By Brian Arsenault The memories are so intact. The Grease Band singing crappy falsetto behind him at Woodstock. The kickass chorus on the best damn live album ever, Mad Dogs and Englishmen. Belushi coming out to do Joe Cocker with Joe Cocker on SNL. I know it’s that time of life when that generation, my… Read More An Appreciation: Remembering Joe Cocker
By Brian Arsenault (This post was written during northern New England’s first true snowstorm of the season on Sunday.) As the first storm of the winter season hits northern New England, the snow flies and the wind goes from mournful howling to screaming angry. I look out my window and wonder, not for the first time, how… Read More Brian Arsenault Takes On: Winter, but not as well as Chickadees
By Mike Finkelstein Sometimes life just dishes up a better story than we might actually invent for ourselves. And often the goodness isn’t all that obvious. For Sixto Rodriguez the path to popularity has certainly not been conventional. His musical career was by all rights dead in the water in the early 70’s. But strange… Read More Live Music: Rodriguez at the Greek Theater
By Brick Wahl Heard several tracks in progress from Charmaine Clamor’s new recording recently. Quite a selection of tunes – none of the usual jazz standards at all. Instead there’s a remarkable take on “Imagine” (a tune that rarely survives covering) propelled by some really striking rhythmic piano by Laurence Hobgood. There’s a surprising ”O Shenandoah,” a… Read More Brick Wahl Keeping It Real: Checking Out Charmaine Clamor’s New CD
By Mike Finkelstein Rufus Wainwright played a solo show for an adoring audience Saturday night at the Valley Performing Arts Center. Judging by all I overheard, it seemed that many in the crowd had already seen him perform at least once. From the start, people recognized the songs after perhaps a chord and a half. … Read More Live Music: Rufus Wainwright at the Valley Performing Arts Center
By Don Heckman Singers Mark Winkler and Dolores Scozzesi were the headliners at Vitello’s Friday night. And that was good news, since both are among L.A.’s most appealing jazz-oriented singers. But the evening promised even more with a sub-headline announcing that they would be singing songs by “Laura Nyro, Joni Mitchell, Randy Newman: The Great… Read More Live Music: Mark Winkler and Dolores Scozzesi at Vitello’s
By Don Heckman Los Angeles, The Tenors – all four of them – surged onto the Greek Theatre stage Saturday night with all the panache and enthusiasm of the hot music act they have become. There have been various installments of the quartet since they were originally formed as The Canadian Tenors. But the current… Read More Live Music: The Tenors at the Greek Theatre
By Don Heckman Studio City, CA. The stage setting for Cheryl Bentyne’s performance at Vitello’s Friday night seemed surprisingly spare. An acoustic bass and a music stand on the left, a pair of guitars and a music stand on the right, and a stool and a vocal mic in the middle. That was it. “Up… Read More Live Jazz: Cheryl Bentyne at Vitello’s
By Don Heckman It’s been a few years since I first reviewed jazz singer Charmaine Clamor. I was powerfully impressed by what I heard on her debut CD, Searching For the Soul.. And I was even more impressed by what I heard in her performance at Catalina Bar & Grill on Sunday night. The presentation… Read More Live Jazz: Charmaine Clamor at Catalina Bar & Grill
By Don Heckman Los Angeles, CA. Judy Collins was back in town Friday night for her second major Southland appearance in less than a year. This time, she was performing at CSUN’s beautiful almost-new Valley Performing Arts Center. Once again, her performance was a virtual spoken memoir with songs. Collins’ musical and personal history has… Read More Live Music: Judy Collins at the Valley Performing Arts Center
The International Review of Music 