Picks of the Week: Jan. 7 – 13

By Don Heckman

Los Angeles

Ariana Savalas

- Jan. 9.  (Wed.)  Ariana Savalas and Corky Hale.  Yes, the name “Savalas” is familiar; Ariana is the daughter of the veteran actor Telly Savalas.  But as a singer, she has an appealing style that is uniquely her own.  She’s backed by the musically supportive accompaniment of pianist/harpist Hale. Vibrato Grill Jazz…etc. (310) 474-9400.

- Jan. 9. (Wed.)  Betty Bryant.  Singer/pianist Betty Bryant gives another seminar in jazz piano and vocals, as entertaining and swinging as she is musically inventive.  H.O.M.E.  Beverly Hills.   (310) 271-4663.

- Jan. 9. (Wed.)  John Beasley.  Pianist/composer Beasely begins a January residency at the Blue Whale, starting with a duo with the unique vocalist Dwight Trible.  The Blue Whale.   (213) 620-0908.

- Jan. 10. (Thurs.) Gerald Wilson Orchestra. At 94, arranger/composer/bandleader Wilson still brings his Orchestra vividly to life everytime he gives the down beat on one of his memorable arrangements.  Catalina Bar & Grill.   (323) 466-2210.

Amadeus Leopold

- Jan. 10. (Thurs.)  Amadeus Leopold.  The brilliant young Korean violinist Leopold – whose original name was Hahn-Bin – applies his technical prowess and emotional imagination to a uniquely imaginative view of the classical repertoire.  CAP UCLA.  Royce Hall.

- Jan. 10. (Thurs.)  Ibrahim Maalouf Quintet. (Concert cancelled due to visa problems.) Lebanese trumpeter Maalouf effectively blends Arabic traditional sounds and rhythms with contemporary jazz funk and roots rock.  Theatre Raymond Kabbaz.  A Jazz Bakery Movable Feast.    (310) 271-9039.

- Jan. 11. (Fri.)  Sinne Eeg.  Highly praised Danish singer Eeg performs with the stellar backing of Larry Koonse, Peter Erskine, Darek Oles and Roger Neumann.  Vitello’s.    (818) 769-0905.

- Jan. 11. (Fri.)  Los Lobos. The multiple Grammy-winning band from East L.A. continues to continue to find linkages between Chicano rock, Tex-Mex, r&b and traditional Hispanic styles.  The Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts.    (562) 916-8501.

Lainie Kazan

- Jan. 11 – 13. (Fri. – Sun.)  Lainie Kazan.  Actress/singer Kazan’s checkered career reaches from understudying Barbra Streisand in Funny Girl to dozens of high visibility film roles.  But she’s also a uniquely gifted singer with a lush sound and a gift for richly emotional interpretations of the book of standards.  Catalina Bar & Grill.   (323) 466-2210.

- Jan. 12 & 13. (Sat. & Sun.)  Steve Ross.  Puttin’ on the Ritz.  “The Music of Fred Astaire.  Singer Ross presents a cabaret show to remember, with some of the greatest songs from film musicals.  Vitello’s.    (818) 769-0905.

Curtis Stigers

- Jan. 13. (Sun.)  Curtis Stigers & His Band.  Saxophonist/singer Stigers has spent most of his career emphasizing his vocal skills, producing some memorable, jazz-tinged, charting songs since the release of his self-titled, platinum debut recording in 1991.  Kirk Douglas Theatre.  A Jazz Bakery Movable Feast.    (310) 271-9039.

- Jan. 13. (Sun.)  Monterey Jazz Festival on Tour.  The MJF prides itself on the iconic line up of performers for the annual September Festival programs.  And here’s an equally iconic group of artists – Dee Dee Bridgewater, Christian McBride, Benny Green, Lewis Nash, Chris Potter and Ambrose Akinmusire – proudly carrying the MJF banner in the off season.  Segerstrom Center for the Arts.    (714) 556-2787.   (The Monterey Jazz Festival on Tour also performs at the Valley Performing Arts Center on Jan. 23.

San Francisco

Wesla Whitfield

- Jan. 9. (Wed.)  Wesla Whitfield with the Mike Greensil Trio.  Whitfield has been offering her view of the Great American Songbook for more than three decades, most often with the backing of her husband, pianist Greensil.  Together they provide an irresistible evening of memorable music.Yoshi’s Oakland.    (510) 238-9200.

New York

- Jan. 10.  (Thurs.) Janis Ian.  Singer/songwriter Ian made her breakthrough with “Society’s Child” in the mid-‘60s, followed by her Grammy Award-winning “At Seventeen” in the mid-‘70s.  At 81, she’s still going strong.  City Winery.    (212) 608-0555.

- Jan. 11 & 12. (Fri. & Sat.)  The 2013 NYC Winter Jazzfest.  Six venues around Greenwich Village feature performers such as James Carter, Monty Alexander, Claudia Acuna, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Rez Abbasi and numerous others, young and mature.  The Winter Jazzfest.

Carol Welsman, Peter Marshall and Denise Donatelli

- Jan. 11 – 14. (Fri. – Mon.) “And Then She Wrote.”  With Peter Marshall, Carol Welsman and Denise Donatelli.  Emmy Award-winner singer/actor Marshall has created an entertaining overview of the many memorable songs in the Great American Songbook written by women.  And he couldn’t have chosen a better pair of singers to join him in a delightful evening of music, dance and humor than Juno Award nominee Welsman and Grammy nominee Donatelli.   Click HERE to read an iRoM review of the Los Angeles performance of “And Then She Wrote.“  The Metropolitan Room.   (212) 206-0440.

- Jan. 12 & 13. (Sat. & Sun.)  Ramsey Lewis and John Pizzarelli.  Straighten Up and Fly Right: A Tribute to Nat “King” Cole.  What a great combination: the spirited piano work of Lewis, the lively singing and guitar of Pizzarelli, and the great book of songs associated with Nat Cole.  The Blue Note.   (212) 475-8592.

