By Don Heckman – Feb 27 & 28. (Fri. & Sat.) Stanley Clarke and Friends. Bassist Clarke’s “Friends” aren’t identified in the program for this gig. But Clarke, a world class artist with a stellar resume, can be counted on to surround himself with players capable of functioning at his Olympian jazz levels. In… Read More Highlights of the Weekend: In Los Angeles
By Don Heckman Northridge, CA. It’s been a week since the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra presented an entrancing evening of Baroque music at the Valley Performing Arts Center last Sunday. Traveling plans for the week delayed my review. But I don’t want to miss the opportunity to offer a few thoughts about LACO’s creative comfort… Read More Live Baroque Music: The Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra at the Valley Performing Arts Center
By Mike Finkelstein Northridge, CA. For several years now, Los Lobos and Los Lonely Boys have been touring together to the continuing satisfaction of their solid fan bases. Sometimes Los Lobos headlines, other times Los Lonely Boys headlines. The two bands teamed up Saturday night at the Valley Performing Arts Center on the CSUN campus… Read More Live Music: Los Lobos and Los Lonely Boys at Valley Performing Arts Center
By Don Heckman Northridge, CA. Memories galore resonated through the architecturally grand, acoustically captivating Valley Performing Arts Center on the campus of CalState Northridge Saturday night. Memories, that is, of an era dominated by the Beatles. The performance, by the Fab Faux, was yet another display of the Center’s growing presence as the creative center… Read More Live Music: The Fab Faux at the Valley Performing Arts Center
By Don Heckman Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra have been making regular appearances in the Southland for the past few years. And it’s always a musical delight to hear this stellar assemblage of jazz artists in action. On Sunday night they took the stage at the acoustically accurate environment of the… Read More Live Jazz: Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra at the Valley Performing Arts Center.
By Mike Finkelstein Rufus Wainwright played a solo show for an adoring audience Saturday night at the Valley Performing Arts Center. Judging by all I overheard, it seemed that many in the crowd had already seen him perform at least once. From the start, people recognized the songs after perhaps a chord and a half. … Read More Live Music: Rufus Wainwright at the Valley Performing Arts Center
By Don Heckman Northridge, CA. One of the first times (and there were many) that I reviewed a Michael Feinstein performance was in 1991 for the Los Angeles Times. I described him then as a “reincarnation of a classic movie juvenile lead. Slicked-back Dick Powell hair, flashing Russ Columbo eyes, a smile that would charm… Read More Live Music: Michael Feinstein at the Valley Performing Arts Center
By Don Heckman Northridge, CA. I couldn’t help but wonder, Saturday night at the Valley Performing Arts Center, whether the Branford Marsalis Quartet was anticipating the hard driving energies of Sunday’s NFL Super Bowl game. Playing at a peak level of intensity, much of what they offered could have served as the sound track for… Read More Live Jazz: The Branford Marsalis Quartet at the Valley Performing Arts Center
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 Don Heckman Los Angeles, CA. Judy Collins was back in town Friday night for her second major Southland appearance in less than a year. This time, she was performing at CSUN’s beautiful almost-new Valley Performing Arts Center. Once again, her performance was a virtual spoken memoir with songs. Collins’ musical and personal history has… Read More Live Music: Judy Collins at the Valley Performing Arts Center
The International Review of Music 