THE TOLEDO SHOW

The Toledo Show brings Toledo to Harvelle's Santa Monica for a late-night performance built around his singing, poetry, dance and choreography. The listing presents the show as a deliberately theatrical mix of spoken word and music, with Toledo as its central performer. Expect a set shaped by his smoky, soulful voice alongside funky bass lines, horns and stories that move between melody and verse.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Toledo began dancing at 15 and later worked as a dancer and choreographer with Janet Jackson, Sammy Davis, Jr., Paula Abdul, Diana Ross, Bonnie Raitt, Al Green, George Michael, Smokey Robinson and others. His choreography for Us3's “Cantaloup” video received an MTV Video Award nomination. He began his music career in the underground poetry circuit, improvising with artists including Angelo Moore of Fishbone, Trulio Disgracious and Macy Gray. The Los Angeles Times called him “The coolest Cat working in Hollywood,” while other notices describe a performer who has “learned from the best” and whose show is “top notch and really must be experienced.” His vocal style has been compared to Tom Waits, Marvin Gaye, Sly Stone and Barry White.