By Devon Wendell Many jazz aficionados like myself have been waiting for a live box set like this one for most of our lives and it’s finally here. Miles Davis At Newport 1955-1975: The Bootleg Series Vol. 4 consists of 4 CDs featuring 20 years of Miles Davis performances (8 shows in total) showcasing Miles… Read More CD Review- Miles Davis At Newport 1955-1975: The Bootleg Series Vol. 4 (Columbia/Legacy)
By Don Heckman What is there to say about a Festival that loses its way? It’s a question that kept running through my mind during the 36th annual Playboy Jazz Festival Saturday and Sunday at the Hollywood Bowl. That’s not to challenge the quality of the sounds beamed from the Bowl stage to a capacity… Read More Live Jazz: The 36th Annual Playboy Jazz Festival at the Hollywood Bowl
By Don Heckman Los Angeles – Oct. 30. (Wed.) Amanda McBroom. The singer, actress and songwriter (“The Rose” is one of her songs) takes a break from her busy acting career to make a rare musical appearance in Los Angeles. Catalina Bar & Grill. (223) 466-2210. – Oct. 31. (Thurs.) Kate Reid and Larry Koonse… Read More Picks of the Week: Oct. 28 – Nov. 3
By Don Heckman Los Angeles – Oct. 2. (Wed.) Diane Hubka. Singer/guitarist Hubka celebrates the release of her new CD, West Coast Strings. She’ll be backed by a prime group of players: Guitarists John Pisano, Barry Zweig & David Eastlee, organist Bobby Pierce, bassist Jeff D’Angelo and drummer Kendall Kay. Catalina Bar & Grill. (323)… Read More Picks of the Week: October 2 – 6
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
By Don Heckman Los Angeles – April 17. (Wed.) Corky Hale and special guest Kathy Sledge of Sister Sledge perform selections from the Billie Holiday songbook. Pianist/harpist Hale, who accompanied Holiday in the ‘50s, is well qualified for the job. Catalina Bar & Grill. (323) 466-2210. April 17. (Wed.) Julian Coryell. The son of fine… Read More Picks of the Week: April 17 – 21
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 Los Angeles – Feb. 6. (Wed.) Sally Kellerman. The inimitable Ms. Kellerman is back, this time with an evening of Valentine’s Day songs in a program titled, appropriately, “Love.” Don’t miss it. Vitello’s. (818) 769-0905. – Feb. 7 – 10. (Thurs. – Sun.) Robben Ford. Guitarist Ford, who moves easily across boundaries… Read More Picks of the Week: Feb. 5 – 10
By Don Heckman Los Angeles – Dec. 11. (Tues.) Sascha’s Bloc. A talented band of Eastern European musicians display their boundary-less jazz skills, spiced with touches of traditional sounds. Vibrato Grill Jazz…etc. (310) 474-9400. – Dec. 11. (Tues.) Chamber Music. Members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic perform a program devoted to the works of four… Read More Picks of the Week: Dec. 10 – 16
By Don Heckman It’s good to see Herbie Hancock occasionally step away from his office job as the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Creative Chair for Jazz and take a seat, instead, at a keyboard. His official presence in a jazz advisory capacity has certainly had salutary effects upon the Phil’s perception of jazz. But so, too,… Read More Live Music at the Hollywood Bowl: Herbie Hancock and “Celebrating Peace”
The International Review of Music 