THE HOT SARDINES
Emerging over a decade ago from the underground parties of Brooklyn to touring worldwide and recording a string of albums that’s racked up more than 60 million streams across digital platforms, the Hot Sardines’ own “potent and assured” (The New York Times), “simply phenomenal” (The Times of London) brand of reinvigorated classic jazz landed them at the center of a whirlwind.

With the footlights dark in 2020, Elizabeth Bougerol and Evan Palazzo stayed home and took stock. “We called our 2019 album Welcome Home, Bon Voyage because, for the last five years, we were literally always getting on a plane. We were so lucky to have that success, and we were finally able to reflect on it,” says Elizabeth. Adds Evan, “So we said, What do we want to do now? It turned out we really wanted to write and record more music.” The pair started brainstorming via Zoom, and unable to gather their usual little big band into a studio, they focused on a stripped-down sound to record remotely, calling on quarantining collaborators from Los Angeles to Beijing, using very 21st-century technology to record songs written nearly 100 years ago.

“Not many bands have seized the postmillennial early-jazz spotlight with as much gusto as The Hot Sardines.” - Nate Chinen, WBGO

MICHELA MARINO LERMAN
Michela Marino Lerman, recipient of the Hoofer Award and Flo-Bert Award, is a globally sought after tap dance artist, performer, choreographer, band leader, educator and all-around creative spirit. The Huffington Post has called her a “hurricane of rhythm” and the New York Times has called her both a “prodigy” and has described her dancing as “flashes of brilliance.” Quincy Jones has said she is an “absolute tap dancing star who knows her roots.” She very proudly, was mentored by some of the innovators of tap dance including Gregory Hines, Buster Brown, Leroy Myers, Peg Leg Bates, Marion Coles, Jeni LeGon and Mable Lee.

Most recently Michela can be seen featured in the new US Postage Stamp series dedicated to the art form of Tap Dance. Michela has performed, choreographed, written, produced, and directed many projects throughout her career including leading her own group Love Movement. She recently was commissioned by the Joyce Theater to create and premiere her new full length work “Once Upon A Time Called Now” in the spring of 2022. Some additional performance highlights include the Whitney Museum of American Art, The Kennedy Center, Newport Jazz Festival, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Marciac Jazz Festival, Little Island, The Shed at the Hudson Yards, The Other Palace on London's West End, Umbria Jazz Festival and co-producing the documentary American Tap. Michela has had the honor of working with and collaborating many masters throughout her career some of whom include Wynton Marsalis, Anna Deavere Smith, Roy Hargrove, Jon Batiste, Quincy Jones, Steve McQueen and many more.

Michela Marina Lerman photo credit: Lauren Desberg
The Hot Sardines photo courtesy the artists

The Hot Sardines website
Michela Marino Lerman website