As one of the Hollywood Bowl’s summer 2019 concluding concerts, Black Movie Soundtrack III was a grand affair, adorned with drop dead gorgeous actors, super funky musicians, celebrated film directors and producers, and most importantly indelible and heart-stopping music. Although mainstream film critics and the film industry didn’t take any of the films, originally called “Blaxplotation” with black casts, directors and music from the ‘70s and ‘80s seriously, their popularity miraculously has endured and presently thrives. Undoubtedly, style was valued more than substance, and all the main characters in the films are militant/defiant, aggressive and cool under fire, and always extremely fashionable. Every year the Hollywood Bowl Goes to The Movies and BMSIII is the Afro-American version.

Hosting the celebratory event was comedian/actor Craig Robinson, and producer/film executive Reginald Hudlin, with music from the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra with bassist/Music Director Marcus Miller and Vince Mendoza conducting. Interestingly, BMSIII focused on 80 years of black film music and incorporated clips from other eras such as tap dance sensations The Nicholas Brothers in the 1943 film Stormy Weather with the Cab Calloway Band. Modern films such as Black Panther and Hidden Figures were also included in a later video. Supporting everything was Miller’s band featuring Kris Bowers-piano, John Beasley-keyboards, Paul Jackson, Jr.-guitar, Louis Cato-drums, and Massamba Diop-tama drum, along with backup singers Lynne Fiddmont, Valerie Pinkston and (Stanley) Chance Howard.

Musically, BMSIII began with a triumphant performance of Isaac Hayes’ immortal Shaft Theme to set the tone for the super-charged evening that ignited the audience. Equally impressive was the long list of participating singers. It included Meshell Ndegeocello coolly singing Bobby Womack’s Across 110th Street Theme, El DeBarge soulfully doing Marvin Gaye’s Trouble Man and “The Rhythm of The Night” from The Last Dragon with film intro, and Chaka Khan strongly singing Curtis Mayfield’s Let’s Do It Again with backup singer Howard. For a changeup, the emcee, band and orchestra briefly paid tribute to recently departed guitarist Wah-Wah Watson, who played on many of the BMS, with Norman Whitfield’s Car Wash Theme showcased. Additionally, gospel star Bebe Winans did Whitney Houston’s hit cover ballad of George Benson’s 1977 song “The Greatest Love of All” for the Muhammad Ali portrayal film The Greatest. Furthermore, Raphael Saadiq did homage to groundbreaking director John Singleton, who died this year, while a video montage was shown overhead.

The second half of BMSIII began celebrating Prince (a regular feature) with DeBarge doing “Boy And Girls” as Ndegeocello played bass, Charlie Wilson singing “Baby I’m a Star” and Khan handling “Purple Rain.” After ripping away on things earlier, Wilson returned to sing “It’s Going to be Alright” from the Boomerang movie. Singer Dionne Farris was equally impactful donning a lit-up spider-like outfit and doing “Hopeless” from Love Drums with Miller and Ndegeocello, who also sang, helping out after a clip from the film was shown. Not to be forgotten was iconic director Spike Lee who was honored through Khan singing sweeping ballad “Love Me Still” from his Clockers film. As a special bonus rapper Snoop Dogg rendered the Deep Cover title track with a clip shown beforehand to blow the audience away. Also notable was Farris and Diop uniting for songs from animated film Into The Spider Verse and Black Panther. Wrapping things up Robinson acknowledged Hudlin’s documentary The Black Godfather about producer Clarence Avant and Winans performed Bill Withers’ (client of Avant) “Lean on Me.”

 

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Santa Barbara Acoustic Music Association presents SBAcoustic, the highly anticipated celebratory series began September 14 with the opening weekend of live international acoustic music concerts, guitar workshops, and artisanal guitar show at the New Vic Theatre. SBAcoustic continues with musically diverse live music concerts through December 14 at downtown Santa Barbara venues: The Wooden Hall Concerts at the Alhecama Theatre, the Lobero Theatre and SOhO Restaurant & Music Club.

