#wyoclipse by Shoshone Rose Casino & Hotel
JACKSON HOLE, WYO – Is there a perfect musical act for a solar eclipse? Maybe a spin of Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon” is in order for August 21 when the sun is blotted out briefly. Wait, not Pink Floyd, but Pink Martini. That’s it; that’s perfect!
Grand Teton Music Festival (GTMF) announced the musique parfaite d’éclipse solaire. Even Pink Martini is revved up about it.
The group posted on its Facebook page, “We are delighted to announce that we will be performing in the Equality State as part of the Grand Teton Music Festival this summer! The official state motto of Wyoming is ‘Equal Rights;’ something we find fitting as a band championing inclusion, harmony and rights for all!”
Pink Martini is the brainchild of pianist Thomas Lauderdale who launched the project from Portland, Oregon in 1994. The idea was to create a mini-orchestra that could cover a lot of ground, musically. And oh là là do they. In his own words, band leader Lauderdale says the group’s 12 to 14 members study different languages and a diverse repertoire of musical styles.
“Our repertoire is wildly diverse,” Lauderdale said. “At one moment, you feel like you’re in the middle of a samba parade in Rio de Janeiro, and in the next moment, you’re in a French music hall of the 1930s or a palazzo in Napoli. It’s a bit like an urban musical travelogue. We’re very much an American band, but we spend a lot of time abroad and therefore have the incredible diplomatic opportunity to represent a broader, more inclusive America.”
Pink Martini calls their sound “United Nations house band of 1962 meets Lawrence Welk on acid.” It’s a wide-ranging genre romp through classical, jazz, cabaret, lounge, world, big band, and classic pop.
GTMF officials say they are “tinkled pink” with the booking. Pink Martini will perform on Eclipse Eve, Sunday, August 20 at 8 pm. Tickets are $95.
