By Don Heckman Friday and Saturday Oct. 23 & 24 Thelma Houston. “My Motown” Grammy-winning r&b singer Houston recalls the glories of the Motown era. Catalina Bar o& Grill. Friday Oct. 23 Doug Webb and the Webb Allstars. Saxophonist Webb is a master of every kind of woodwind instrument. Here he is, in action. The… Read More Picks of the Long Weekend in Los Angeles: October 23 – 25
By Don Heckman Oct. 1 – 4. (Thurs. – Sun.) IMMORTAL BEETHOVEN. Gustavo Dudamel conducts the Los Angeles Philharmonic in a remarkable, four night tour de force program devoted to all nine of the Beethoven symphonies: #1 and #2 on Thursday; #3 and #4 on Friday; #5, #6, #7 and #8 on Saturday; and a… Read More Highlights of a Long Weekend: Oct. 1 – 4 in Los Angeles
By Mike Finkelstein On Thursday night in a Center for the Art of Performance concert at Royce Hall, Snarky Puppy and Kneebody played a sold out show of what might best be called jazz fusion or simply eclectic music, though trying to label music is probably not a great idea. Still, both units had a… Read More Live Music: Snarky Puppy and Kneebody in a CAP UCLA Concert at Royce Hall
By Mike Finkelstein For years, it seems that I’ve brushed up to a nice bushel or two of “keeper” songs from Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals. These tunes are the good stuff, the type of songs people use in their weddings, and the band’s reputation as performers is similarly top shelf. Still, I never… Read More Live Music: Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals at the Greek Theatre
By Don Heckman Los Angeles – Sept. 23. (Wed.) Laura Dickinson. She’s probably your nine year-old daughter’s favorite singer, her voice familiar from the Disney Channel’s animated hits Phineas and Ferb and Sofia The First. But Dickinson’s vocal skills also include far-reaching jazz abilities, as well. She will offer them in an evening that celebrates… Read More Picks of the Week: Sept. 21 – 27 in Los Angeles, Oregon, Chicago, New York, London, Copenhagen, Milan and Tokyo.
By Devon Wendell Los Angeles. It was a night of sheer “crossover” bliss with Gregory Porter and Diana Krall with The L.A. Philharmonic at The Hollywood Bowl on Friday night. Diana Krall took the Bowl stage with her current touring band (Anthony Wilson, guitar/arranger, Stuart Duncan, violin, Patrick Warren, keyboards, Dennis Crouch, bass… Read More Live Music: Diana Krall, Gregory Porter and The Los Angeles Philharmonic at The Hollywood Bowl
By Don Heckman Wednesday August 19 at Catalina Bar & Grill Sally Kellerman She may be best known for her high visibility role as “Hot Lips Houlihan” in the film M*A*S*H. But Sally Kellerman has been a gifted singer since she was a teen-ager. And in her post-acting career, Sally has displayed the qualities of… Read More HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEKEND IN LOS ANGELES
By Devon Wendell Los Angeles. Buddy Guy kicked off the 2015-2016 Center For the Art of Performance (CAP UCLA) at UCLA’s Royce Hall on Thursday night with a truly mesmerizing performance. Buddy Guy is the last true prophet of the blues, especially since we recently lost B.B. King. Buddy and his Damn Right… Read More Live Music: Buddy Guy At UCLA’s Royce Hall
By Mike Finkelstein If you have even a kernel of curiosity about the legend of Janis Joplin or if you simply want to see some great rock-related live musical theater, you will want to get to the Pasadena Playhouse and see A Night with Janis Joplin before it closes on August 23. Putting this production… Read More Musical Theatre: “A Night With Janis Joplin” at the Pasadena Playhouse
By Brick Wahl In my heart of hearts, my favorite jazz festival ever has always been the one held every year on Central Avenue in the shadow of the Dunbar Hotel. It’s close to the roots of jazz in this town, it has band after swinging band, the musicians play like their lives depended on… Read More The Central Avenue Jazz Festival This Weekend
The International Review of Music 