Primavera Returning to the Cadillac Next Month

The Primavera Latin Jazz Band performing at the Cadillac Hotel on September 13, 2019 with slightly different personnel from this week’s appearance: Al Stanford, Lena Johnson, Dave Casini, and Jeff McNish (screen shot from the Vimeo video of the concert)

At the beginning of next month, the Primavera Latin Jazz Band will make their next visit to the Cadillac Hotel. This will be a quintet performance, rather than the sextet gig, which took place at their last visit at the beginning of this past March. Once again the group will be led by Lena Johnson, who will be seated at the Patricia Walkup Memorial Piano that graces the lobby space. Dave Casini will “respond” to the “call” of her chromatic keyboard work with his vibraphone performance. Rhythm will again be provided by Paul Smith on guitar and Jeff McNish on bass. However, this time there will be only one percussionist, Bob Blankenship, performing on both congas and his drum kit. (He can be seen in the photograph that was posted at the beginning of the March preview article.)

As what now seems to be usual, this show will begin at 1 p.m. on Friday, October 6. The Cadillac Hotel is located at 380 Eddy Street, on the northeast corner of Leavenworth Street. For those attending for the first time, the piano is a meticulously restored 1884 Model D Steinway concert grand, whose original soundboard is still intact. All Concerts at the Cadillac events are presented without charge. The purpose of the series is to provide high-quality music to the residents of the hotel and the Tenderloin District; but all are invited to visit the venue that calls itself “The House of Welcome Since 1907.”