Pangea World Beat is Back! Afrikana..Latin Caribb Infused Jazz

Bethel Jazz – Pangea World Beat is Back! Afrikana..Latin Caribb Infused Jazz

Doors open at 6:00pm. Try to be seated by 6:30pm to have your dinner order taken. Showtime begins at 7:00pm when we transform the space into a theater.

Out of respect for the performers and other patrons, please keep talking to a whisper during the performance.

Very Limited Occupancy. Tables seating 2, 4, 5 guests, with tables for 6, 8, 12 available upon request. Single, general admission tickets are also available. See The Attached Seating Chart. Admission Is $15.00 - $25.00 Per Person, Ticket prices may be higher for special performances. Having problems with the ticketing system? Call 203-247-4273

Parking: Please park in LaZingara’s lot or on Greenwood Ave. or School Street. Please avoid parking in P.T. Barnum Square.

Pangea World Beat

Pangea is a visionary, genre-bending ensemble based out of the Nest Arts Factory in Bridgeport, CT. Conceived by Kris Studebaker and Nicholas Yost, Pangea boldly explores the boundaries of music, blending diverse global influences into a captivating, body-enveloping groove. As an ensemble, Pangea paints enigmatic psychedelic strokes over a cosmic backdrop of modern and ancient rhythms, creating a colorful, perpetually-kinetic sonic spiral.

Renowned for their remarkable versatility and adaptability, Pangea’s members draw from a vast multiverse of musical and visually artistic inspirations to craft their distinct signature sound. Blistering past common conventions Pangea, instead, diverges into a kaleidoscope of rich, vibrant tones and resonant vibrations. This collective of musicians includes: (drummer) Kris Studebaker, (conguero) Sam Mendez, (percussionist/vocalist) Will Diaz, (bassist) Mike Rachinsky, (guitarist) Jeff Wickun, (woodwinds) Georgios Giannios, and (keyboardist and musical director) Nicholas Yost.

Rick Reyes & The Buena Vista Social Club Tribute

Bethel Jazz – Rick Reyes & The Buena Vista Social Club Tribute

Doors open at 6:00pm. Try to be seated by 6:30pm to have your dinner order taken. Showtime begins at 7:00pm when we transform the space into a theater.

Out of respect for the performers and other patrons, please keep talking to a whisper during the performance.

Very Limited Occupancy. Tables seating 2, 4, 5 guests, with tables for 6, 8, 12 available upon request. Single, general admission tickets are also available. See The Attached Seating Chart. Admission Is $15.00 - $25.00 Per Person, Ticket prices may be higher for special performances. Having problems with the ticketing system? Call 203-247-4273

Parking: Please park in LaZingara’s lot or on Greenwood Ave. or School Street. Please avoid parking in P.T. Barnum Square.

Pasofino Social Club: A Tribute To The Buena Vista Social Club

With singer/songwriter Rick Reyes as your tour guide, embark on a musical journey across the Caribbean, Central and South America celebrating Latin and Hispanic culture. The Pasofino Social Club performs Caribbean/Tropical, Boleros, Musica del Ayer, Merengue, Latin Jazz, Puerto Rican roots, Puerto Rican folk and original compositions. Just like a social club, the makeup of the band is made of a diverse group of musicians and friends. Wanting to explore more traditional styles of Latin music, Rick Reyes put together some of the most renowned and experienced Latin players in the New England and New York area, each bringing a different expertise in Latin rhythm. Listen to the beat and let your feet guide you on the dance floor, as Rick narrates a travel back in time when boleros mended hearts and Cuban son uplifted your soul.

Rick Reyes - Vocals & Guitar

Rick Reyes is a troubadour, a songwriter, producer, and a storyteller performer. Although born in Bridgeport CT, Reyes grew up in the countryside of his parents’ native Puerto Rico. It was here, listening to traditional Puerto Rican folk music, that Reyes forged his love of Jibaro – a music of the people full of wistful melodies and steeped in longing. At 13, Reyes and his family returned to Bridgeport. Feeling like an outsider, homesick, unable to speak English, and experiencing racism for the first time, he started to write as a creative outlet. He kept journals of his thoughts, impressions, and observations. His father bought him a guitar and he taught himself to play. When Reyes took one of his poems and set it to music his lifelong journey as a songwriter began.

