Summer Concert Series #2 Welcomes Sherry Williams and Friends on July 11th

Idyllwild’s free Summer Concert Series kicks off July 4 with local jazz
giants the 3Skinz opening for rock and roll vocal quartet The Diamonds.
Next week the series continues with Sherry Williams and Friends, backed
up by an orchestra lead by series founder Ken Dahleen.

Dahleen told the Crier that this year is the series’ 25th or “Silver”
anniversary, and he is bringing back audience favorites from among the
78 bands he has brought to Idyllwild since 1999. He also promises “lots
of surprises,” adding that “you’ll have to come to all the concerts to
see all the surprises.”

The series will continue on July 11, with Sherry Williams. Sherry told
us about two friends that will be joining her. “I have a friend who
lives up by San Jose who is a fine jazz singer reminiscent of Lou Rawls
and Joe Williams, his name is Nicolas Bearde. He’s marvelous. And the
other, of course, is Yves Evans. We each sing a couple or three tunes
and we sing a couple together. It’s all big band stuff, it’s really fun.
Yves, as you know, is hilarious and plays off the both of us. It’s
really fun, we enjoy it.

Since there will be a large ensemble backing up Sherry Williams and
Friends, there will be no opening act and the music will start at 7 p.m.
Dahleen will provide the orchestra from among his network of working
pros. “They are fantastic to work with,” Sherry tells us, adding that
their set will be traditional big band music, a mixture of jazz and
blues standards. “I Love Being Here With You,” is one tune she loves.
“Yves has a beautiful arrangement of ‘But Beautiful’. Nick is going to
do a couple of Joe Williams things, ‘Please Send Me Someone To Love’…we
end with a blues mash-up, ‘Stormy Monday Blues,’ all three of us.

Williams acknowledged Dahleen’s work in putting the series on every year
since 1999., “I really take my hat off to him. It takes a lot to put
together any kind of a series. The musicians, all the logistical
organization, sound and light, it’s a handful, a lot of work.” Dahleen
also picks up his horn and joins in a few nights each year, as the
leader of his Big Band Staff or as part of a special ensemble like the
one he has put together for Sherry and her Friends.

Dahleen is also in charge of fund raising. The budget this year for the
nine concerts is $49,000. As a contractor he provides the sound system
and the crew to fill the Butterfield Amphitheater with music. The
concerts are free and open to all and supported entirely by donations
from the community. For information on donating, call Ken Dahleen at
(760) 413-4638.

3Skinz and The Diamonds, Thurs. July 4 at 6:05 p.m. Sherry Williams and
Friends with Orchestra, Thurs. July 11 at 7 p.m. Butterfield
Amphitheater 54201 Ridgeview Drive, access through the Idyllwild
Community Center Playground Parking lot on Highway 243, just south of
town.