Entitled Mellowed, the Dec. 17 concert will feature a mix of jazz, soul, blues and folk. Concertgoers can expect to hear tunes by Annie Lennox, Stevie Wonder and Tom Waits.
Summerford will be backed by Manny Moreira on guitar, Frank Canino on bass, Andrew Byrne on piano, Ron Wilson on drums/percussion with Jené Hernandez as a back-up vocalist. The cast of Shout will also offer a special performance; show time is 8 PM.
In a statement Summerford said, "This is a very different set than what people have come to expect from me. It still has the 'Denise flavor' but is, well - more mellowed - hence the name of the show. I wanted to try on the jazz hat and I've come to really enjoy singing that style of music. Anybody can scream and blow it out and as a singer and one can tend to hide behind all of the 'bells and whistles,' if you will. I wanted to get back to great melodies and vocals and that's what makes this set special to me."
On Broadway Denise Summerford has been seen in Taboo, The Rocky Horror Show and Saturday Night Fever. The singer-actress was also part of the touring casts of Grease!, The Who's Tommy and Company. Summerford's other theatre credits include They're Playing Our Song, Beehive, Caligula and Andru's Head. She has also performed concerts at Avalon and The Zipper and Belt Theatres.
The Ars Nova is located in Manhattan at 511 West 54th Street. Tickets, priced at $15, are available by calling (212) 868-4444 or by visiting www.smarttix.com.