Washington D.C.

Grace Kelly

- Jan. 8. (Tues.)  Grace Kelly.  Korean/American alto saxophonist and singer Kelly, who just turned 20 in 2012, has firmly established herself as one of the gifted jazz artists of her generation.  Blues Alley.     (202) 337-4141.

London

- Jan. 9 & 10.  (Wed, & Thurs.)  Larry Goldings, Peter Bernstein and Bill Stewart.  Described in the ‘90s by the New York Times as the “best organ trio of the last decade,” the Goldings/Bernstein/Stewart combination continues to get better and better.  Ronnie Scott’s.   +44 (0)20 7439 0747.

Copenhagen

- Jan. 10 & 11. (Thurs. & Fri.)  “A Tribute to Anita O’Day.”   Signe Juhl and the Nikolaj Bentzon 3. Singer Juhl, backed by pianist Bentzon’s prime trio, celebrates the lively musical history of Anita O’Day.  Jazzhus Montmartre.    (+45) 70 263 267.

Milan

- Jan. 11 & 12. (Fri. & Sat.)  Tania Maria.  Grammy-nominated Brazilian singer/pianist and composer has been described as Brazil’s finest native jazz artist.  At 64, she continues to produce memorable recordings and live performances.  The Blue Note Milano.     02.6901 6888.

Live Music: 2012 in Review

By Michael Katz

Los Angeles, CA.  Looking back over the year’s worth of live performances I covered, mostly in jazz, is a bittersweet experience. There are surely enough terrific moments to fill a column, but in a city with L.A.’s diversity of talent, you can’t help wishing for more. Our club scene is struggling, with only Catalina Bar & Grill consistently booking major touring acts for extended stays. In the Valley, Vitello’s  has done a nice job of showcasing the best of our local talent and the occasional national stars, and downtown the Blue Whale has presented an intriguing mix of fresh talent and local mainstays. As for the Westside, the best news was that the light rail Metro Line finally made it to Culver City.

Now, if I could only get to Culver City.

On the concert side, the Hollywood Bowl brought lots of talent to its band shell on summer Wednesday evenings, mostly in combinations for retro theme nights, but its directors don’t  seem to trust anyone on the current scene to headline a show. UCLA Live (newly renamed the Center For The Art of Performance) presented an eclectic program that included the Mingus Dynasty septet, Bill Frisell and Hugh Masekela.

How anybody finds out about this music is another problem. (Unless, of course, you visit iRoM). Our local newspaper covers only a scant sampling of the jazz spectrum, while our jazz radio station has narrowed its daily programming range to the Old, the Dead and the Smooth.

But enough grumbling. Here’s a few of the superb performances that still resonated in my mind, months after the last note had died out.

Dee Dee Bridgewater

I never saw a full set of Dee Dee Bridgewater, but when she stepped onto the stage of the Hollywood Bowl during the Ray Charles tribute last summer, she simply took over.  She began with “Hallelujah I Love Him So,” backed up by the great Houston Person and finished with “I Got News For You,” her ringing, soulful vocals augmented by Terence Blanchard and George Duke. A few months later I caught her in the closing set of the Monterey Jazz Festival with an all-star group that featured Christian McBride, Benny Green, Ambrose Akinmusire, Lewis Nash and Chris Potter . She opened the set in a nimble duet with McBride on “Do What You Want To Do” and brought the crowd to pin drop silence with “Don’t Explain.” This group will be at the Valley Performing Art Center on January 23, so don’t miss them.

Arturo Sandoval

I saw a number of outstanding big bands this year, but the most memorable was led by Arturo Sandoval, in support of Dear Diz, his Grammy nominated CD and my favorite disc of the year. I caught them at The Federal, which hopefully will expand its presentation of jazz in 2013. Sandoval is clearly one of the world’s elite trumpet players, his tones piercing and his leadership swinging and joyful. His collection of mostly Dizzy Gillespie tunes featured sharp new arrangements, including a wonderful take on “Bee Bop” by Gordon Goodwin and a rollicking “Night In Tunisia.”

John Pisano

LA is the home of some of the world’s great guitarists, and I was lucky enough to catch a few of them live. At the top of the list is John Pisano’s Guitar Night. He keeps moving it farther away from my digs on the Westside, but I did manage to catch one of his last shows at Vitello’s with Anthony Wilson. Watching the two of them riff through two sets, testing their imaginations and dancing around familiar standards  reminded me that Guitar Night remains one of LA’s great treats.  I hereby resolve to make it out to Lucy’s 51 in Toluca Lake to see Pisano and friends in 2013.

Dori Caymmi

Meanwhile, there were other great guitarists, including Dori Caymmi presenting a night of Brazilian music at the Kirk Douglas Theatre, in what we hope is a prequel to the new Jazz Bakery, still in the planning stages next door. For jazz deprived Westsiders, it cannot come soon enough.  Pat Metheny played two sets at the Monterey Jazz Festival, my favorite being a trio performance with bassist McBride and percussionist Jack DeJohnette.  And then there was Mimi Fox, who we don’t hear nearly enough of, doing a lovely Saturday matinee duet at MJF with flutist Ali Ryerson.

Mads Tolling

As usual there were some unheralded performers that caught my attention. Here’s to a couple of fiddlers: Sara Watkins and Mads Tolling. Watkins, late of Nickel Creek, shone during an LA performance of Prairie Home Companion, dueting with host Garrison Keillor on “Let It Be Me” as they strolled through the crowd, and later burning it up in a fiddle showdown with Richard Kriehn. Tolling, a veteran of the Turtle Island Quartet, fronted his own group on Sunday afternoon at the Garden Stage at MJF. Whether plucking in tandem with his guitarist or racing through a tribute to Jean Luc Ponty, Tolling was a revelation. His live CD, A Celebration of Jean Luc Ponty, was another of my favorite discs.

