Jazz Beyond Borders and Cafe Mezzanotte invite you to hear some of the greatest music of the Jazz Age in a Salute to the Gershwin Brothers. Enjoy the sounds of Seth Kibel and his musical cohorts with special guest vocalist Theresa Sise. Join them as they take a swinging trip through the repertoire of America’s greatest songwriting team: George and Ira Gershwin.  In addition to performing on clarinet, saxophone and flute, Kibel will share historic context and insight into these timeless works of popular song – which continue to influence music around the globe to this day. 

One of the Mid-Atlantic’s premier woodwind specialists, Kibel performs with top shelf bands in the styles such as jazz, swing and klezmer. He has won 28 Washington Area Music Awards (Wammies) in his career in the categories of Best World Music Instrumentalist and Best Jazz Instrumentalist!  His most recent recording, When You’re Smiling, was released in 2018 on the Azalea City Recordings label. His song “New Waltz” was the Grand Prize winner of 2016 Mid-Atlantic Song Contest (MASC), sponsored by the Songwriters’ Association of Washington (SAW).  In addition to performing, Kibel lectures on topics of music history for such institutions as the Osher Lifelong Learning programs at Johns Hopkins and Towson University. 

Sharing the bandstand with him at Cafe Mezzanotte will be pianist Ellington Carthan, double bassist Bob Abbott and drummer Wes Crawford with special guest vocalist Theresa Sise. Look forward to such tunes as the enduring 1926 ballad, “Someone to Watch Over Me,” and the hot jazz favorite, “Fascinating Rhythm” from 1924. Sise will contribute jewels like the iconic “Summertime” written in 1934 for Porgy and Bess, and “Our Love is Here to Stay.”