*Fine dining and great entertainment go hand in hand but rarely does it evoke the traditions of yesteryear in such grand style.
Well thanks to Paul and Kara Coury, of Kansas City’s downtown Ambassador Hotel, Lonnie McFadden now has a permanent home to razzle, dazzle and mesmerize the crowd with his spirited performance in Lonnie’s Reno Club.
Lonnie is a quadruple threat. He sings like Lonnie, that’s his name, but his voice is tinged with the velvet fibers of Billy Eckstein, Nat King Cole and Jimmy Scott.
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Mr. McFadden is a firecracker on stage switching hand to hand from vocal solos to riveting trumpet solos without missing a beat. Lonnie’s energy is infectious as he tells stories of his father Jimmy McFadden, who was part of Kansas City’s legendary Four Chocolate Drops.
True to form, Lonnie incorporates tap dancing into his act. It is complete with the precision and artistic flair of famous hoofers from the early days of jazz. Lonnie does more than put on a show, he is the show. He is a consummate storyteller, humorist, song stylist, musician and an all-around entertainer.
The Coury’s had witnessed how Lonnie can move a crowd and they decided to design an entire lounge for him at The Ambassador Hotel.
Lonnie named it after the famous Reno Club formerly located at 602 E. 12th Street where the Count Basie Orchestra began in 1935. The legacy is alive and well at Lonnie’s Reno Club where each set is filled with standards such as Unforgettable, A Wonderful World and The Benny Moten Swing. Of course, Lonnie accents the evening with an original tune or two.
Each rendition is music to your ears and a joyful blitz to all of the other senses. Rounding out the titillating acoustic experience is Andrew Ouellette on piano, Zach Beeson on bass and Tyree Johnson on drums.
According to jazz historian and KC luminary Anita Dixon, real Kansas City jazz has returned.
Reservations are hard to come by for the Lonnie McFadden show on Saturday and Sunday nights but it’s a worthwhile experience that will have fans longing to return.
For show info: https://www.lonniesrenoclub.com
LaRita “Jazzy Rita” Shelby is a writer & entertainer and Director of Digital Strategy & Sales for EURweb.com, newly branded Everything Urban & Radioscope. Winner of MIMPA’S 2020 Entertainment Journalist of the Year Award & Proud member of Sigma Gamma Rho. LaRita is the author of The Brand Beside the Brand and On My Father’s Side. Chat, swap ideas & vision at [email protected]
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