Stide pianist to give 2 local shows

Stride pianist Judy Carmichael performs two local concerts in November.

The Judy Carmichael Trio, featuring Harry Allen on tenor saxophone and Chris Flory on guitar, will perform Nov. 9 at the Bigfork Center for the Performing Arts and Nov. 10 on stage in the dining room at the Whitefish Lake Golf Club Restaurant.

“The warm and engaging Judy Carmichael is an amazing pianist,” concert hosts Miriam Singer and John Simpson of Singer & Simpson Productions said in a news release.

Count Basie nicknamed her “Stride” and said, “If anyone can keep this music going after I’m gone, it’s Judy Carmichael.”

Jazz pianist George Shearing called her “Miss Strideville.”

“That’s because, when it comes to stride pianists, Carmichael is one of the very best,” the news release said.

The New Orleans pianist Allen Toussaint said: “At first it’s joyously shocking to hear such chops at work but that observation is soon overwhelmed by the rich heart and soul and high spirit of her music. It’s quite a ride.”

In addition to her chops on the piano and wit to match, Carmichael sings. In the September 2013 issue of JazzTimes, Carmichael’s singing was very favorably compared to Peggy Lee and early Annie Ross.

“She winningly blends two of the all-time finest, most intuitive jazz singers ... and like Lee and Ross, Carmichael shows tremendous respect for her fellow musicians,” the magazine said.

Don Heckman, reviewing one of Carmichael’s shows for The International Review of Music, wrote: “She was as improvisationally inventive with words as she was with her piano. A helluva performance, on all counts. Instrumentally exciting, vocally engaging, musically compelling and marvelously — I’ll say it again — entertaining.”

The Steinway Gallery of Spokane is providing a Steinway grand for Carmichael at both the Bigfork Center for the Performing Arts in Bigfork and the stage in the dining room at the Whitefish Lake Restaurant for a rare transformation of that venue into a jazz club with the same menu it serves nightly.

Carmichael is one of the few jazz pianists honored as a Steinway Artist. She has appeared frequently on Garrison Keillor’s “A Prairie Home Companion” and has been featured on National Public Radio’s “Morning Edition,” “Entertainment Tonight” and CBS’ “Sunday Morning.”

Carmichael has played in a variety of venues, from Carnegie Hall to programs with Michael Feinstein and the Smothers Brothers. She also has performed private recitals for Robert Redford and President Bill Clinton.

Her weekly Public Radio show, “Judy Carmichael’s Jazz Inspired,” has been on the air for more than 20 years. Her show explores the questions such as how creative people create, and what inspires the people who inspire you?

Joining Carmichael on stage will be world famous tenor sax player Allen, whom jazz guitarist and vocalist John Pizzarelli called “nothing less than perfect.” Allen has worked with Rosemary Clooney, Hank Jones, Ray Brown and Herb Ellis.

Jazz critic and historian Gene Lees wrote, "Stan Getz was once asked his idea of the perfect tenor saxophone soloist. His answer was, 'My technique, Al Cohn’s ideas and Zoot’s time.' The fulfillment of that ideal may well be embodied in ... Harry Allen."

The trio also includes master of swing and blues guitar Flory, who toured and recorded with Clooney, Roy Eldridge and Benny Goodman.

The Nov. 9 show begins at 7:30 p.m. at the Bigfork Center for the Performing Arts, 526 Electric Ave. Tickets are available for $21, $23, $25 or $27.

The Nov. 10 show starts at 7 p.m. at the Whitefish Lake Golf Club Restaurant. The club will transform its dining room into a jazz club for the evening. Some local residents may remember when Carmichael played a sold-out concert at the venue a year ago.

Tickets to a dinner show with reserved cabaret seating in the restaurant are $27. Tickets at the bar are $20. Dinner is not included.

Tickets are available at http://SingerandSimpson.com or http://Tix.com, or by calling (406) 730-2817.

This is another Singer & Simpson Production. The show is sponsored by Don “K” Subaru.

For more information about Carmichael, visit www.judycarmichael.com.