Patti Austin Brings Her Project Avant Gershwin To McCallum Theatre

Crossing all musical genres, Patti Austin has 16 solo albums to her credit and has performed her award-nominated hit songs on the Grammys and Oscars. As a performer, songwriter and vocalist Austin's star-studded career began at the age of four and with her outstanding talent and charisma, she has remained one of the most beloved artists in the world.

Patti's latest project is Avant Gershwin, a tribute to one of the masters of American popular song. Her voice on Avant Gershwin, rich and to the rafters, suggests she's been ready to give this material a spin for decades. From the first moments of "I Got Rhythm," part of the opening "Overture/Gershwin Medley," Austin swings through these songs with the ease and exuberance of a born showman. Her "Porgy & Bess Medley" benefits from a manufactured breeziness that suits "A Woman Is a Sometime Thing" and "Summertime" especially well, and her "Swanee" saunters closer to modern sensibilities by replacing the "mammy" of the original with a simple "momma." In addition to Austin's energy, the spirit of jazz gives these numbers juice. She convincingly makes a case that she may have been born a bit late, but she was made to sing these songs.

As the daughter of a jazz trombonist and goddaughter of musical legends Quincy Jones and Dinah Washington, it would seem that Austin was destined for musical success. She made her stage debut with Washington at the world-famous Apollo Theater in Harlem and went on in the 70's to become the undisputed "queen" of the New York jingle session scene. Her voice was heard on literally hundreds of commercials, behind everyone from Paul Simon, Cat Stevens and Joe Cocker to Bette Midler, Roberta Flack, Luther Vandross and Diana Ross.

At the beginning of the 80's, Quincy Jones gave Patti exposure to a wider audience through her participation on his best-selling album "Stuff Like That" and the Grammy-winning classic "The Dude." Her debut album for Quincy's Qwest label included the chart-topping hit "Baby Come To Me," a now classic duet with James Ingram. The pair reprised their success with the Oscar nominated "How Do You Keep the Music Playing?"

Desert Lexus, Pacific Western Bank, La Quinta Resort, Millennium Mortgage, Time Warner Cable Media Sales and KJJZ 102.3-FM sponsor Fitz's Jazz Café at the McCallum.

Tickets for Patti Austin on Saturday, April 14 at 8pm, are on sale now. Ticket prices are $85/65/55/45. -- www.mccallumtheatre.com