Reyes wrote about the struggles of his parents and the latino community. He wrote about the poor. The song he considers his first, Vida Diferente, written in 1987, captures a sense of possibility, but its optimistic rhythm is juxtaposed with lyrics that convey the frustrations of poverty. This pairing of pain and optimism reveals a tension that appears often in Reyes’ work. His words acknowledge the harsh realities of daily life, but his music won’t give in to them. It optimistically arches toward the possibility of a better future. His songwriting today continues in these and similar themes of social justice, freedom, equality, self awakening, ambition, the environment, acceptance, and tolerance. Reyes creates music that has a traditional Puerto Rican flavor but is also open and receptive to other sounds from around the cosmos, blending classic American rock, salsa, merengue, and latin jazz, among others.

To date, Reyes has created and plays in three bands: the Cosmic Jibaros, a band with a unique Bridgeport sound combining a mixture of rock, Puerto Rican roots, and socially-conscious songs; The Pasofino Social Club, which is a nod to the Latin bands of yesterday; and Novela sin Tiempo, an all acoustic group with a latin and world-music flavor. Released in 2013, Novela Sin Tiempo (Timeless Story) is also the name of his solo album, a collection of songs that tell a story of struggle and determination, of daring to dream, and of the courage it takes to step into the unknown.

His latest production is called the Puerto Rican Song Book. The show celebrates the contributions of Puerto Rican singer songwriters to the world of music. The repertoire allows Reyes to educate the listener with insights about the Puerto Rican people and history of what continues to be the oldest colony in the world.

Library Jazz Band 17 Pc BIG BAND Swings

Bethel Jazz – Library Jazz Band 17 Pc BIG BAND Swings

Doors open at 6:00pm. Try to be seated by 6:30pm to have your dinner order taken. Showtime begins at 7:00pm when we transform the space into a theater.

Out of respect for the performers and other patrons, please keep talking to a whisper during the performance.

Very Limited Occupancy. Tables seating 2, 4, 5 guests, with tables for 6, 8, 12 available upon request. Single, general admission tickets are also available. See The Attached Seating Chart. Admission Is $15.00 - $25.00 Per Person, Ticket prices may be higher for special performances. Having problems with the ticketing system? Call 203-247-4273

Parking: Please park in LaZingara’s lot or on Greenwood Ave. or School Street. Please avoid parking in P.T. Barnum Square.

Check out the band:

Library Jazz Band is a 17 piece jazz collective from Yonkers and Southern Westchester, bringing to life the great classics of all eras of big band jazz. Founded in 2022, the band made a big splash last summer with its homage to Steve Wonder’s Innervisions Album on its 50th Anniversary with a program featuring original arrangements by members of the band.

For summer 2024, we bring you BIG BAND Small Screen, a smorgasboard of great tunes, earworms, and big band classics, all of them tunes we have seen and loved on the “small” screen as television or cartoon music, often written by some of the biggest names in big band writing, including Neal Hefti, Quincy Jones, and Lalo Schiffrin. Tunes on the program include Bewitched, The Simpsons, Rockford Files, Batman, and much more.

Library Jazz Band members are outstanding musicians, composers, arrangers, and educators, who happen to enjoy the thrill of playing in a big band. All members of our band are soloists! But here are some selected bios of the band:

Sarah Jane Cion, piano

Sarah is a 1st Place Winner of the internationally acclaimed 17th Annual Great American Jazz Piano Competition, whose judges were Horace Silver, Kenny Barron, Ellis Marsalis, Benny Green and Bill Charlap. Ms. Cion’s trio has performed in Japan at the prestigious Fukuoka Blue Note and Sarah appeared on the Nationally syndicated NPR radio show “Piano Jazz“ with Marian McPartland. Most recently, her songs “Cat in the Hat” and “Golden Song” were featured respectively in Warner Bros. Pictures’ The Mule in 2018 and Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Golden Song in Thor: The Dark World.

