Michael D' Angelo Brings back the Music of the 50's & 60's At The Indian Wells Resort Hotel

Michael D'Angelo

Dancing To The Music

Larry Capeloto

Every Tuesday night there is a "Rock & Roll" party at the Indian Wells Resort Hotel staring Michael D'Angelo. Michael has a strong voice, and it's clear to everyone that he really enjoys singing the songs of the past that we all remember and love. Michael is especially wonderful recreating the sounds of the 60's singing songs like: "Earth Angel", "Unchained Melody", "Teenager in Love" and everyone's favorite "In The Still Of The Night". What's great about Michael's show is that you can dance in the lobby of the beautiful Indians Wells Resort Hotel until your legs give out! The night entertainment starts early at 5:30 p.m. with free dance lessons by Carl Davis. This is great fun for those who love to dance. Then at 6:15 p.m. Michael performs and everyone can dance until 9:15 when his show ends. Larry Capeloto the great singer that sings with the Ted Herman Big Band on Sundays was asked to sing a song to the delight of the audience.  Great fun, great atmosphere, great food, great music and no cover charge.  The best deal in town! Make plans to see for yourself and don't forget to bring your dancing shoes.

           

The Ted Herman Orchestra Featuring Lee Hartley

The Ted Herman Orchestra

Orchestra Leader Ted Herman

Lee Hartley

Lee Hartley

Eric Lindstrom

Vito Pizzo

On March 10, 2012 I traveled back to the Indio Performing Arts Center to hear the Ted Herman Orchestra and the night's featured singer Lee Hartley. I hadn't not heard Lee sing since last year and was looking forward to her performance.

The night began at 6:15 pm with Carl Davis, the resident dance instructor, teaching the group how to do the "West Coast Swing". As I noted in my last blog about the IPAC, they always have ballroom dance lessons before the band comes on at 7:00 pm. Lots of fun and at no cost!

The Orchestra started playing at 7:00 pm and the majority of the audience in attendance started dancing. The band was swinging and playing some of the greatest songs in the "Great American Songbook" to the delight of the dancing audience.  After a few songs, Lee took center stage and sang a great arrangement of the Irving Berlin gem, "Cheek To Cheek" from the 1935 Movie "Top Hat".  Lee followed this great song with her version of "Besame Mucho" that received well deserved applause from the audience.  All in all, Lee sang 9 songs including one of my favorites, an original song that Lee wrote "Swinging King Cole".  I thought her closing song was a real showstopper, the classic Fats Waller chestnut, "Honeysuckle Rose".  Lee has a wonderful voice and singing style, and we all need to hear more from her in the near future!  Lee will be doing an encore performance of the sold-out tribute to Dusty Springfield that she recently did at Trinidad during Modernism Week. It will be at Woody's on Sunday March 18, at 5:00 p.m. You will have to get a reservation because this show will be sold-out also! 

The Orchestra sounded great again tonight and if there is any better sound than hearing a great singer singing classic American songs backed by a talented 17 piece orchestra, I am yet to hear it!

Dance The Night Away With Music By The 17 Piece Ted Herman Orchestra At The Indio Performing Arts Center

Ted Herman And The Ted Herman Orchestra

Beverly Jensen

The Ted Herman Orchestra with Beverly Jensen

Beverly Jensen and John Leys

On Sunday February 26th I went over to the Indio Performing Arts Center to see "The Ted Herman Orchestra".  I had learned that "The Ted Herman Band" has a weekly gig every Sunday evening at the Arts Center and that my good friend, Beverly Jensen, was singing this evening. By chance, I happened to sit next to Ronald Hagan and soon learned that he was a member of the IPAC Board of Directors and he filled me in as to what the Indio Performing Arts Center is all about. The music and dance program at the IPAC is not advertised much and those who know about it most likely discovered it from word of mouth.  Here is the deal, every Sunday at 6:15 PM, the program starts with a dance lesson taught by Carl Davis.  Then at starting at 7:00 PM until 9PM, the 17-piece Ted Herman Orchestra takes over and plays some great "big band" standard classics from charts that Ted Herman has put together over the years. All all this great music and dancing will cost you $10.00.

There were about 120 people that came to participate in tonight's program and I do mean participate.  Everyone danced and the dance floor was large enough for everyone to show off their dancing moves. Even when the band took it's breaks, the floor was still full of dancer, dancing to pre-recorded music.
I am pretty sure that at lot of my Desert followers are learning about the IPAC from this blog and that's a good thing.  There are very few places in the country where you can go to dance to live music by an 17-piece live band, never mind for $10.00. I know I will be going back especially to see two of my favorite singers that are usually featured with this band, Larry Capeloto and Lee Hartley.

I heard the Ted Herman band last winter when they were playing in Palm Springs at Dinks but the sound tonight in this big dance hall compared to the small space they were in at Dinks was so much better in opinion.  They sounded as good as any big band I have heard and being able to dance on such big dance floor with the band elevated on a full stage made the experience just about perfect.

My good friend, Beverly Jensen was featured with the band tonight and she came to sing and take no prisoners.  She opened with the great standard, "Lullaby of Broadway" and continued with several other standard classics including a great rendition and arrangement of "Come Rain or Come Shine". Beverly has a great resume' that includes touring with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra directed by Trombonist Murray McEachern. She recorded her first and very successful CD "Ken and Beverly, Watch What Happens" in 1966. Over the years, Beverly has sang with many musical greats, like Cal Tjader, Ted Herman, Bob Hardaway, Ray Sherman, Buddy Childers, Joe Pass, Jeff Hamilton, John Clayton and her husband, John Leys. The vocal arrangements for Beverly tonight were just outstanding and I found out later that Beverly's husband, John Leys did all the arranging. Beverly has a pure strong voice that never fails to amaze me.

Make sure that the next time you feel like going out to dance, that you make it over to the IPAC.  By the way, I did see that there were two large tables that were set up for singles and I saw most of these guests dancing most of the time also!  Believe or not this program has been running for 5 years and "The Ted Herman Orchestra" has been playing here on Sunday for the last two years. If you want to hear this band this season, make plans to go before the end of March as the program will stop.  It will begin again in November.