Red TicketSanta Barbara Acoustic Music Association presents SBAcoustic

Nov 2: Fingerstyle Soundscapes with Hiroya Tsukamoto; 7:30 p.m.; The Wooden Hall Concerts at Alhecama Theatre

Nov 4: Dorado Schmitt & Django Festival All-Stars; 8 p.m.; Lobero Theatre

Nov 9: Adrian Bellue & Nich Johnson; 6 p.m.; SOhO Music Club

Nov 9: An Evening with Richard Thompson; 8 p.m.; Lobero Theatre

Nov 10: Benise – Fuego!; 7 p.m.; Lobero Theatre

Nov 12: Jazz at the Lobero Presents The Joshua Redman Quartet; 8 p.m.

Nov 23: Flamenco with Kai Narezo & Friends; 7:30 p.m.; The Wooden Hall at Alhecama Theatre

Dec 14: Trace Bundy, The Acoustic Ninja; 7:30 p.m.; The Wooden Hall at Alhecama Theatre sbacoustic.com

https://www.facebook.com/SBAcoustic2019

Created in collaboration with the National Jazz Museum in Harlem, Harlem 100 captures the sights and sounds of the city when legendary artists such as Fats Waller, Duke Ellington, Langston Hughes, and Billie Holiday made it the cultural center of the country. The multimedia production features a band and dancers celebrating the music of Waller, Ellington, Holiday, Bessie Smith, and Ethel Waters.

Harlem 100
November 17, 2019
7:00PM
Cerritos Center For The Performing Arts
18000 Park Plaza Drive
Cerritos, CA 90703

Southland’s Premier Performing Arts Theater and Conference Facility – Cerritos Center for the Performing Art
The Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts (CCPA) offers great performances in music, dance and theater and unique facilities for meetings, banquets and special events. As Southland’s premier performing arts theatre and conference facility located in Cerritos, California visitors to the website can purchase season tickets, view the calendar of events, and get involved.
www.cerritoscenter.com

Info Line: 562.916.8501 Ticket Office 800.300.4345 or 562.916.8500

 

 

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Master conguero Poncho Sanchez recently appeared at the Grammy Museum to showcase Trane’s Delight, his first new recording in seven years, talk about his background with Scott Goldman the venue’s Executive Director, and perform numbers from the new album. In discussion with Goldman, Sanchez talked about growing up in Norwalk, CA and Laredo, Texas, and first hearing saxophone legend Coltrane while he was in 8th grade. The saxophonist made a significant impact on the budding musician, along with Latin jazz giants Cal Tjader and Mongo Santamaria, whom he met and played with later. Additionally, Sanchez was influenced by R&B music of the ‘60s and ‘70s, and with jazz that became the foundation of his present musical identity. Sanchez related how he worked hard to learn his craft that included being a lead singer and eventually got an opportunity to play with Tjader for seven years up to when he died in 1982. Included in the interview were funny anecdotes about Santamaria and naming his son after him. Q&A with the audience included: first Tjader record he heard (Mambo Tjader) and the impact of winning a Grammy in 1999 and later receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award.

For the performance part of the appearance Sanchez masterfully showcased selections from his new CD, beginning with Coltrane’s “Blue Train” that with a slight mambo tinge was soulful with sax, trombone and the conguero soloing. Pianist Andy Langham’s “Sube” laden with African percussion touches kept the vibe going and featured sophisticated playing from him with brass choruses playing the melody and accenting. For the last number vocalist Norell Thomson, who is also on Trane’s Delight, joined the band, along with alumni trumpeter, Serafin Aguilar, for Bobby Manrique’s salsa styled “Todo Termino.” Combined with Thomson’s alluring and powerful singing, and the band’s high-powered dynamics the audience was definitely blown away and eager to hear more from Sanchez and crew.

 

The 2019 Monterey Jazz Festival, number 62 departed somewhat from its conventional orientation of overflowing with a plethora of well-known legends and giants of jazz, to a balanced program that provided more opportunities for emerging, lesser-known and female artists. Although, some were not happy about the festival’s direction, it was unquestionably necessary for growth and vitality, and analogous to trimming a tree periodically. Reflecting MJF’s forward-thinking openness was the co-appointment of bassist Derrick Hodge and drummer Allison Miller as Artist-In-Residence, bassist/band leader Christian McBride as the Showcase & Commission Artist, and pianist Kenny Baron as the Jazz Legend Artist. Each of the musicians buzzed about the Monterey County Fairgrounds for sets on different stages and in numerous configurations.

