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By Tim Brouk/For Based in Lafayette
Purdue Jazz Festival, Thursday-Saturday, Jan. 23-25 — Three days of big band jazz will perforate the frigid January air as part of the 35th Purdue Jazz Festival.
Community Preview Concert, 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 23, Long Center for the Performing Arts, 111 N. Sixth St., Lafayette — This free community jazz showcase will feature the talents of the Purdue Jazz Band sharing the stage with bands from Tippecanoe County high schools Jefferson, Harrison, West Lafayette and McCutcheon.
Mingus Big Band, 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 24, Loeb Playhouse, Stewart Center, Purdue University — The legendary Charles Mingus is regarded as one of the best jazz bassists to ever do it. The musician, who died in 1979, was also a top band leader. Just months after his death, the Mingus Big Band was formed in order to keep the heralded bassist’s legacy going. Based in New York, the 2023 Grammy-nominated 14-piece band expands Mingus’ compositions for smaller combos and his septet he led later in life. Time Out New York recently dubbed the Mingus Big Band as “The hippest big band in the universe — robust, earthy, sanctified” as it still performs weekly at New York City’s top jazz venues. For more, check in with Purdue Convos.
Purdue Jazz Festival competition, 9 a.m.-8:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 25, Purdue Memorial Union, Stewart Center, Hansen Theatre-Pao Hall, Elliott Hall of Music, Purdue — Dozens of high school bands from all over Indiana, Illinois and beyond will perform their best tunes for the top prize to be announced Saturday night at Elliott Hall. Purdue Jazz Band will perform at 12:45 p.m. in Loeb Playhouse alongside young and acclaimed percussionist Jalen Baker, New York/Chicago jazz saxophonist and flutist Sharel Cassity, and Marlin McKay, a trumpeter from Louisville, Kentucky. The band will perform again at 7 p.m. at Elliott Hall of Music. This time, the band will be joined by Camille Thurman, a young saxophonist from New York fresh from her stint in the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and headlining The Kennedy Center. A top high school band from the competition will open the evening concert before the festival awards are announced.
Fleshbore with Shoved into Traffic and Global Plague, 8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 23, The Spot Tavern, 409 S. Fourth St., Lafayette — $10 or pay what you can.
Dynamite Drag Show, 9 p.m. Friday, Jan. 24, Rat Pak Venue, 102 N. Third St., Lafayette — In defiance of the horrific coldness this week brought, Veronica Fox and her Fox’s Den of glamorous drag queens will put on the hottest show of the weekend with a Dynamite Drag Show filled with outrageous fashions, sexy dance routines and always exciting death drops. Get those tips ready! $10, $15 for ages 18-20. Tickets.
Winter Warmer, 5 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 25, Lafayette Brewing Company, 622 Main St., Lafayette — Now in its 30th year, Lafayette Brewing Company’s cherished Winter Warmer is the oldest winter beer festival in Indiana. How has it stuck around so long? The numerous new batches of craft beer introduced by brewers from all over the Hoosier State are always the headliner. Joining Lafayette Brewing Company will be Broad Ripple, Teays River, Kopacetic, Fontana Farms, Mad Anthony, Ironwood, Primeval and many more. The Tippecanoe Homebrewers Circle will also serve up its finest. Attendees receive their own commemorative sampler glass, a chance at numerous raffles and access to a chili bar(!). Winter Warmer proceeds benefit Laura's Kids, a nonprofit agency that provides financial assistance to local children's organizations. Over the years, this event has given back more than $100,000 to the community, including an endowed scholarship at Purdue University. $60, $20 for designated drivers. Tickets.
Redd & The Paper Flowers, 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 28, People’s Brewing Company, 2006 N. Ninth St., Lafayette — A contestant on “American Idol” in 2021, Christina “Redd” Daugherty fell short of reality TV pop stardom, but the experience did not deny her from still pursuing a career in music. Daugherty quit her English high school teaching job and went all-in as a recording artist, first solo before meeting her bandmates, who would become The Paper Flowers, through friends and at open mics in Knoxville, Tennessee. With Daugherty on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Redd & The Paper Flowers perform a folk and bluegrass fusion with a dash of jazz. The band’s new album, “Appalachian Bell Jar,” is set for a spring release. $10. Tickets.
Tim Brouk is a longtime arts and entertainment reporter. He writes here (almost) weekly, tracking things to do for Based in Lafayette.
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