A Jazzy Kids' Swing-A-Long with Allegra Levy & Her Friendly All-Star Big Band

Award-winning jazz singer/songwriter Allegra Levy and her Friendly All-Star Big Band invite kids and grownups alike to attend a Jazzy Kids' Swing-a-Long at Culture Lab LIC, 5-25 46th Ave., Long Island City, Queens, NY.

Named a Top 10 Rising Star among jazz vocalists in DownBeat’s 2021 Critics’ Poll, Allegra Levy is that rare jazz songbird who pens her own tunes. Families at the Jazzy Kids' Swing-a-Long will be treated to songs from Allegra's first foray into jazz for the juvenile set, her critically acclaimed 2023 family album, Songs for You and Me. The music fits right in with the tunes Allegra loved while growing up: Raffi, Cat Stevens, Joni Mitchell, Ella Fitzgerald, and more.

"I'll be 7 months pregnant at this big band show, which is also a tribute to Mother's Day," says Allegra Levy, "so of course we'll be honoring all the moms in the audience!" She adds, "This is my first show at Culture Lab LIC, and I'm excited that kids and families will get to listen to some of New York's finest jazz musicians in Culture Lab's incredibly cool performance space. The second you walk in you are immersed in art."

The May 5 show will feature an authentic big band, comprised of vocalist Allegra Levy, three background singers, piano, bass, drums, guitar, trumpet, trombone, tenor sax, and baritone sax, in an interactive program of jazz-infused, family-friendly music that aims to get everyone from babies to boomers dancing and singing together. Highlights will include the unbeatably catchy food number, “Noodles!,” "Los Animales" (a finalist in the John Lennon Songwriting Contest), Ella Fitzgerald's version of "Old MacDonald," and “Hello Song,” in which the audience will be taught to say "hello" in over 12 different languages. From bedtime and bath time to boogers and boo-boos, Allegra and her all-star big band make it all sing … and swing!

ABOUT ALLEGRA LEVY:
A native of West Hartford, Connecticut now based in New York, Allegra Levy has been dubbed a “double-barreled talent” and “unquestionably one to watch” by JazzTimes magazine. Allegra is known not only for her richly sweet yet swinging alto voice, but also for writing catchy, emotive songs grounded in tradition, with a nod to the progressive. She has appeared at most of the top clubs in New York City, including The Jazz Standard, Birdland Theater, Zinc Bar, The Bitter End, Cornelia Street Café, and The Blue Note. From 2014 to 2015, Allegra also served as artist in residence at the world-famous Blue Bar in the Hong Kong Four Seasons Hotel.

“Fresh … exotic… and far beyond the ordinary,” wrote Ben Ratliff in The New York Times of Allegra Levy’s 2014 autobiographical debut album, Lonely City. From Lonely City’s plaintive title track to Allegra’s critically acclaimed 2017 follow-up release, Cities Between Us, and beyond, Allegra Levy has penned a lyrical collection of harmonically adventurous-yet-familiar originals steeped in the spirit of the Great American Songbook.

Allegra’s third album, 2018’s Looking at the Moon, was named an Editor’s Pick in both DownBeat Magazine and JazzTimes. In 2020, she released a fourth album, Lose My Number: Allegra Levy Sings John McNeil, to rave reviews. Lose My Number features Allegra’s own lyrics set to the tunes of renowned jazz trumpeter John McNeil. The New Yorker called it “a showcase for Levy’s… agile vocalizing and her gift for sculpting words, and for McNeil’s far too neglected abilities as a melodic architect.” Allegra's newest album, Out of the Question, will be released by SteepleChase Records on May 20 of this year.

Allegra Levy’s career continues to accumulate accolades. In addition to being featured in the 2021 DownBeat Critics’ Poll as a Top 10 Rising Star Jazz Vocalist, Allegra won the 2020 John Lennon Songwriting Contest’s “Stuck at Home” edition for “Wash My Hands” (a children’s song to encourage healthy habits during the Covid pandemic), as well as first place in the 2019 Great American Song Contest’s Adult Contemporary Music Category for her original pop tune, “Waste My Time.” Allegra is proud of her work with the Women in Jazz Organization, for which she serves on the leadership team. She lives in Manhattan with her husband, JP, their daughter, Stella Plum, and their dog, Luna.

When: Sunday, May 5, 2024 from 4 - 5pm

Where: Culture Lab LIC at The Plaxall Gallery, 5-25 46th Avenue, Queens, NY 11101

ADMISSION: 1 adult + 1 child: $25. 1 adult + 2 children: $30. Family of 4: $50.

TO PURCHASE TICKETS: Visit Eventbrite HERE.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Call 347-848-0030.