This Thursday’s Idyllwild Summer Concert Series will continue as planned with the Lauren Koval Sextet at 7 p.m., and Robbie and Bill at 6:15 p.m. ISCS organizer Ken Dahleen said this will be a celebratory concert with all emergency personnel involved in the Cranston Fire being invited up on stage.
The concert originally scheduled for Thursday, July 26, Ginger and Her Hoosier Daddys, canceled because of the Cranston Fire, has been rescheduled for Thursday, Aug. 30. “We’ll call it The Lost Concert,” said Dahleen, and very much like the Dixie Machine next week, Ginger and Her Hoosier Daddys’ music will be spirited, happy and healing.
Dahleen stressed that all purveyors and supporters of ISCS, including the Butterfields, the rescheduled ban, and all infrastructure suppliers have agreed not to require any additional fees because of the rescheduling and series extension.
What could be a better post-fire tonic then than Dixieland music offered up by seasoned Disneyland Dixie pros?
Brian Bettger brings back his high-spirited Dixieland sextet on Thursday, Aug. 9, taking the stage below the Idyllwild Brewpub at 7 p.m. Trumpeter Bettger is a composer/ arranger who has played with musical legends Frank Sinatra, Mel Torme, the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, the Pacific Symphony and the Disneyland Band.
Come on out to celebrate our community, its resilience, its people and the firefighters who have, once again, protected our community. Dance, parade, strut and sing to familiar Dixieland favorites such as “When the Saints Go Marching In,” “Ballin’ the Jack,” “Toot Toot Tootsie,” “Baby Face” and “Ain’t She Sweet.” Send out healing energy to those who have lost their homes.
“We are very grateful to all the heroes for their service through the fire,” said Bettger.
Asked if there were any changes from last year’s roster, Bettger mentioned a new banjo player. “Eric Brenton, also a Disney regular, will be joining us for our Idyllwild engagement,” said Bettger. “He is extremely talented on many instruments. Our banjo player from last year, Doug Mattocks, injured himself in a fall and is out of commission for several months. Other than that, we’re all a year older but not any wiser, and still trying to make it in the music business without using drugs, profanity or racial/gender epithets.”
Also appearing are co-leader Rich Watson on drums, Bob Burstein on tuba, Brian Clancy on clarinet and sax, and Art Dragon on trombone and vocals. Watson was band director at El Dorado High School in Placentia for 36 years and is a member of the Jazz Educators Hall of Fame. Dragon was director of the Disneyland Band for many years and Burstein retired from the Dixieland Band after 36 years as a member. Band members have played with Queen Latifah, Wayne Newton, Barry Manilow and many others.
Opening for Dixie Machine at 6:15 is Cole Withers.
ISCS concerts are free and are presented for the enjoyment of locals by Dahleen and his board. Each year, they begin the series with insufficient funds to cover expenses, including contract fees for the musical acts that appear. Sponsorships and donations help fund the series. Sponsors and donors can contact Dahleen directly at 951-659-2229 or send checks to P.O. Box 1542, Idyllwild, CA. 92549.
