 INTERNATIONAL MUSICIAN NEWSLETTER Originally Published: August 8, 2018 Band Leader David Perrico Conducts Winning Performances in Las Vegas In a town where entrée can tax the most driven of performers, award-winning “Best of Las Vegas” trumpeter and producer David Perrico of Local 369 (Las Vegas, NV) has not only succeeded, but a few years ago he expanded his shows to include the Pop Strings Orchestra, his third band that actively plays along the Strip.
The show’s set list is filled with contemporary and classic hits, arranged by Perrico and performed by a 14-piece band featuring an all-female, seven-piece acoustic string section. The highly stylized ensemble mixes Perrico’s unique arrangements of pop and club rock, Latin, jazz, and R&B. “I tend not to go with formulas; I love writing for strings. The power of the strings—they can play nonstop. Strings have such major endurance; they can read anything,” he says. The key, Perrico says, is finding the best players. Through years of performing he has gained plenty of access. Perrico was one of the original members of Donny and Marie’s band when they set up at the Flamingo in 2008. He’s backed Natalie Cole, Gladys Knight, and Toni Braxton. His pops band is filled with all-stars who play in the headlining shows of Andrea Bocelli, Carlos Santana of Local 6 (San Francisco, CA), Rod Stewart, Martina McBride, and Céline Dion. His other band, The Rat Pack Is Back, plays six nights at Tuscany Suites’ Copa Room and on the weekend, he’s at Caesars with the Pops Strings. It can be a grueling schedule, but Perrico thrives on it. “It’s what I’ve always wanted to do,” he says. “I never intended to do it all. It happened by accident.” The entertainment director at Red Rock Hotel saw Rat Pack when it debuted at Tuscany. It was a side project with some originals, jazz strings, and chamber music. She had an opening for a lounge act at Red Rock on Saturday nights. Though he didn’t have lounge music, Perrico quickly came up with 12 to 13 arrangements. From there, it took off.... Humbled to have comedian JIM GAFFIGAN stop by The Barge the other night to check out Pop Strings Orchestra and tell us what a big fan he is now! Click on the video below to hear what he had to say... We're really big fans of Jim's as well, and we loved getting to hang with him a bit after our show. You can find out where Jim is performing next on his FIXER UPPER TOUR, all about his newest special NOBLE APE (currently available on iTunes), as well as NUMEROUS other projects he's got goin' on, via his website at www.jimgaffigan.com. Thanks JIM!  By JOHN KATSILOMETES LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOUNAL Originally published July 13, 2018 - 7:51 pm  David Perrico and Paul Shaffer are shown during a Shaf-Shifters performance at Cleopatra's Barge at Caesars Palace in December 2017. (photo courtesy of Robert Ardnt) Asking David Perrico for the highlight of performing with Paul Shaffer is something of an unfair question.
