When lonely feelings chill the meadows of your mind, Just think if winter comes, can Spring be far behind? Beneath the deepest snows, the secret of a rose is merely that it knows You must believe in Spring! Just as a tree is sure its leaves will reappear; It knows its emptiness is just… Read More Wisdom of the Great Songbook: Alan and Marilyn Bergman’s “You Must Believe In Spring”
By Don Heckman Bel Air. Robert Davi was back at Herb Alpert’s elegant Vibrato Grill Jazz…etc. at the top of Beverly Glen last night. And, as always happens in his performances, he spent most of his program demonstrating his belief in the Great American Songbook as “America’s Shakespeare.” Davi, whose acting career began in a… Read More Live Music: Robert Davi at Vibrato Grill Jazz…etc.
By Don Heckman Pasadena, CA. The warm months of summer always bring a luscious banquet of musical events, much of it presented in colorful outdoor venues. One of the best has begun to emerge in the performances of the Pasadena Pops Orchestra under the baton of Michael Feinstein, amid the gorgeous greenery of the L.A.… Read More Live Music: The Pasadena Pops at the L.A. Arboretum in “Hooray For Hollywood”
By Don Heckman When the Society of Singers (often referred to with the appropriate abbreviation S.O.S.) has a performance program it can best be described as a win-win event. A winner in the sense that it raises funds for the S.O.S programs providing financial support for singers in need. And a winner in the sense… Read More Live Music: Bill Cantos, Mari Falcone, Alan Bergman and Lillias White in a Society of Singers Program at Café Cordial
By Don Heckman Santa Monica, CA. The New West Symphony may not be the highest visibility orchestra in the Southland. But they’re rapidly becoming one of the most intriguing music presenters, with programs performed in Oxnard, Thousand Oaks and Santa Monica. And the NWS performance at Barnum Hall Sunday night was an impressive example of… Read More Live Music: The New West Symphony at Barnum Hall
By Don Heckman Studio City, CA. It wasn’t quite Johnny Mandel’s birthday last night. Not yet. But it was close enough to the actual date – November 25 – to celebrate the 87th anniversary of the great composer and arranger. And the packed crowd at Vitello’s enthusiastically joined in a group singing of “Happy Birthday.” … Read More Live Jazz: The Johnny Mandel Big Band at Vitello’s
By Don Heckman Hollywood CA. Steve Tyrell is back at Catalina Bar & Grill this week. No surprise there, since the veteran singer has become a regular at the Hollywood jazz room, frequently drawing overflow crowds to his performances of familiar standards. Which is what he did on Thursday night, with a program largely dedicated… Read More Live Music: Steve Tyrell at Catalina Bar & Grill
By Don Heckman Bel Air, CA. Alan Bergman made one of his too-rare club appearances Wednesday night in an utterly captivating performance at Herb Alpert’s Vibrato Grill Jazz…etc. It’s always a pleasure to hear songwriters do their own music. And even more fascinating when the songwriter is as fine a performing artist as Bergman. In… Read More Live Music: Alan Bergman at Vibrato Grill Jazz…etc.
By Don Heckman Los Angeles – Nov 14. (Wed.) David Sanborn. Alto saxophonist Sanborn is the star of pop jazz, r & b and crossover. But at the heart of his playing is a deep involvement with the essential elements of straight ahead jazz. Catalina Bar & Grill. http://www.catalinajazzclub.com (323) 466-2210. – Nov. 14. (Wed.)… Read More Picks of the Week: Nov. 14 – 18
By Don Heckman One of the great pleasures of writing about music is the opportunity to experience the progress that can take place, over months and years, in the work of gifted artists. Hearing the Tierney Sutton Band at Catalina Bar & Grill Friday night was a good example. It had been less than a… Read More Live Jazz: The Tierney Sutton Band at Catalina Bar & Grill
The International Review of Music 