They are also celebrating the end of their 3rd year of monthly performances there and the beginning of their 4th year in an open-ended run of shows.

Tickets are available at www.TheIridium.com or by calling 212.582.2121.

The CD's will be available for purchase or digital download via CD BABY, iTUNES, AMAZON and other online music retailers and will be sold after all performances at The Iridium in New York City.

More information at www.TheIridium.com.

All performances are streamed live over the internet for free via Livestream.com.  Tune in at www.IridiumLive.tv.

Musical legend Russ Garcia died peacefully at his Kerikeri home on Sunday, November 20, 2011 (New Zealand time.)

The 95-year-old musician, composer and arranger was once described as the most famous guy you've never heard of.

Mr Garcia was born in California and went on to pursue a musical career for more than 85 years. Some of the names he worked with in films and music include Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Judy Garland, Walt Disney, Charlie Chaplin, Fred Astaire, Elizabeth Taylor and Clint Eastwood.

He moved to Kerikeri with his wife Gina in the 1970s, after being told by some New Zealand musicians he met in Fiji that he should visit.

In an interview with the Sunday Star-Times in April, he said: "I'd done everything in Hollywood – films, television, radio, recording. I had worked with everybody."

Earlier this year Mr Garcia took to the road with a 10-piece band and two award-winning singers from New York – Shaynee Rainbolt and Terese Genecco as well as New Zealand singer Tim Beveridge.

The tour was to celebrate his jazz and movie compositions and continue telling stories about his past. The roadshow stops were billed as An Evening with Russ Garcia.  Genecco and Rainbolt went ahead with two tribute shows in the US (on November 1st at Yoshi's Jazz Club in Oakland, CA and on November 6th at The Iridium in New York City) despite the fact that Mr Garcia could not keep his travel plans to join them.  Instead, the two made good use of internet technology and included the Garcia's in the proceedings in both cities via Skype and Livestream broadcasts of the concerts.

"I've got hundreds of stories and some of them are true," he told appreciative audiences.

A favourite story was his revelation that Ella Fitzgerald was shy and battled stage fright but that once she got on stage with the microphone in her hand, she "sang like an angel".

Mr Garcia conducted the Wellington, Auckland and Christchurch symphony orchestras and was awarded a Queen's Service Medal for services to music.

He spent many years working with theatre and dance groups in Kerikeri and was especially encouraging of young people's musical aspirations.

A celebration of Russ Garcia's life will be held in the events hall at the Turner Centre in Kerikeri, New Zealand on November 27, 2011 at 1.30pm.

A NOTE FROM TERESE:

Thank you to everyone who joined us at the Russell Garcia 95th Birthday Tribute Concerts at Yoshi's Jazz Club in Oakland, CA on November 1st and at The Iridium in New York City on November 6th.  The love was felt from both coasts of this continent all the way to the shores of New Zealand where Russ & Gina Garcia were watching via Skype.  Both bands were amazing and we so adore and appreciate the support we received from the amazing staff at each of the venues.  Without your support, this legendary composer, arranger, conductor and orchestrator could not have been given his proper due and if, for nothing else, for that we are truly grateful.  By "we" I mean my co-star and project champion, Shaynee Rainbolt!  Thank YOU for putting together this entire year of Russ Garcia tours around the world!  (And for inviting me to be a part of them!)

We were saddened by the news that Russell passed away on November 20th in New Zealand.  We knew that he was quite ill but we were obviously hoping to keep him on the planet longer.  Perhaps if we had scheduled another concert for 2012, he would have stuck around for that, but alas, his time had come and he died peacefully with his beautiful wife Gina by his side at their lovely home in Kerikeri.

We will miss you, dear Unkl Rusl.  The next time I sing "I've Got You Under My Sink" it will be for you.  ;-)   XO ~ T

Due to Doctor’s Order, Garcia Will Celebrate in New Zealand While Vocalists Shaynee Rainbolt and Terese Genecco Host Tributes at Yoshi’s Oakland on November 1 and at Iridium Jazz Club in New York on November 6.