Monterey, as usual, had lots of highlights for me, including some wonderful trio work by pianist Mulgrew Miller, a rousing vocal performance by Gregory Porter and a Cal Tjader tribute led by pianist Michael Wolff, featuring Warren Wolf on vibes.

Luciana Souza

And finally, there was Luciana Souza, opening the season at the Broad Stage in Santa Monica, singing warm renditions from her two CDs that would later be nominated for Grammys, Duos 3 and The Book of Chet.

So what are my resolutions for 2013? For one, I resolve to catch Gustavo Dudamel leading the LA Phil at the Hollywood Bowl. For another, I resolve to brave the traffic (and the absence of chairs) at the Blue Whale and see what is happening downtown. And finally, it is long past time for me to get to New York and check out the great jazz scene there. Perhaps if we can avoid the fiscal cliff, I can get some federal funding for a trip East. Sort of a reverse Lewis and Clark Expedition culminating in a week or so in the Big Apple. I plan to get it tacked on to an appropriations bill. I’m sure no one will notice.

Happy New Year to all.

To read more iRoM reviews and posts by Michael Katz click HERE.

Click HERE to visit Michael Katz’s personal blog, Katz of the Day.

Arturo Sandoval and John Pisano photos by Bob Barry. 

Meshell Ndegeocello and James Blood Ulmer at Royce Hall

By Mike Finkelstein

Westwood, CA.  On Friday night at Royce Hall, CAP UCLA presented a very attractive double bill featuring Meshell Ndegeocello and James Blood Ulmer (backed by Memphis Blood and Vernon Reid).   Although the floor level of Royce Hall was mostly full and the upper level was closed, the people who came to Westwood were fired up for the show.   The evening featured many covers of familiar songs done in a most appealing array of new styles.

Ndegeocello’s set was one that demanded we watch carefully. Her band was only three pieces: guitar, drums, keys, and she plays bass and piano.  Often, she didn’t pick her instrument up, so as to concentrate on singing.  Her music was delivered with expressive subtlety.    Each player in MN’s band had an approach to their instrument and to its part in the arrangement that was just a little different than most. For this reason, they tended to gel when interpreting other people’s music.

Meshell Ndegeocello

Ndegeocello and her band put out a captivatingly sparse, layered sound.  And less really is more in a space like Royce Hall, because of the great acoustics that let the sound breathe quite a bit.

Guitarist Chris Bruce took a stance facing mostly across the stage towards MN and rotated between acoustic and electric guitar.  His parts were clean and provided a real shimmer to the mix.  At times he used some unorthodox intervals and even some chordal trills to nice effect.   He didn’t have to fill a large section of the sonic picture because keyboardist Jebin Bruni filled much of it with swirling washes of sound from a fairly simple keyboard setup.   He supplied a big bottom end and his sound seemed to wash through the place like a waterfall or a fountain.

Perhaps the most intriguing guy on the stage was drummer Deantoni Parks.   He was a visual presence behind a muted set of drums with the heads covered by cloth.  He played sparsely to great effect, but he put body language into the dynamics of his parts, selling the performance this way.  At times he would tickle the cymbals with his fingernails or tap the cymbal rims with the side of his drumstick for a muted effect.   And in terms of his bottom end it seemed that for much of the evening the floor tom was driving the percussion by design.

Ndegeocello’s latest release is Pour Une Âme Souveraine: 
A Dedication To Nina Simone.  This album supplied the bulk of the night’s program and it was fascinating to hear where MN and the band would take these songs that Nina Simone (whom MN referred to as “she”) had inspired her with.

“Real Real” was written by Simone and combined a cheerful set of chords with a whispered huskiness in MN’s vocal.   It was a jewel of a performance and hearing a song like this for the first time implores a person to learn as much as possible about it.

“Either Way I Lose,” is a Van McCoy song (yep, same guy who wrote “The Hustle”) that was delivered in ‘50s style, evoking doo wop but bringing out the sweet side of Ndegeocello’s huskiness and embellishing the arrangement with bright guitar chords.

In the hands of Ndegeocello and the band, Leonard Cohen’s “Suzanne” got a busier, funky feel, and simple tasteful embellishments from Bruce and Bruni.  Set against MN’s lovely contemplative vocal the song took on a flourishing new sound.   While they changed the rhythm and the melody, they left enough of the structure of the song to pull us in and listen to it morph into something new.

“Four Women,”  was another one of those special performances where the song, as much as the singer, stops the world for several minutes.   It’s also a Nina Simone original but Ndegeocello and her band have slowed it down and drawn out its basic motion into a hauntingly beautiful look at the lives of four women.   MN’s simple but beguiling bass line is powerful in its simplicity.  What a pleasure it was to take in and savor the slow ominous tone of this piece.

James Blood Ulmer

The show was opened by James Blood Ulmer and Memphis Blood, featuring Vernon Reid.   Reid and Ulmer are a contrast in styles but they sound great together because of it.  Dressed in black and white with a felt hat, Reid, who led Living Colour more than twenty years ago, is a shredder and uses a modern compressed sound.   Ulmer, a longtime collaborator with Ornette Coleman, came on after the warm up jam in a bright red suit and a knit cap.  Hunching over his old Gibson jazz box tuned to an open chord, he played one of the scratchier styles of guitar you’ll ever hear, dry and unprocessed as it could be.

Memphis Blood (Charles Burnham,violin, Leon Gruenbaum, keyboards, David Barnes, harmonica, Mark Peterson, bass, Aubrey Doyle, drums) featured a lot of interplay, but the blend of harmonica and violin over the organ put their stamp on many of their phrases.   These guys, too, were such good players that they could take a number of ubiquitous blues and r & b tunes and rearrange them into something different and beautiful.

The Blood set-list featured songs like “Spoonful,” “I Just Want To Make Love To You,” “Little Red Rooster,” and “Money,” but not one of them resembled the rock versions we all know best through cultural osmosis.  Chords, lead-ins, and chicken scratching fiddles were added but the lyrics were there to guide us. By customizing these songs so well, Memphis Blood gave us a glimpse of the possibilities still within them.

