Outpost, in partnership with the City of Albuquerque Cultural Services Department & Mayor Tim Keller, presents . . .
A Virtual Concert Event
Featuring Tracey Whitney and the Art of Jazz
Recorded Live at the Outpost Performance Space
Available for Viewing HERE, March 26 – April 15, 2021
Produced by Tracey Whitney; Reinhard Lorenz, First Eye Films; Tom Guralnick, Outpost Founder & Executive Director; and Andres Martinez, Audio Engineer
This event was made possible by The City of Albuquerque—Mayor Tim Keller, Cultural Services Department under the direction of Shelle Sanchez and the ABQ City Council; the National Endowment for the Arts; the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation; the Kaman Foundation; the McCune Charitable Foundation; the NM State Legislature; Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, and more.
In February 2021, vocalist, Tracey Whitney and her ensemble, The Art of Jazz, were invited to perform as part of Mayor Tim Keller’s State of the City Pre-Party virtual experience, which also featured performances by Severo y Grupo Fuego, Le Chat Lunatique, and Reviva and premiered on Facebook, Youtube and GOVTV Comcast Ch. 16 on Saturday, March 13. Whitney notes, “We were honored to have been invited to perform for Mayor Keller’s State of the City event this year. The Arts & Culture department (formerly Cultural Affairs) could have easily bypassed entertainment this year due to Covid-19, yet they were still determined to include and employ musicians, and for that I am grateful!” She also notes that Outpost has been one of the greatest champions of jazz musicians in Albuquerque, and that she was grateful that Outpost Director, Tom Guralnick donated the Space along with sound and video production for her performance, which was recorded live with no audience at the Outpost Performance Space on Friday, February 12.
A former “Raelette” with the legendary Ray Charles, Los Angeles native Tracey Whitney began performing with The Whitney Family at age 11. After touring with Brother Ray, she spent 5 years singing solo in Japan before returning to her roots in Los Angeles. She moved to Albuquerque in 2012, and since then has been thrilling audiences throughout the city with her unique brand of classic jazz and sophisticated soul. She has performed in some of the city’s most notable venues, including a 7-month residency with her show, The Art of Jazz – which featured then, and to this day, Sid Fendley, keyboards; Rodney Bowe, bass, and Wayne Johnson, drums – in the Hotel Andaluz’s Casablanca Room, which was crowned “The Best Place for Jazz” in Albuquerque the Magazine. In addition to solo concerts for the Santa Fe Bandstand, St John’s College’s Music on the Hill, Route 66 Summerfest, Women’s Voices and Ladies Sing the Blues at the Albuquerque Museum, Whitney has also performed two Nancy Wilson tribute concerts (most recently at the Outpost Performance Space), a tribute to Nat King Cole with Horace Alexander Young at Paradiso in Santa Fe, and the New Mexico Philharmonic Gala in March 2020. She has opened for contemporary jazz stars Nathan East, Marc Antoine, Euge Groove, Will Donato, Darren Rahn and Julian Vaughn and her CD, Live at the Outpost Performance Space, was a 2017 New Mexico Music Awards nominee for “Best Vocal Performance.” The Art of Jazz is currently recording a new EP of some of their favorite jazz tunes. For more info on the Art of Jazz, visit www.babydollentertainment.com.