Jazz under the Stars: Dane Vannatter, Tunes from the American Songbook.
Saturday, August 26, 2023 – 7:00 pm
Uptown Park, Medina, OH
Ohio Regional Music Arts and Cultural Outreach (ORMACO) closes out its summer Jazz under the Stars concert series with Cleveland-based vocalist Dane Vannatter and his ensemble on August 26, 2023, at 7 pm. Dane has been recognized by the Boston Globe for “his distinctive style leaves an imprint on whatever music he sings. His voice has a floating quality that gets in your head and won’t leave…. his music is a swinging, soaring adventure!” No stranger to the jazz scene, Dane Vannatter has performed for audiences on the stages in New York, Boston, and Los Angeles. He has performed with jazz greats Sean Jones, Jackie Warren, Roger Humphries, Joe Negri, Dwayne Dolphin, Marshall Wood, Dick Johnson, Herb Pomeroy, Donna Byrne, and Carol Sloane.
Dane will be performing with Ed Ridley on keys, Bryan Thomas on bass, and Ricky Exton on drums.
Bring your lawn chairs, blankets and picnics and enjoy this evening of songs from the American Songbook. In the event of rain, the concert will be held at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 317 E Liberty Street, Medina, OH 44256. For more information, call 419-853-6016.
About the Musicians
Dane Vannatter is the recipient of two Bistro Awards from BackStage in New York, for Outstanding Vocalist and for his second CD Flight. Dane has been acclaimed by reviewers at The New York Post, The Boston Globe and BackStage for a style that “blends facets of cabaret and jazz with intelligence and care.” The Boston Globe remarks “Dane Vannatter’s distinctive style leaves an imprint on whatever music he sings. His voice has a floating quality that gets in your head and won’t leave…. his music is a swinging, soaring adventure!” Dane has been nominated for four MAC awards and is a Nightlife Award finalist. Dane was featured at the annual Mabel Mercer Cabaret Convention at Town Hall in Manhattan and has performed in venues nationally and internationally. Dane sings regularly at Cleveland venues and his most recent Give Me Something Real was released in 2016 to much critical acclaim.
Edward Ridley, Jr. is the keyboardist and music director for Weathervane Playhouse. Recent productions include: BKLYN, Memphis, Intimate Apparel, Aida, Dreamgirls, Black Nativity, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Passing Strange, Lady Day At Emerson’s Bar and Grill, Simply Simone: The Music of Nina Simone, Ain’t Misbehavin’, and Sister Act. Ed serves as music director for the Christian Fellowship Center Church, and is also on the music faculty at Cuyahoga Community College. His versatility and talent as a performer have allowed him to accompany such great artists as Aretha Franklin, Lauryn Hill, Walter Hawkins, Jon Hendricks, and Clark Terry
Bryan Thomas has studied bass with Gary Karr, Scott Haigh, Mark Atherton, jazz legend Ray Brown, and the great Cuban bassist, Carlos del Puerto. After earning his BM in Music Performance at Kent State University, he spent many years as a road musician, touring with the Glenn Miller Orchestra, as a staff musician on Norwegian Cruise Lines, and as a freelance copyist and musician in Germany. Since 1996 Bryan has been based in Northeast Ohio as a freelance musician, teacher, and recording artist. He has recorded with the group Hey Mavis, singer and producer Helen Welch, and with wife and hammered dulcimer artist Tina Bergmann. Since 2000 Bryan has been an adjunct professor of double bass at Kent State University, the Aurora School of Music, and the Tri- JazzFest Academy. He was the music director for the Unity Chapel of Light in Tallmadge, OH from 2019 to 2021 and a member of their music team since 2000.
Ricky Exton is a drummer, recording artist, composer, arranger and producer. He has been active in the music community for over two decades. At an early age, Ricky’s talents emerged as one of the Cleveland Tri C All Stars. He continued his career in music at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, where he earned a BA in Professional Music. His performance venues include jazz festivals, television appearances and private and corporate events. He has performed with Lou Rawls, Wynton Marsalis, Rufas Reid, Terrence Blanchard, Ernie Krivda, Cyrus Chestnut, Joanne Brackeen, Kim Nazarian, Dominick Farinacci and international guitar virtuoso Neil Zaza. In addition, Exton is an active session musician recording in studios from the East to West coasts.