By James M. deFrances Last Thursday when I walked through the door at Catalina’s Jazz Club it felt as though I had just walked through a portal to a different time. The club beamed with old Hollywood, from the bandstand on stage to the many recognizable industry folk who dotted the room. As far as… Read More Live Music: “Vintage Masters of Swing” at Catalina Bar & Grill
By Don Heckman Studio City, CA. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. An evening of well prepared Italian food, fine wine and even finer music at Vitello’s is a great way to experience world class jazz. And this past weekend offered a superb opportunity to all that and more. On Friday night… Read More Here, There & Everywhere: A Weekend at Vitello’s
By Don Heckman Los Angeles – Nov. 8. (Fri.) Bill Holman Big Band. Holman’s music is always a pleasure to hear live. And this is an even better opportunity, since the band will be performing (on the first set only) its highly praised all-Thelonious Monk album, Brilliant Corners, in its entirety. Vitello’s. (818) 769-0905. –… Read More Picks of the Weekend: Nov. 8 – 10
By Don Heckman Studio City, CA. John Beasley described the 18 piece ensemble he brought to Vitello’s Wednesday night as a MONK’estra. He also called it “A Big Modern Jazz Band.” Both labels were right on target for this performance. First, the great majority of the program was dedicated to the music of Thelonious Monk. … Read More Live Jazz: The John Beasley MONK-estra Upstairs at Vitello’s
By Don Heckman The 55th annual Grammy Awards are now history. But not exactly history-making, especially in the Jazz categories. It’s hard to imagine anyone being surprised by most of the results. Or, in fact, by most of nominations. That’s not to demean, in any way, the work of the jazz artists who did receive… Read More Here, There & Everywhere: The 2013 Jazz Grammy Awards
By Norton Wright A jazzhead pal living in Europe just e-mailed me asking if he could find some big-band jazz in America when he comes vacationing this summer. Without hesitation I replied that lucky for us Los Angelinos, L.A. has become the nation’s showplace center for an abundance of jazz orchestras. Our treasures include Gerald… Read More Live Jazz: A Christmas Card to the Sensational Sidemen of Paul McDonald’s Big Band
By Don Heckman Bill Holman and his big band made one of their rare but always welcome Southland appearances Friday night at Vitello’s. And, with a packed house listening avidly to every note, Holman once again displayed his remarkable mastery of the big band format. One could make a good case for big band instrumentation… Read More Live Jazz: The Bill Holman Big Band Upstairs at Vitello’s
By Don Heckman It was big band night on Wednesday’s jazz program at the Hollywood Bowl. And one couldn’t have chosen a more iconic pair of ensembles than the Duke Ellington Orchestra and the Stan Centennial Orchestra. Just to clarify that last name, it refers to Stan Kenton, whose birth centennial was actually in December,… Read More Live Jazz: The Duke Ellington Orchestra and the Stan Centennial Orchestra at the Hollywood Bowl
By Don Heckman Los Angeles – Sept. 13. (Tues.) Mozart’s Requiem. The Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Los Angeles Master Chorale, conducted by Bramwell Tovey, perform the masterpiece work, appropriately, two days after the 10th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks. The Hollywood Bowl. (323) 850-2000. – Sept. 14. (Wed.) Carol Chaikin quartet. Saxophonist/flutist… Read More Picks of the Week: Sept. 13 – 18
By Tony Gieske Let’s talk about that undermeditated topic, lighting. The lighting at Vibrato’s voluminous listening room, for instance, is without stain and healthy, which is to say clean and well. Equally clean and well lighted, if you’ll forgive the segue, was the Steve Huffsteter big band, a precision ensemble that played the room last… Read More Live Jazz: The Steve Huffsteter Big Band at Vibrato Grill Jazz…etc.
The International Review of Music 