Hoagy Carmichael remembered

The son of a legend is in Bloomington tonight.\nMore than half a century ago, Hoagy Carmichael, Bloomington's famous singer, songwriter and pianist, made a name for himself at the forefront of America's jazz movement with songs like "Stardust" and "Georgia On My Mind."\nHis son Randy Carmichael will play piano tonight at Tutto Bene's wine café, 213 S. Rogers St., to raise public support for the Hoagy Carmichael Landmark Project, dedicated to placing a tribute to his father in People's Park on Kirkwood Avenue.\nDesigner/sculptor Michael McAuley heads the project and plans to see a life-size bronze sculpture of Hoagy at a grand piano resting in People's Park within a year.\n"There's nothing like this (tribute to Hoagy) in the world, believe it or not," said Chris Sturbaum, member of the project's core committee and vice president of the Bloomington Common Council.\nTonight's dinner-concert event kicks off a public effort to get Bloomington behind the project and to help cover costs as McAuley moves ahead with the sculpture. The effort will continue at noon Saturday at an unveiling of the sculpture design in People's Park, which will be free to the public.\nThe kick-off tonight has a full schedule of diverse musicians, from IU jazz students to old hands who played in Carmichael's era, McAuley said.\nAs Randy Carmichael takes his place at the piano, big names Al Cobine and Dominic Spera will join him on saxophone and trumpet. Local jazz artists Pat Harbison, Janice Jaffe and Karl Sturbaum will also perform for the benefit event.\nCobine, a composer and big-band leader, has played with Randy Carmichael before and welcomes another opportunity.\n"He'll enjoy doing it," said Cobine's wife Marian. "He's looking forward to it."\nA silent auction featuring items donated by various Bloomington art organizations will occur at the event, and McAuley, Sturbaum and Randy Carmichael will let the audience know more about the project, including a sneak peak at the sculpture design.\nThe benefit begins at 6:30 p.m., and anywhere from 150 to 200 people are expected to attend. With tickets selling for $50, the restaurant will be almost at maximum capacity.\nMayor Mark Kruzan -- and free pizza -- will greet gatherers Saturday in People's Park for the design unveiling. Those planning to stop by or just out for a Saturday stroll down Kirkwood Avenue will hear Harbison's trumpet tunes and find McAuley and Randy Carmichael on hand to tell people about the park's new face.\nThose closest to the project, sponsored by Jazz from Bloomington, share a passion for making Hoagy Carmichael's mark in history a permanent recognition for the whole community to see and be part of.\n"It's really such an exciting and needed recognition in our community that I wanted to be involved in seeing it through," said Linda Dausend, press contact for the Hoagy Project and member of Bloomington Symphony Orchestra.\n"It's long overdue, and we're excited to be launching it this week," she said.\nChris Sturbaum, who once walked Kirkwood as a student with Hoagy's tunes in his head, imagines people sitting down and taking pictures with the sculpture. \n"What's really important is getting the memory of Hoagy on the street like that," he said. \n-- Contact Staff Writer Jessica Wolfe at jelwolfe@indiana.edu.