Back in March we played for the Dazzling Diamond Ball, a benefit for the Hospice Partners of the Central Coast. I finally remembered to ask for some photos, and they were so cool I had to put them up. We were honored to be asked to perform for this prestigious fundraiser, and I loved being a part of an event planned with such care and creativity. M.C. and event designer Mark Padgett, along with Corinne Smith out did themselves transforming a vanilla banquet hall into this eye popping tropical hot spot evoking a 1940’s Havana nightclub. We dug being framed by the arch and palm trees, and Ken Wagner’s lighting set the nightclub feel. Julie Wilson captured the energy in her technicolor photos.
We don’t, unfortunately, play salsa or other authentic Cuban music, so we branched out of our regular swing repertoire to play some fun, Latin and Cuba inspired tunes from the period, including “I’ll See You In C-U-B-A”, “Besame Mucho”, “Siboney”, “Amor, Amor” “Green Eyes” and “Cuban Love Song”.
I’m kicking myself I neglected to get a photo of my outfit for the evening, a vintage Mexican hand painted skirt from the great online store Blue Velvet Vintage!