The Larry Pierce Trio will be featured on Sunday, May 11, at the Performing Arts Studio’s Jazz in the Gallery series.  The concert, which begins at 7:30 pm in the Norman Depot, 200 South Jones Avenue, is free and open to the public.  A light dessert will be served.

The Larry Pierce Trio has played the past several years at Junior’s in Oklahoma City with singer Denise Smith.  Pianist and group leader Larry Pierce, in addition to his night club work, has for the past ten years led the pit band at the University of Oklahoma shows “Sooner Scandals” and “University Sing.”

Trio drummer Eddie Ferguson also plays with Garrett Jacobson (Big G), a prominent blues artist in the Oklahoma City area.  Bass player Tom Clark played with Al Good’s big band for several years, and now plays frequently with the Floyd Hanes Orchestra.

The Larry Pierce Trio’s music is primarily light jazz and standards, providing the perfect evening for a Mother’s Day celebration, or just a pleasant way to end the day.  The price is right.  The music outstanding.  And, the Emily Dutcher photography exhibit in the gallery will transport you to scenes from around the world.  Come and join us!

For additional information about Performing Arts Studio programs, phone 405-307-9320.  PAS hours in the Depot are Tuesday through Friday from 8:00 am to 3:00 PM, and from 1:00 to 5:00 on Sunday.

Jazz in the Depot Gallery is made possible in part by grants from Norman Arts Council, Oklahoma Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Easter Island

When she joined 90 other people on the National Geographic Photographic Expedition, Dutcher was not sure what to expect.  “Each day”, she says, “managed to somehow top the last, which didn’t seem possible considering everything we saw: Machu Picchu in Peru, the Moai statues at Easter Island; a man-made rain forest in Australia; Angkor Wat in Cambodia; the pandas in Chengdu, China, an orphanage and the Potala in Lhasa, Tibet; the Taj Mahal in India; the wild assortment of animals in the Serengeti Plains; the face of King Tut in Luxor, Egypt; and finally a Berber village (via mule) in the Atlas Mountains Of Morocco.”  The photographic opportunities were endless.  The resulting photos incredibly beautiful and diverse.

The Mary Sallee Jazz Trio, featuring Jay Wilkinson on trumpet and vocals, John Cole on bass, and Sallee on keyboard, will be in concert at the Performing Arts Studio on Sunday, March 16.  The free concert, a part of the PAS Jazz in the Gallery series, begins at 7:30 pm in the Norman Depot, 200 South Jones Ave.  “Chiaroscuro: From Light to Dark,” the paintings of Martin Holland, are on display in the Depot gallery.

Since 1990 Mary Sallee has performed with several jazz groups across the metro area.  In 1996, her own quintet was featured at Norman’s Jazz in June Festival.  In recent years, her groups have entertained for Jazz in June kick-offs and numerous other civic events including the Sam Noble Museum of Natural History Jurassic Jazz fundraisers, and Wine Tasting fundraisers such as Le Tour de Vin.

“Chiaroscuro: From Light to Dark,” an exhibit of paintings by Martin Holland, will open in the Performing Arts Studio Gallery on Sunday, February 3, and continue through March 30.  A reception for the artist will be held from 2:00 to 4:00 February 3 in the Norman Depot, 200 South Jones Avenue.  Refreshments will be served.  There is no charge to visit the exhibition. 

Painting by Martin Holland

“I have always had an interest in paintings, but never imagined I would paint.” says Holland. “About four years ago I called [sister] Bets and asked: ‘How do you oil paint?’  She laughed and told me get a brush, canvas and some paint – then start.  That’s what I did.”

Holland has not had formal training, other than attending a number of group sessions under Carol Armstrong at the Firehouse Art Center. His painting education has come from books and from looking at thousands of paintings in magazines, galleries and art museums in the cities he visits on business.