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
Two Songbirds and the American Songbook By Brian Arsenault The so-called American Songbook doesn’t get old. It gets better. Because artists of the day keep reinterpreting and expanding it. The branches of the tree grow gracefully and the songbirds perch higher. Robin Bessier other side of forever (Whispering River) In On the Road, Sal Paradise… Read More Record Rack: Robin Bessier, Eliane Elias (and a few words for Boones the Cat)
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 There’s one thing that can almost always be anticipated about a Bobby McFerrin appearance: that there’s no telling what to expect. His performance at Disney Hall Wednesday night, for example, seemed to be specifically on track, with the whimsical title, “Spirityouall,” announcing a program honoring his father, Robert McFerrin, Sr., an operatic… Read More Live Music: Bobby McFerrin at Disney Concert Hall
By Don Heckman Los Angeles – Apri. 3. (Wed.) Bobby McFerrin. One of the music world’s most uniquely gifted vocal talents, applying his startling skills to a celebration of his father’s gospel singing in a program titled Spirit You All. Disney Hall. (323) 850-2000. – April 3. (Wed.) Dave Damiani and the No Vacancy… Read More Picks of the Week: April 2 – 7
Larkin McLean If You’re A Wild Girl Say Aye (Best Day Ever Records) by Brian Arsenault I always approach a CD I am going to review wanting to like it. Anyone not essentially nasty is always hoping for that “this is great” kind of 40 minutes or so. However, when Larkin McLean’s newest arrived in… Read More CD Review: Larkin McLean
By Don Heckman Los Angeles – Nov. 8. (Tues.) Rick Braun Sings. Trumpeter Rick Braun, a high visibility instrumentalist in the smooth jazz arena, displays his engaging vocal skills on his latest album, the appropriately titled Rick Braun Sings With Strings. Vitello’s. (818) 769-0905. – Nov. 9. (Wed.) Phil Norman Tentet CD release party. The… Read More Picks of the Week Nov. 8 – 13
By Michael Konik We’ve previously discussed how poor programming choices on jazz radio are unintentionally sabotaging the medium’s noble mission to “keep jazz alive.” But terrestrial radio, an increasingly irrelevant distribution channel in the age of the Internet and satellites, isn’t the only culprit in our music’s alleged “death.” Some of jazz’s most effective assassins… Read More Konik’s Commentary: “Jazz Is Dead, Part 2: Performing Artists”
By Michael Konik Since the 1970s, for as long as I’ve been aware of the music commonly known as “jazz,” various authorities, mavens, and aficionados have been declaring it dead or soon-to-be-deceased. “Jazz is dead.” “Jazz is dying.” “Jazz is going extinct.” If this is so, the suffering patient has been enduring a kind of… Read More Konik’s Commentary: “(K)Jazz is Dead”
By Don Heckman Los Angeles July 20. (Wed.) John Daversa Big Band. Trumpeter Daversa’s adventurous, often unpredictable charts make his big band appearances into engaging musical events. Catalina Bar & Grill. (323) 466-2210. – June 21. (Thurs.) Bruce Forman Quartet. Guitarist/educator/novelist Forman is one of the jazz world’s true multi-hyphenates. Here he is, with his… Read More Picks of the Week: July 19 – 24
The International Review of Music 