Celebrate the Season with an Array of Performances at The Bankhead Theater

     Livermore Valley Arts will close out 2023 with a season of events sure to please every appetite. From swinging holiday concerts at “Big Bad Voodoo Daddy’s Wild and Swingin’ Holiday Party” on November 25 and “Holiday Swingin’! A Kat Edmonson Christmas” on December 1, to beautiful insights into how Christmas is cherished and celebrated around the globe at “Irish Christmas in America” on December 3 and “Nochebuena: A Christmas Spectacular” on December 23, The Bankhead has a winter season full of events that will all lead up to a glamorous way in the Tri-Valley to toast “New Year’s Eve with The Four Freshmen” on December 31. All of these sparkling performances will take place at the beautiful Bankhead Theater (2400 First Street) in Downtown Livermore.

     Swinging into our season celebration on the Saturday after Thanksgiving,Big Bad Voodoo Daddy will return to Livermore with an unforgettable night of music and merriment with their “Wild and Swingin’ Holiday Party”. For 29 years, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy’s unique take on American swing and jazz music has thrilled audiences around the world, while their unique and spirited “Wild and Swingin’ Holiday Party” has become an eagerly anticipated annual family event. Singer and band leader Scotty Morris says, “If you’re going to go to a holiday show with your family, this is the one! It really does offer something for everyone.” Drawing on a rich catalog of holiday classics and Christmas originals from the band’s two full-length holiday albums, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy brings its world-renowned live show and fun and quirky take on the holidays to The Bankhead on November 25. Fun arrangements of classic holiday songs in the Big Bad Voodoo Daddy style include nods to other classic holiday artists, such as The Andrews Sisters, Chuck Berry, Lou Rawls, and Elvis Presley. Big Bad Voodoo Daddy has also always made writing original music a priority, and the holidays are no exception: “Rockabilly Christmas,” “Last Night (I Went Out With Santa Claus),” “Christmas Time in Tinsel Town,” and the beautiful and reflective “It Feels Like Christmas Time,” are the band’s take on the many feelings of the holidays and will round out this rockin’ evening. With almost three decades together, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy is still picking up steam and continues to tour, record, and entertain, and will kick off a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year at The Bankhead with their high-energy music, the perfect way to get into the festive spirit with family and friends.

     The next week, vintage-pop and jazz artist Kat Edmonson will continue festivities at The Bankhead with her “Holiday Swingin’! A Kat Edmonson Christmas” tour on December 1. Kat Edmonson is an award-winning songwriter and singer with an equal foothold in jazz, cabaret and vintage cosmopolitanism pop. Raised on the music and film of the early-to-mid-twentieth century, Edmonson is a rare artist who embodies the spirit of the past while remaining resolutely au courant. She performs original songs and familiar classics in her live show, interweaving humorous anecdotes, philosophical musings, and her love of film with disarming candor and vulnerability. Her longtime band members’ keen and sensitive accompaniment allows Kat to freely veer "off-script" as she’s often inclined to do. Edmonson is “a savvy student of ‘60s film soundtracks, jazz-pop stylists and Tin-Pan Alley songcraft. This magical evening of music, laughter, and holiday cheer will take place on December 1.

     That Sunday on, December 3, The Bankhead will be welcoming once again “Irish Christmas in America”, last performing in Livermore to a sold-out crowd in 2021. Now in its 18th season, this “lively and reflective” performance brings together world-class musicians, singers, and dancers in an intimate and engaging performance rich in history, humor, and boundless energy. Pensive ballads, lively instrumentals, thrilling Irish dance, and evocative photographic images create an enchanting air to the holiday season. Originally conceived to share traditional, if sometimes unknown, seasonal Irish customs in a heartfelt demonstration of how music kept early Irish immigrants close to home as they made their way in the new world, this family-friendly performance offers a view into some of the rich historical traditions of the Emerald Isle. Produced by Oisín Mac Diarmada of the award-winning Irish group Téada, Irish Christmas in America brings remarkable vocal talents, lively instrumental tunes on fiddle, flute, uilleann pipes and harp, and thrilling Irish old-style dancing, and is a family holiday celebration to remember.

      All the beautiful traditions of Christmas Eve in México will be presented at “Nochebuena” on December 23. The acclaimed Ballet Folklórico de Los Ángeles and Mariachi Garibaldi de Jaime Cuéllar bring together an all-star cast of music and dance in a dazzling presentation of the traditions and customs celebrated by the people in México during the Christmas season. Nochebuena is a journey through some of México’s favorite season-long Christmas traditions, which vary from region to region, many of them also changing with the influence of other cultures, most notably that of the United States. This spectacular show focuses on ‘Nochebuena’ (Christmas Eve), when Mexican families attend midnight Mass before returning home to a late-night feast. Foods like bacalao, ham, turkey, tamales, and mole, with ponche to drink and lots of music, create a festive and spirited night of fun. Today, the Christmas traditions in México are a blend of indigenous culture, Spanish heritage, and many influences.

     Closing out the schedule of performances will be “New Year’s Eve with The Four Freshmen”, a truly classy way to ring in 2024 on December 31. The modern-day Four Freshmen perform with the same lush harmonies that made the original quartet so memorable. Sixty-plus years of touring, numerous tours with the Stan Kenton Orchestra, seven Grammy nominations, and 3,000 paid members to their fan club have all proven why this group stands the test of time. Critics agree that today’s group is the best ever! Singing with a harmony uniquely their own, The Four Freshmen have enamored listeners worldwide for years, while gaining recognition as one of the most influential vocal groups of all time. Their tight-knit sound inspired The Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson, The Mamas & The Papas, Frankie Valli, and The Manhattan Transfer. It all started in 1948 when four college freshmen crafted a unique style of vocal harmony that soon caught the ear of the great bandleader Stan Kenton. Kenton was responsible for bringing the Freshmen to Capitol Records, where they would eventually record 23 albums, thrusting them into the national spotlight. The Freshmen have recorded over 75 albums and 70 top-selling singles and have toured constantly since their inception, continuing to perform to sold-out audiences around the globe. While paying tribute to classic Freshmen favorites such as “Day By Day” and “Blue World,” the current group continues bringing new arrangements to their live shows and recordings. In concert, The Freshmen shine on brand new arrangements of “Come Fly with Me” and “I Ain’t Got Nobody.” As four amazing musical talents, their show is one not to be missed: their youth, vitality, and talent add a modern twist of elegance to a time-honored sound.

     Tickets for all shows are available online, by calling 925-373-6800, or at the box office windows. For more information please visit www.LivermoreArts.org.

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Photo caption: “Irish Christmas in America” will be performing at The Bankhead Theater on December 3. (Photo credit: Walter Petrule)