The Hot Beignets
Helen Daley
The Hot Beignets band was named after those delicious New Orleans pastries doused in powdered sugar at the Café Du Monde by the big river and Jackson Square. Their music is focused on a New Orleans-style approach to the hot jazz of the 1920s and 1930s. Many of the band’s musicians attend the New Orleans Traditional Jazz Camp for Adults every June and then spend part of their summer in New Orleans playing at the clubs in the French Quarter.
Locally, The Hot Beignets have recently performed at the Musical Instrument Museum, in Prescott at the Arts Center, in Marana, and at senior communities across the Valley at weddings, birthdays, and Celebrations of Life. In January they will be playing a cabaret show for the Arizona Music Festival. They sing, play, and have fun on the bandstand in true Mardi Gras-style and look forward to performing for the Arizona Classic Jazz Society. Cheryl Thurston will be on piano.
This event takes place on Oct. 13 from 1 to 4 p.m. in the San Tan Ballroom at Crowne Plaza Phoenix-Chandler Golf Resort, One San Marcos Place, Chandler. Theater and table seating are available. You can sit while listening to great music or take advantage of the two dance floors. The cost is $15 per person, payable at the door. Food and drink will be available for purchase in the hotel’s bar. For more information, contact Helen Daley at 480-620-3941 or go to www.azclassicjazz.org.
The Hot Beignets is a great warm-up for the Arizona Classic Jazz Festival, which will take place Oct. 31 through Nov. 3 at the Crowne Plaza. The Arizona Classic Jazz Society and Festival will be closing down at the end of this year, so this will be your last chance to attend any of their events.