On the Jimmy Lyon’s main stage Hodge and Miller presented Soul On Soul: Tribute To Mary Lou Williams. Included in their combo were pianists Shamie Royston and Carmen Staaf, along with vocalists Jean Baylor, Johnaye Kendrick and Michael Mayo. Together they produced a lush tapestry of driving band interaction and harmonious singing spanning Williams’ jazz compositions and spirituals. “Anima Christi” from her Black Christ of The Andes combined both worlds and thoroughly captivated the audience to close the set. Miller additionally took part in the discussion Remembering Mary Lou Williams with the other women in the band and Moderator Pamela Espeland in The Blue Note at Sea tent, performed with her group Boom Tic Boom in The Night Club, The Next Generation Orchestra with Hodge on The Lyon’s Stage, and Parlor Social with violinist Jenny Scheinman at Dizzy’s Den. Hodge also performed with his quartet, and fusion band Color of Noize at Dizzy’s Den, and along with giving a master class.

McBride was equally busy, performing with his big band twice, including premiering his Commission Roy Anthony: The Fearless One In Memory of Roy Hargrove. The 16-minute piece with Kanoa Mendenhall playing the bass, and the bandleader conducting was sophisticated and incorporated high-level swinging and big band forays, with levels of intelligent brass integration. Also included was a subdued ballad section bolstered by trumpet and flute solos, along with a rolling funk segment to wow the crowd. Alternately, the bassist got funky with his Christian McBride Situation that featured Patrice Rushen-keyboards, Alyson Williams-vocals, Keith Loftis-tenor saxophone, with DJs Logic and Jahi Sundance.

Baron’s schedule at MJF 2019 was a little more relaxed and included performances on the Lyon’s Stage and Pacific Jazz Café with bassist Dave Holland and Nasheet Waits-drums. On the main stage the trio swung coolly and intelligently with rhythmic variations that provided plenty of space for impressive solos during Monk’s “Worry Later/San Francisco Holiday,” pianist Sumi Tonooka’s “Secret Places,” who is from Philadelphia like Baron and his original “Seascapes.” Additionally, Baron and Holland were honored at the 13th Annual Jazz Legends Gala at the Tehama Golf Club in Carmel prior to MJF 2019, and they took part in the MJF Conversation Series hosted by journalist Willard Jenkins.

Among the many other interesting and great shows at MJF 2019 was festival favorite Diana Krall and her quintet on the main stage. It consisted of John Clayton-bass, Joe Lovano-tenor sax, Anthony Wilson-guitar and Karriem Riggins-drums. The singer/pianist bandleader rendered a flowing set of standards such as jaunting “Do I Love You,” evocative “All or Nothing at All” with a bowing bass intro and extensive guitar, sax and piano solos. While “Love is All I Can Give You” was laden with piano, and an upbeat and solo drenched treatment of Bob Dorough’s “Devil May Care” totally captivated the audience.

In the Pacific Café singer Roberta Gambarini and pianist Jeb Patton dedicated their set to recently departed trumpeter and Gambarini’s friend Roy Hargrove. It included Rahsaan Roland Kirk’s hip swinging “Theme For The Eulipions,” lengthy “The Maestro” by Cedar Walton and Dave Brubeck’s stately “The Duke.” Also in the same venue pianist/singer Tammy L. Hall and bassist Ruth Davies “re-imagined” Charlie Haden and Hank Jones’ gospel-jazz work together from their albums Steal Away and Going Home. Among the songs the duo performed were “Leaning on The Everlasting Arms” and “Down by The Riverside” with the audience clapping along. Additionally, saxophonist Kristen Strom joined the duo for Ellington’s “Come Sunday” and “Nobody Knows The Trouble I’ve Seen” by Charles Brown.

