billie Holiday Vocal Competition and has performed in 49 states with the Soldiers Chorus of the U.S. Army Field Band. She has sung with the National Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati and Boston Pops orchestras, was a featured vocalist with the Jazz Ambassadors, and has performed at the Hippodrome Theater, Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, Strathmore Mansion, and the Kennedy Center. Her current CD “Daydream A Little” was recorded with the Brazilian group Trio da Paz.
Backing her on December 2 are veteran musicians Paul Langosch on bass and David Kane on piano. Langosch has worked with many of the leaders in the jazz world, including Phil Woods, Tal Farlow, Mose Allison, Zoot Sims, Barney Kessel, Herb Ellis, George Shearing, Rosemary Clooney, Mel Torme, and others. He was a permanent member of Tony Bennett’s trio for more than 20 years. Kane has both classical and jazz credits, among them Joshua Bell, the National Symphony, the Baltimore Symphony, and jazz musicians Dave Liebman, Dizzy Gillespie, Woody Shaw, and the Duke Ellington Orchestra. He has composed more than 200 TV and film scores.
The December 2 performance at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Annapolis concludes the fifth year of the Arts in the Woods music series. The 2019 series kicks off on Sunday, January 6, at 3:00 p.m., with an all-Chopin concert by classical pianist Brian Ganz. For information, visit www.uuannapolis.org or call 410-266-8044.
