Cantor Kenny rocks the house

Kenny Ellis and Harvey Cohen Cantor Kenny Ellis of Temple Beth Haverim in Agoura Hills will perform the songs from his CD "Hanukkah Swings!" live, with a 17-piece big band at 7 p.m. Sun., Dec. 14 at The Canyon club in Agoura Hills.

The concert is in memory of musical arranger Harvey Cohen, the producer of the CD, who passed away of heart disease last year. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the American Heart Association in Cohen's memory.

The album and concert will feature a collection of classics and original compositions geared to the family.

The CD is a labor of love reflecting Ellis' lifelong affinities for Jewish culture and swing era legends Count Basie, Les Brown and Benny Goodman.

"Hanukkah Swings!" features Ellis on lead vocals performing jazzy twists on festive classics (some done in medley form) in English and Hebrew, with a dash of Yiddish tossed in on the humorous parody "'Twas The Night Before Hanukkah," featuring a jazz/blues piano solo by co-producer Stu Goldberg.

The collection includes two original pieces, the orchestral ballad "Hanukkah Candles," and the tropical flavored "Hanucalypso." The album mostly features ensemble arrangements by Cohen, a twotime Emmy awardwinning composer, conductor, arranger and songwriter.

"Harvey meant so much to me and so many other musicians, I had to do this one for him," Ellis said.

Cohen scored numerous animated shows throughout the 1990s, including "Little Mermaid," "Tiny Toon Adventures," "Superman" and "Goof Troop." He also contributed music for a variety of television shows, such as "Dallas," "Knots Landing," "Growing Pains," "Murphy Brown" and "The Wonder Years."

He also worked on many Movies of the Week, and orchestrated many specials, including the Academy Awards and the Emmys.

Cohen's first symphonic commission was "Columbia Suite for Orchestra." The threemovement composition was a tribute to the astronauts who lost their lives aboard the space shuttle Columbia. The premiere performance of the suite was by the Tifereth Israel Community Orchestra of San Diego in 2003.

Cohen was selected by writer/ director Steve Oedekerk ("Bruce Almighty," "Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius") to score "Santa vs. the Snowman 3D," the first animated feature in the IMAX 3-D process, which premiered in 2002.

Outside of his work in Hollywood, Cohen led his own 18piece big band, playing at venues throughout Los Angeles. He also worked for many years as a part-time band instructor at Agoura High School.

Tickets for the Kenny Ellis show are $36 and $18 for students and are available at The Canyon box office, or by calling (818) 8795016 or visiting TicketMaster.