Category: Concert Reviews

This is going to take some faith, but at one time, jazz was actually so popular that albums would be multi-million sellers and bands could fill arenas like the Bowl. Here, let me pick you up from fainting… Don’t believe…

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I’m still not sure yet if Vardan Ovsepian is a master musician or chef. I’ve seen him over half a dozen times, and I’ve never been served the same meal by this concoctor of musical meals. Solo, trio, duets with…

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Few things celebrate America like its #1 Import, The Blues. The amazing ability of its attraction to all types of people from all walks of life was evident at the 25th Annual Cajun & Blues Festival in Simi Valley, CA.…

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If your idea of heaven is vintage bossa nova stirred and mixed like Jobim and Gilberto, then Bianca Rossini is the chef of your choice. She delivered a 75 minute set at Vitellos of samba sounds that mixed sensuality and style.…

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Guitarist Bill Frisell has performed four times previously at Santa Barbara’s Lobero theatre, and not only has he never repeated a composition, he’s never had the same band. Talk about improvisation in jazz! This time around, he’s exploring the songs and sounds of…

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Since leaving the chair as Wynton Marsalis’ sideman, pianist Eric Reed has carved an impressive niche by celebrating the music of the masters ranging from Monk to Ellington to the Great Church Songbook. This night at Catalina’s, brought together some…

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Vocalist Tierney Sutton has recorded tributes ranging from Sinatra to American folk music, but her latest venture into the music and worldview of Joni Mitchell seems like the perfect fit, as she showed to the appreciative crowd at Catalina’s Jazz…

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There has essentially been only one period in American history when the most popular music was also the best, during the 30s to the 50s, and Saturday night there was a celebration of one of the chief purveyors, Nat “King”…

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Violinist Regina Carter has explored her musical roots with albums dedicated to music from her mother’s era, her own upbringing in Detroit, and even her African heritage the past few years. This time around, she’s exploring the sounds and music…

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When she first stepped out in the early 90s, Diana Krall shifted the paradigm by bringing a younger audience back to the Great American Songbook and has influenced countless female vocalists in her wake. At this stage in her career,…

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