Vocalist Melissa Newman & The Tony Lombardozzi Trio Swings LZ With Classics

Doors open at 6:00pm. Try to be seated by 6:30pm to have your dinner order taken. Showtime begins at 7:00pm when we transform the space into a theater.

Out of respect for the performers and other patrons, please keep talking to a whisper during the performance.

Very Limited Occupancy. Tables seating 2, 4, 5 guests, with tables for 6, 8, 12 available upon request. Single, general admission tickets are also available. See The Attached Seating Chart. Admission Is $15.00 - $25.00 Per Person, Ticket prices may be higher for special performances. Having problems with the ticketing system? Call 203-247-4273

Parking: Please park in LaZingara's lot or on Greenwood Ave. or School Street. Please avoid parking in P.T. Barnum Square.

Melisa Newman - Vocalist & Visual Artist Melissa Newman is an artist and singer. Her primary medium in visual art is porcelain and stoneware. She has shown her sculptures at venues across the tri-state area, including The Hamptons Show House (2012), Gallery 66 in Cold Spring, NY; Terrain in Westport, CT, the Westport Arts Center in Westport, CT; and many pop-up locations.

As a singer, Newman performs frequently with her Jazz Trio. For the past two decades, she has also taught art and drama at a correctional facility and worked with other programs in under-served communities. She has two sons and a lovely husband, and is writing a very messy novel that no one (not even you) will ever read.

Artist Statement Through art I explore my own wistfulness and frustration about the state of our planet and the people on it. I often use the inherent beauty of nature to create an entry point into ideas that are often darker on closer inspection. Most of my current work attempts to articulate the tensions that are undeniably escalating between human beings and the rest of the natural world.

I am keenly aware that my preferred medium is essentially mud - or more ironically, dust. The fact that someday all of it will return from whence it came is both sad and comforting to me. I see artists as “little gods,” who translate the world around them, creating their own worlds in response and giving form to something that does not yet exist. Messages and themes develop organically from the process. Clay work is ripe with metaphor. Centering on the potter’s wheel, or even watching one’s work topple from a shelf and smash into a million pieces: these are teachable moments that resonate every day.

I also draw and paint, and perform frequently as a jazz singer. Improvising before an audience has helped me to stay with the fleeting moment of creation, in spite of the often laborious nature of the sculpting process, and to be brave about risking mistakes. Raising children and revisiting that attitude of fearless creativity, music, travel, and seeing the evolution of art in other cultures are all experiences that inform my work. The variety of symbolism, materials and approaches in the world is astounding, but there are also similarities and through lines in art-making, and concerns that seem to be universal.

We're sorry, there are no refunds after tickets have been purchased. In the event of a pandemic, rain, snow, or other forms of weather which prohibit a performance, the performance date will be postponed and rescheduled for another date within a reasonable amount of time. If the new date is postponed, a future alternate date will be picked at the discretion of Bethel Jazz and the musical artist. The ticket holder will be notified of postponements, cancelations, and rescheduled dates via email. Tickets are non-refundable and may be transferred to another person in the event a purchaser can not make the rescheduled date. In the event, an artist cancels a date, and Bethel Jazz is unable to reschedule the artist, Bethel Jazz reserves the right to provide a substitute performer of equal quality without notice to the ticket purchaser. If a date is canceled and not rescheduled, Bethel Jazz will provide a refund (in some cases minus the Eventbrite fee) or credit for another performance at the choice of the ticket holder. Bethel Jazz will always do its best to accommodate for changes in seating, table sizes, or changes to tickets.

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