Rob Susman, trombone

“Susman’s scorching, percussive trombone energy...the perfect hypnotic and feisty representation…” –The JW Vibe

Rob Susman is a trombonist and bandleader, co-leader of Funk Shui NYC; and most recently of the new nonet, Top Secret Lab. Rob has performed with The Allman Brothers, Christina Aguilera, Ashford and Simpson, Frankie Avalon, Marshall Crenshaw, Neil Diamond, Jay and the Americans, Chaka Kahn, Darlene Love, Idina Menzel, Liza Minnelli, Bernadette Peters, Neil Sedaka, Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes, Ronnie Spector, Steve Van Zandt, Benny Golson, Clark Terry, Tito Puente, Branford Marsalis, Chico O’Farrill’s Afro-Cuban Orchestra, and The Duke Ellington Legacy.

Mike Rubino, Alto saxophone, flute, clarinet

Mike has been Chair of the Music Department for the Hastings-on-Hudson School District for over 30 years. His performing credits include playing with the Buddy Rich Band and recording with Lionel Hampton.

Jenny Hill, Tenor saxophone

Jenny Hill is a composer, arranger, and performer and also leads her own band Liquid Horn, a jazz sextet featuring her own compositions. She is currently a member of Lioness, an all-female jazz sextet that has a new release, Pride and Joy, out on Posi-Tone Records.

Jordan Hirsch, trumpet

Jordan is a NYC based professional trumpet player, who performs in a wide variety of styles. He performed in the critically acclaimed NY Off-Broadway production of Fiddler on the Roof.

Bethel Jazz – Pianist Sarah Cion & Steps Behind

Bethel Jazz – Pianist Sarah Cion & Steps Behind Feat. Bill Reeve, Mike Rubino & Dan Asher

Doors open at 6:00pm. Try to be seated by 6:30pm to have your dinner order taken. Showtime begins at 7:00pm when we transform the space into a theater.

Out of respect for the performers and other patrons, please keep talking to a whisper during the performance.

Very Limited Occupancy. Tables seating 2, 4, 5 guests, with tables for 6, 8, 12 available upon request. Single, general admission tickets are also available. See The Attached Seating Chart. Admission Is $15.00 - $25.00 Per Person, Ticket prices may be higher for special performances. Having problems with the ticketing system? Call 203-247-4273

Parking: Please park in LaZingara’s lot or on Greenwood Ave. or School Street. Please avoid parking in P.T. Barnum Square.

Check out the band:

Sarah Cion—Piano and Keyboards Sarah was the 1st Place Winner of the 17th Annual Great American Jazz Piano Competition. Ms. Cion has performed with legends such as Clark Terry, Anita O’Day, Carmen Leggio, Bucky Pizzarelli, and many more. Sarah’s debut CD features Antonio Hart and Tony Reedus. Her second CD was released on the Naxos Jazz label, featuring Chris Potter and Billy Hart, and her third features saxophone giant Michael Brecker. Her upcoming CD It’s Time will be released in 2023. Cion’s articles and transcriptions have been published in Piano Today Magazine, and her book Modern Jazz Piano was released by Hal Leonard. Sarah is a contributor to the Steinway Library of Piano Music. Finalist in the John Lennon songwriting competition, her music appears in Cinematic Universe’s Thor: The Dark World and Clint Eastwood’s The Mule. Sarah graduated from the New England Conservatory with honors and distinction in composition and performance. Her latest book The Ultimate Play By Ear Piano Method is a #1 Amazon.com bestseller.

Dan Asher—Bass Dan has been busy performing and teaching in the New York area since 2001. His active schedule has included performances at legendary venues such as Birdland, the Blue Note, Smalls, and the 55 Bar, covering a wide range of music, mainly Rock, R&B, Jazz, and everything in between. As an in-demand sideman on electric and upright bass, he has performed with artists such as Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes and most recently with Jimmy Buffett as well as legendary keyboardists David Bryan and Jay Oliver. He also performs with renowned gospel and blues artist Alexis P Suter as well as the acoustic outfit Caravan of Thieves at numerous festivals in the northeast as well as in Canada. Most recently he was part of the Wheels of Soul tour performing with Gabe Dixon, while also having the chance to perform with the Tedeschi Trucks Band (of which Mr. Dixon is a member), and Los Lobos. He currently lives in the Bronx, New York.

