It only took 40 years for guitarist Michael O’Neill to take time off from his stints with the likes of George Benson, Ronnie Foster and Barbara Streisand to release his own solo album and put together a few gigs to…
Category: Concert Reviews
****RINGER OF THE WEEK****Stephane Wrembel featuring Jean-Michel Pilc: Triptych Phase I, II, III
Just when you think you’ve pegged Stephane Wrembel, here he puts out three albums that are going to surprise you. He links up with pianist Jean-Michel P ilc, which make seem incongruous until you remember that all the French love…
Veronica Swift @ The Sun Rose 05.15.24
There’s an old adage, “you either build from your twenties, or recover from your twenties” The saying is fitting for Veronica Swift, who celebrated her 30th birthday on her second of four Wednesday residencies at the acoustically adroit Sun Rose.…
Tu-NER@The Baked Potato 04.11.24
While it is true that King Crimson has officially ended its reign, the ripple effect of Robert Fripp has been heard and felt most successfully by two bands created by touch guitarist Mark Reuter and Crimson alumnus drummer Pat Mastelotto.…
Steve Smith’s Vital Information @ The Baked Potato 05.04.24
Look, I’ve seen just about all the great drummers. Not Catlett, Jo or Philly Joe Jones, but definitely Rich, Roach, Cobham, Mason, La Barbera, Bellson and De Johnette, to just throw in a few names. What is it about Steve…
Ethan Iverson@Sam First Bar 04.05.24
Believe it or not, Ethan Iverson’s Friday night’s set with Peter Erskine/dr and Darek Oles/b was the first time the pianist has played in Los Angeles as a leader. He’s been here many instances with The Bad Plus and served…
Kandace Springs @ The Sun Rose 04.04.24
In this day of singers weaned on Auto-Tune, it’s rare to find a vocalist who not only sounds real, but sounds both relevant and invigorating. Kandace Springs, playing piano and keyboards while delivering music mostly from her most recent album…
Kirsten Edkins@The Baked Potato 03.18.24
Well, you may have heard in the news that there was a fire at The Baked Potato late Monday night. Contrary to rumor, the fire had nothing to do with the smoking hot set put aflame by saxist Kirsten Edkins…
Magos Herrera @ The Nimoy 03.09.24
The Saturday evening with vocalist Magos Herrera was less of a focus on song than that of celebration. Oh, don’t get me wrong; Ms Herrera’s 90 minute concert at the packed Nimoy Theater was filled with music, as she sang…
Ronnie Foster @ The Baked Potato 03.08.24
Back in the day, there were so many jazzers playing the Hammond B3 that you could throw a rock into a crowd in Westwood and probably hit one. These days, an artist who’s dedicated his whole career to the humming…