Picks of the Week: Dec. 2 – 6 (Wed. – Sun.) in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland, Seattle, Chicago and New York City

By Don Heckman Los Angeles   – Dec. 3 – 5. (Thurs. – Sat.) The Los Angeles Philharmonic, conducted by Gustavo Dudamel, presents a program of Bach and Mendelssohn. Violinist Gil Shaham is featured in a pair of Bach Concertos. The Philharmonic takes the spotlight with Mendelsohn’s Symphony No 1 and Overture for Harmoniemusik. An… Read More Picks of the Week: Dec. 2 – 6 (Wed. – Sun.) in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland, Seattle, Chicago and New York City

CD Review of the Day: Royal Southern Brotherhood’s “heartsoulblood”

Royal Southern Brotherhood heartsoulblood (Ruf Records) By Brian Arsenault What the so-called blues “purists” don’t understand is called out on critic John Sinclair’s liner notes to the superb heartsoulblood recently released by Royal Southern Brotherhood. To wit: “Here Cyril Neville points out (on the album’s second track) that ‘rock & roll is the child of… Read More CD Review of the Day: Royal Southern Brotherhood’s “heartsoulblood”