Mike Rubino—Saxophones and Fute After attending Berklee College of Music, Mike joined the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra from 1984 to 85. He then joined the Buddy Rich Band from 1985-1987. After a summer tour with Mel Torme in 1987, he settled in the NY area as a freelance woodwind player. In 1991, he began teaching in Hastings on Hudson Public Schools where he served as music teacher and Department Chair for 32 years.

Bill Reeve—Drums and Percussion Bill Reeve has been playing drums for over 50 years. He was the Marching Band Director at the University of New Hampshire from 1983 to 1989, where he also directed the 4 o’clock Jazz Ensemble, the Percussion Ensemble, and Percussion Studies. He has performed with Clark Terry, Toshiko Akiyoshi/Lew Tabakin, James Moody, Jimmy Heath, James Williams, Milt Hinton, Dick Johnson, Buddy DeFranco, Eddie Daniels, Herb Pomeroy, Mike Metheny, the Chordettes, Pete Seger, and many others.

Bethel Jazz – The Other Orchestra 19pc Big Band Is Back!

The Other Orchestra 19pc Big Band Is Back! Outdoor Dining Wed July 9

The JAZZY, FUNKY Big Band, rockin the house with Tower of Power, Frank Zappa, Brecker Brothers, Jaco Pastorious, Steely Dan, Yellow Jackets

Doors open at 6:00pm. Try to be seated by 6:30pm to have your dinner order taken. Showtime begins at 7:00pm when we transform the space into a theater.

Out of respect for the performers and other patrons, please keep talking to a whisper during the performance.

Very Limited Occupancy. Tables seating 2, 4, 5 guests, with tables for 6, 8, 12 available upon request. Single, general admission tickets are also available. See The Attached Seating Chart. Admission Is $15.00 - $25.00 Per Person, Ticket prices may be higher for special performances. Having problems with the ticketing system? Call 203-247-4273

Parking: Please park in LaZingara’s lot or on Greenwood Ave. or School Street. Please avoid parking in P.T. Barnum Square.

Check out the band:

About Mike Palin’s Other Orchestra

It’s a funky Big Band thing; a large jazz ensemble that rocks the house. Playing music from Tower of Power, Frank Zappa, The Brecker Brothers, Jaco Pastorious, Steely Dan, Miles Davis, Snarky Puppy, Weather Report, and so many other great modern composers and arrangers. You’ll want to see this band again and again!

Michael Palin’s Other Orchestra draws some of the most talented jazz musicians in the Hartford and mid-CT area, and Sara Sherman is the band’s resident vocalist

Other Orchestra typifies the high caliber of entertainment that’s available to those willing to search for it. Since March 2011, this feisty, funky big band has been exciting audiences with its tantalizing mix of jazz standards, fusion favorites, and quality rock tunes.

The band truly sounds like no other jazz ensemble in the area, and it is just as likely to delve into Frank Zappa’s zany repertoire, as it is to take on standards such as Johnny Mandel’s beautiful “A Time for Love.” One moment, the audience will hear a Steely Dan hit; the next it might be something from Weather Report’s catalogue.

Palin put together what he refers to as “version 1.0” of Other Orchestra in 1998, and that group became a regular at Hartford’s 880 Club on Maple Avenue for years. While the current edition of the orchestra doesn’t have a long track record, it has already attracted the attention of many of the area’s most talented players, west of I-91.

Come check them out; you won’t be disappointed.

David Morgan Trio with N’awlins Infused Blues n’ Jazz

Bethel Jazz – David Morgan Trio with N’awlins Infused Blues n’ Jazz

June 25 @ 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm

About this event

Doors open at 6:00pm. Try to be seated by 6:30pm to have your dinner order taken. Showtime begins at 7:00pm when we transform the space into a theater.

Out of respect for the performers and other patrons, please keep talking to a whisper during the performance.

