Through an amazing stroke of good luck, and the connections of Fred Adler of KTDE radio to the San Francisco jazz scene, the legendary First Lady of Jazz, Dame Cleo Laine, and her husband Sir John Dankworth, British jazz innovator, will be performing in the intimate setting of the Coleman Auditorium at Gualala Arts on Friday, September 15 at 7:30 p.m.

Cleo Laine has performed many times in Carnegie Hall in New York City, and her recording, "Tenth Anniversary Concert at Carnegie Hall," won a Grammy Award. She has also been nominated for Grammies in the fields of jazz, classical, and popular music - an incredible feat for a vocalist. In fact, both Newsweek and the Los Angeles Times hail Cleo Laine as the "Greatest all-round singer in the world."

She has starred on Broadway, sung with the Duke Ellington Orchestra, and recorded "Porgy and Bess" with Ray Charles and duets with Mel Tormé on RCA Records. In 1991, in Los Angeles, Cleo Laine was given the Lifetime Achievement Award by the US recording industry. Visit Cleo's website at: quarternotes.com/cleohome.htm.

Sir John Dankworth, arranger and composer, as well as a multi-reedist, will join the ensemble of Larry Dunlap on piano, Seward McCain on bass and Jim Zimmerman on drums.

Advance tickets are $30, or $35 on the day of the performance. Call the Gualala Arts office at (707) 884-1138 to get in on this incredible opportunity to hear one of the world's greatest voices in person. Visa and MasterCard accepted.

The Gualala Arts Center is located at 46501 Gualala Road in Gualala, CA. Please call (707) 884-1138 for more information.