By Brian Arsenault The first cut, “Big Noise, New York” storms in like a Saturday night in Manhattan and I go, “Great! powerhouse jazz served smoking.” But that’s not the whole of Denise Donatelli’s Find a Heart, not by a long shot. New York brassiness is followed by Paris Rain so soft, soft as… Read More CD Review: Denise Donatelli’s “Find A Heart” (Savant)
By Norton Wright On Gotham’s frigid December 31, a sold-out house of 250 or more at the Blue Note in Greenwich Village (131 West Third Street) was treated to a dazzling performance by Grammy Award winning jazz trumpeter Chris Botti and his band. It was an hour and a half of sonorous beauty, a vivid… Read More Live Jazz: Chris Botti on New Year’s Eve at NYC’s Blue Note
By Don Heckman Chris Botti made his third consecutive L.A. appearance in July Wednesday night. This time, he was at the Hollywood Bowl, following July concerts in 2009 and 2010, almost to the day, at the Greek Theatre. And this performance, like the earlier ones, defined why Botti has become the music world’s best selling… Read More Live Jazz: Chris Botti, Bobby McFerrin and the Yellowjackets at the Hollywood Bowl
By Don Heckman Strunz and Farah have been around for so long that it can be easy to take them for granted. The two-guitar partnership of Costa Rican-born Jorge Strunz and Iranian native Ardeshir Farah reaches back to their first CD, Mosaico, released in 1980. And their three-decade musical relationship (lasting longer than many marriages)… Read More Live World Music: Strunz & Farah at Vibrato Grill Jazz…etc.
By Michael Katz With its dark stained paneling and sepia tones, the Culver Room at the Radisson Hotel has the comfy feel of a 60’s era Chicago steakhouse. Vocalist Jackie Ryan, with her warm sound and expressive readings, was a perfect choice, as the venue in Culver City continues to fill the void created by… Read More Live Jazz: Jackie Ryan at the Culver Room in the Radisson Hotel
The International Review of Music 