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Ranky Tanky Generously sponsored by Penny Wilkinson & Dick Boehning JANUARY 30 I 4:00 PM & 8:00 PM CHRISTENSEN PERFORMANCE HALL on the Madeline Janis Courter Stage BIG ARTS 2021 CREATE INSPIRE CONNECT www.BIGARTS.org or (239)395-0900 COMING UP Virtual Talking Points: Lyn Millner February 4 Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper February 6 Virtual Talking Points: Ian Sherr February 11 Virtual FORUM: Dr. Arin Reeves February 14 Rudolfo Leone February 21 Virtual Talking Points:Kinfay Moroti February 25 The Music of Same Cooke, The King of Soul February 26 Virtual FORUM: Adm. Michael S. Rogers February 28 Virtual FORUM: Professor Bridgette Carr March 3 FOR DETAILS GO TO BIGARTS.ORG 2 Ranky Tanky released their eponymous debut on Oct. 20, 2017. By December of that year, the group had been profiled on NPR’s Fresh Air with Terry Gross and their album soared to the #1 position on the Billboard, I-Tunes, and Amazon jazz charts. “Gullah” comes from a West African language and means “a people blessed by God.” “Ranky Tanky” translates loosely as “Work It” or “Get Funky!” In this spirit, the Charleston, South Carolina-based quintet performs timeless music of Gullah culture born in the southeastern Sea Island region of the United States. From playful game songs to ecstatic shouts, from heartbreaking spirituals to delicate lullabies, the musical roots of Charleston are “rank” and fertile ground from which these contemporary artists are grateful to have grown. South Carolina natives Quentin Baxter, Kevin Hamilton, Charlton Singleton, and Clay Ross first came together in 1998, fresh out of university, to form a seminal Charleston jazz quartet. Now, united by years apart and a deeper understanding of home, these accomplished artists have come together again, joined by one of the Lowcountry’s most celebrated vocalists, Quiana Parler, to revive a “Heartland of American Music” born in their own backyards. The soulful songs of the Gullah culture are brought to life by this band of native South Carolinians who mix the Lowcountry traditions with large doses of jazz, gospel, funk, and R&B. Fresh out of college, trumpeter Charlton Singleton, guitarist Clay Ross, bassist Kevin Hamilton, and drummer Quentin Baxter originally worked together as an in-demand jazz quartet on the Charleston scene in the late 1990s, before splitting off to make their way as freelance musicians, working with names like Houston Person, Freddy Cole, Cyro Baptista, and René Marie. Gaining years of valuable experience while developing a deeper appreciation for the South Carolina Gullah tradition they came from, the band re-formed with the dynamic vocalist Quiana Parler to celebrate the bone-deep mix of spirituals and gutbucket blues that mark the Lowcountry mainland and Sea Islands – music made by a self-contained culture of descendants of enslaved Africans that introduced such indelible parts of the American songbook as “Kum Bah Yah” and “Michael Row the Boat Ashore.” Sponsored by Penny Wilkinson & Dick Boehning 3 BIOS Kevin Hamilton (Bass) is a celebrated artist in Charleston’s vibrant jazz scene. He has performed internationally with diverse ensembles such as The Charleston Jazz Orchestra, Houston Person, Gregory Hines, and René Marie. Kevin Hamilton joined the U.S. Dept. of State’s OneBeat program in 2012 and holds a degree in music theory and composition from the College of Charleston. Quiana Parler (Vocalist) has one of the most sought-after voices in the South Carolina Lowcountry and has graced some of the most prestigious stages in the nation. Through a top placement on the hit TV show “American Idol,” she was discovered by Clay Aiken, with whom she toured nationally for seven years. Quiana has performed with Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, and Miranda Lambert; worked with producers David Foster, Adam Anders, Phil Ramone, and Walter Afanasieff; and appeared on national television shows The View, Good Morning America, and Jimmy Kimmel Live, among others. Currently based in Charleston, she performs locally and nationally with her 10-piece party band, “Quiana Parler & Shiny Disco Ball Band.”www.quianaparler.com Clay Ross (Guitar, Vocals) has established himself as an in- demand sideman and innovative bandleader on the international music scene, winning multiple grants through the U.S. State Department and touring worldwide as a cultural ambassador. Now signed to the Motema Music label, he currently tours worldwide, leading his NYC-based band Matuto. “Mr. Ross is a very deft guitarist with a rich vocabulary of folk, blues, and jazz at his disposal...” –Wall Street Journal 4 Charlton Singleton (Trumpet, Vocals) is the artistic director and conductor of the Charleston Jazz Orchestra, a 20-piece jazz ensemble of some of the finest professional musicians in the Southeast and the resident big band in Charleston. He has toured across Europe and throughout the United States and has also shared the stage with and/or worked with some of most talented entertainers in the world. Outside of music and entertainment, he is a devoted husband and proud father of two. Quentin E. Baxter (Drums) is a Grammy-nominated musician/ producer currently on tour with Freddy Cole and René Marie. A prominent figure in the jazz community of his native Charleston, he is the co-principal of Charleston Jazz Initiative, a founding board member of Jazz Artists of Charleston, and an adjunct professor of jazz studies at the College of Charleston. 