By Don Heckman So many artists, so many dreams…so much to hear…The post office box fills every day with envelopes packaging their songs, their music, their dreams of being heard. Since the advent of social media, DIY recording and CD production,CD Baby and self promotion and distribution, the avalanche of requests to be seen and… Read More CD Review: Jonathan Karrant’s “On and On”
by Faith Frenz Released last December by Blix Street Records, the Eva Cassidy Nightbird two-CD set is remastered from the original tape recordings of her 1996 performance in the Washington D.C. Jazz club, Blues Alley. All 33 songs were one take live performances in that club on one night. The album includes 12 previously unreleased… Read More Nightbird: Eva Cassidy’s “Complete Blues Alley” 20th Anniversary Collection
By Roger Crane, the Song Scout Ah, the gruff grit-and-gravel voice of Louis Armstrong and the warm, precise silky delivery of Ella Fitzgerald, a match made in heaven. Sandpaper and satin – but the difference is what makes it work. Ella and Louis displayed an extraordinary yin/yang vocal chemistry. As writer Doug Ramsey once noted… Read More A ROGER SONG SCOUT AURAL BACK RUB: Ella and Louis– “Sandpaper and Satin”
By Don Heckman The first weekends of 2016 are upon us. And a glance at the music filling the Southland’s music arenas — from clubs to concert halls — is a reminder of the far-reaching pleasures available to Angelenos’ music fans. We’ve mostly been away from the Los Angeles area for the past year, spending… Read More Picks of the Long Weekend in Los Angeles – Jan. 7 – 10
By Roger Crane the Song Scout When I meet jazz performers, composers and fellow music fans I often inquire as to their favorite songs. I recall that the masterful jazz pianist Dave McKenna chose “I’ll Be Around,” giving particular praise to Alec Wilders’s bridge (where his lyrics state “Goodbye again.”). Another jazz pianist, Gerry Wiggins,… Read More Keeping the GAS (Great American Songbook) Flame Alive: “It Had To Be You”
By Don Heckman Los Angeles – Dec. 3 – 5. (Thurs. – Sat.) The Los Angeles Philharmonic, conducted by Gustavo Dudamel, presents a program of Bach and Mendelssohn. Violinist Gil Shaham is featured in a pair of Bach Concertos. The Philharmonic takes the spotlight with Mendelsohn’s Symphony No 1 and Overture for Harmoniemusik. An… Read More Picks of the Week: Dec. 2 – 6 (Wed. – Sun.) in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland, Seattle, Chicago and New York City
The International Review of Music 