June 20 will mark the 10th anniversary of the first story that I wrote about vocalist/keyboardist Joe Darro appeared in the Las Vegas Sun.

Now 75, Darro continues to perform at venues around town.

Until recently he was at an Italian restaurant in Green Valley called Frediani’s, where jazz was an important part of the menu.

Now he’s at Happenings.

Same place, new owners.

Frediani’s at 2895 N. Green Valley Parkway provided a ray of hope for live music and the jazz scene, but it abruptly closed a couple of weeks ago and reopened last week under new ownership and the new name.

We don’t know what’s going to be happening at Happenings, other than Joe is still there.

“Not sure how many nights a week,” he says. “I don’t know my schedule.”

Sunday the venue had a dixieland brunch, featuring Joe and another veteran musician, clarinetist David Poe.

Don’t know if this will be a weekly event. If it is, it’s worth dropping by.

You might call first to find out what’s happening at Happenings, any night you feel the urge – the number is 433-1494.

Joe, by now, is used to abrupt changes. The native of Albany, N.Y., has been singing and playing piano professionally since he was 16 years old. He was influenced by such musicians as Sinatra, Mel Torme, Ella Fitzgerald, Stan Kenton, George Shearing, Charlie Parker and Miles Davis.

In 1960 big band leader Bobby Sherwood, who became popular in the 1940s, heard Joe and invited him to join the group on tour. Much of what Darro knows about music he attributes to Sherwood.

Sherwood’s band settled in Nevada in 1962 after striking a deal with the Del Web Corp. to work at its casinos in Las Vegas, Lake Tahoe and Reno.

Joe’s first local gig was at the Flamingo hotel-casino.

In the pre-canned music days the musicians worked constantly, sometimes at two or three different venues a night.

Joe worked with every top name in town and became friends with most of them. They included such legends as Sammy Davis Jr., Shecky Greene, Pat Henry, Louis Prima, the Mary Kay Trio, Jack Jones, Debbie Reynolds and a host of others, including the comedy team of Dan Rowan and Dick Martin.

He was also close to the late great jazz vocalist Joe Williams.

The life of a musician was good until the mid-80s.

“When the corporations came in, that’s when everyone took the kabash,” Joe says. “All these corporations figured this is not paying for itself. They saw they were paying four groups $50,000 a week but they were not making $50,000 a week on drinks — but what they didn’t take into consideration was that they were making it out in the casino.”

To cut expenses hotels started playing canned music and using smaller bands.

“The bottom line was profit,” Joe says.

MUST SEE

“Vocal Soup” is a fantastic evening of entertainment by a quartet of Las Vegas performers who like nothing better than to please their fans.

The musical revue will be at The Orleans June 12-13.

Clint Holmes, Susan Anton, Domenick Allen and Martin Nievera sharing billing.

The vocalists love their art and it shows in their performances.

They sold out most of their shows at the Suncoast last year and shouldn’t have any problem selling tickets at The Orleans.

Reunite as Vocal Soup at The Orleans Showroom June 12-13.

The 90-minute showcase covers most genres, though I don’t recall rap or country.

You will be treated to rock, pop, standards, Broadway classics and even a few original numbers.

Holmes, who is developing a Broadway show based upon his life, had a six-year run at Harrah’s, enjoying immense popularity the Great Radio City Music Hall Spectacular at the Flamingo.

Allen is a former member of the multi-platinum group Foreigner, toured with Liberace for several years and co-starred with Helen Reddy in the Broadway musical “Blood Brothers.”

Nievera is a recroding artist with 15 gold records in Asia and is considered “The Concert King” in his native Philippines. He has performed at several Vegas venues, including the Golden Nugget and the Flamingo.

Showtime is 8 p.m. Tickets are $29.95. For information call 365-7075.

EASTSIDE CANNERY ENTERTAINMENT

The Cannery on Boulder Highway has a great lineup of entertainment on the horizeon.

Country legend Ronnie Milsap will be there May 28; “ABBA the Music – Direct from Sweden” is coming June 27 and Starship Starring Mickey Thomas performs there July 10.

by Jerry Fink thejerryfink.com

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