New York Tribute Concert, Featuring Billy Stritch with Shaynee Rainbolt and Terese Genecco, Will Be Streamed Live from Iridium at www.iridiumlive.tv

NEW YORK, NY, October 19, 2011 – Legendary composer, arranger and conductor Russell Garcia has been ordered by his doctor to give up his travel plans to participate in his three-city 95^th Birthday Tour.  Although disappointed by the decision, Garcia will celebrate from his home in New Zealand while vocalists Shaynee Rainbolt and Terese Genecco host tributes at Yoshi’s Oakland on November 1, and at New York’s Iridium Jazz Club on November 6. The New York celebration features special guest star Billy Stritch. 

The concert scheduled for October 26 at Catalina Bar & Grill in Hollywood has been cancelled.

Garcia, who suffered from collapsed vertebrae last week, is on bed rest and unable to travel, but it doesn’t stop him from celebrating with Rainbolt and Genecco. Since stricken with the painful condition, Garcia has been on the phone and e-mail to assist his musical partners with arrangements and to encourage his friends, family and fans to come out to celebrate in his absence. In New York, the concert will be streamed live, allowing Garcia to not only watch the concert, but also to participate. Tune in to www.livestream.com/iridiumlive.

“We are all so sad that Russ can’t join us in person, but we are thrilled that we are able to celebrate his birthday and present his music with fabulous musicians in these wonderful venues,” said Shaynee Rainbolt, who released Charmed Life, a CD of Garcia originals in 2007. “I have been in awe of Russ and his talent since meeting him while working on the CD. To hear Russ in the midst of severe pain encourage Terese and me to move forward with the concerts is a testament to his dedication to music and music lovers. Russ wouldn’t have it any other way, so we will do our best to present memorable evenings of his music, surrounded by friends, family and fans who love him.”

Joining Rainbolt and Genecco at Yoshi's are Larry Dunlap, piano; Daniel Fabricant, bass;  Tom Duckworth, drums; Rich Armstrong, trumpet; Tony Malfatti, tenor saxophone; and, in Garcia's four-trombone signature style, Doug Beavers, Don Benham, Greg Saúl and Floyd Reinhart.

In New York, Rainbolt and the Iridium’s own Genecco will perform Garcia originals plus classics from The Great American Songbook arranged by Garcia and accompanied by their high-voltage, 9-piece Little Big Band featuring pianist Billy Stritch along with bassist Tom Hubbard, drummer Ray Marchica, trumpeter Bud Burridge, tenor saxophonist Cliff Lyons and trombonists John Fedchock, John Allred, Nate Mayland and George Flynn.

“In addition to celebrating the genius of Russ Garcia, performing his music is very special for many reasons,” said Terese Genecco. “In 1956, Russ did orchestrations of Porgy and Bess for Mel Tormé and Frances Faye. Two years later, Russ orchestrated a ground-breaking version of new arrangements of the music for Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald. I am a huge Faye fan, Billy Stritch is a fan of Tormé and everyone loves Louis and Ella. In our tribute to Russ, Billy and I will present our rendition of Bess, You Is My Woman Now. I truly wish Russ could be with us to guide us through one of his most memorable musical contributions.  Thanks to technology, he will be with us in spirit and via Internet.”

“It is fitting and fantastic that Russ can ‘conduct’ the band while recuperating in New Zealand,” added Rainbolt. “He has always been on the cutting edge in the entertainment industry, with his film scores and the outstanding music he has composed and arranged for some of the world’s greatest artists. He has seen tremendous changes throughout his 75-year career, and he is excited that with the support of today’s technology, he will be able to enjoy and participate in the concert.”

Whether Russ Garcia (born April 12, 1916 in Oakland, CA) was working on a sound stage at MGM Universal, a major-label recording studio in Hollywood, a concert hall conducting a symphony, a jazz club or festival around the world, his body of work speaks for itself.  He hesitates to toot his own horn, saying he feels like he’s name-dropping; but to this day, people continue to drop his name.  Over the years, he has worked Sammy Davis, Jr., Anita O’Day, Bud Shank, Julie London, Sarah Vaughan, Cleo Laine, John Dankworth, Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee, Judy Garland, Count Basie, Miles Davis, Johnny Hodges, Maynard Ferguson, Stan Kenton, Harry James, Bill Holman, Jayne Mansfield, Bette Davis, Ira and George Gershwin, Fred Astaire, Eleanor Powell, Mickey Rooney, Henry Mancini, Elizabeth Taylor, Charlie Chaplin, Marvin Hamlisch, Clint Eastwood and numerous others.

