Judy Carmichael, the Grammy Award-nominated pianist and singer-songwriter, is a busy woman, with gigs coming up in quick succession on the QM2, and in Seabrook Island, Ga.; London, Chichester, England; New York City, St Petersburg, Fla., and Des Moines.
Fortunately for East Enders, she will touch down at Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor, her hometown, with “Swinger!”, her newest show, on Saturday at 8 p.m. The evening of music from the 1930s and ‘40s will celebrate the Great American Songbook, from Peggy Lee and Fats Waller to Cole Porter and Harold Arlen.
Ms. Carmichael is one of the world’s leading interpreters of stride piano, a style that arose from ragtime players such as Mary Lou Williams, James P. Johnson, and Waller. Indeed, Count Basie nicknamed her “Stride” because of her command of the difficult jazz piano style.
She has taken that infectious musical style everywhere from posh nightclubs in Paris and Melbourne to Carnegie Hall and a Rio megaconcert for 10,000 Brazilians; from Arundel Castle (where she opened for Leslie Garrett and the London Philharmonic) to Castle Fraser for the National Trust of Scotland at the request of Sir Cameron Mackintosh, a longtime fan.
Ms. Carmichael has been featured on “A Prairie Home Companion,” NPR’s “Morning Edition,” “Entertainment Tonight,” CBS’s “Sunday Morning,” and CNN’s “Business Unusual,” to name but a few.
For over 24 years, she has produced and hosted “Judy Carmichael’s Jazz Inspired,” which broadcasts on NPR stations across America and podcasts everywhere. Her guests have included Neil deGrasse Tyson, Willie Nelson, Glenn Close, Billy Joel, and Jon Batiste. She has also written two books on stride piano and a memoir, “Swinger! A Jazz Girl’s Adventures From Hollywood to Harlem.”
Tickets for Saturday night’s performance start at $49.99.
“The Premiere,” a fresh twist on the mockumentary format by Sam Pezzullo and Christopher Bouckoms that had its world premiere at this year’s Hamptons International Film Festival, will be shown at Bay Street on Sunday afternoon at 3. A conversation with the filmmakers will follow.
Mr. Pezzullo plays a narcissistic theater producer attempting to make a musical version of his favorite film, the horror movie “Scream,” staged at Bay Street Theater, where much of it was filmed. He wants as well to chronicle his efforts with an accompanying documentary, and along the way he clashes with quirky locals, with awkward results.
HIFF called the film, which was created largely through improvisation, “a keen satire about the Hamptons with a biting love letter to the community at its core.”
A year-round Sag Harbor resident, Mr. Pezzullo was the film’s lead actor, in addition to sharing writing, directing, and producing efforts with Mr. Bouckoms. He has a background in viral marketing, branded content, film, and event production. Mr. Bouckoms has worked in film and television for a decade in both New York and Los Angeles.
Tickets are $15.
