With 2014 in the past, the Santa Clara Performing Arts Foundation and the City of Santa Clara in conjunction with the City’s Cultural Commission and the Santa Clara Sister Cities Association, kicked off the first installment of 2015’s Triton First Fridays performances with Park Avenue Jazz on Jan. 9.
Singing selections from the Great American Songbook, the jazz trio kept the evening mellow, giving the audience an opportunity to remember a time before rock and roll was king.
“This is what we do,” said lead singer Caroline Garbarino, who has been with Park Avenue Jazz for three years. “We also play for senior centers and they love these songs. The women go wild for Frank Sinatra still. They know every world of every song of all of Cole Porter’s. It’s wonderful.”
The evening also gave the audience the freedom to peruse the Triton Museum of Art’s 2D competition and exhibition entries, as well as Holly Van Hart’s “Possibilities Abound” show, while snacking on bites provided by Mariani’s Inn and Restaurant.
“It was a beautiful audience,” said Garbarino. “I was so grateful for their attention, and the statewide competition is just breathtaking. I’m a watercolorist and I paint with the Santa Clara Valley Watercolor Society. I saw a couple of other members here who had come to see the show, and I came for the art as much as to make music … It’s an incredible thrill [playing here]. It’s like a dream of my life.”
For more information on Park Avenue Jazz visit www.parkavenuejazz.com. Triton Free Fridays with continue on Friday, Feb. 6 with a double bill featuring love scenes from Shakespeare performed by Festival Theatre Ensemble (www.fteshakes.org) and Renaissance lute songs performed by soprano Doris Williams (www.reverbnation.com/doriswilliams). Concerts begin at 7:30 p.m. at 1505 Warburton Ave. in Santa Clara.