November 20th, POLYRHYTHMS Third Sunday Jazz Workshop & Matinee Series is having a PARTY where Frankie Fontagne will treat our ears to a little different style with her unique and supremely talented voice, as we continue settling in to our new home in Becherer Hall at Rivermont Collegiate, 1821 Sunset Drive, Bettendorf, IA. Polyrhythms demystifies jazz with a Workshop at 2 pm, followed by a Matinee Concert from 5 – 7 pm.

Frankie Fontagne and the Ramblers 2021 debut at the MVBF. They “blew the crowd away,” … MVBS website. “It was a nice way to come out as a new band,” FF
The dynamic Piso’s Cure closed the BBJ&HF’s and energized the crowd with a highly danceable mix of funk, soul, rock, R&B and blues.
Frankie Fontagne & the Polyrhythmics, 11/20 TSJ at Rivermont Collegiate,“a change of voice and a different sound.”

Music has been part of Frankie’s life since growing up in Monmouth, IL. She sang in church and played drums in the high school band, marched in all the parades. She played college basketball, went off to California for a few years, and at 21, a friend told her, “Hey, you have a really good voice; you should be doing something with that.” And she deepened her gift by getting into song writing while living near Chicago in 2003. All that’s been part deepening her gift as a musician in the Quad-Cities.

Frankie has never thought about not having music in her life. She loves art and the artists.

When asked why she hasn’t done jazz before, her response is, “She practices jazz in the house as part of her repertoire, just never had the chance to play it with the right musicians.”

One of the cats remarked he often heard her mimicking jazz singers and realized she had a lot more hidden musical talent that could be tapped if given the right configuration of both music and genre.

Her father introduced her to jazz standards like Wes Montgomery, Wynton Marsalis, George Benson, and others, where she first learned to pick up on the importance musicianship.

Recognizing talented singers, she looked to improve her technique as women like Anita Baker took it to the next level. She enjoyed the challenge of the breathing it takes to perform this music well. She’s inspired by a desire and people who have encouraged her and reminded her to be herself.

The cats she is working with admire her dedication and feel she is very much deserving of the opportunity to be seen differently by audiences and with the best cats.

Her esteemed Polyrhythmic accompanists include: Daniel Leahy – piano, Corey Kendrick – organ, Steve Grismore – guitar, Ronald Wilson – Bass, Jamie Hopkins – percussion, and Manuel Lopez III – drums.

Polyrhythms Third Sunday Jazz Matinee & Workshop Series in Becherer Hall at Rivermont Collegiate is scheduled for the third Sunday, November 20th, and features an all-ages workshop at 2 pm, followed by the matinee performance from 5-7 pm. Admission to the workshop session is Free for Kids, $5 for adults. General admission for the 5 – 7 pm concert is $15 or $20 for reserved seating. For ticket information, call Polyrhythms: 309 373-0790.

Doors open at 4:30 pm. Do yourself a favor and treat yourself to some jazz “live”, like it was meant to be enjoyed… PARTY with the jazz being served up at the Third Sunday Jazz Series; Sunday, November 20th, featuring Frankie Fontagne & the Polyrhythmic Extravaganza!

Polyrhythms Third Sunday Jazz Series is made possible with major support of the RDA, the SCRA, Rivermont Collegiate, the Singh Family Foundation, as well as Visionary Arts Photography & Media Center, Bowman Accounting, Peeples Heating & Air Conditioning, Cribbs Landscaping, Davis Entertainment Network, Radio station KALA, and DJ Mixxin Mel.