By Michael Katz Every year I head up to the Monterey Jazz Festival with a battle plan for seeing as much of the three days and over 500 artists as reasonably possible, and every year that plan gets shredded almost from the opening notes. Musicians whom I’d intended to sample (like Gregory Porter last year)… Read More Preview: The 56th Annual Monterey Jazz Festival
By Don Heckman The 2013 jazz season at the Hollywood Bowl reached a peak Wednesday night with an 80th birthday celebration for saxophonist/composer Wayne Shorter. The participants featured, of course, Shorter himself, playing in duo with his close friend and creative associate Herbie Hancock, with his own quartet, and with the woodwind ensemble the Imani… Read More Live Music: Wayne Shorter 80th Birthday Celebration at the Hollywood Bowl
By Michael Katz For those of us in love with the Monterey Jazz Festival, the longest six months of the year are the time between the final note of the last Sunday night show at the fairgrounds and the April 1 announcement of artists for the next MJF. That wait ended Monday morning with the… Read More Preview: The Monterey Jazz Festival 56
By Don Heckman Los Angeles – Jan. 16. (Wed.) Eloise Laws. A member of the musically prominent Laws family (Hubert, Ronnie and Debra among others) Eloise Laws makes a rare live performance in the Southland. Her warm and expressive vocals are backed by members of the Laws family and their talented friends. Catalina Bar &… Read More Picks of the Week: Jan. 15 – 20
By Don Heckman Los Angeles – June 5. (Tues.) “And Then She Wrote.” Peter Marshall, Carol Welsman, Calabria Foti. Five time Emmy Award-winning Marshall (Yes, he sings, too) is joined by the lovely singer/instrumentalists Welsman and Foti in an evening of great standards written by women. Vitello’s. (818) 769-0905. – June 5. (Tues.) Corliss Dale… Read More Picks of the Week: June 5 – 10
By Don Heckman Los Angeles – April 19. (Tues.) Dave Damiani Orchestra. Singer Damiani celebrates the Swing Era and the songs of Frank Sinatra. Catalina Bar & Grill. (323) 466-2210. . – April 19. (Tues.) Steve Huffsteter Big Band. Trumpeter Huffsteter steps out of the section to lead his own collective of all-stars. Vibrato Grill… Read More Picks of the Week: April 19 – 24
By Don Heckman Los Angeles – Aug. 31. (Tues.) The Karen Lovely Band. Rising vocal star Lovely is applying her powerful singing to classic blues, richly investing the styles of the ’30s and ’40s — Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith, etc. — with her uniquely contemporary perspective. Vibrato Grill Jazz…etc. (310) 474-9400. – Aug. 31.… Read More Picks of the Week: Aug. 30 – Sept. 5
By Don Heckman Los Angeles – Mar. 30. (Tues.) Ginger & Scott. Jackie Cain and Roy Kral? Not exactly, but Cain herself has described Ginger Berglund and Scott Whitfield as “a new duo who provide hope and inspiration.” Catalina Bar & Grill (323) 466-2210. – Mar. 31. (Wed.) Susan Krebs Jazz Aviary. Krebs and her… Read More Picks of the Week: Mar. 30 – April 4
By Fernando Gonzalez Panama City, Panama. The 7th Panama Jazz Festival, celebrated in Panama City January 11-16, concluded Saturday with a free, outdoor concert at Plaza Catedral, in front of the historic cathedral in Old Panama City. What started only a few years ago as a Quixotic adventure by Panamanian pianist, Grammy winner and educator… Read More Live Jazz: The 7th Panama Jazz Festival
By Fernando Gonzalez The just launched Global Jazz Institute, announced at a gala at the 7th Panama Jazz Festival, is not your standard program – not even for a forward looking institution like Berklee College of Music. “The vision is comprised of three elements,” explains pianist and educator Danilo Pérez, Artistic Director of the program.… Read More News: The Berklee Global Jazz Institute
The International Review of Music 