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 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 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
By Devon Wendell By the mid 1960s, Roland Kirk had already established himself as one of the most unique forces in jazz. Being blind and able to play up to 3 horns simultaneously (and even a nose flute) was enough to get people’s attention. But aside from the visual stage performance, Kirk’s music was texturally… Read More Doc Wendell’s Prescription For Bop and Beyond with Roland Kirk’s “Rip, Rig, And Panic” (Emarcy)
By James DeFrances Las Vegas. Last week, veteran master impressionist Rich Little premiered his new show at the Laugh Factory in the Las Vegas Tropicana Hotel and Casino. The brand new show “Rich Little Live” tells his life story through a series of archived video clips, live impressions and music. Often billed as the greatest… Read More Live Impressions: Rich Little at the Laugh Factory
By Don Heckman Los Angeles – July 10 and 11. (Fri. & Sat. Barbara Morrison. She’s been busy around town lately, but Barbara Morrison is always a musical pleasure to experience. Here’s another welcome opportunity to hear her up close in action. Steamers. (714) 871-8800. – July 10 and 11. Fri. & Sat. Jack Jones.… Read More Picks of the Weekend in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, Washington D.C. and New York City
By Devon Wendell It’s hard to believe it’s that special time of year again. Yet another annual Playboy Jazz Festival has come and gone. And with it, memories of drunken conga lines, the smell of cheap weed in the summer air, and a plethora of musical acts ranging from actual jazz, r&b, rock, and even… Read More Live Jazz: Highlights From the 37th Annual Playboy Jazz Festival At The Hollywood Bowl.
The International Review of Music 