When the group, The Black Market Trust, walks onto the Irvine Barclay Theatre stage this Friday, October 22, the five musicians will fill the 750-seat theater with electrifying sounds, combining Eastern European gypsy jazz with the Great American Songbook and contemporary melodies.

In their first-ever performance at the Barclay, the L.A.-based band will weave their spell, blending rock, blues, jazz and swing with songs made popular by the Mills Brothers, Frank Sinatra, The Beach Boys, Lennon/McCartney and other 20^th century musical icons. Their sound and presentation, combining instrumentals and vocals, exude youthful energy and passion.

(Black Market Trust)

Black Market Trust vocalist/guitarist Jeffrey Scott Radaich synthesizes gypsy guitar with blues, western swing and classical influences. Classically trained gypsy jazz violinist Nick Coventry has performed throughout this country, in Europe and South Korea. Bassist Brian Netzley, described as a “solid, tasteful and versatile player,” has backed top European musicians. Drummer/percussionist Brandon Laws, from nearby Long Beach, helps infuse the band with an L.A. vibe and energy. Kale “Kully” Stiles, a multi-instrumentalist from The Big Island of Hawaii, has studied and played Dixieland music in New Orleans.

The Black Market Trust is one of several dozen out-of-the-box groups to grace the Barclay stage during the 2021 to 2022 season. Jerry Mandel, the theater’s chairman and president, explains, “One of our goals is to elevate our programming. He adds that booking acts at the Barclay is a never-ending process that he, Craig Springer, executive vice president, and Ginny Hayward, director of programming, continually pursue. Musicians and their agents know about the high-quality acoustics and intimacy of the theater, he adds, and performers (including Michael Feinstein who recently performed there) are treated with great respect by the staff. The Barclay’s goals also include presenting a wide array of adventurous musical groups, and to attract viewers from beyond Irvine and Orange County.

Following is a sampling of the four-dozen-plus performers, speakers and presenters to appear at the Barclay Theatre through June 9, 2022.

A.J. Croce, singer, songwriter, piano and guitar player, son of the legendary Jim Croce, will perform timeless classics including “Operator” and “Time in a Bottle” on October 23. Grammy Award-winning saxophonist Eric Marienthal – who has performed with Elton John, Barbra Streisand, Billy Joel and Stevie Wonder, among others – will play contemporary and classic jazz pieces on October 29.

The New York City-based Ballet Hispánico will beguile the audience with its bold, eclectic Latinx-inspired dance numbers on November 11; one of their dances will be set to the music of Spanish composer, Enrique Granados.

Ballet Hispanico in Linea Recta (Photo by Paula Lobo)

On November 12, the Modigliani Quartet, French string quartet – two violins, viola and cello – will perform Mozart’s “Adagio and Fugue in C minor, K. 546,” Bartok’s “String Quartet No. 3, Sz. 85” and Shubert’s “String Quartet No. 14 in D minor, D. 810” (“Death and the Maiden”). The group is known as one of the best classical quartets in the world.

On November 21, Trio Barclay will return to the theater. Its premiere June 27 performance there was followed by a standing ovation and encore. Violinist Dennis Kim, cellist Jonah Kim (no relation) and pianist Sean Kennard will play Mark Abel’s “Out the Other Side,” Paul Schoenfield’s “Cafe Music” and “Piano Trio No. 1 in B major, Op. 8” by Brahms.

On December 5, pianist Gabriela Montero, praised by the New York Times, will perform pieces by Prokofiev, Rachmaninoff, Stravinsky, along with “The Immigrant” by filmmaker Charlie Chaplin; the latter will be accompanied by a screening of his film of the same name.

(Festival Ballet Theatre)

Ringing in the holiday season, The Festival Ballet Theater – that has performed “The Nutcracker” at the Barclay 13 times previously – will return on Friday, December 10 to perform the ballet. This year’s one-hour abridged matinee for young audiences of “The Nutcracker” at 9:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. will feature narration, lavish sets and costumes. Festival Ballet will perform the full-length version of “The Nutcracker,” December 11 to 24 in the evenings.

(Festival Ballet Theatre)

Next year’s featured performers include the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra with Branford Marsalis on January 15. Linda Eder (one of few Barclay performers who does Broadway renditions) will sing songs of Judy Garland on February 25. On March 11, Live from Laurel Canyon will sing music of artists who lived in the Laurel Canyon area of Los Angeles, 1965-1975. Influential artists from that decade include The Mamas and The Papas, The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, James Taylor, Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt and the Eagles.

The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain will perform for the first time at the Barclay Theatre on Sunday, March 27. While the program is to be announced, the seven-member group is known for its musical interpretation of Ennio Morricone’s “The Good, The Bad and the Ugly” theme, from the 1966 spaghetti western film starring Clint Eastwood.

The Irvine Barclay’s programming continues to June 9, 2022, when John Beasley and his 15-piece MONK’estra band will perform jazz classics imbued with contemporary sounds.

Looking forward to the 2022-23 season, Jerry Mandel and his staff have already booked 30 percent of the performers.

To order tickets for Irvine Barclay Theatre performances, check out its Get Ready It’s Showtime brochure. Or go to: www.thebarclay.org. Contact the Box Office, 949-854-4646, Mon-Fri: 10 am-4 pm; Sat-Sun: noon-4 pm. Irvine Barclay Theatre, 4242 Campus Dr, Irvine, CA 92612.

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