The crowd of over 900, some with blankets and coolers, started gathering early outside the Hawkins Amphitheater, an outdoor venue set in a hillside at the Bartley Ranch Regional Park in the southern end of Reno, Nevada. Audience members arrived well before showtime in order to get a good seat for the Ebony & Ivory concert on Monday, July 7 at 7:30 p.m. The performance was part of the prestigious Artown Festival, now in its 13th year and a key component of civic leaders' efforts to revive the city's image and restore its sense of community. More than 80 organizations and businesses offer 350 visual, performing, and humanities events in about 50 locations citywide during the entire month of July. Approximately 285,000 people attend the festival annually.

By the time Ebony & Ivory bounded onto the stage, the Amphitheater was full to capacity, and an evening of summer music magic began. Joining Andrew and Fred were Gordon Peeke on drums (from Los Angeles) and Chris Golden on bass (from Albuquerque). From the opening number, Blue Grass and Green Sky, the crowd was enthralled, breaking into spontaneous applause to acknowledge the performers' skills. Each piece in the full program was well received by the audience, and as the sun set and the moon and stars came out, the crickets joined in as background accompaniment to a magical, musical summer evening. Thanks to Star Sound Audio for great sound and lighting at the concert and to Beth MacMillan and Prudence Wildman for organizing the appearance of Ebony & Ivory at the Artown Festival.

Excerpts from the new Ebony & Ivory show, Begin the Beguine - The American Songbook, were recorded at Tanglewood Productions in Reno during E&I's recent visit to the city to perform in the Artown Festival. Begin the Beguine - The American Songbook is a new show which Ebony & Ivory will begin touring in the fall of 2008. This show features fresh, new arrangements by Andrew Gilpin of American Songbook classics by Cole Porter, George Gershwin and Leonard Bernstein, combined with the music of Benny Goodman, Scott Joplin, and more. This is a program that will leave your audience smiling and happy. The tunes are beautiful, the music is infectious and the performers interact with the audience to create an evening of pure joy.

The recording at Tanglewood Productions ran very smoothly. The studio is fully equipped with the latest technology, tastefully appointed, and the staff are highly professional. Michael Eardley, President and Executive Producer, set up the board and engineer James Cavanaugh recorded the session. The results were spectacular. Andrew, Fred, Chris and Gordon have done their fair share of recording in studios around the world and they all agreed that Tanglewood Productions was a gem of a studio. The new CD will be mastered at one of Toronto's premier studios, Inception Sound, with engineer Chad Irschick. It will be sent to presenters in August.

February 25, 2009 - Deloraine, MB

Southwest Showcase

March 15, 2009 - Nevada City, CA

Twin Cities Concert Association