Van Dyke Parks with Inara George at LA's Largo At Coronet Theater May 29

[rn57]

Well, this time you can't say I'm giving short notice about a VDP show - just over six weeks from now, he will be performing at the Coronet Theater in Los Angeles, which houses the establishment that used to be called Cafe Largo when it was a little club on Fairfax.

He's performing with the late Lowell George's daughter Inara, with whom he recorded an album, An Invitation, in 2008. The evening is called "The Brazil You Never Heard," so I guess there may be samba, bossa nova, forro, what have you mixed in there.  No word on the backing band, but you can bet it will be superb whoever is in it.

The show is Wednesday, May 29, at 8 pm; tickets are $25.  More info at

http://largo.laughstub.com/show.cfm?id=240175&cart

It's worth mentioning that the Coronet Theater has been around since 1947. Its premiere production was of a play titled Galileo - written by Bertolt Brecht, directed by Joseph Losey, produced by John Houseman, and starring Charles Laughton.  I have the feeling Van Dyke, history-conscious as he is, might mention this during the evening.

[The Heartical Don]

I think it'll be great. I saw VDP and Inara in 2011, at the Crossing Border festival in The Hague. Wonderful show; they did (I believe) the whole album first, and then VDP and the fantastic chamber orchestra did a string of VDP classics, in the format of the Moonlighting album. Inara was perhaps a bit nervous then in the beginning, but I don't doubt that she'll be past that now.

After the show there was a cosy get-together in a special room. We could ask questions. And later still, everyone could talk to the couple, and have as many autographs as one wanted. I had The Best Of Little Feat with me (amongst other stuff), and Inara was ever so glad that she could sign it.

BTW: Van Dyke is such a funny raconteur... no two shows of his are ever the same, in this respect. He has known Inara from when she was a toddler. And when he introduced her on stage, he remarked: 'Ladies and gentlemen.... Inara George... (slight pause)... she knew me when I was still a brunette.'

[rn57]

Just a reminder this show's in a couple days, looks like tickets still available.