World renowned musicians and painters Lenore and Emanuel Vardi are creating two dozen paintings for a musical art show that will hum to life during a live performance at the Bellevue Jazz Festival. The husband and wife team relocated to the Pacific Northwest and will present their artwork at the Sherman Clay piano showroom in Bellevue when the Greta Matassa Quartet performs on May 23 at 4:30 p.m.
“It’s amazing to look at paintings of musicians while a live performance is underway because it’s easy to start believing that the musicians and instruments in the paintings are playing the music you are hearing,” explained Lenore. “Your eyes and ears synthesize a whole new work of art in your head. It’s a unique experience.”
Her husband continued her train of thought.
“Each person is experiencing their personal creation moment by moment – and they are moments that can not be preserved or duplicated. We’ve done shows like this in the past, but with classical art and musicians, and people love it,” Emanuel said, who recently celebrated his 94th birthday.
Although the Vardis are best known as classical musicians, they have deep roots in jazz and American popular music. Between them they have performed live, recorded with, and produced albums for artists such as Duke Ellington, Sarah Vaughn, Nat King Cole, Louis Armstrong, Al Hirt, the Dukes of Dixieland, Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett.
To help the Bellevue Jazz Festival continue its recent trend of featuring more national headliners, the Vardis will be donating 10-percent of proceeds from their Sherman Clay art show to the Bellevue Downtown Association which organizes the annual jazz festival.
“Excellent public school music programs and a conservatory scholarship helped me get to Carnegie Hall,” Lenore explained. “Understandably, the arts get pushed down the ladder of importance in hard times, but we actually need them more than ever.”
Lenore’s most recent local arts donation was one of her paintings and a photograph she took of Mt. Si that she has given to Mercer Island’s Northwest Yeshiva High School.
“One of the reasons we moved here is the impressive arts scene, and we want to make it known that we are willing to participate fully, as contributors, performers and teachers to help keep it as dynamic as it is,” Emanuel said.
The Vardis’ show will hang May 22 through 24 at the Sherman Clay showroom located at 1000 Bellevue Way NE. More on the Vardis work and life can be obtained online at www.vardiart.com.
Lindsay Larin can be reached at 425.453.4602.
