Jazz Guitar Star Graham Dechter Makes San Diego Debut at BNPT

 Jazz washes away the dust of everyday life. —Art Blakey  




There’s nothing quite like the feeling of anticipation you have when you take your seat in a theatre and the lights start to go down. Even more pleasant is the feeling of knowing you’re about to hear an amazing musical performance by a rising young star for the first time, in an intimate environment like the Birch North Park Theatre.

You can be part of the audience having that experience when up-and-coming jazz guitar star Graham Dechter makes his San Diego debut on May 5, as part of Lyric Opera San Diego’s series of jazz concerts, “Jazz in North Park.”

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Dechter is from a family of musicians, and at age 23, is just coming into his own. This performance marks the release of his debut CD, “Right on Time,” on Capri Records, featuring drummer Jeff Hamilton, pianist Tamir Hendelman and John Clayton on Bass.

“Once in a blue moon, a talent comes along who grabs everyone’s attention. Graham is the most recent one to grab MY attention,” Hamilton says of his protégé. “His dedication, work ethic, awareness, and musical sensibility has brought him to this point in his young career. This is only the beginning.” Dechter’s first-ever CD includes such tunes as “The Nearness of You” and the Ellington-Johnny Hodges cut “Squatty Roo.” Citing what it calls “Dechter’s good taste,” the All Music Guide to Jazz says “Right on Time” is “a sure sign of the rarest of commodities – a virtuosic guitarist with nothing to prove.”

Single tickets are: Adults $27, Students (Day of Show) $15. Show your Lyric Opera or KSDS membership card and save $5 off single show tickets. 
(Discounts and show packages not available online.)
Tickets and information: www.birchnorthparktheatre.net or (619) 239-8836.

Park 2 Park Shuttle Debuts in the ‘Hood!

A big North Park welcome to the Park 2 Park Shuttle, making its grand debut on April 22. The Park-2-Park Shuttle is a fun, new, convenient way to see and do more when you’re in North Park, South Park, Normal Heights, or University Heights. The shuttle connects these communities with nine shuttle stops at local restaurants, bars, studios, and music venues.

For one $5 pass, in the form of a wristband, you can ride the Park 2 Park shuttle all night from 6:00 p.m. - midnight on Thursday and 6:00 p.m. - 2:00 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. Click here to see where you can purchase a pass, or buy one on PayPal and then pick the pass up at the time you board.

You can follow Park-2-Park on Twitter: @SDPark2Park for updates, news and promotions.

Are You a People Person?

If so, we can use your help. Birch North Park Theatre has the opportunity to participate in several fun community events throughout the summer, and we’re looking for a few good men and women to help staff our booths at these street fairs and festivals.

Volunteers take turns handing out flyers and brochures, and chatting with passers-by about how great we are, so you know it can’t be that hard. You get to be out in the fresh air, doing some excellent people-watching. We could really use the help! If you think you’d be interested in giving us a hand, please call Stacie Shelby at (619) 231-5714.

The Earth Moved, The Audience Cheered – And Left

The Act I finale of last Sunday’s matinee performance of The Pirates of Penzance had the audience rising to its feet – literally!

Easter Sunday’s 7.2 magnitude earthquake centered in Mexico came about 40 seconds before the end of Act I, said General Director Leon Natker, who was at the podium at the time at the Birch North Park Theatre. The audience came to its feet and house management brought up the lights, but the musicians and singers completed the act even as the chandeliers were saying and audience members were filing out without panicking. Once the act was over, the artists were also evacuated. When it was determined there was no danger, everyone re-entered the theatre and Act II began after a regular intermission.

“The good news is that every penny of City of San Diego Redevelopment Agency money that was spent on earthquake retrofitting the theatre was well spent,” said Natker, noting that there was no damage that could be discerned to the recently renovated 82-year-old building. “No cracks, nothing broken, as far as we can tell everything held up perfectly, which was the whole idea.”

“There is nothing like singing a high c during an earthquake,” said Megan Weston, in the lead role of Mabel. “I was downstage center, right over the orchestra. I felt the stage move like a wave. The house lights came up and the audience headed for the exits, but we all kept going to the end!”

There’s still a weekend left to catch this earth-shaking show, so if you haven’t seen Pirates yet, now’s your chance!

SD Uptown News' Jeff Britton reviews "Pirates of Penzance" here. Tickets still available for next weekend!

Get Your Italian / French / Pizza Here

Another month, another bunch of great restaurants opening in North Park!

The latest offering for your pre- or post-theatre dining is Il Postino, an Italian eatery from the fine folks who brought you the very popular Arrivederci in Hillcrest. Located in the La Boheme building on 30th Street, a block from the Birch North Park Theatre, Il Postino boasts a large location including a wine bar with an extensive wine list, bottle shop, antipasti counter on one side and a full bar, pizza bar, and restaurant on the north. Your faithful blogger just had dinner there before opening night of "Pirates" and can assure you the quality is up to Arrivederci's standards.

Not far away at 3408 30th Street is The Smoking Goat, a French eatery designed by Bells & Whistles, open since February. Chef Frederick Piehl, a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, previously ruled the kitchen at the Lodge at Torrey Pines, Nine-Ten restaurant in La Jolla, and Avenue 5 Restaurant in Bankers Hill. Among his French-inspired menu items are Burger on Brioche, Steak au Poivre, and Homemade Vegetarian Lasagna. Local foodies are already raving about the cool design and great food at this new place.

 

Also at 30th and University and due to open in April is URBN, a 5,000-square-foot spin-off of entrepreneur Jon Mangini’s BASIC Urban Kitchen + Bar brand. The second URBN location (original in Vista) will continue to keep it simple with a full-service bar and a one-page menu featuring Mangini’s signature thin-crust New Haven style pizza. URBN selections will include everything from traditional pepperoni pizza to signature toppings like fried eggplant, broccoli, fresh littleneck clams and the famed garlic mashed potato and bacon pie.

Make it a night and try the great new eateries in our neighborhood before the show!