The University of Iowa’s Hancher will present Lynne Arriale, Carla Cook, and Grace Kelly on Friday, Oct. 30, at 7 and 9:30 p.m. at the Mill in downtown Iowa City. The performances are part of the popular Club Hancher series of events.
The concerts are titled “You Know How I Feel,” and will honor the music of Nina Simone, Abbey Lincoln, and Joni Mitchell.
After being given a little plastic toy piano at the age of 3, Lynne Arriale’s growing joy for music was brought to the surface. She would learn songs that she heard on the radio and records and play them by ear. After earning a master’s degree in classical music, she took a leap into jazz and discovered “the unlimited creative potential and artistic freedom” that she states has “changed her life.”
Arriale’s career highlights include winning first place at the Great American Jazz Piano Competition, touring internationally, recording 13 CDs as a leader, topping national jazz radio charts, and being included on multiple Billboard lists as well as many “Best Of” lists nationally.
Vocalist Carla Cook has the technical edge of classical music with a strong understanding of jazz and gospel. In her younger years she was extremely close to musicians Regina Carter and Cyrus Chestnut. Cook has performed in Lionel Hampton’s orchestra, has been honored by DownBeat magazine, and has been nominated for a Grammy.
She has also expanded her reach via technology like Sony Playstation for which she was a featured character in two games. Cook is now a school teacher and book seller by day and a performer by night. She has three albums and performs globally with her own groups, one of which includes Eric Reed and her old friends Carter and Chestnut.
A child prodigy is a difficult label to earn and then rise above, but 23-year-old saxophonist Grace Kelly has been impressing audiences since she was 7 years old. She put out her long-awaited first album when she was 12. Kelly has been honored by DownBeat, CNN, and NPR. She was featured in Glamour magazine’s “Top 10 college women in 2011.”
Kelly has performed in over 600 concerts in 28 countries, scored soundtracks for films, appeared in documentaries, has played with the greats like Wynton Marsalis, Phil Woods, and Dave Brubeck, and has performed for President Barack Obama. In addition to playing saxophone, Kelly is also a singer, songwriter, and arranger.
The performances are supported by the Hancher Partners and gifts to the Hancher Circle through the University of Iowa Foundation.
Tickets, which are $20 for nonstudents and $10 for college students and youth, are available from the Hancher Box Office.
The Hancher Box Office, located on the first floor of the south end of Old Capitol Town Center near the parking ramp, is open for phone (319-335-1160 or 800-HANCHER) or walk-up business from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. weekdays. Tickets may be ordered online at hancher.uiowa.edu. Any remaining tickets will be available for sale one hour before show time at the Mill.
Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all University of Iowa-sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in this program, please contact the Hancher Box Office in advance at 319-335-1158.