Page 24 - the Noise November 2017

HOW DO YOU TAKE YOUR HOLIDAYS? YCPAC PLAYS THEM STRAIGHT – AND JAZZY – IN DECEMBER
People are very particular about their holidays. There’s the “I’m so over it!” camp, that la- ments traditional holiday celebrations as cliché and needs an innovative twist to get their spirit in gear. And there’s the “It’s tradition!” camp, that waits all year for cherished songs and celebrations and regards change as something akin to putting Santa in a leisure suit.
This season, YavapaI College Performing Arts Center lets you call the holiday tune. A reverent and moving walk through the Yuletide Playbook? Or a brassy, speakeasy jam session that leaves you feeling a little Bing Crosby-ish?
LET THE SEASON BEGIN! (DECEMBER 1)
If you’re looking for maximum “pop” from your holiday traditions, then you’d best begin
December first – the day before Prescott’s Christmas Parade Courthouse Square lighting – and combine those events for a weekend Christmas cocktail that’ll have you buzzing with seasonal cheer all month long. Let the Season Begin! is designed to do just that.
Powerful and moving? Check. Festive and family-friendly? Check.
Nothing softens your inner-Grinch like beloved holiday carols sung by a choir. YavapaI College brings multiple choirs to the songs we know so well. This army of joyous voices will be anchored by the return of soprano Carmen Cancél. Hailed by Verona’s L’Arena as a soprano of “crystalline timbre,” Ms. Cancél has performed in operas all over Europe as well as in last season’s critically-acclaimed production of The Messiah.
Together, with the full orchestra, and organist Simon Pick, they will tackle the holidays’ broad musical repertoire, from the ancient-and-sacred to the charming and contemporary. Add in dancers and the large-scale spectacle YC Performing Arts is becoming known for, and you’ll have your holiday fires stoked before most people have torn off their November calendar sheet.
THE HOT SARDINES HOLIDAY STOMP (DECEMBER 5)
Picture all your favorite holiday moments, spun through the wise-cracking uncle that
was always too cool for your parents, and you have the attitude behind The Hot Sardines Holiday Stomp.
The Hot Sardines – darlings of the Newport and Montreal jazz festivals, and a staple of the New York City spots like Joe’s Pub and the Bowery Ballroom — are a fun-loving, horns- keyboard-and-a-girl jazz combo. Founded by bandleader Evan Pallazo and singer Elizabeth Bougerol as an homage to the likes of Louis Armstrong and Dinah Washington, the Sardines use the lens of gin-joint jazz and their own remarkable musical chops to find hidden trea- sures in the holiday songbook.
That translates to clever takes on classics like “White Christmas,” “Please Come Home for Christmas,” and “Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy,” as well as forgotten fun like Ella Fitzgerald’s “Santa Claus Got Stuck in My Chimney” and stunners like Edith Piaf’s “Le Noèl de la Rue.”
Like last year’s Pink Martini, The Hot Sardines have the capacity to surprise audiences with their range; sometimes sassy, sometimes reverent, they are always having a good time. It may not be your grandfather’s holiday ... but it will put a few fun wrinkles in your own.
Let the Season Begin! plays Friday night, December 1 at 7PM; tickets are $15. The Hot Sardines Holiday Stomp plays Tuesday night, December 5, at 7PM; tickets begin at $29. Both performances will be held at the YavapaI College Performing Arts Center, 1100 East Sheldon Street, in Prescott. For tickets, or more information, contact the YCPAC Box Office at (928) 776-2000, or visit: YCPAC.com .
24 • NOVEMBER 2017 | the NOISE arts & news | www.thenoise.us
BY MJ GRADY
AT TOP: the Hot Sardines PHOTO BY JOSEPH CULTICE ABOVE: Carmen Cancél COURTESY PHOTO