Bria Skonberg, an emerging singer/trumpeter from Canada and a member of the Monterey Jazz Festival on Tour band provided an energetic set at the Night Club stage. She showcased selections from her latest CD Nothing Never Happens, such as modern hard-jamming “I Want to Break Free,” and New Orleans trad styled dirge “So is The Day” garnished by the bandleader’s sullen singing and hot trumpet playing to thoroughly captivate the audience. Pamela Rose-vocals & Terrence Brewer-guitar in the style of popular Bay Area husband and wife duo Tuck & Patti were contrastingly subtle and celebrated the legendary work of Ella Fitzgerald and Joe Pass together on the Dizzy’s Den stage. Combining enchanting singing and zesty guitar playing, they tastefully rendered classics like “You Turned The Tables on Me” and “Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye,” along with Stevie Wonder’s “You Are The Sunshine of My Life” featuring saxophonist Strom.

In the vein of Brazilian and Latin jazz, MJF presented Eliane Elias, the Pacific Mambo Orchestra and Natalie Cressman & Ian Facquini, among others. Singer/pianist Elias debuted at the festival on its main stage with her quartet made up of Marc Johnson-bass, Rafael Barata-drums and Rubens de La Corte-guitar. The unit spryly jammed together initially for a bossa instrumental and continued playing songs from Elias’ 2016 Grammy and 2017 Latin Grammy-winning CD Made in Brazil and recent Love Stories. Standout numbers were “Aquarela do Brasil,” “Você,” unofficial anthem “Isto Aqui O Que É (Silver Sandal)” embellished with her and drums trading off, and sultry sang ballad “Simplest Things” that she also augmented with a dazzling piano solo.

Also on the Lyon’s stage were the Grammy-winning 20-piece Bay Area-based Pacific Mambo Orchestra who provided variety and diversity in the mid-afternoon sun. Singers Christelle Durandy and Armando Cordoba fronted the ensemble, which energized the audience with an engaging mix of salsa, mambo, cha cha cha and Latin jazz in the tradition of Tito Puentes, Tito Rodriguez and Machito. From a more subdued perspective, Natalie Cressman-trombone/vocals and Ian Facquini-guitar/vocals performed on the Dizzy’s Den stage for a melodious set of mostly samba and choro originals from their CD Setting Rays of Summer. The title track and the Beatles’ “She’s Leaving Home” were sweetly sung in English and gentle folk, while “Terê” in Portuguese and a Guinga piece were samba/chore tinged, and showcased the duo’s astounding instrumental prowess.

Contemporary jazz was strongly represented at MJF 2019 through Marcus Miller, Bob James and David Sanborn, Snarky Puppy and Chris Botti. On the Lyon’s stage bassist Miller, keyboardist James and alto saxophonist Sanborn, with Billy Kilson-drums rekindled the 1986 top-selling album Double Vision. Among its popular tunes played were “More Than Friends,” new agey “Moon Tune” that James joked was “old age music.” Also in the set was Ray Charles’ “You Don’t Know Me” featuring Temptations soulful singer Larry Braggs, who also sang “Since I Fell For You” in honor of Al Jarreau (sang it on DV) and Grover Washington’s “Mr. Magic” (originally arranged by James). Snarky Puppy on the same stage maintained their Brooklyn edge with lengthy pieces full of improvisation and a closer featuring the crowd who were surprisingly into it, clapping along in three different groups and beats. Botti on trumpet led a more scale down group than normal and leaned more to standards with pop and classical mixed. Propelling it all were singers Sy Smith, and strong up and comer Veronica Swift.

 

The Yellowjackets consisting of Bob Mintzer-tenor sax, Will Kennedy-drums, Russell Ferrante-keyboards and Dane Alderson-bass with Luciana Sousa singing at The Night Club put on a fusion clinic that was a bust out jam session. All the players blazed away and were strongly accented by Kennedy. Sousa additionally provided sensual and emotional moments for respites and assortment.

Funk, R&B and pop were injected into MJF 2019 as well. Cha Wa who performed on the Lyon’s and Garden Stages were strongly linked to New Orleans’ Mardi Gras Indian traditions. Fronting the group were vocalist/percussionists J’Wan Boudreaux and Joseph Hills who donned elaborate Indian costumes. Their octet performed funky and soulful grooves from their Grammy-nominated CD Skyboy. Tank And The Bangas, led by singer Tarriona “Tank” Ball were also from New Orleans and represented its street culture. On-stage they resembled a co-ed version of the Village People and kept things interesting by melding pop, modern soul, gospel and fusion.

