Celebrate the birth of cool in Ocala: The Reilly Noir series brings jazz and international headliners to performing arts center

Home » Arts & Entertainment

Posted December 17, 2021 | By Julie Garisto

The Reilly Arts Center’s new black box theater offers rentals by day and by night. And it is by night that the cool cats are coming out to enjoy the venue’s new Reilly Noir performance series.

Presenting a range of musical styles, from jazz bebop to eclectic combos, Reilly Noir in bringing a sophisticated edge to the recently revamped entertainment complex.

“It’s a really big black box as black box goes,” Scott Wilson, coordinator of the Noir series, said of new space.

“I thought it was going be really ‘boomy’ because of the concrete floors and sheer size of it, but the sound was just great. It was fantastically done because they have incredible curtains that they can draw or pull to create ideal acoustics,” Wilson noted.

The black box theater can accommodate cafe-style, rows or in-the-round seating arrangements as well as multimedia and standing-room-only events. The space has a capacity that ranges in crowd size from 75 to 100 for an intimate show to up to around 500 for a speaking engagement.

Last week, Wilson’s band, the Funk Allstars and the Pyramid Horns, sold out and inaugurated the space with brass-heavy hits by Chicago and Earth, Wind & Fire, among other funky favorites that brought the house down.

Wilson, a trumpeter and one of the foremost proponents of the electronic valve instrument (EVI), is director of jazz studies at the University of Florida. He assisted the Reilly Arts Center with a digital concert series during the recent shutdown for the renovation project and coordinated the Hippodrome Jazz Series in Gainesville. At UF, he developed a new Jazz minor and designed six new courses. He has also served as musical director for Universal Studios Japan.

The busy bandleader says he is particularly enthusiastic about the January Reilly Noir headliner, Juan Rollan. The saxophonist will recreate the seminal John Coltrane album, “A Love Supreme,” at 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 28.

“Rollan is one of my very favorite sax players in the world,” Wilson said. “And you’re talking to somebody who really knows almost all of them. It’s going to be an absolutely fantastic show and he’s going to bring the house down. I’ve seen this show before, which is another reason why I booked it.”

The jazzman isn’t exaggerating when he says he knows almost every major player. He served as the committee chairman for the Jazz Education Network national conference. Among his colleagues at UF are Latin Grammy recipients Jose Valentino and Silviu Ciulei. Also a UF guitar instructor, Ciulei performs in the Maharajah Flamenco Trio, which will headline the black box on Feb. 18.

Other acts to come include The Carlos Vizoso Band (March 12), Longineau Parsons (April 15) and the Global Jazz Collective, featuring both Wilson and Valentino (May 27).

The recent expansion of the Reilly included additions of a new lobby, a catering prep kitchen and studio and classroom spaces. The main theater is part of the original center, which served for years as the city auditorium. Both theater spaces can be rented for banquets, receptions, speaking engagements and community events.

“I’m excited about this space because it does offer the chance to experience music in arts in a different way,” said Reilly Arts Center Executive Director Pamela Calero Wardell of the black box theater. “I think it’s something that people in this town have been waiting for.”

Pamela’s husband and Reilly CEO/Artistic Director Matthew Wardell conducts the Ocala Symphony Orchestra. The busy civic leader has carved out time to earn his Ph.D. at the University of Florida, where he attracted the attention of fellow cultural steward Wilson.

“I’ve been following Matt Wardell’s incredible work as a doctoral student here at the University of Florida,” Wilson said. “Following him and then seeing what he has going on, I’ve discovered all that he and Pamela are doing in Ocala. I started going and attending some of their events and also played for one of their shows. I just couldn’t believe what they’ve developed here.”

For more information about the Reilly Noir series and other Reilly Arts Center events, visit reillyartscenter.com.