The Sacramento Institute of Fun™

Jazz Night III “The History and Music of Duke Ellington” is on Friday, so we thought we’d get you a little sneak preview!

Chris was able to grab some time with Adam Jenkins to ask a few very important questions about this Friday’s featured jazz master, check it out!

Duke of what? Is “Duke” really Ellington’s first name?

“No. Duke’s real name is Edward Kennedy Ellington and he was born in Washington D.C (which is why the D.C. Quarter will have him on it) How did he acquire the aforementioned moniker? It’s a funny story it started when he was young and of course involved pretty girls who … see you Friday night.”

Why did you pick Ellington to be the first artist featured in your Jazz Profiles series? Why not Kenny G?

“I chose Duke for a number of reasons, first and foremost out of respect for his accomplishments. He is truly one of the most revered musicians in 20th century American music (Jazz,Rock or Classical) His professional career covers almost the entire history of jazz from 1920 to 1970. To put it in perspective, when the great alto saxophonist Charlie Parker was born, Duke already was playing professionally, and Duke survived him by 19 years. Duke’s music is one of America’s great exports.”

“Secondly, the story of Duke Ellington, or more correctly Duke Inc. is a fascinating history of 20th century America, The Harlem Renaissance, race politics, the politics of the music business, the management skills of keeping 20 guys (Sun Ra referred to Duke’s band as a bunch of Diva’s) happy while on tour and much, much more.”

“As for not starting with Kenny G…..time hasn’t illuminated his role in the development of jazz yet. I’ll leave that story for future scholars.”

What would Duke Ellington think of Kelly Clarkson?

“Not one to presume to put words in Duke’s mouth, I might imagine that in some eloquent way he would say that if her music is honest and well performed then it doesn’t matter what anyone else would say. (I think the Ellington Ensemble would not have lasted on American Idol for very long even though history will remember them for much longer).”

Tell us something shocking or amazing about Duke Ellington.

“He didn’t like the color green. Not shocking I know, but I’ve got to save the good stuff for Friday.”

As the winner of 13 Grammy Awards, Duke Ellington has been called “one of the most influential people in American music.”

Join Adam Jenkins and The Sacramento Institute of Fun at Revolution Wines to listen to his story and his acclaimed music for one night only! One hour of discussion and history of Ellington will be followed by a listening party of his best work.

As with all Institute of Fun events, delicious food and a glass of wine are included in the price of admission.No previous knowledge of music is necessary to enjoy this event, so don’t miss this one!

DATE:
Friday, April 10, 2009

TIME:
7PM – 10 PM

PLACE:
Revolution Wines
2116 P Street
Sacramento, CA

TICKETS:

$24.95 general admission

$19.95 students and Revolution Wine Club members

$14.95 SIF members

$30 at the door

Get your tickets HERE!

For more information please email us at info@instituteoffun.com
or call us at 916-730-6521

I am sorry to report that, due to overcast skies, tonight’s Astronomy Night event has been postponed until next Saturday, March 21, at 7:45 PM. Your ticket will be valid for March 21 or any other Institute of Fun event in 2009. If you would prefer a refund, please email us at info@instituteoffun.com.

If you’re still looking for fun, check out the event at Revolution Wines. The acoustic jazz band Gypsy Standard Time will be playing, and there will be food and, of course, wine. $5 general, free for wine club members. More information at www.revolution-wines.com.

VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THIS SATURDAY NIGHT!

Hi Everyone!

We are really excited for Astronomy Night and we want to make sure you are all fully informed about the event!

First of all, you are allowed to park anywhere on campus for this event, except for designated handicap spaces (unless you have a permit to do so). Here is a pdf of the campus map to help you figure out where the best place to park will be and how to get to Rodda Hall – South. (http://www.scc.losrios.edu/Documents/main/mapscc_8-2007.pdf)

There will be signs on Rodda Hall- South directing you to the correct entrance to get up to the roof, which is only accessible by stairs. We will be doing the check in on the roof, so come on up! We will be out on the roof for the majority of the event so wear warm clothes and bring a jacket.

One last thing! If the weather is not clear we will not be able to see anything through the clouds so we will be rescheduling this event to Saturday, March 21. It will be at the same place and at the same time only the date will change.

We will send an email out as soon as we know if the event will have to be rescheduled, if you won’t be near a computer you can call (916) 558-2423 after 5:30 PM on Saturday. This is the message phone for the Observatory and Liam will update it to let you know if this Saturday’s event is canceled.

If you have any other questions or concerns please email me at info@instituteoffun.com

Thanks! And we look forward to seeing you this Saturday!

Casey Farrell
“The Fun Sidekick”

For all you S.I.F wine-lovers here’s a tasting event this Saturday put on by the Department of Viticulture and Enology at UC Davis you may be interested in! Please contact the coordinator of this event for more information as this is not a Sacramento Institute of Fun event.

Here are the details:

Would you like to experience sensory evaluation of wine, but you don’t have time to make a commitment to be on a panel?

If so next Saturday March 14th, I will be conducting a consumer test in which you’ll have the opportunity to taste 6 High Quality Red Wines – from all over the world!

This is an one time only event and each tasting will last a maximum of 45min. You do not need to be an expert in wine. You’ll just have to like red wine and be the kind of consumer that will usually buy a $30 red wine.

If you are interested please send me an email ASAP ( redwinetasting@gmail.com ) and I will provide you with more information regarding the time slots that you can sign up for.

Thank you so much and looking forward to hearing from you!

Come!!

I promise it will be a great experience!!!

Beatriz Machado

MS Candidate – Heymann’s Lab
VIticulture and Enology Departmen
RMI Sensory Lab 2003
Department of Viticulture and Enology
University of California, Davis

Our lovely chocolate expert from Massage and Chocolate Night wrapped up the night very nicely in her blog, if you’d like you check it out click here!

Come check out the night sky with Liam McDaid, Astronomer and Professor at Sacramento City College.

Bring your questions and learn some interesting new things about astronomy as you get a chance to use the Sacramento City College Observatory to get an up-close view of the world around you!

There will be snacks, beverages and plenty of discussion. The admission fee will help with a donation to the Astronomy Department at Sacramento City College.

Date:
March 14, 2009
(In case of bad weather, the event will be postponed until March 21, 2009)

Time:
7 PM – 9 PM

Place:
Sacramento City College Observatory
3835 Freeport Blvd.
Sacramento, CA 95822
(The Observatory is located on top of Rodda South. The southeastern staircase is the only public access to it.)

Tickets:
$25 general admission
Discount tickets ($20) available for students and Institute of Fun members.

We are looking forward to a packed house tonight! Unfortunately this event has become so popular that ALL our pre-sale tickets have been sold out!

But don’t you fret! There will be a small amount of tickets available at the door for $30, so make sure you get there early if you’d like to get in on the fun.

Also don’t forget about our upcoming events, if you aren’t able to join us this time come to our March and April events!

For more information on upcoming events check our website often.

Click here to check out the article online! Our thanks to Anna Ritner!

Check out KCRA 3 News 7am-9am on My58 Network  tomorrow morning around 7:45 am! Our Chief Fun Officer, Chris, and local blogger and baker, Kristy DeVaney, will be talking about Massage and Chocolate Night and some of our other upcoming events! Be sure to watch!