Very Limited Occupancy. Tables seating 2, 4, 5 guests, with tables for 6, 8, 12 available upon request. Single, general admission tickets are also available. See The Attached Seating Chart. Admission Is $15.00 - $25.00 Per Person, Ticket prices may be higher for special performances. Having problems with the ticketing system? Call 203-247-4273

Parking: Please park in LaZingara’s lot or on Greenwood Ave. or School Street. Please avoid parking in P.T. Barnum Square.

Check out the band:

Pianist David Morgan is a musician for life. For him, it’s music 24/7. After a childhood of playing in rock bands, competing in classical piano competitions, putting on solo Keith Emerson keyboard shows and producing demos on his 4-track cassette recorder, he knew a life of music was the only soulful and logical choice. When he was 19, he moved to New Orleans to study with jazz legends Ellis Marsalis and Harold Battiste at The University of New Orleans. Since migrating to the east coast in 1992, he has had a rich career of touring, recording, producing, writing and teaching. He has recorded and toured the world with his jazz trio, renowned vocalist Neshama Carlebach, Peter Himmelman and actress/songstress Jane Lynch, to name a few. His original music can be heard regularly on CBS and NBC sports telecasts and cable TV shows like Pawn Stars, Catfish, Counting Cars and American Restoration. This past June he was the musical director for the benefit concert, Trevor Live, in New York City.

Music Education has become a very important part of Morgan’s career. His rock band training program, The Music Shed is in its 9th season. He developed this program to give middle and high school musicians the opportunity to get extensive coaching in rock, jazz and blues music in a weekly small group setting. Lately, Morgan has been producing and recording his students’ original music and plans to release a Music Shed Artists Vol.1 album in early 2018. He regularly performs and records with his quartet, Portal, a Connecticut band of brothers featuring Greg Wall, Matt Moadel, and Rich Zurkowski.

Bethel Arts Presents – Make Music Day

Using our matchmaking software venues and musicians can register, create profiles and find a match for their Make Music Bethel performance.

• If you are a place where others can come to perform you are a venue and you should register here.
• If you will be performing, then you are a musician/performer and should register here.

Once there are musicians and venues you can reach-out to each other and make a match.

Isabelle Miner Powerhouse

Isabelle Miner - Vocalist, Isabelle was born and raised in Bethel, CT, Isabelle found her footing as a singer and performer at the age of eight. She's gone on to train with some of Bethel's hometown musical favorites including Billy Michael, Cynthia McKorkindale and Erin Volpintesta. As a long time Jazz for Junior, she continued to hone her craft and went on to perform in New York City during her time in college. She returned to Hartford, CT where she sat in and collaborated with a variety of musicians. Isabelle has been growing her career as a photographer while constantly searching for outlets to sing and captivate audiences with her performance skills. Isabelle returned to Bethel for a couple years to start the band, Belle and the Boys, a trio including Billy Michael and Peter Strouse. Now a resident of Portland, Maine, she's been sitting in with a local band, Frenzie and will return to the CT area often to sit in with other bands in the jam scene. Isabelle enjoys a combination of soul and folk music while incorporating a number of power ballads into every performance.

Kriston Ervin - Keyboards, Ervin grew up playing gospel music in his families church and eventually extended to playing jazz - studying at the Greater Hartford Academy of Arts, Artist Collective, and Hartt School of Music. Kriston now plays many genres of Black American music including folk, neo soul, funk, and more.

Doug Toussaint - Bass, is a multi-instrumentalist born and raised in Bethel, CT currently teaching Music at Bethel Middle School and gigging at a variety of restaurants and venues across the state. He earned his Bachelors in Music Ed at WCSU where he studied Jazz Performance. He has extensive experience performing a variety of genres including Jazz, Rock, R&B and Contemporary.

Rick Baumer - Guitar, grew up in Newtown, CT, where he started playing guitar at the age of eight. His musical journey took a significant turn when his family moved to São Paulo, Brazil, after his sophomore year of high school, allowing him to immerse himself in a diverse musical landscape.

After spending two years at Berklee College of Music, Rick completed both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Western Connecticut State University. There, he was honored with the James Furman Scholarship Award for his performance in a jazz quartet. He has studied under notable guitarists such as Chris Morrison, Michel Leme, and Jamie Begian.