Veteran Dutch saxophonist/vocalist Candy Dulfer also made her MJF debut on the main stage with her septet and charmed the audience, while also exhibiting strong influences of her long association with

Prince. She mostly showcased songs from her new project Together, along with some venerable hits. Among them were “Out of Time” dedicated to Prince, jazz and Caribbean flavored “What U Do (When the Music Hits),” Santana/Gato Barbieri’s “Europa (Earth’s Cry Heaven’s Smile)” also strongly adorned by guitarist Ulco Bed and the Average White Band’s enduring hit “Pickup The Pieces.”

A longtime MJF Saturday afternoon tradition is blues, and this year two performers, Christone “KingfishIngram and Larkin Poe totally captivated audiences, and were very different. 20 year-old Ingram, a protégé of Blues King Buddy Guy, played with his power trio that included Paul Rogers-bass and Chris Black-drums. He jammed away and sang on the Garden Stage and was spellbinding, reminiscent of Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan and his mentor. He injected New Orleans stable “When The Saints Come Marching In,” R&B/blues classic “Hey Joe” and “I’ve Got to Run” as an encore into his set. Larkin Poe who are guitarist/singer sisters Rebecca-28 and Megan-30 Lowell, raised outside of Atlanta and now based in Nashville, derived their name from their great, great, great, great grandfather Larkin Poe, a distant cousin of Edgar Allen Poe. Dubbed “the little sisters of the Allman Brothers,” the women supported by Brent Layman-keyboards/bass and Kevin McGowan-drums spotlighted songs from their 2018 recording Venon & Faith. Its a rocking mix of roots and blues with fiery guitar, slide guitar and stirring singing that blew the audience away.

Undoubtedly, there many, many other artists appearing at MJF 2019, along with ancillary activities such as the infamous Blindfold Test, interviews, film screenings, symposiums and presentations. For more info and ticket purchases for 2020 go to: www.montereyjazzfestival.org.

 

 

Applause is an indication of a performer’s popularity, but it could also be interpreted as respect for one’s accomplishments and body of work. In that regard Chick Corea received an almost embarrassing amount before playing with drummer Brian Blade and bassist Christian McBride at UCLA’s Center For The Art of Performances at Royce Hall. The highly regarded pianist, now 78 announced that the show was their second and sounded a little nervous, mentioning that they would like to tune up beforehand. For a bit of fun and mischief he invited the audience to hum along as he went through several riffs. From there it was all business as he and trio launched into “500 Miles High” and were in great form, with all soloing engagingly and never in standardized fashion.

For a tribute to Bill Evans and Miles Davis an airy version of “Alice in Wonderland” was highlighted and also dedicated to Corea’s wife Gail. In similar fashion, Ellington’s “In a Sentimental Mood” was almost a solo treatment with light accompaniment and soloing from McBride and Blade, after Corea’s long opening section. In full band mode, Monk’s eccentric ballad “Crepuscule With Nellie” and lesser-known bebop tune “Work” strongly complimented by drums and bass expanded the concert’s dimensions to receive strong crowd reactions.

For even more range Corea merged a classical composition by Domenico Scarlatti played solely with his own full trio “A Spanish Song” for a highly stimulating excursion. During the final moments of the outing “Fingerprints” in response to Wayne Shorter’s “Footprints” featured Blade for a solo intro that led to whirlwind playing by the pianist, exceptional band exchanges and scorching solos. Afterwards, the very enthusiastic audience demanded an encore and the trio obliged with more Monk. Corea also returned to the opening format with the attendees amusingly trying to scat along to “Straight No Chaser,” which of course further endeared the artist to them.

 

Innovative and renown pianist/composer/band leader/educator Vijay Iyer made a special solo appearance at Just Jazz. In the spirit of Keith Jarrett’s groundbreaking improvisational, spur of the moment concerts in the ‘70s, Iyer went through a range of moods and rhythms. He initially began with dark and somewhat macabre textures and then lightened up with dazzling forays. From there he shifted to a straightforward Asian-tinged theme, and later expanded to a crescendo of suspenseful and abstract motifs that intensified.

