A loving and respectful tribute to the Jazz and Blues Singer, Dakota Staton

A swinging and soulful program of songs, all recorded by the dynamite singer, Dakota Staton – a long time in the planning and now coming to fruition at Pangea. Marty Elkins will reinterpret them and present them with love.

The top-flight band is Janice Friedman on piano, Yoshi Waki on bass, and Vito Lesczak on drums.

Marty Elkins was born in Jersey City, New Jersey. As a child she listened mostly to the soul stations in New York, and the late night R&B shows like Jocko’s Rocket Ship. She left there for college in Boston, and while in college was given a copy of Ella Fitzgerald and Ellis Larkins. She was also exposed to Charlie Parker, Al Cohn and Zoot Sims, and Louis Jordan, but the life changing day was when she found a copy of Billie Holiday’s “Lady in Satin” in a local Woolworth bin in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Literally holing up in her room with this recording, and a Bessie Smith record she acquired, she became devoted to jazz and began listening to it exclusively.

Finding not many other opportunities to sing up there, she moved to New York in the early eighties. Meeting more musicians in the few remaining clubs from the Fifty-Second street era – Jimmy Ryan’s and Eddie Condon’s – she began singing with Max Kaminsky’s band to enable Max to get off the bandstand and sell his book. The Runyonesque club owner began paying her to do so, and she began doing some gigs with Spanky Davis’ “Jimmy Ryan All Stars” at the Cat Club. She then spent some years in “the trenches” playing various bars and restaurants in the New York area.

The wonderful indie label, Nagel-Heyer records got her international attention, having released “Fuse Blues”, the critically acclaimed debut and “In Another Life” – a duo effort with Dave McKenna.

“Marty Elkins is a veteran singer with a mature, slinky voice that she puts to good use on “Fat Daddy”. This is a set of vintage songs written between the Twenties and Fifties that she approaches with a relaxed, bluesy ease further enhanced by excellent instrumental support.” JEROME WILSON, ALL ABOUT JAZZ, August 19, 2019

“Marty Elkins is the most effective purveyor of 1920s and ‘30s swing vocals recording today….As long as the American Songbook exists, Marty Elkins need be there to interpret it for us.” C. MICHAEL BAILEY, ALL ABOUT JAZZ, July 9, 2018

All Sales are Final. No refunds

There is a $20 minimum per person (food or beverage).

Tickets online are $20. Tickets at the door, if available, are $25 (Cash Only).

The house opens at 6:00pm for food and beverage service. Please join us for dinner.

Seating is first come first served. PLEASE ARRIVE EARLY.

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