WAYNE WILENTZ and CRAIG COCHRANE

Fri., April 26.  Wayne Wilentz and Craig Cochrane present “Hip to Be Hep: The Genius of Bob Dorough and Dave Frishberg” which celebrates the witty, clever, and wildly inventive compositions of two departed luminaries in the jazz world, (both of whom, coincidentally, “played” The Gardenia “back in the day.”)  Mr. Wilentz has performed with such famous R&B acts as The Coasters, The Shirelles, The Marvellettes, and Jimmy Norman, and was a keyboardist and composer for the ’80’s funk band “SKYY,” which earned a gold record for their album, SKYY Line.  Specializing in Brazilian and American Jazz, he moved to Los Angeles from the East Coast in 2020 and discovered Open Mike Nights at The Gardenia, stunning the crowd with the depth of his talent.   Mr. Cochrane, originally from New Jersey, has played piano since age six, sports a BA from Harvard, has sung all over Los Angeles since arriving in 1991, counts this his seventh Gardenia show, has become known for his musical risk-taking, and is a music photographer by day. His vocal influences include Jon Hendricks, Mel Torme, Carmen McRae and Jimmy Scott.   Joining them this evening will be special guest Keri Kelsey and bassist Adam Cohen.