Trend Watch: Jazz Wednesdays feature critically acclaimed singer

More music is coming to town, thanks to Laguna Beach Live! Jazz Wednesdays.

Critically acclaimed jazz singer Sara Gazarek and her quartet will be at Aliso Creek Inn on Wednesday.

According to a press release, “Gazarek won the prestigious Downbeat Student Music Award for Outstanding Collegiate Jazz Vocalist while at USC, where she is now on the faculty in the Jazz Studies department. She studied privately with vocalists Tierney Sutton and Carmen Bradford, pianist Shelly Berg and bassist/arranger John Clayton, who became one of her most important champions. And now, with three highly acclaimed CDs under her belt at the young age of 30, Sara is steeped in the jazz tradition, but is not afraid to embrace the music that moves her generation.”

Doors open at 5 p.m. and the concert runs from 6 to 8 p.m. Aliso Creek Inn & Golf Course is at 31106 S. Coast Hwy. Tickets are $12 online and $15 at the door. Reservations are accepted until noon the day of the concert or until it’s sold out. More information is at lagunabeachlive.org or (949) 715-9713.

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‘Shanghai Calling’ screens on Thursday

Here in town, it’s jazz on Wednesday and a film screening on Thursday. The Laguna Beach Film Society is offering a sneak peek of the comedy “Shanghai Calling” at 7 p.m. at South Coast Cinema, 162 S. Coast Hwy.

The press release describes the film as a “comedy of reversals.”

The film surrounds “a steady stream of immigrants, traveling across a vast ocean to a foreign country, searching for new jobs and better lives. But the immigrants are Americans, and the country they are moving to is China,” according to the movie’s website.

Tickets are $10 at the door, $5 for students or $8 presale at LagunaArtMuseum.org/LBFS. Make it a night for $20 and attend a 6 p.m. wine and appetizers reception at Laguna Art Museum and then head over to see the film.

Or if you are a film lover, become a member of the film society for $125 for the year. For more information, contact Valerie Tate at (949) 494-8971, ext. 203 or vtate@lagunaartmuseum.org.

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Debut concert set for the Laguna Flutes

Flute ensemble the Laguna Flutes will have its debut concert March 30.

Under the direction of Cynthia Ellis, the ensemble will play selections from “The Planets” by Gustav Holst, Bach’s “Little Fugue” and an original piece by Los Angeles composer Christopher Caliendo, according to a news release.

The recital is at 3 p.m. at Unitarian Universalist Church, 429 Cypress Drive.

“The Laguna Flutes originated in the Laguna Concert Band in 2006 when the flute section grew in membership and wanted to explore music written or arranged especially for flutes,” the release said.

Cynthia Ellis, a nationally known flutist, was tapped as director in 2011 when the group became affiliated with Irvine Valley College. The group now counts more than 20 flutists.

Tickets are $10 at the door and proceeds will benefit the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Laguna Beach and Laguna Concert Band.

For more information, call Betsy Foster at (714) 389 2272 or (714) 272 5171.

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Dance festival releases lineup details

The lineup and dates for the Laguna Dance Festival have been released.

Parson Dance Company will perform Sept. 5 and 6, and Aspen Santa Fe Ballet will dance Sept. 7 and 8.

“These two companies exemplify the variety that the Laguna Dance Festival always brings to the stage at the Laguna Playhouse,” Jodi Gates, artistic director and founder, said in a statement. “Aspen has a sophisticated European influence and Parsons represents the best of American modern dance.”

During the festival, the dance companies will perform and hold audience discussion and workshops for local dancers. The event takes place at the Laguna Playhouse, art galleries and other venues.

Meanwhile, the dance festival is also hosting its annual Summer Jubilee at [seven degrees] June 20 with a surprise honoree from the world of dance expected to be in attendance. For more details, visit lagunadancefestival.org.

ALISHA GOMEZ is the managing editor of the Coastline Pilot and Huntington Beach Independent. She can be reached at alisha.gomez@latimes.com or (714) 966-4618.