The pianist maintained the cadence with blasts of modern jazz, bebop and classical intermixed. He eventually spiraled down with brilliant stride runs that recalled Bud Powell and then went beyond with vibrant classical, avant-garde and jazz jaunts that drew energetic applause. During the final segment Iyler played more expressively and lyrically as if he were singing a song or reciting poetry that was very emotional and ended sadly to garner a standing ovation. For more info go to: www.justjazz.tv.

The Joey DeFrancesco Trio, part of the Jazz Bakery’s Moveable Feast series, played at the Moss Theatre. The organist/saxophonist/trumpeter/singer worked with Troy Roberts-sax/bass and Quincy Phillips-drums. Together they grooved “Philly style,” while highlighting tunes from the bandleader’s latest CD In The Key of The Universe. DeFrancesco best known for being an organ virtuoso dazzled the crowd and wailed away with his group for “Vibrations in Blue” and then alternated between organ, electric piano and trumpet, while also spotlighting Roberts on sax during “Soul Perspective.” The title track of the new recording was rollicking and soulful, with sax and organ playing soulfully as drums maintained a strong foundation to delight the audience.

The trio dynamics continued with “It Swung Wide Open” featuring sax, organ and drums trading off, and soloing intensely. Roberts switched to bass for a ballad while DeFancesco played saxophone melodically. Afterwards, drums led off as the audience clapped along to lead into urban electric piano/organ groove “And So It Is” that included bass and trumpet soloing resoundingly. Roberts returned to saxophone for another soulful ballad that included him and organ stretching out for their solos. The set ended with DeFrancesco whistling initially and then changing over to work out expressively for “Awake And Blessed” with his trio.

SPECIAL REQUEST

Guitar legend Kenny Burrell took a fall two years ago. He is still recovering and on sabbatical from UCLA. Essentially, he is still unable to play and/or teach. Help is needed and welcomed. Here’s the link for donations setup by his wife Katherine:

https://www.gofundme.com/support-kenny-burrell?utm_medium=email&utm_source=product&utm_campaign=p_email%2B2300-co-team-welcome

 

Singer/lyricist/pianist Dave Frishberg is not doing well at all. If you who have enjoyed the gift of Dave’s music, please feel inspired to help him now that he needs it.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-dave-frishberg

 

 

 

 

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Mr. Musichead, celebrating 20 years as a premier boutique art gallery and its owner Sam Milgrom, teamed up with Los Angeles Jazz Radio Broadcaster and Producer LeRoy Downs and All Music Television Founder & CEO Frederick Smith, Jr to present Just Jazz featuring a lineup of internationally recognized jazz artists. From 6:30pm to Showtime, before each show, tune into “The Jazzcat” LeRoy Downs as he spins one hour of supreme, eclectic jazz live on SoundsandColorsRadio.net direct from the Mr Musichead Gallery! Downs will play music and interview the weekly artist as jazz patrons are arriving for the performance, enticing listeners to come on out and be a part of the Curated Jazz Experience!! A portion of the proceeds from each show will be donated to a local charity.

Red TicketDoors Open: 6:00pm
Drinks & Appetizer Reception: 6:30pm
Live Music: 7:30pm

Nov 6 The Alan Pasqua Trio
Nov 13 Jen Shyu Solo Performance – Nine Doors
Nov 20 Foundation 919

Mr Musichead Gallery
7420 W. Sunset Blvd (across from Guitar Center)
Los Angeles, CA 90046
323-876-90046 www.mrmusichead.com
www.SoundsandColorsRadio.net
www.allmusictelevision.net
www.TheJazzcat.net

November 16 “Steel House” with Scott Colley – Brian Blade – Edward Simon
8:00pm Zipper Concert Hall-The Colburn School

Moss Theater
New Roads School at The Herb Alpert Educational Village
3131 Olympic Blvd. Santa Monica, CA 90404

Jazz Bakery’s Moveable Feasts
jazzbakery.org
(800) 838-3006

“Concerts and Conversations with Southern California Jazz Legends” made possible by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. KJAZZ 88.1 – official media sponsor.

