By Don Heckman Los Angeles – July 31. (Wed.) Props to Pops: Dr. John’s Tribute to Louis Armstrong. An entertaining blend of old and new jazz, tinged with a New Orleans touch. Featured guests include Dee Dee Bridgewater, Terence Blanchard, Arturo Sandoval and more. The Hollywood Bowl. (323) 850-2000. – July 31. (Wed.) Tom Ranier… Read More Picks of the Week: July 30 – Aug 4
By Don Heckman Los Angeles – June 5. (Tues.) “And Then She Wrote.” Peter Marshall, Carol Welsman, Calabria Foti. Five time Emmy Award-winning Marshall (Yes, he sings, too) is joined by the lovely singer/instrumentalists Welsman and Foti in an evening of great standards written by women. Vitello’s. (818) 769-0905. – June 5. (Tues.) Corliss Dale… Read More Picks of the Week: June 5 – 10
By Don Heckman Los Angeles – Aug. 23. (Tues.) Clay Jenkins. Good Signs CD concert. Trumpeter Jenkins celebrates the September release of his new CD with the stellar band on the album — guitarist Larry Koonse, bassist Tom Warrington and drummer Joe LaBarbera. Vitello’s. (818) 769-0905. – Aug. 24. (Wed.) Alan Ferber Quartet. Versatile trombonist… Read More Picks of the Week: Aug. 23 – 28
By Don Heckman Los Angeles – May 24. (Mon.) Sopranos and Strings. Brad Dechter and Roger Neumann, soprano saxophones, Graham Dechter and Jim Fox, guitars and Chuck Nenneker, bass. The instrumentation makes for an evening of intriguing sounds, enhanced by the father and son presence of Brad and Graham Dechter. Charlie O’s. (919) 994-3058. –… Read More Picks of the Week: May 24 – 30
By Don Heckman Los Angeles – Aug. 25. (Tues.) Placido Domingo and Yo-Yo Ma and the L.A. Philharmonic. What a combination. Domingo conducts Tchaikovsky’s dramatic Symphony No. 5 and Ma plays Dvorak’s controversial, but compelling, Cello Concerto. Hollywood Bowl (323) 850- 2000. – Aug. 25. (Tues.) Dana Bronson. Singer/pianst Bronson usually performs in cabaret and… Read More Picks of the Week: August 25 – 30
By Don Heckman Los Angeles – Aug. 18. (Tues.) John Altman Quartet. The English saxophonist/composer has a line of credits reaching from Monty Python to bebop (with all stops in between). And with pianist Mike Lang, bassist Harvey Newmark and drummer Frank De Vito on hand, he has the backing to support his every musical… Read More Picks of the Week: Aug. 18 – 23
By Fernando Gonzalez Salzau, Germany. This year’s edition of Germany’s Jazz Baltica Festival was billed as “The Battle of the Big Bands,” and included the Jazz Big Band Graz, the Bohuslan Big Band with Steve Swallow, the NDR Big Band directed by Maria Schneider, and The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra. Still, as good as some of… Read More Live Jazz: The Jazz Baltica Festival in Salzau, Germany
The International Review of Music 