By Michael Katz For the multitudes of jazz fans on the West Coast and beyond, the third weekend of September is the highlight of the year. The 59th annual Monterey Jazz Festival was a perfect antidote to the ever-acrimonious political miasma we find ourselves in. An oasis of joy and spirituality, MJF 59 was three… Read More Monterey Jazz Festival 2016
By Michael Katz Most of us long-time jazz fans remember the first jazz album we ever bought – not a gift or a hand-me-down, but the first time we actually pulled soiled, hard-earned bills from our pocket at a neighborhood record store and greedily pawed the cellophane off an LP. For me, it wasn’t Coltrane… Read More Quincy Jones Tribute and Monterey Jazz Festival 59 Preview
As we move into the first weeks of 2015, the iRoM Picks of the Week will begin to reach beyond the Los Angeles-centric choices of the past few years. We will, of course, continue to survey L.A.’s ever-changing banquet of musical pleasures. But we will also begin to highlight and emphasize a broad range of… Read More Picks of the Week: January 5 – 11
Impressions from MJF 56, Sunday By Michael Katz Sunday brought its share of legendary virtuosos to the Monterey Fairgrounds, but before we go there, a word about the kids. Jazz education is the mission of the MJF, and Sunday afternoon demonstrated how successful they have gotten at it. The Night Club had healthy audiences to… Read More Live Jazz: Sunday at the Monterey Jazz Festival 56
Impressions from MJF 56, Saturday By Michael Katz. Saturday at MJF is a sprawl of music, food, and a friendly wave of humanity washing over everything. After years of vacillating between the supposedly bigger names in the sun-baked arena and the fun of the Garden Stage, I opted this year to grab a bench seat… Read More Live Jazz: Saturday at the Monterey Jazz Festival 56
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
Review by Michael Katz Photos by Bonnie Perkinson Hollywood CA. One happy problem with an eight hour music fest that runs uninterrupted through the shifting temperatures of a near-summer’s day at the Hollywood Bowl is a lineup so strong you don’t want to leave your seat. That was the occasion on Saturday, Day 1 of… Read More Live Jazz: The 35th Playboy Jazz Festival at the Hollywood Bowl, Day #1
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 Michael Katz Northridge, CA. There were lots of good vibes, not to mention some friendly apparitions, circulating through the Valley Performing Arts Center Wednesday night, as the Monterey Jazz Festival All-Stars brought their tour to the campus of Cal State Northridge. The sextet, which had closed the curtain on the 55th MJF last September,… Read More Live Jazz: The Monterey Jazz Festival All Stars at the Valley Performing Arts Center
By the iRoM Staff Los Angeles – Jan. 22. (Tues.) Vicki Ray. Piano Spheres. Exploration of contemporary music is at the heart of the Piano Spheres program. This time, adventurous pianist Ray (with a chamber ensemble of musician friends) interprets the music of Stravinsky as well as new works by composers from Asia, Europe and… Read More Picks of the Week: Jan. 21 – 27
The International Review of Music 