Friday night’s show was a good reminder of why people thrive through playing and listening to live music.   You just never know when something ordinary may become something much improved and reborn with a few nice tweaks.  And it sure is fun to hear it when it happens.

To read more reviews and posts by Mike Finkelstein click HERE.

Picks of the Week: Nov. 7 – 11

By Don Heckman

Los Angeles

Nov. 7. (Wed.)  John Proulx CD Release Party.  Pianist/singer Proulx celebrates the release of his new CD, The Best Thing For You,  In addition to a stellar back up band, Proulx’s guest artists include singer Sara Gazarek and pianist Bill Cunliffe. Catalina Bar & Grill.   (323) 466-2210.

Jimmy Heath

- Nov. 8. (Thurs.) Jimmy Heath Master Class.  Saxophonist and NEA Jazz Master Heath has performed with virtually every jazz great since Dizzy Gillespie.  Here he appears in a Master Class at Popper Hall, presented by the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music. Heath will also perform and sign his autobiography after the class.  If you’d like to attend, RSVP at info@monkinstitute.org.

- Nov. 8. (Thurs.)  Rick Braun CD Release Party.  Trumpeter Braun has been building a following of his melodic style since the release of his first album two decades ago.  But only recently has he begun to showcase attractive singing, as well.  He’ll feature selections from his latest CD, Swingin’ in the Snow with his band and a string quartet.    Vitello’s.   (818) 769-0905.

- Nov. 8. (Thurs.) Pat Senatore.  Bassist Pat Senatore has a busy schedule at Vibrato planning, booking, and often playing in the elegant room’s diverse bookings.  But this time he steps in front, leading his own group, featuring Dayna Stevens on tenor saxophone and Dan Schnell on drums.  Vibrato Grill Jazz…etc.   (310) 474-9400.

- Nov. 8 & 9. (Thurs. & Fri.)  Badeya Baby!  Allee Willis’ interactive tour de force, combining her work as a songwriter, artist, multi-mediaist, director and party thrower in an evening of ultimate entertainment.  Call it a Happening.  NoHoPAC, the North Hollywood Performing Arts Center.    (818) 763-00086.

Nov. 9. (Fri.)  Grupo Fantasma.  With special guests Chicha Libre. A pair of contemporary Latin bands, covering everything from Grammy-winning Grupo Fantasma’s Latin funk to Chicha Libre’s crossover Latin pop rhythms.  CAP UCLA Royce Hall.    (310) 825-2101.

- Nov. 9. (Fri.)  “The Gathering”  The Clayton Bros. Quintet.  And a fine Clayton family gathering it is, with brothers John (bass), Jeff (alto saxophone) and pianist son (of John), Gerald Clayton.  Trumpeter Terrell Stafford and drummer Obed Calvaire add first rate support.  A Jazz Bakery Movable Feast at the Musicians Institute Concert Hall.  (310) 271-9039.  http://jazzbakery.org

Arturo Sandoval

Nov. 9 & 10. (Fri. & Sat.)  Arturo Sandoval Big Band.  Multi-talented Sandoval, who moves easily from superb trumpet playing to stylish piano playing, drumming and singing, showcases his many skills in a big band setting. Catalina Bar & Grill.   (323) 466-2210.

- Nov. 10. (Sat.)  Billy Childs Electric Quartet.  Here’s an intriguing musical experience with yet another of the Childs creative ensembles: with Childs, piano, Bob Sheppard, saxes and flute, Jimmy Johnson, electric bass, and Joey Heredia, drums. Vitello’s.   (818) 769-0905.

- Nov. 10. (Sat.)  The Rossetti String Quartet.  Described as a “vital force among chamber ensembles,” the Rossetti players celebrate an exhibition of the Photographs of Ray K. Metzger.  The program includes works by Haydn, Beethoven and Shostakovitch.  Harold Williams Auditorium at The Getty Center.   (310)440-73100.

- Nov. 10. (Sat.) Chucho Valdes.  Multi-Grammy Award winning pianist/composer Valdes has been described – accurately — by the New York Times as one of the world’s great virtuosic pianists.”  Luckman Fine Arts Complex.   (323) 343-6600.

Nov. 10 and 11. (Sat. and Sun.)  Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra.  The gifted players of the LACO perform a far-ranging program, reaching from Beethoven’s early Sympohony No. 2 and Elgar’s Introduction and Allegro for Strings to the premiere of Benjamin Wallfisch’s Violin Concerto, commissioned especially for (and performed by) the LACO’s Tereza Stanislav.  Sat. at the Alex Theatre.  Sunday at Royce Hall.  The Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra.    (213) 622-7001.

Roberta Donnay

Nov. 11. (Sun.)  Roberta Donnay.  A singer who always charts her own musical path, Donnay celebrates the release of her new CD, A Little Sugar, cruising through the music of the ‘20s and ‘30s with her Prohibition Mob Band.  Catalina Bar & Grill.   (323) 466-2210.

Santa Cruz

- Nov. 9 (Fri.) An Evening with Van Dyke Parks.  A rare opportunity to experience some up close music-making from one of the imaginative pop composer/producers of the ‘60s and ‘’70s and beyond.  Kuumbwa.    (831) 427-2227.

Chicago

- Nov. 8 – 11. (Thurs. – Sun.) Joey De Francesco Trio.  Organ Trio jazz doesn’t get any better than the musically adept, hard swinging organ work of De Francesco.  With luck, maybe he’ll demonstrate his impressive skills as a trumpeter, as well.  Jazz Showcase.  (312) 360-0234.

New York

- Nov. 7 – 11. (Wed. – Sun.)  The Django Reinhardt Festival.  Dorado Schmitt with 3 sons and various cousins celebrate the Reinhardt lineage of ever-swinging gypsy jazz via “A Family Affair.”  Birdland.     (212) 581-3080.

