New York (Top40 Charts/
Orange County Great Park) - Two electrifying music and dance performances are featured at the
Orange County Great Park's Flights and
Sounds of Summer this weekend - Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and Cedric Watson and his Louisiana Zydeco Swamp Mates. The true heroes of the swing revival Big Bad Voodoo Daddy celebrates 100 years of Cab Calloway, the legendary fireball of talent whose "hi-de-hi's" and "ho-de-ho's" brought a much-needed, high-voltage jolt of winning, feel-good energy to a country slogging through tough times, making Cab Calloway a man for our times, too. Cedric Watson is one of the most noted young talents to emerge in Cajun or Creole music in the past few years. He is a fiddler, vocalist, accordionist and songwriter of seemingly unlimited potential.
Come to the Orange County Great Park Friday, August 28th and enjoy the music of Cedric Watson at 8:00 p.m. You'll be dancing the two-step and the Cajun waltz. Don't know how to dance a jig? Then, get a free dance lesson at 7:30 p.m. Comedian Jackie Fabulous of Bill Bellamy's Who's Got Jokes will open the evening at 7:00 p.m. with great laughs at the Great Park Comedy Corner.
On Saturday, August 29th, the Great Park is proud to present Big Bad Voodoo Daddy who will perform at 8:00 p.m. First, come see Tim Chizmar, guest on Last Call with Carson Daly, and Mal Hall, Winner of 2009 O.C. Comedy Competition Irvine Improv kick off the evening at 7:00 p.m. with great laughs at the Great Park Comedy Corner.
"The Great Park is Orange County's best place for family fun entertainment," said Larry Agran, Chair of the Orange County Great Park Corporation. "The entire family can enjoy dance, great music and comedy."
Come back to the Great Park next Friday, September 4th and swing to Steve Lucky and the Rhumba Bums along with Miss Carmen Getit who will play jump blues and hot jazz with wit, style and plenty of tongue in cheek. Comedian Chris Zapatier, BET's "SOB" Military Comedy Tours to Iraq and Afghanistan opens the evening at 7:00 p.m. at the Great Park Comedy Corner.
On Saturday, September 5th, 17 Hippies, Berlin's very own "orchester spezial" will play its whirling, crashing, diving, bobbing and weaving mixture of music that morphs French songs, English ballads and international rhythms into a captivating cocktail of sound. The evening begins at 7:00 p.m. with Tom Connolly, who went on military comedy tours to Iraq and Afghanistan and Danny Villapando, USO's Comics On Duty, Comedy Central's Latino Laugh Festival.
Evening events begin at 7:00 p.m. with shows by local stand-up comics at the Great Park Comedy Corner. Dances and concerts begin at 8:00 p.m. Admission is free. Parking is $8.00.
Refreshments will be available at the Hangar Cafe, which opens at 6:00 p.m. on performance nights. The Hangar Cafe features a vegetarian menu of fresh salads and sandwiches, delicious snacks and desserts, and thirst-quenching beer, wine, and soft drinks presented by award-winning Avanti Cafe.
The Orange County Great Park is located off the 5 Freeway and Sand Canyon in Irvine. For more information, please visit to www.ocgp.org.
The complete "Flights and Sounds of Summer" schedule is listed below. (Please feel free to post.)
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4TH
Great Park Comedy Corner, 7:00 p.m.
Chris Zapatier - BET's "SOB." Military Comedy Tours to Iraq and Afghanistan
Friday Night Dance Party, 8:00 p.m.
Steve Lucky and the Rhumba Bums
Free dance instruction at 7:30 p.m.
Veterans of 'scenes' as diverse as the famed Derby in Hollywood, NYC's Lincoln Center, and CNN-TV, the Rhumba Bums along with Miss Carmen Getit play swing, jump blues and hot jazz with wit, style and plenty of tongue in cheek.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 5TH
Great Park Comedy Corner, 7:00 p.m.
Tom Connolly- Military Comedy tours to Iraq and Afghanistan
Danny Villapando - USO's Comics On Duty, Comedy Central's Latino Laugh Festival
Saturday Night Concert, 8:00 p.m.
