By Don Heckman Los Angeles – April 29. (Tues.) Nouveau Stride. Lorraine Feather and Stephanie Trick. Singer/songwriter Feather and stride pianist Trick combine their considerable talents for an evening inspired by the music of Fats Waller, James P. Johnson and Dick Hyman. Vibrato Grill Jazz…etc. (310) 474-9400. – April 29. (Tues.) Chamber Music Society: All… Read More More Picks of the Week: April 30 – May 4
By Don Heckman Los Angeles – July 15. (Mon.) L.A. Jazz Orchestra Unlimited. With Kenny Burrell. Guitarist/educator Burrell leads an aggregation of some of the Southland’s fine big band players. Catalina Bar & Grill. (223) 466-2210. – July 16. (Tues.) Nora Rothman. With an appealing vocal style, young jazz artist Rothman offers what she describes… Read More Picks of the Week: July 15 – 21
By Michael Katz Let’s start with this: Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke, an acoustic jazz trio, a nightclub appearance. Fill out the trio with an energetic young drummer, Marcus Gilmore, grandson of Roy Haynes, no less. Enough? Hardly. Make it a quartet with Hubert Laws sitting in on flute. Jam an appreciative overflow crowd into the… Read More Live Jazz: The Chick Corea/Stanley Clarke Trio with Hubert Laws at Catalina Bar & Grill
BY DON HECKMAN Los Angeles Oct. 11. (Thurs.) Dr. John, the Lower 911 and the Blind Boys of Alabama. “Spirituals To Funk.” The title is right on target, with Dr. John’s inimitable, funk-driven, Crescent city swing and the gripping spirituals of the Blind Boys. Valley Performing Arts Center. (818) 677-8800. – Oct. 11. (Thurs.) Frank… Read More Picks of the Week: October 9 – 14
By Don Heckman Los Angeles – Oct. 2. (Tues.) An Evening with Emmylou Harris and Her Red Dirt Boys. Grammy winning country music icon Harris possesses one of the pop/country world’s finest voices. Hopefully she’ll apply it to some of the memorable songs from her catalog of classics. CAP UCLA Royce Hall. (310) 825-2101.… Read More Picks of the Week: Oct. 2 – 7
By Don Heckman Los Angeles – Sept. 11. (Tues.) Sarah Chang. A gifted child prodigy, violinist Chang has matured into a superb interpretive artist. In this far-reaching program, she performs a suite from Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story with the Los Angeles Philharmonic conducted by Bramwell Tovey. Also on the bill – works by Copland… Read More Picks of the Week: Sept. 11 – 16
By Don Heckman Los Angeles – July 31. (Tues.) Overtone. This impressive sextet of a cappella singers from South Africa are on the verge of breaking onto the international music scene. Discovered by Clint and Dina Eastwood, they’ve got the right support to match their extraordinary potential. Let’s hope they have a few more dates… Read More Picks of the Week: July 31 – Aug. 5
By Don Heckman Los Angeles – Aug. 17. (Wed.) Joni’s Jazz. With Herbie Hancock, Chaka Khan, Kurt Elling,Wayne Shorter, Tom Scott, Cassandra Wilson, etc. Hancock’s fascination with Joni Mitchell’s music resulted in the 2008 Grammy winning Album of the Year, River. Here he goes again, with a stellar line up to illuminate Mitchell’s compelling songs. … Read More Picks of the Week: Aug. 15 – 21
By Don Heckman Los Angeles – Sept. 7. (Tues.) Chris Walden’s Big Band with Tierney Sutton. The combination of Walden’s well-crafted arrangements, a band full of L.A.’s finest players, and the superb musicality of Sutton’s vocals should make for a memorable, entertaining evening. Vibrato Grill Jazz…etc. (310) 474-9400. – Sept. 9. (Thurs.) Music of the… Read More Picks of the Week: Sept. 7 – 12
By Don Heckman Blackmore’s Night “Winter Carols” (Minstrelhall Music) Richie Blackmore of Deep Purple, along with his partner, singer Candice Night, have created a rich, colorful holiday portrait, using electric guitar, period instruments, soaring vocals and multi-layered instrumental textures. The songs range from classic carols to a new song, “Christmas Eve,” and the Rednex’ “Wish… Read More CDs: More Songs of the Holidays
The International Review of Music 