Let’s face it, most music is either about dancing or love. Returning to America after a too long hiatus, the swinging 5 piece Paris Combo mixed infectious and irresistible rhythms and melodies (guaranteed to get you to grab your partner)…
Category: Concert Reviews
Marcus Miller’s Tribute To Miles Davis with Wayne Shorter & Herbie Hancock@Disney Hall 04.22.13
Bassist Marcus Miller pointed out how quickly time marches on when he told the packed house at Disney Hall that the impetus for his concert tribute to Miles Davis was realizing that it’s been 20 years that his former boss…
Jimmy Cobb’s “So What” Band@CSUN 04.20.13
If jazz is “America’s Classical Music,” then Miles Davis’ 1959 album Kind of Blue has to be considered his 9th Symphony. As the only living member of that iconic session, 80 year old drummer Jimmy Cobb has been touring the…
Clarke/Corea/Gilmore Trio with Guest Hubie Laws@Catalina’s 03.10.13
If you had told me back in the fusion-dominated 70s, while I was sitting on my couch listening to my Return to Forever and Stanley Clarke School Days albums, that in two score years these same guys would be putting…
Ambrose Akinmusire Quintet@The Blue Whale 03.16.13
It’s quite intriguing how the music scene goes in cycles. As the Bible says, “He brings down one, and he brings up another.” Earlier this week LA hosted Wynton Marsalis, who 30+ years ago was the new kid on the…
Julian Lage Trio@The Blue Whale 03.14.13
What is it about guitarists? It’s like the Wild Wild West-as soon as a new gunslinger rolls into town, all of the established six shooters come to check him out. The Blue Whale was PACKED with not only fans, but…
Wynton Marsalis & the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra@Disney Hall 03.12.13
It seems that for every generation, God ordains a trumpeter to be jazz’s Ambassador to the world. In the past, we’ve had Satchmo and Dizzy being sponsored by the State Departments to spread the sonic joy, but with the federal…
Tord Gustavsen Quartet@SMBWC 03.05.13
When you think of Scandinavian jazz, blues and gospel are not the first things that pop into your mind. Yet, Tord Gustavsen brought his Quartet to the Santa Monica Bay Women’s Club and delivered a 90 minute concert that showed…
Chris Potter’s Quartet@Musician’s Institute 02.28.13
Here it is, only February, and already saxist Chris Potter has been in local gigs three different times. The first two had him as a partner with Pat Metheny, and then he formed part of the front line with the…
Kurt Rosenwinkel Quartet@Kirk Douglas Theatre 02.22.13
One of the true marks of an artist is that he’s grasped that golden ring of “having your own voice.” Guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel has developed a recording catalogue and touring career based on not only his unique approach to his…