Female Jazz Guitarist LaVerne Christie Passes Away

We are deeply saddened by the loss of a dear client and musician friend LaVerne Christie. We had the privilege of wor

king with LaVerne as her radio promoter and publicity agency. Her immense talent and beauty as a person shined through the minute you heard her music. Her gifts and talents will live on through video and recordings, the blessing she bestowed upon us in her short time here will always be treasured. It was an esteemed pleasure to know and work with LaVerne.

LAVERNE CHRISTIE LaVerne Christie, 64, passed away Sept. 24, 2010, peacefully in her sleep at her residence. She was born May 9, 1946, in Buffalo, N.Y., to Wilmer and Laverne Owens. She met Colin Christie in Buffalo, and they wed Sept. 3, 1966. Music was always a major part of her life, as she was a professional guitarist for the last 25 years. Most recently, she led the LaVerne Christie Jazz Trio, playing at local clubs, restaurants and corporate events. She is survived by her husband, Colin; daughters, Roxanne (Albert) Ornelas and Shelley Christie; and mother, Laverne Owens. There will be a visitation 2-5 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 29, with service following, both at Palm Mortuary, 7400 W. Cheyenne Ave. To hear LaVerne's music, please visit her website at www.lavernechristie.com

The LaVerne Christie Trio is a Las Vegas guitar-upright bass-drums group that plays jazz standards, tunes from Great American Songbook composers like Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Rodgers & Hart and Duke Ellington, and also the sounds of Brazil.

Guitarist LaVerne Christie has a background in classical guitar and has played everything from solo to combo to vocal a

ccompanist to big band in Minneapolis/St. Paul and the San Francisco Bay Area before moving to Las Vegas. She studied with classical master Jeffrey Van and jazz notables Mimi Fox and Randy Vincent. She received an advanced degree from the University of Minnesota and attended the Jazz School in Berkeley.

Drummer Mike Candito's vast array of accomplishments in fine arts, music, stage, radio, TV and film include stints with Stanley Turrentine, George Benson and Roberta Flack. Mike tours with 60s & 70s pop/rock icon Gary Puckett (Union Gap).

Bassist/cellist Mark Ruben has extensive credits in local musical theater including Guys and Dolls, Fiddler On the Roof, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and West Side Story. Mark is a relative newcomer to jazz but easily adapts to the unexpected.

The trio's CD, East of the Sun, West of the Moon, has enjoyed critical acclaim in national jazz publications and heavy airplay across the U.S. and Canada and is played locally on KUNV 91.5 FM. The title track was chosen for inclusion on the station's compilation CD and the group was invited to perform on TV for their Red Hot Jam celebration.

The group has a loyal local following from their long-standing weekly restaurant gigs. Other performances have included those at the Bellagio, the Venetian, the Foundation Room of the House of Blues (Mandalay Bay), the Stirling Club, the Bootlegger Bistro, the Marriott Hotel (Rampart Casino), the South Point Casino, Ovation at Green Valley Ranch, the Siena Golf Club, the Silverstone Country Club, Embassy Suites, the District and the Henderson ArtFest. The trio has given concerts at the Henderson Amphitheater and at the Reed Whipple Cultural Center in Las Vegas.

Click here for: The LaVerne Christie Trio - Online EPK