5 THE 2021 BIG ARTS TALKING POINTS BIG ARTS 2021 CREATE INSPIRE CONNECT KINFAY MOROTI Race Relations in Southwest Florida: A Photographic Study February 25 4:00 p.m. Christensen Performance Hall Kinfay Moroti, documentary journalist and photographer at The News-Press MASKS REQUIRED PHYSICAL DISTANCING IN THE HALL VIRTUAL TICKETS AVAILABLE Tickets available by phone only. Call 239.395.0900. 6 A spectacular evening of song with one of the greatest artists of our time. BIG ARTS ANNUAL BENEFIT Thursday, March 18, 2021 MASKS REQUIRED Only 50%, 200 seats, PHYSICAL DISTANCING IN THE HALL available in VIRTUAL TICKETS AVAILABLE Christensen Hall Tickets available by phone only. Exclusive Corporate Presenting Sponsor Call 239.395.0900. 7 With deep gratitude, we thank all those donors who have given since January 2020 PREMIER Patty & Attila Molnar Kenneth L. Nees Philip & Roberta Puschel Gaye & Jim Pigott Joyce & Don Rice Jeffrey & Rene Savarise PACESETTER Christine Schluter Jim & Dulce Doss Ed & Virginia Stringer Mr. & Mrs. John M. Freund Joe & Ellen Thomas Bob & Marilyn Klaskin Hyde Tucker Northern Trust Dr. & Mrs. Michael Wood Ellen & Dave Raisbeck Patty & Bill Zimmerman BENEFACTOR PATRON Roger & Lori Bahnik Judith Adler Bailey’s General Store Edward & Catherine Anderson Penny Wilkinson & Dick Boehning Dean Barry Wayne & Linda Boyd Shirley Boscov Gustav & Vibeke Christensen Michael & Laurie Chouinard Nancy Dehmlow Linda & Gordon Coons Malone Family Foundation K. Ann Dempsey Barb & Tom Dunham Blake & Jan Devitt David & Mika Filkins Mr. & Mrs. Manny Fernandez Hans & Leslie Fleischner Stan & Visnja Gembicki George & Susan Heisler Jack & Helen Gracey The L.A.T. Foundation Stanley & Constance Grayson Deborah La Gorce David Huggin Bruce & Antonette McDonald Charles & Helen Ketteman Sue & Tom Pick Eugene & Linda Massey Sanibel Captiva Trust Company Douglas McLemore & Judith Davis & Patricia Thurber Rittenhouse Linda & Tom Uhler Pfeifer Realty Group Paul & Barbara Powers GRAND PATRON Chip & Nancy Roach Bank of the Islands Don & Nancy Rolley James & Susen Berg Maureen & Gary Saage John & Mary Ann Boorn Jeanene & Rick Stephens Dixie & Robert Bowden Dr. Robert & Betty Van Tassel Andrew & Ruthelen Burns Carol Watkins Ralph & Carolyn Clark Jeff & Nancy Wickham Congress Jewelers Lee & Jean Anne Wiener Boomer Duvin Bob & Kathy Wiesemann Tony & Magda Golobic Tommy & Trudy Williams Mr. & Mrs. John P. Green, Jr. Gene & Margaret Zelek Law Office of Janet M. Strickland, P.A. Leo Rosner Foundation Dorothy Lichtenstein Sallie & John March William & Barbara Millar 8 ANGEL Mary & Dick Jalkut Louise Allen & Tom Gougeon Hope & David Jeffrey Bob & Jan Anestis Jerry’s of Sanibel Elaine & T.P. August Karin Johnson Parke & Mollie Avery Barbara & Campbell Johnstone George & Molly Barbee Art and Martha Kaemmer Fund of Hazel Barber HRK Foundation Gerald & Marielle Bartolomucci Michael F. Kelly David and Judy Baum Joan & Alan Klutch The Berger Foundation Diane & Raymond Knight Lynn Bernard & Ronald Mycock Philip & Madeline Lacovara Naomi Lee Bloom Tom & Susan McCully John Burden Jack & Inky Meng Dick & Mary Butler Travis & Karen Meredith Reynolds & Barbara Challoner Mr. & Mrs. John R. Morse Dean & Vicki Chavis R. Kevin & Pamela A. Murray Chris & Susan Coile Foundation Bob & Pam Norton Anne & Tim Connor Denis O’Connor Ann & Lee Cooper Patrick O’Daniel Paul W. Corliss Diane & Phillip Olsson Carmen & Jim Courter Foundation Tim & Julie O’Neill Peter & Sue Danford Martin & Enid Packard John & Lillian Decker Richard & Donna Pesci Yola Downey Mindy & Rob Pierce Dennis & Susan Eichner Mr. & Mrs. Richard Pyle John & Geraldine Fiedler Mr. & Mrs. Richard W. Raney, Jr. Allan & Judy Fulkerson Eileen Kehoe & Bud Reinhold Melissa & Thomas Gauntlett Robert & Lorraine Rippe Doug & Sherry Gentry Robert & Susan Ross Mardi & Bill Glenn Kristen & Douglas Ryckman JoAnn & Bob Glick Ryckman Family Charitable Fund Herb Goldenberg Vreni Scheu Rich & Linda Green Paul & Brenda Schneider Steve & Mandy Greenstein Peter & Ellen Scrivner Peter Haffenreffer & Mallory Marshall Gene & Lee Seidler Lee & George Haines Charlie & Gail Sheetz Neal &