Jazz singer Kitt Moran's Boca Grande appearance promises to be one of the greatest concert values of the season.
Tickets to "An Evening With Kitt Moran" are just $25 for the 8 p.m. April 9 event at the Crowninshield as part of the Friends of Boca Grande All That Jazz series.
Merv Griffin made Moran the first and only chanteuse-in-residence at Atlantic City's Resorts Casino Hotel in 1992.
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Kitt Moran
She's performed with such former entertainment heavyweights as Burt Bacharach, Vic Damone, Rosemary Clooney, Michel Legrand, Jack Sheldon, Frankie Randall, Buddy Greco, Johnny Hartman and Griffin himself.
She opened shows for Jay Leno, Rodney Dangerfield and Jackie Mason and performed with Greco, Sheldon and Teo Macero's "Sax Off 5th Avenue."
Born in New Jersey, Moran began performing professionally at age 10 in children's roles in operas such as "Carmen" and "La Boheme," which she sang in French. She fronted her own band in high school performing pop tunes and also appeared in regional theater productions.
Fact Box
To Go
Who: Jazz singer Kitt Moran
What: "An Evening With Kitt Moran" House as part of the Friends of Boca Grande All That Jazz series.
Tickets: $25
When: 8 p.m. April 9
Where: Crowninshield
Call: 964-0827
After high school, she attended the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York, where she studied music and acting.
She became a recording artist in the early 1980s when she released a single titled "Well, Anyway" (the B-side was "What Do You Want For Christmas?").
In 1981, she and her husband, Mike, wrote and recorded an album of original music titled "Planetary Anthem," which became a cult hit on college radio stations.
In 1988, after purchasing Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, Griffin gave her a six-week casino singing gig that lasted eight years.
Moran also released an album titled "Love Touches," which was named CD Of The Week on the global Voice of America radio network. Her latest album, "When Love Calls," consists of five original songs plus nine American standards.
Her next CD, tentatively titled "Portrait in Black & White," will feature Ron Carter, John Pizzarelli, Harry Allen, and Toots Theilemans, with a full orchestra and an authentic Brazilian rhythm section. Grammy and Tony Award winner Don Sebesky will produce and arrange the project.
In 1998, Moran became host of a weekly radio program specializing in the sort of sophisticated music she loved to sing. "Music On A Sunday With Kitt Moran" ran for 31 weeks on WRDR-FM and featured songs and interviews with stars. The show ended only when the radio station was sold and its format changed to Spanish language programming.
Moran is a now Southwest Florida favorite with national credibility.
Boca Grande concert space is limited. Nightclub casual dress is requested. Table snacks provided.