- Nov. 8 – 11. (Thurs. – Sun.)  Ellis Marsalis Quartet. The patriarch of the Marsalis family of New Orleans, pianist Marsalis displays the well-founded jazz styles that had a powerful impact upon his successful musical offspring.  The Blue Note.     (212) 475-8592.

- Nov. 10 & 11. (Sat. & Sun.)  The Billy Cox Band of Gypsys Experience.  Bassist Cox worked with Jimi Hendirx in both the Hendrix Experience and the Band of Gypsys.  Since then, he’s worked with the Hendrix family, helping to keep the tradition alive.  He’ll be joined by guitarists Steve Stevens and Eric Gales.  The Iridium.   (212) 582-2121.

London

Vinicius Cantuaria

- Nov. 7. (Wed.)  Vinicius Cantuaria Quartet.  Brazilian singer/guitarist Cantuaria applies his early skills as a percussionist, bringing irresistibly appealing rhythmic undercurrents  to his singing and guitar playing.  Tickets may be hard to find, but well worth the effort.   Ronnie Scott’s.

Paris

- Nov. 7. (Wed.)  Jose James Quintet. Since the 2008 release of his debut album, The Dreamer, vocalist James has been carving a unique musical path from hip-hop through jazz.  New Morning.    01 45 23 51 41.

Berlin

- Nov. 9. (Fri.)  Christian Scott Quintet.  Grammy-nominated trumpeter Scott, still in his ‘20s has thoroughly established himself as one of the vital jazz artists of his generation.  A-Trane.    030 / 313 25 50.

Copenhagen

- Nov. 8. (Thurs.)  Makiko Hirabayashi Trio.  A truly international jazz trio, with the playing of Hirabayashi, piano, Marilyn Mazur, percussion and Klavs Hovman, bass moving convincingly across the full range of contemporary jazz.  Jazzhus Montmartre.     (+45) 70 15 65 65.

Milan

-  Nov. 8. (Thurs.)  Take 6.  A capella music of every imaginable style doesn’t get any better than the singing of this remarkably gifted ensemble.  It’s early in the holiday season, but hopefully they’ll perform some of their marvelous Christmas specials.  Blue Note Milano.   02.69016888.

Tokyo

McCoy Tyner

- Nov. 7 – 10. (Wed. – Sat.)  McCoy Tyner Trio with special guest Gary Bartz. Pianist McCyner has been demonstrating his skills at working with adventurous saxophonists since his ‘60s tenure with John Coltane.  This time out, he’s in league with a similarly inventive artist in Bartz.   Blue Note Tokyo.   03.5485.0088.

Picks of the Week: Oct. 31 – Nov. 4

By Don Heckman

Los Angeles

Bob Sheppard

- Oct. 31. (Wed.)  Bob Sheppard and Friends.  Halloween Party and Jam.  With Larry Koonse, guitar, Dave Robaire, bass, Charles Ruggiero, drums.  Wear a Halloween costume and get in free.  Vitello’s.    (818) 769-0905.

-  Nov. 2. (Fri.)  David Grisman Sextet.  Special guest David Lindley. Mandolin virtuoso Grisman, moving easily across styles and genres, teams up with similarly eclectic string player Lindley.  A CAP UCLA concert at Royce Hall.   (31) 825-2101.

- Nov. 2. (Fri.) Ballet Folklorico de Mexico de Amalia Hernandez.  Traditional folk music and dance from the rich cultural traditions of Mexico, presented in colorful costumes.  The Valley Performing Arts Center.    (818) 677-3000 Also on Sat. Nov. 3.  (562) 916-8501.

Bill Holman

- Nov. 2. (Fri.)  Bill Holman Big Band.  Holman’s imaginative big band arrangements have been influencing young musicians since the ‘50s.  Hear them live and up close in a great listening room.  Vitello’s.   (818) 769-0905.

- Nov. 2 – 4 (Fri. – Sun.)  Kenny Burrell Quintet.  Veteran guitarist Burrell takes a break from his responsibilities at the UCLA jazz program to display his potent playing talents.  Catalina Bar & Grill.    (323) 466-2210.

Betty Bryant

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- Nov. 4. (Sun.)  Betty Bryant’s Birthday Brunch.  She may be celebrating a birthday in her eighties, but pianist/singer Bryant is still setting examples for jazz singing at its best.    Catalina Bar & Grill.  .   (323) 466-2210.

- Nov. 4. (Sun.)  Llew Matthews and Pat Senatore Duo.  A pair of versatile jazz artists team up for an evening of improvisation, swing and balladry.  Vibrato Grill Jazz…etc.     (310) 474-9400.

San Francisco

- Nov. 4. (Sun.)  Orquesta Aragon. More than 70 years after they were founded as a danzon ensemble, Orquesta Aragon continues to record and perform in classic Cuban fashion.   An SFJAZZ Concert at the Palace of Fine Arts Theatre.    (866) 920-5299.

Washington D.C.

- Nov. 1 – 4.  (Thurs. – Sun.)  Roberta Gambarini. At her best – which is basically in every performance – Gambarini is doing a convincing job of defining the best in contemporary jazz vocalizing. Click HERE to read a recent kRoM review of Gambarini.   Blues Alley.    (202) 337-4141.

New York

Anat Cohen

- Nov. 2 & 3. (Fri. & Sat.)  Anat Cohen with Falafel, Freilach & Frijoles – From Mambo to Borscht. Clarinetist Cohen and percussionist Benny Koonyevsky join the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra in a musical exploration of the cultural relationships between the Jewish and the Hispanic communities.  Symphony Space.  (212) 864-5400.

- Nov. 2 – 7. (Fri. – Wed.)  The Chick Corea & Stanley Clarke Band.  With Ravi Coltrane, saxophone and Marcus Gilmore, drums.  To call this ensemble an all-star band still wouldn’t quite identify the extraordinary quality of the music they make together.  The Blue Note.    (212) 475-8592.