Now living a relatively quiet life in New Zealand but still continuing to work at home and abroad, at 95, Garcia's life is far from the glamorous world of Hollywood he and his lyricist-wife Gina used to lead. From radio and television to theatrical films and recordings, Garcia has been active in virtually every area of the entertainment industry since the late '40s. His early 1960s scores for George Pal's "The Time Machine" and "Atlantis: The Lost Continent" virtually created the music template for science fiction films that followed, and his un-credited work on Charlie Chaplin’s Oscar-winning score for the film ‘Limelight’ has fans launching a grass-roots campaign to set the record straight (http://www.jazzwax.com/2008/09/the-case-of-the.html).  His jazz arranging and composing is legendary in its own right and can be heard on recordings by Stan Kenton, Roy Eldridge, Stan Getz, as well as a classic version of "Porgy and Bess" featuring Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong. When describing the orchestral sounds that emerged from the West Coast jazz scene during the 1950s, the name Russell Garcia always comes to mind.  Not only did he provide arrangements for many singers and instrumentalists, he recorded more than 60 albums under his own name.  As if all that wasn't enough, his book, The Professional Arranger-Composer, has been a valued tool for both beginners and veterans since it was written in the mid-'40’s.  In 2009, he and his wife Gina were awarded The New Zealand Order of Merit from the Queen of England for their Service to Music.

October 26th at Catalina's Jazz Club in Hollywood

November 1st at Yoshi's Jazz Club in Oakland, CA

November 6th at The Iridium, NYC

Get your tickets early for these historic concert events!  It will be Mr. Garcia's final tour of the US before indefinitely returning to his home in New Zealand.  More information on the bio and calendar pages.

"There were no 'mice' in the Ratpack—it was strictly an all-boy's club. But if Frank, Dean and Sammy ever returned from the Great Casino in the Sky, the first youngish female singer that I'd recommend to join their clan is this high-voltage entertainer. Ms. Genecco is deeply rooted in the early 1960s, the colorful last gasp of the era of swingin' lovers, and, as such, draws equally from Louis Prima and Sammy Davis on one hand and Ray Charles and Elvis on the other. On the last Tuesday of each month, she and her three horns and five rhythm put on an unstoppable juggernaut of a set at the Iridium, with one hard-hitting swinger after another, pausing only for what she describes as a mandatory "'wo-ballad maximum.' The calendar may say Dec. 28, but Ms. Genecco makes every show seem like New Year's Eve."

Monday, December 13, 2010 at 8pm Terese will be at The Rrazz Room in San Francisco with musical director Sean Harkness in their duo show "Terese Genecco Sings Elvis Presley!"

Details on the calendar page!

Terese received a wonderful mention in the New York Times last month... in an article about her musical idol, Frances Faye.  Check it out by clicking HERE!

SUNDAY, JUNE 27th @ 7pm: Guest Star of "SALON" at Etcetera, Etcetera in New York City

TUESDAY, JUNE 29th @ 8pm & 10pm: Monthly Headliner at The Iridium Jazz Club, New York City with Special Guest Vocalist KAREN MASON (Broadway's Mamma Mia, Sunset Blvd) and trumpeter RICH ARMSTRONG!

THURSDAY, JULY 1st @ 6pm: w/ her little big band at the outdoor concert stage in Union City, NJ

SATURDAY, JULY 10th @ 7pm & 9:30pm: w/ her little big band at the Steamboat Landing Resort in Canandaigua, New York (Upstate NY between Syracuse & Rochester).  First show is a dinner show for $50 per person.  Second show is cocktails and light bar menu.  These will sell out!  Get your tickets early!  www.etix.com

FRIDAY, JULY 16th @ 6:30pm in the MAC Showcase at Don't Tell Mama, NYC.

SUNDAY, JULY 18th @ 9pm with Q-TALK at The Ice Palace on Fire Island, NY

SATURDAY, JULY 24th @ 9:30pm with Sean Harkness in ELVIS PRESLEY '56! at The Triad Theatre, NYC

MONDAY, JULY 26th @ 7pm with "Sondheim Unplugged" at The Laurie Beechman Theater, NYC

TUESDAY, JULY 27th @ 8pm & 10pm w/ special guest star MARK WINKLER at The Iridium Jazz Club, NYC.

Check back often for more concert announcements!  We're keeping T busy!