Category: Concert Reviews

Touring around in support of his latest release One Is The Other, veteran drummer Billy Hart filled the hip Blue Whale with his team of Ethan Iverson/p, Ben Street/b and Mark Turner/ts delivered material that mixed intriguing rhythms, melodies and…

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  There are certain images that come to your mind when you reflect on various pianists. With Oscar Peterson, there’s fervent swing; Cecil Taylor flashes wild experimentation while McCoy Tyner evokes intense penetration. The hour and a half solo performance…

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Yes, I know I just caught pianist Vardan Ovsepian with his chamber orchestra with vocalist Tatiana Parra, but this time the roles are reversed, and the band has  been filtered. Tatiana, just landed from her home country of Brazil a…

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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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