Preservation Hall Jazz Band

It was an easy night of Big Easy jazz, led by the kings of the sound, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band.

A freewheeling night of the music that put the Crescent City on the musical map, the concert began with a short film detailing the history of the famed music hall, and ended up with a huge parade of musicians and audience members, dancing on the stage and around the theater.

I hope it was a happy birthday, Mayor Judy!

One early note from a patron today that said it simply and clearly "FANTASTIC show on Saturday night." (Susan Brown.)

Were you there? Give us your review of the night by leaving a note in the Comments section below, or by emailing me at jaalberts@cityblm.org.

"Buddy Holly's Winter Dance Party"

Four days after the 50th anniversary of the plane crash that claimed the lives of three of rock 'n' roll's biggest stars, "The Buddy Holly Winter Dance Party" rolled into the BCPA for a show a capacity crowd will not soon forget.

Indeed, reports there was a "day the music died" have been greatly exaggerated.

The audience was up on its feet at the end (and throughout), wrapped in the nostalgia of this tribute to one of the most pivotal moments in rock history. Great performances, great songs -- it was a night to savor.

Were you there? Tell us what you thought.

Ailey II

Modern dance took center stage at the BCPA on Friday night with Ailey II, the talented junior company of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre.

It was a spectacular concert! It was also the first modern dance performance scheduled as part of the BCPA's series of touring artists ... but certainly not the last given the tremendous response the show brought from the community.

The Ailey II dancers put in a very long day with us on Friday. At 10:00 the company danced a wonderful Spotlight Series school matinee, performing selections from two ballets for a group of K-12 students.

Troy Powell, the company's Associate Artistic Director also gave the students in attendance a little "Theatre 101," with a little tour of the lights, curtains, Marley flooring, and backdrops, explaining how all of the technical theater components make the choreography really pop.

Next up for the Ailey dancers was a trip to Illinois State University and a master class with Prof. Sara Semonis' dance studio.

The public performance was held at 7:30. Carol Baker, a BCPA Commission member, volunteer and chair of the Cultural District's Programming Committee described the night like this:

What a thrill to see the Ailey II modern dance company perform right here in B-N. Who said our local dance community is too busy doing thier own thing to take time to go see a touring company perform? Dancers (and hundreds of dance devotees) thronged to see Ailey II, and when it was all over, didn't want to let them go!

The standing ovation went on for many minutes, ending in an reprise and the company applauding their audience! When the house lights went up, it had to end. What an exciting night of dance! We're all looking forward to seeing more.

There was only one problem that night. The large, enthusiastic crowd was a blessing, but the heavy run on tickets in the last 48 hours (we sold just under 100 seats on Friday alone) created a minor problem as we ran out of playbills for the audience.

I am posting the playbill online at our Ailey II page, in case you were at the concert and didn't get a copy.