The Claudettes to make concert stop at The Depot
NORMAN — The Claudettes, a group that features a fusion of jazz, blues and soul, will perform in concert at 7 p.m. Sunday at The Depot, 200 S Jones Ave. Tickets are $20.
The concert is part of the American Heritage Concert Series, sponsored by The Depot and Jazz in June.
The Claudettes is a fourpiece, piano-driven group led by Johnny Iguana, who takes a punk-like approach to roots music.
The Claudettes began in 2010 as a two-piece instrumental group that served as the house band for an Illinois restaurant and club run by Miss Claudette. The name stuck, and so has The Claudette’s reputation for upending tradition and bucking expectations.
The Claudettes has recently expanded to feature Berit Ulseth on vocals, Zach Verdoorn on bass guitar and vocals and Matt Torre on drums. Iguana, who also is a member of Grammy-nominated blues groups Chicago Blues — A Living History and the Muddy Waters 100 Band, provides piano prowess and showmanship.
The Chicago Tribune calls The Claudettes “a revelatory blend of jazz and blues, stirred with punk brio and topped with French cream.”
A Tribune review said the group adds dashes of classical and world music, “and enough starts, stops and hairpin turns” to make the listener question, “How do they do it?”
To buy tickets or to learn more about The Depot, go to normandepot.org. To learn more about Jazz in June programs, go to jazzinjune.org.