“The highlight? The whole gig is a highlight,” says Perrico, the trumpet virtuoso and acclaimed bandleader. “The experience with Paul is the highlight.” Shaffer and the band Perrico built for Vegas, the Shaf-Shifters, are coming back to Cleopatra’s Barge at Caesars Palace. The engagement’s first shows are Sept. 6-8, followed by Oct. 11-13, Nov. 29-Dec. 1 (tickets start at $49 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday). The Shaf-Shifters most recently performed nine dates at the Barge in late December and early January. Shaffer clearly delighted in playing the famed, moated entertainment enclave, donning a blue suit splashed with gold and green glitter and announcing he was performing “on the corner of Sin and City!” Shaffer rolled out some old video clips (including reviving his role as Artie Fufkin on “This is Spinal Tap”) and paid tribute to James Brown with a staggering “Please Please Please.” Shaffer was at home onstage — and his keyboard solos were something to behold — but he needed a hand in creating the right collection of musicians for this exclusively Vegas show. Perrico, who once toured with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, was a natural fit; his Pop Strings ensemble plays that very room at 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. “Paul is the consummate leader, he makes changes on the fly and you have to follow and adapt,” Perrico says. “He’s demanding, but not in a bad way. You just need to deliver.” Perrico has signed up most of the Shaf-Shifters from last winter’s band: Vocalist Noybel Gorgoy, guitarist Jim Buck, bassist Keith Nelson, Andrew “The Fury” Friedlander on sax, Neil Maxa on trombone and Pepe Jimenez on drums. All are highly regarded, veteran Las Vegas artists...  $19.95 PLUS SHIPPINGONE SIZE FITS ALL / ADJUSTABLE / BLACK
WOOL BLEND, LIGHT, BREATHABLE BASEBALL HAT NV JETS is now an official sponsor of Pop Strings Orchestra, and we couldn't be more thrilled! As the ONLY choice in Private Jet Charter in Las Vegas, with TRIPLE safety ratings (ARG/US Platinum Rating, Wyvern Wingman status, and IS-BAO Certification), NV JETS are a company we are proud to be associated with. Please join us in welcoming them to the family! You can find out more about them on their website at www.nvjets.com and get a quick look at a recent video shoot we did there at THIS link!   David Perrico with the many, talented guest female vocalists, pictured left to right: Francesca Camus, Autumn Grace, Maren Wade, Paige O'Hara, Michelle Johnson, Liliy Acre, Lauren Fraser. The concert at Myron's Cabaret Jazz, Smith Center, last Friday night was a huge success, and we were honored to have so many beautiful and talented vocalists on stage with us...including the ever-gracious Paige O'Hara (Disney's ORIGINAL voice of Belle from the 1991 film Beauty and the Beast)!! 
David Perrico and the ever-popular 18-piece Pop Strings Orchestra will return to Myron’s Cabaret Jazz at the Smith Center on July 14th at 8:00pm, this time featuring vocal group The Las Vegas Tenors.  The Las Vegas Tenors combine three of the most dynamic and powerful voices Vegas has to offer! Though the term "tenor" is commonly associated with classical music, these vocally versatile men of melody will shatter any preconceived notions about what it means to be a “tenor”. The Las Vegas Tenors do it all with the electric energy and pizzazz of the neon lights of Vegas. From Boston to the Doobie Brothers, The Moody Blues to The Bee Gees and Groban to Pavarotti, there will be music for all!
TIME: 8:00PM SHOW ADDRESS: Myron's Cabaret Jazz, The Smith Center, 361 Symphony Park Avenue, Las Vegas, NV 89106 TICKETS: $25 - $40 Paige O'Hara, original voice of Belle in Disney's Beauty and the Beast (the original 1991 animated feature), will make a very special guest appearance at the Pop Strings Orchestra May 11 "The Music of Disney" concert at Myron's Cabaret Jazz at The Smith Center.  Other guest artists include Lauren Fraser, Michelle Johnson, Francesca Camus, Lily Arce, Fletch Walcott, Maren Wade & Autumn Grayce.
TIME: 8:00PM SHOW WHERE: Myron's Cabaret Jazz @ The Smith Center, 361 Symphony Park Avenue, Las Vegas, NV 89106 TICKETS: $25 - $40 Quick look at Pop Strings photo shoot today, in collaboration with NV JETS...new pics coming soon. Thank you NV Jets!
By JOHN KATSILOMETES LUXURY LAS VEGAS MAGAZINE Originally Published: March 13, 2018 - 10:55am  David Perrico is first and foremost a trumpet player; his instrument obvious to the eye and his talent for making music unmistakable to the ear.
But Perrico often compares his work to painting, beginning with a blank canvas. It all starts with writing, or “charting,” in musician’s parlance. That work, so important to Perrico’s craft, is what fans never see — aside from social-media posts showing sheet music seemingly crawling with thousands of black ants. “I have my master’s degree in composition and film score, and I use my degree every day,” says Perrico, founder of his own Pop Strings orchestra, which headlines Cleopatra’s Barge at Caesars Palace Fridays and Saturday nights. “The writing is a huge part of what I do, and what I prefer, just for the artistry of it.” |
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