A musical dining experience

Every now and then the Whitefish Lake Golf Club Restaurant collaborates with Singer & Simpson Productions to bring a high-quality musical performance to its dining room and create a big city jazz dining experience with the usual great menu. These music productions receive much appreciated financial support from Don “K” Subaru. Nowadays such musical occurrences are rare since John Simpson retired from his position as Subaru sales manager. But, good news, there is yet another great performance scheduled at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 14, featuring Romero Lubambo and Harry Allen with the Tony Foster Trio.

Creative and versatile finger-style Brazilian guitarist Lubambo is an amazing virtuoso who has performed and recorded with Diane Reeves, Yo-Yo Ma, Diana Krall, Herbie Mann, Wynton Marsalis, Kathleen Battle and Harry Belafonte, among others.

“Guitarist Romero Lubambo may be the best practitioner of his craft in the world today ... [his] facility, creativity and energy are in a class all their own,” according to Jazziz magazine.

And Felix Contreras with NPR said: “This guitarist is a magician with an unmistakable blend of jazz, Brazilian music and perfection.”

Lubambo was born in Rio de Janeiro and immigrated to New York City in 1985, where he worked with Astrud Gilberto. He’s an innovative founding member of the jazz group Trio da Paz with Nilson Matta (bass) and Duduka da Fonseca (drums) who were all in Flathead Valley in 2014 with pianist Helio Alves for the “Tribute to Antonio Carlos Jobim” concert with tenor saxophonist Scott Hamilton filling in for Stan Getz.

Speaking of a Getz-like tenor saxophone player, Canadian music critic 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.”

Internationally acclaimed jazz artist Allen plays the tenor saxophone melodically, tastefully and beautifully. Allen is on more than 30 recordings and has won numerous awards, including three Gold Disc Awards from Japan’s Swing Journal Magazine. He’s performed and/or recorded with Rosemary Clooney, Ray Brown, Hank Jones, Tony Bennett, Johnny Mandel, James Taylor and many others. He’s been on stage at the Whitefish Lake Golf Club Restaurant twice with stride pianist Judy Carmichael.

Allen is featured on many of John Pizzarelli’s recordings, including the soundtrack and an on-screen cameo in the feature film “The Out-of-Towners,” starring Steve Martin and Goldie Hawn. Pizzarelli said, “Harry Allen’s playing is nothing less than perfect.”

C. Michael Bailey of All About Jazz called him “the Frank Sinatra of the tenor saxophone: a master interpreter of standards.”

Canadian pianist Foster now makes his home in Seattle. He was jazz legend Ernestine Anderson’s pianist. He’s written arrangements for Dee Daniels, which he has performed and recorded with her. He’s worked with Red Holloway, Kenny Colman and Shiela Jordan. His piano influences are Amad Jamal and Oscar Peterson. Foster is a sensitive pianist who embraces space and allows musical ideas to evolve in their own time. He has appeared at the Whitefish Lake Golf Club Restaurant with Terell Stafford and at the O’Shaughnessy Center with Dominick Farinacci. Foster performed recently at the O’Shaughnessy with The Dan Brubeck Quartet.

Foster’s drummer, Joe Poole, also from Canada, makes listening to the drums an entertaining adventure. Poole earned his degree in jazz performance under the guidance of Oscar Peterson. He’s played with Red Holloway, George Shearing and Houston Person as well as regular engagements with renowned vocalist Ernestine Anderson. On bass is Seattle’s Nate Parker, who came to the Flathead Valley in 2014 to accompany piano master Billy Wallace.

Romero Lubambo and Harry Allen with the Tony Foster Trio will be performing at the Whitefish Lake Golf Club Restaurant for one night only, at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 14. This is another Singer & Simpson Production. Special thanks to Don “K” Subaru, Daily Inter Lake, Firebrand Hotel and Joel Pemberton of Edward Jones Whitefish.

The Whitefish Lake Golf Club Restaurant is located at 1200 U.S. 93 W., Whitefish. For dinner reservations, call 406-862-5285.

Tickets are $39 and do not include dinner. For more information or to purchase show tickets, visit http://singerandsimpson.com or call 406-250-5527.

Miriam Singer is co-owner of Singer and Simpson Productions. She can be reached at info@singerandsimpson.com.