17 Hippies
For the past 12 years Berlin's very own "orchester spezial" has been playing its whirling, crashing, diving, bobbing and weaving mixture of music that morphs French songs, English ballads and international rhythms into a captivating cocktail of sound. An eclectic band of virtuosi, the 17 Hippies are variously masters of the accordion, trombone, trumpet, violin, cello, woodwinds, mandolin, ukulele, banjo, Irish bouzouki, guitar, double bass and harmonium. And then there are the stellar vocals in German, English and French.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11TH
Great Park Comedy Corner, 7:00 p.m.
Steve Farrell - Regular performer at the Imrov, Ice House and the Comedy Store
Kenny Kane - Bob & Tom Show, USO Tours in Iraq & Afghanistan and Laugh My A** Off
Friday Night Dance Party, 8:00 p.m.
Johnny Polanco y su Conjunto Amistad
Free dance instruction at 7:30 p.m.
So popular at the Great Park last summer that he was invited back immediately, Johnny Polanco is our favorite salsero, with regular gigs at El Floridita, The Mayan and other iconic Southland venues.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12TH
Great Park Comedy Corner, 7:00 p.m.
Dante - Last Comic Standing Finalist
Saturday Night Concert, 8:00 p.m.
Niyaz
"Call it Sufi music or World Fusion, but one thing is for sure, the band Niyaz is an Iranian musical trio whose debut album ranked No 1 on world music charts on iTunes. . ." This is trance music for the 21st century: hypnotic, ecstatic, ghostly, and delicious. Azam Ali, best known as half of the popular duo Vas, is the vocalist heard on the soundtrack of "The Matrix: Revolution;" Loga Ramin Torkian, formerly of Axiom of Choice, is a master of Persian and Turkish musical traditions. Loga and Azam are accompanied by tabla, bass, violin and laptop.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18TH
Great Park Comedy Corner, 7:00 p.m.
Chris Zapatier - BET's "SOB." Military Comedy Tours to Iraq and Afghanistan
Friday Night Dance Party, 8:00 p.m.
Merchants of Moonshine
Free dance instruction at 7:30 p.m.
The two-steppers, the line-dancers, the citified folk in their high-heeled boots: the Merchants of Moonshine make room for all. Expect good times, great guitar licks, and songs that'll break your heart, fix it up, and then break it all over again.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19TH
Great Park Comedy Corner, 7:00 p.m.
Aristotle Athiras
David Marley
Saturday Night Concert, 8:00 p.m.
HAPA
Last summer's HAPA concert at the Great Park was among our favorites; this year Barry Flanagan and Nathan Aweau are joined by traditional chant master Charles Ka'upu for an evening of Hawaiian bliss. Known as "the sound of Maui," HAPA filters the pan-Polynesian traditions of Hawaii through the lens of contemporary acoustic music to create a sound that has kept them in demand on the festival circuit while earning them a record-breaking number of Na Hoku Hanohano ("Hawaiian Grammy") Awards.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25TH
Great Park Comedy Corner, 7:00 p.m.
Matt Balaker - Appeared on Conan O'Brien
Aristotle Athiras
Friday Night Dance Party, 8:00 p.m.
Bollywood Step
Free dance instruction at 7:30 p.m.
Our 2009 summer dance party finale: a Bollywood blow-out! A special night of fun with exuberant Bollywood dance demonstrations, step-by-step instructions and simple choreography for all to follow, a party atmosphere and, of course, those irresistible dance rhythms.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26TH
Great Park Comedy Corner, 7:00 p.m.
Patrick Keane - Appeared on Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
Kristian Vallee - Appeared on Comedy Central and the Tonight Show
Saturday Night Concert, 8:00 p.m.
Easy Star All-Stars
Lonely Hearts Dub Band, Dub Side of the Moon, Radio Dread. . . the Easy Star All-Stars are the very soul of dub reggae. Almost anybody can sing along to their favorite tunes, but only an artist can take something familiar and make it entirely their own, exploring the heart of the work and taking it to a new and different place. That's what you'll hear on the "Lonely Hearts" tour, plus Easy Star originals in our reggae fest conclusion to the summer concert series.