- Oct. 31 – Nov. 3. (Wed. – Sat.)  Lee Konitz Quartet.  Into his eighties, a significant force on the jazz alto saxophone since the late ‘40s, Konitz continues to maintain the gifted, individuality he has expressed for his entire, remarkable career.  Birdland.   (212)581-3080.

Copenhagen

Vini Iuel

- Nov. 1. (Thurs.)  Vini Iuel sings Jobim.  Danish singer Iuel, backed by pianist Thomas Clausen and bassist Mads Vinding, brings the warm rhythms of Brazil to Denmark just before the arrival of winter.  Making the music even more convincing, she’s invited Brazilian singer/percussionist Robertino Silva to join the celebration.   Jazzhus Montmartre.    (+45) 70 15 65 65.

Milan

- Nov. 2. (Fri.)  Jacky Terrasson.  French-born pianist Terrasson has thoroughly established his credentials as a world class jazz artist.  Blue Note Milano.   02.6901 6888.

Bill Holman photo by Lesley Bohm.

 

Live Music: Sally Kellerman at Vitello’s

By Don Heckman

Sally Kellerman started her set Wednesday night at Vitello’s with a gesture toward the season.  Stalking on stage in an all black outfit, she held up her cape and serenaded the packed house crowd with “I Put A Spell On You.”  (All of which she enhanced by sitting in a director’s chair labeled “Live Virgin,” next to a plastic Jack-o-lantern on a stool.)

Sally Kellerman and bassist Lyman Medeiros

Predictably, for anyone who’s heard and seen Sally in action, “I PUt A Spell On You” perfectly indicated what would happen in the next hour and a half or so.  Even when she’s not doing a mini-Halloween celebration, Sally’s performances are all utterly mesmerizing, overflowing with humor, atmosphere and musicality.

And this performance was no exception, despite the fact that she repeated some of the material that she’s been doing regularly over the past few years.  But no problem there.  Hearing (and seeing) Sally wrap up her set with “Don’t You Feel My Leg” is only one of the many pleasures she offers.

There were other repeated tunes: the combining of a pair of Bacharach/David hits, “Walk On By” and “The Look of Love”; “Love Potion #9”; “Sugar In My Bowl”; “The Lies of Handsome Men.”  And there were more, including James Taylor’s “Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight” and “I’ve Got A Crush On You,” rendered as Sally strolled seductively through the audience, dispensing foil-wrapped chocolate candy balls.

Sally Kellerman

And what became crystal clear – in these repeated numbers, as well as such newer items in the Kellerman catalog as “Black Coffee” and the Hall & Oates “Say It Isn’t So” — was the utterly appropriate believability that Sally brought to each of her interpretations.

Yes, she’s an experienced actress as well as a singer, but it wasn’t just theatrical skills that she brought to her songs, as she moved with consummate ease across a stunning gamut of musical emotions.  Some were hilarious – as when she wound up singing one of the songs while reclining on the floor.  Others had the bold and brassy touch of a blues singer.  And still others had the intimacy of expressive whispers in one’s ear.

In addition to the older blues-oriented tunes, Sally’s set was enriched by songs from the ‘60s and ‘70s, done in her own fashion.  And one couldn’t help but speculate that a recording devoted to material from the period could help bring Sally’s inimitable talents to an audience that still thinks of her as Hot Lips. Even though she is much more.  At her best, and in a crowded female vocal field, she is one of the rare true originals.

A final gesture of applause for the superb backing provided by pianist Ed Martel, bassist Lyman Medeiros and Dick Weller, drums.  And a special nod to Martel, who is also Sally’s music director, for the subtle, always appropriate arrangement support.

Photos by Faith Frenz.

Live Music: Paul Weller at the Greek Theatre

By Mike Finkelstein

As last week passed by I felt my anticipation build for Paul Weller‘s show at the Greek Theatre Friday night. Weller is a legendary performer, collaborator and a revered influence on the English and Continental popular music scene since the late ‘70’s.    Curiously, he has never come to much commercial prominence in the US.   He has been more of a cult figure here, and those who were digging below the surface layer of FM radio for their music in the ‘70’s and ‘80’s know and stand with his work. I realized I would probably not recognize many of his tunes by name, but I understood that Weller doesn’t perform in LA very often so that this was surely one must-see gig.

Paul Weller began his career as a bit of a throwback, starting The Jam as a dyed-in-the-wool Mod several years after the Mod movement had pretty much fizzled in England.   But the Jam caught on big in the U.K., straddling the line between new wave and the hard edge of punk music.  They caught the ear of bands like the Clash as they were both coming up and even toured with them.   In classic Mod style they set themselves apart by dressing in sharp suits with tight haircuts and playing super crisp, concise energized pop hits.  Drawing on influences from the Beatles, Small Faces, and the Who to West Indian ska and American soul singers, Weller’s songwriting prowess grew steadily.   He next formed the Style Council in the mid ‘80’s, and continued to rack up the hits.  But still, not much happened in the US mainstream.   Here in LA, if you weren’t listening to KROQ or reading about what was going on elsewhere, you wouldn’t likely have heard from Weller.   Weller’s solo career is over ten albums long now.

On Friday there were quite a few English accents to be heard in the audience as well as a noticeable row of stylish Vespa and Lambretta scooters parked outside the Greek.  It was a Mod event, which made for some good people watching.  Although the Greek was perhaps 80% full, the crowd knew the music and many dressed the part.

Hitting the stage in dyed blonde hair, stylish jeans, a button down knit shirt, and a double-breasted jacket, Weller and the band had an updated bit of the Miami Vice look going for their outdoor show in LA.

Paul Weller

Beginning with Style Council’s “My Ever Changing Moods” and cycling through a well-paced balance of his material, this show was all about letting the music do the talking.   He and his band — including Steve Cradock – guitar , Steve Pilgrim – drums, Andy Lewis – bass, and Andy Crofts – keys — played four songs from the Jam (“Just Who is the 5 O’clock Hero?” “Carnation,” “Start!” “Strange Town”) and four more from the Style Council catalogues ( “MECM” “The Cost of Living,” “Long Hot Summer,” and “Shout To The Top”), with the rest of the set drawn from his solo career.

