Summer evenings in Salt Lake City can be celebrated for what they lack, humidity and bugs being chief among them. And summer evenings in Salt Lake City can be celebrated for what they offer: great sunsets, a mountain backdrop and cool temperatures. What the city lacks in bustle, compared to other American cities, it makes up for in scenery and comfort.
All of which makes downtown a perfect setting for the Brown Bag Twilight Series. And all of which makes the Twilight Series a welcome addition to a downtown scene that can always use a little pizazz.Sponsored by the Salt Lake City Arts Council, the Brown Bag Twilight Series presents free concerts at the Salt Lake Art Center Sculpture Court, 20 S. West Temple, July 5 through Aug. 30. All performances begin at 8 p.m.
The series is a recent addition to the Arts Council's popular lunchtime concerts that are now in their 13th season. That's where the Brown Bag part comes in.
Three years ago, the Arts Council decided to add an evening component since, as programs director Casey Jarman notes, "the best time to be in Salt Lake is in the evening." And besides, Jarman adds, "downtown in Salt Lake in the evening you don't have that many options for entertainment, especially free entertainment."
Especially free entertainment that's nationally and internationally acclaimed.
The series kicks off Thursday, July 5, with a performance by the Dmitri Pokrovsky Ensemble from the Soviet Union. According to advance publicity for the group, "the ensemble's renditions of village songs, dances and customs, some of them more than 2,000 years old, are irresistible; their enthusiasm is infectious."
Founded in 1973, the 11-member group has assembled thousands of songs, including medieval village ballads, Cossack folktunes and pagan chants. Two years ago the group's founder, Dmitri Pokrovsky, received the Soviet Union's highest recognition for artistic excellence, bestowed by Mikhail Gorbachev.
In addition to providing quality entertainment to the public at large, the Arts Council sees the Brown Bag series as a showcase for local visual artists. This year the series will use backdrops created by five Utah artists - Ann Cardon, Larnie Fox, Lee Deffebach, Bonnie Sucec and David S.
According to Jarman, the Twilight Series draws a diverse audience: "The demographic distribution is as wide as the city is, and that's the way we like it."
The series gets a few passers-by, but, like the noon series, has become more of a destination event than just something people happen upon. People bring blankets and picnics and make an evening of it, says Jarman. Last year he noticed that the concerts drew more families than they had before.
As for the performers, the council tries to bring in "non-mainstream artists with exceptional reputations among their peers."
In addition to the Dmitri Pokrovsky Ensemble, this year's performers include:
July 12: Union Memorial Big Band, 27 Utah musicians who do jazz, Broadway show tunes and even a Sousa march or two. "Bring your dancing shoes and dancing partners," says the Twilight Series brochure.
July 19: Turtle Island String Quartet, Windham Hill recording artists who perform original work and selections spanning four decades of American jazz.
July 26: Barbara Higbie, pianist, fiddler and singer, whose duet album with Teresa Trull was named one of the best albums of 1983 by the "Boston Globe."
Aug. 2: Michael Doucet and Beausoleil, whom Garrison Keillor has called "the best Cajun band in the world." Their "Bayou Cadillac" album was nominated for a Grammy this year and their music was featured in the movie "The Big Easy."
Aug. 9: Repertory Dance Theatre, previewing its fall season, including the premiere of Laura Dean's "Sky Light."
Aug. 16: Laurie Lewis and Grant Street, California musicians who fuse country, bluegrass and jazz. Frets Magazine calls Lewis' compositions "some of the most imaginative, intelligent music to be heard on the contemporary scene."
Aug. 23: Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company, Utah dancers who will perform new works as well as selections from their performance in East Berlin last year.
Aug. 30: Bill Frisell, guitarist and composer who has recently completed his fifth album, "Is That You" for Electra. Guitar World calls him an "avant-gardean angel."
In addition to the Twilight Series, the Arts Council's noon Brown Bag series will present 58 free concerts through August at several downtown locations.
July 2-7, City and County Building (Washington Square); July 9-14, Red Lion Hotel/American Towers Plaza (250 S. West Temple); July 16-21, Crossroads Plaza (50 S. Main); July 23-28, Dinwoody Mini-Park (50 W. 100 South); July 30 and 31, Red Lion Hotel/American Towers Plaza.
For more information, call the Salt Lake City Arts Council, 596-5000.