by Chris Moore

SCOTTSDALE – For five years now, the Arizona Women’s Partnership, Inc. has been eating, drinking and making merry music to help support the organization’s programs and various charities through its annual Wine, Women & Jazz  FUNdraising event.

This year, Solange Guerra, owner of Rio Sabor Brazil restaurant, is not only underwriting the event, but supplying the venue at her authentic churrascaria (Brazilian steakhouse) in Scottsdale, featuring fine wine and fun hors d’oeuvres on Sunday, May 28, from 4:30 to 7 p.m.

Rio Sabor Brazil will provide the food from their famous selection of rotisserie-prepared meats, other delicacies of South American cuisine, and special Brazilian desserts. The wines are from Talomas of the Central Valley in California (a partnership between California’s Robert Mondavi and Australia’s Rosemount Estate) and include a Chardonnay, a Syrah/Cabernet Savignon blend, and a Basket Press Syrah.

During the evening, a silent auction of more than 50 items including artwork, golf rounds, theater tickets, dinners, vacations, acupuncture, salon and spa treatments, gift certificates, wine (of course) and much more, will be auctioned off to benefit the Arizona Women’s Partnership and 10 selected charities that help women and children at risk.

Befitting the occasion, Governor Janet Napolitno and Scottsdale Mayor Mary Manross have proclaimed May 28 Arizona Women’s Partnership Day. So what better time to hit the town, have some fun, and support the partnership’s mission of promoting the status of Arizona women and empowering women’s grass roots organizations.

The jazz portion of the evening will showcase the smooth, evocative rhythms of the Divine Divas of Jazz, Margo Reed and Delphine Cortez.

Widely recognized as one of the premier jazz and blues singers in the Valley, Margo Reed has been performing in the Phoenix area and across the United States for more than 30 years. She was named Female Jazz Vocalist of the Year in 2000 by Arizona Jazz Magazine and inducted into the Arizona Blues Hall of Fame in 2004. Reed hosts a popular jam session at Kazimierz Wine Bar in Scottsdale every Monday. She also performs in Divas Concerts around the Valley with Blaise Lantana, Sherry Roberso, Nancy Gee and Delphine Cortez.

 While Reed has been compared to Billie Holiday and Bessie Smith, her partner for the Wine, Women & Jazz show this year, Delphine Cortez is often likened to Sarah Vaughan and Ella Fitzgerald. But it’s Cortez’s distinctive style and astounding range that set her apart from mainstream jazz singers, playing a major part in her popularity on the Valley music scene.

“There’ll be plenty of good wine,” says Paula Cullison, founder and president of Arizona Women’s Partnership, “plenty of good food, plenty of good jazz, and plenty of good times.”

Wine, Women & Jazz is Sunday, May 28, from 4:30 to 7 p.m. at Rio Sabor Brazil Restaurant, 10425 N. Scottsdale Rd. Tickets are $50 each ($65 at the door). AWP Good Fortune 500 status is available for $100, which includes a ticket, AWP certificate, music CD, and your name /business name listed in the program. For information, call (602) 863-9744 or visit www.azwp.org.