Even to my uninitiated ears, I could hear the progression in his songwriting and arrangements from the tightly wound conciseness of the Jam numbers, to airing the arrangements out for a smoother more soulful feel on the Style Council songs.   His solo material gave stylistic nods to his past but also gave us some gorgeous moments of stretching out musically.   There was no better of example of this than the beguiling “You Do Something to Me,” which featured Weller on piano and singing slow, powerfully, and convincingly.   Towards the end of this song and several others, like “Carnation,” and  “Foot of the Mountain,” the guitars were brought out above the mix and really allowed to dance.   Both guitarists favored a refreshingly clean, shimmering sound bathed in reverb and delay.   Their approach to the vibrato arm was also noteworthy.  Instead of dive bombing with the low strings, as many modern players do, they chose to waver and slur their entire chords gorgeously, nodding to a style of electric guitar rooted in Duane Eddy, surf, and country music.  Subtle as the effect was, it added layers of cool to the sound.

Weller’s voice is its own versatile entity.  Depending on what any phrase of a song might require we could hear him touching on David Bowie’s low spoken murmurs, Joe Strummer’s boom over the loud parts, and at several times you would swear that it was a young Elvis Costello behind the mic.   His ability to choose the spots to change his voice on a dime was seamless, natural, and never prolonged … quite like a chameleon.

Having had the distinct pleasure of Paul Weller giving me a tour through some of the high points of his career, I’m headed to Amoeba to pick up some choice morsels.

Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings opened the show with a pumped up tight set of horn-driven, shaking and shimmying, revved up soul numbers that got the place energized in a hurry.

Live Jazz: Les McCann, Lee Hartley and the Eric Reed Trio Upstairs at Vitello’s

BY DON HECKMAN

Call it an odd couple.  Or maybe an odd quintet would be more accurate — an odd quintet consisting of fine musicians who, at first glance, would seem to make an unusual combination.  Yet there they were Friday night, Upstairs at Vitello’s, playing for a crowd that seemed to be enjoying every minute with pianist/singer Les McCann and his frequent musical companion, vocalist Lee Hartley, along with the Eric Reed Trio (with drummer Wesley Anderson and bassist Mike Gurrola).  Despite some stylistic differences, they had all come together for an evening overflowing with jazz, funk, blues and a strong taste of soul and gospel.  Enjoying every minute of it.

Les McCann and Lee Hartley

In the center, the Buddah-like presence Les McCann.  Presumably not in the best health (he had a stroke more than a decade ago) , he required considerable assistance climbing onto the stage and into a seat behind an electric piano.  But what really mattered was what happened when he actually began playing the instrument in combination with the others.

The legendary McCann, whose musically fertile career reaches back to the ‘60s, when he recorded the huge pop/jazz crossover hit, “Compared To What,” isn’t seen often enough on club or concert stages, despite the fact that he still is (at 77) a strikingly dynamic performer with a feisty personality.

An example of the latter: After slowly finding his way to center stage and his electric piano seat, where he was greeted by continuing applause, McCann wasn’t pleased by a remark shouted from the audience.  His eyes staring intensely at the culprit, he replied with the concise and pointed response: “Hey man. Shut the fuck up!”  Which drew even more audience applause (and laughter).

But it was McCann’s special blend of keyboard playing and singing that brought the performance completely to life, serving as either the driver or the engine for some of the evening’s most entertaining moments.

Eric Reed and Les McCann

The set actually began with the Reed trio, swinging casually through Benny Golson’s “Stablemates,” with a rich rhythmic camaraderie between pianist Reed and the youthful but musically mature Anderson and Gurrola.

Singer Lee Hartley followed, with an equally upbeat “Honeysuckle Rose,” finding some still energetic life in the old standard.  Her later versions of “My Foolish Heart” and “Cheek To Cheek” (among others) were the work of a mature talent.  Performing comfortably in a style that enhanced a mainstream jazz perspective with illuminating aspects of gospel music and the blues.

The evening hit its peak when McCann joined Hartley and the Reed trio in explorations of the blues sparked by an occasional Horace Silver tune, and reaching a climax with McCann’s mesmerizing rendering of “Amazing Grace.”  But the compelling quality of the music had less to do with specific numbers than it did with the creative intimacy that was sparked by the encounter between these fine artists.

By the time the set was over, neither the performers nor the audience seemed ready to have it all end.  But it had to, nonetheless, leaving behind the memory of a rare and entertaining evening of prime jazz and blues, performed with spontaneity, imagination and swing.

Photos by Faith Frenz.

CD Review: Missing Cats’ “Larry Brown Amen”

Missing Cats

Larry Brown Amen (Redeye Label)

 By Brian Arsenault

Talk about pre-release buzz, Missing Cats got it..

Talk about rock ‘n roll hearts. Missing Cats got it.

Larry Brown Amen may be the purest rock ‘n roll album I have heard in a couple of years.  That is if you consider a combination southernhillcountryrockabillydeltabluesdirtywhiteboy strain of rock ‘n roll about as good as it gets. I do.

“. . . people passing by all seem to be going the other way.”

Missing Cats, primarily singer Sherman Ewing and pianist John Hermann backed by a bunch of excellent sidemen, show an affinity for each other and the music which is quite fine.

Sherman Ewing, John Hermann with bassist Mike Mills

Ewing’s singing has been compared to Dylan but I don’t hear it. I do hear a better pitched Joe Walsh on the fast stuff and echoes of The Band on the slow stuff.  Yet he has a voice of his own.

Hermann has been compared to Jerry Lee Lewis and Fats Domino and it’s true. But no one I’ve seen yet has mentioned Leon Russell which I’m betting is a nearer influence, not just in time but in tempo and style.

There are a bunch of interesting songs.   “1/2 Way to the Top” may be about one’s fate in the music industry. Or life. Or both.

“. . . people coming up behind you leave you face first down . . . Is your heart to blame?”