Currently, Rick performs in various solo and duo settings around Connecticut and is an active member of the Jerrod Cattey Trio and Quartet. He also leads his own projects, including the Brazilian music ensemble, Studio Rio and the Bethel Big Band. In addition to performing, Rick is dedicated to education, teaching orchestra, jazz ensembles, guitar, music theory, and electronic music at Bethel High School in Bethel, CT.

Jerrod Cattey - Drums, Jerrod holds his bachelors degree in Jazz performance from Western CT State University where he studied with Jeff “Siege” Siegel and Dave “Mr. Smith” Smith. As required by most job placements, Jerrod later received his Masters in Music Education over the course of 9 years, requiring additional paperwork in order to receive the esteemed degree. His life has changed either dramatically or not at all since its acquisition.

Please check with the event if times or days have changed.

Berkshire Jazz Orchestra - Big Band Swings

The Berkshire Jazz Orchestra (BJO) is a 17-piece ensemble based in Fairfield County that has been keeping the music of the big band genre fresh and alive since 1987! The band plays music covering a wide range of eras and styles, from big bands of the swing era through contemporary concert jazz orchestras performing today. The program will include arrangements of music composed or performed by Count Basie, Tommy Dorsey, Glenn Miller, Lester Young, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Frank Sinatra, Chuck Mangione, Natalie Cole, and many others.

The BJO includes seasoned professional musicians and area music educators who have performed with artists such as the Stan Kenton Orchestra, the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, Sal Salvador’s “Colors in Sound,” Larry Coryell, Todd Rundgren, Vicki Sue Robinson, The Temptations, The Four Tops, The Rascals, and many others. In addition to the band’s outstanding soloists, stellar vocalist Jan Maki will be featured performing music from the Great American Songbook.

The BJO is led by founder Chip Zellner. The group is currently under the musical direction of Bethel resident and longtime area performer, Jon Saxon.

Come experience the full range of power, emotion, excitement, and subtleties that only a large, live jazz orchestra can present!.

Please check with the event if times or days have changed.

Michael Bard’s Jazz Collective

Michael Bard’s Jazz Collective

Sax Man By Night, ENT By Day, Refined Hearing For A Solo, Michael Sniffs Out Great Players In A Sea Of Side Men...Awesome Jazz Awaits You!

Please check with the event if times or days have changed.

The Abena Koomson-Davis Quintet

Vocalist Abena Koomson-Davis & Steve Davis Quintet Raise The Roof @LaZingara

Master Trombonist Steve Davis and vocalist Abena Koomson-Davis take LaZingara to new heights with their vocal and trombone artistry!

Please check with the event if times or days have changed.

Bethel Arts in View – Nina McKitty – Flower Portraits

NINA MCKITTY

FLOWER PORTRAITS

Opening Reception on Sunday May 18, 2025,

5:00p.m. - 7:00p.m.

The Gallery at La Zingara Bar,

8 PT Barnum Square, Bethel, CT

Exhibition: May 18 - July 13, 2025

Gallery hours: Wed-Sun 12pm - 8pm

About the Artist

Neither my husband Bill nor I knew how much his wedding gift of a digital camera would impact my life. The camera went from being an object of curiosity to a means of self-expression.

For the past 12 years, I have explored this means of expression studying advanced methods of shooting and developing images, and embellishing printed images. The changes in the craft of digital photography, as well as advances in technology, have created an ever-evolving art form that I continue to explore and add to my body of work.

I sometimes work in the field, wherever that may be, shooting opportunistically, keeping my senses open to my surroundings. I think of myself, however, as a studio shooter. My studio process is to create an image in my mind first, working out the composition, color, lighting and background prior to a shoot. I then use my camera to capture and software to refine what was imagined.

I print my images on archival papers with archival inks, and mat and frame my images myseMy work has been influenced by my interest in nature, art and travel. It combines many processes and styles: eastern and western sensibilities, classic and modern perspectives, photography and painting disciplines.

Please check with the event if times or days have changed.