It’s not clear to me which guitarist is playing where on this song, but it’s a collaborative effort and terrific. Anthony Krizan, Luther Dickinson, and Guthrie Trapp all have a guitar credit here and elsewhere.

Earlier on the album, “How We Go From Here” has some truly remarkable guitar work. Is that Luther Dickinson coming in with that southern longing style of play?

“. . . one way or another, I’ll hit the mark.”

“Body in the River” raises the devil at the start with a blazing electric guitar riff and hard struck piano underneath. In comes a bluesy acoustic guitar and raw vocal with that same piano still pulsing.  Here’s where you feel that Jerry Lee sense that you’re going to hell and you just relish it.  Satan did say to bring it on.

“Your Guess is as Good as Mine” is a slow rocker in the best tradition. Remember slow dancing.

“. . . love the beach, hate the sun.”

 I’ve noted before, in another review, Dylan’s reported comment about Dire Straits — that he liked them because they sound like one guy playing.  Missing Cats may have something better going, a bunch of guys playing in sync to a shared notion of rock ‘n roll music.

“. . . time will never take away what we have.”

There’s some melancholy for me in the album, though.  It doesn’t advance the form.  It echoes down through the decades much that is fine in rock, and there’s every possibility the form has reached its limits as a music form. So that’s hardly a criticism.  Just a regret that there’s no place left to go.

“. . . battle flags torn and frayed.”

Yet rock ‘n roll is still its own justification — it’s only rock ’n roll but I like it, like it, yes I do. If it’s reached the point where only excellence of execution and grown up lyrics remain, well, so too have the blues and some say jazz.

“. . . pay no mind, just come and go.”

To read more posts, reviews and columns by Brian Arsenault click HERE.

Live Music: Fiona Apple at The Greek Theatre

By Allegra Heckman

It’s been 7 years since Fiona Apple‘s last album, with just a few rare live appearances  during that time.  But it became quite apparent to those of us blessed enough to be in the audience at the Greek Theatre on Friday night, that she is definitely back, in all her challenging, restless, self-revealing glory.

The Fiona Apple on stage was not the child who rose to fame in the ‘90s. It had been her birthday the day before, which makes her now 35. A woman who has come in to her own, she shared with us the complexity of all that she has become.

She came out with a bang, opening with a hard-hitting version of one of her first-person anthems, “Fast As You Can”:

 I let the beast in too soon

I don’t know how to live without my hand on his throat

I fight him always and still

Oh darling its so sweet you think you know how crazy

How crazy I am

You say you don’t spook easy, you won’t go, but I know

And I pray that you will

Fast as you can, baby run free yourself of me

Fast as you can

“On the Bound” was next. Banging away at the piano, her vocal delivery moved from sultry to exploding with passion and rage within a matter of seconds.

Fiona Apple

She then went on to some of her more reliable, radio friendly hits such as “Shadowboxer” and “Paper Bag,” which you could hear echoed by the crowd throughout. However, as much as we tried to communicate to her, Fiona barely spoke to her audience. Intensely focused on her craft, she seemed indeed, possessed by it. We would expect nothing less from this Goddess of Song.

Ranging from old to new, the next 4 songs (“Anything we want,” “Get Gone,” “Periphery” and “Sleep to Dream”) conveyed recurring themes of abused trust, unrequited love, longing, and disappointment. Judging from the audience’s praise, they could relate. The amount of respect, support and admiration coming Fiona’s way was quite obvious. Notoriously shy on stage, she answered the attention with surprise and a simple thank you.

When she got quiet, the audience got quiet, as if it was imperative to hear every little nuance and allow Fiona the uninterrupted space to fully express herself. Another introspective work, and obviously inspiring to her, as she kicked up her red heels in excitement… The title track from her 2005 album Extraordinary Machine, speaking of resilience of spirit and determination of self:

I seem to you to seek a new disaster every day

You deem me due to clean my view and be at peace and lay

I mean to prove I mean to move in my own way

I’ve been getting along for long before you came in to the play

If there was a better way to go then it would find me

I can’t help it the road just rolls out behind me

Be kind to me

Or treat me mean

I’ll make the most of it

I’m an extraordinary machine

As poignant now as ever, Fiona’s songs gave us a front row seat to her very personal stories. She seamlessly intertwined works from her entire catalog, showing us a continuing thread of self realization and evolution.  She chose to share more from this year’s album The Idler Wheel, and the jazzy, chaotic yet melodramatic “Left Alone”:

And now I’m hard, too hard to know

I don’t cry when I’m sad anymore, no no

Tears calcify in my tummy

Fears coincide with the tow

 

How can I ask anyone to love me

When all I do is beg to be left alone?

Unconcerned with smoothing rough edges or hiding the scars, Fiona has a different appeal than many of her female peers. Human imperfections are fuel for the creative flame. The raw power in her delivery sent chills up my spine and brought a tear to my eye.

Backed ably by guitarist Blake Mills and bassist Sebastian Steinburg (who played a set together to open the show) as well as  the colorful, moody, sometimes psychedelic soundscapes of keyboardist Zac Rae, she finished her program with “Not About Love.”  Then, in one of the few times she would address the audience, she asked us to “ . . . just pretend I left the stage and you guys applauded and I am back now for my encore.” This set up the last song, a hauntingly magical version of  Conway Twitty’s “It’s Only Make Believe.”

Fusing musical elements from jazz, pop, R&B, tin pan alley, hard rock and avant garde, Fiona Apple uncompromisingly makes her art on her own terms.

Last Friday night, she dared to delve deep, bringing brand new songs and edgy rearrangements of her classics. At times she was smiling, poised and statuesque, at other times grimacing, fist-clenching and thrashing about. From the serious adult at the piano, to the childlike fairy skipping off the stage, she opened windows on her most personal and painful experiences.  Fiona delivered on the artist’s commitment to keep it real. In a pop music world of pre-packaged stars, this was refreshing.

Photo By Allegra Heckman