CAP UCLA’s 2019-20 season highlights

Red TicketNov 2
Aaron Neville Duo
Royce Hall

Nov 10
Joshua Redman Quartet with The Bad Plus
Royce Hall

Nov 16
Sergio Mendes & Bebel Gilberto
Royce Hall

Nov 23
Avery*Sunshine
The Theatre at Ace Hotel

Dec 5
Bill Frisell & Julian Lage Duo
Royce Hall

Dec 7
DeJohnette/Coltrane/Garrison Royce
Hall Jan 25, 2020

Buika
The Theatre at Ace Hotel

Feb 7, 2020
Gregory Porter
Royce Hall

Feb 20, 2020
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
Royce Hall

Feb 28, 2020
Omar Sosa & Yilian Cañizares Aguas Trio Featuring Gustavo Ovalles
Royce Hall

Mar 7, 2020
Octavia E. Butler’s
Parable Of The Sower
Created By Toshi Reagon and
Bernice Johnson Reagon
Music and Lyrics By Toshi Reagon and Bernice Johnson Reagon
Directed By Eric Ting Royce Hall Mar 26, 2020 Fly Higher: Charlie Parker At 100 Co-musical Directors: Rudresh Mahanthappa & Terri Lyne Carrington
Royce Hall

Apr 18, 2020
Perla Batalla Discoteca Batalla
The Theatre at Ace Hotel

Apr 25, 2020
Anthony De Mare
Liaisons 2020: Re-imagining Sondheim From The Piano
Royce Hall

Subscriptions and individual tickets on sale at: cap.ucla.edu 310.825.2101

 

 

Performances à la Carte Presents

Jazz ‘n Paz
Fall 2019 Concert Series
Intimate Pasadena early Sunday evening Jazz programs to nourish your soul

Performances à la Carte is a collaborative arts events producer with a mission to create unique, original live performances utilizing multi-arts genres to showcase the diverse artistic community in the greater Los Angeles, San Gabriel and Crescenta Valley area and to connect the arts with social needs and issues that serve the public interest.

Singer, songwriter and artistic director of Performances à la Carte, Carla (Jamie) Perez, is considered a very versatile singer, a performance artist of eclectic tastes and total vocality. Although she studied with some of the world’s most renown classical singers/teachers, she considers her first voice teachers and interpreters of song growing up to be jazz greats Sarah Vaughan, Nancy Wilson and Ella Fitzgerald and admits she frequently gave “Frankie” a spin (all via vinyl).

Though the music of jazz and Broadway were her first loves, her father, a lover of jazz but a devoted operaphile, persuaded her (or else) to pursue a career in classical music, which she did very successfully for 30 years. She is delighted to return to her roots and sing some of the jazz music she “cut her teeth on” (literally – she teethed on jazz album covers as an infant). Through her artistic endeavors with Performances à la Carte, she continues to create collaborative projects that promote artists, serve the public interest and that fuel her passion for beauty, authenticity and social justice.

November 17, 2 + Latin featuring Louie Cruz Beltran, Nick Mancini and Jamie Perez with Carlos Vivas on piano and Abelardo Bolañoon drums.

December 22, Carols of the Belles Holiday Jazz ‘n Paz featuring Barbara Morrison, Jamie Perez, and Renee Myara, with Michael Ragonese on piano, James Yoshizawa on drums, Danny Janklow on sax and flute, and Cooper Appelt on bass.

Neighborhood UU Church

5:00PM
301 North Orange Grove Blvd.
Pasadena, CA 91103 https://jazznpaz.com
jazznpaz@performancesalacarte.com
626-296-9843.
Series subscriptions are now on sale, offering a discount compared to individual concert tickets.

FREE CONCERTS

Jazz at LACMA | Smidt Welcome

Plaza November 8 Al Williams Jazz Society
6 pm

November 15 Dave Tull
6 pm

November 22 Douyé
6 pm

November 29 Bruns Collective with vocalist Kevin Baché
6 pm

Smidt Welcome Plaza
Los Angeles County Museum of Art 5905 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90036 www.lacma.org

HOLIDAY CONCERTS

Jingle Jazz

KJazz’s annual holiday party, is Sunday, December 8 at 4pm at the El Rey Theatre on Los Angeles’ Miracle Mile featuring headliner GRAMMY nominated Mongorama. And, this Jingle Jazz will be also celebrating Jose Rizo’s upcoming 30th anniversary on KJazz, along with some special guests.

KJazz Jingle Jazz Concert
December 8
4pm
El Rey Theatre
5515 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
kkjz.org

KJazz Presents: New Year’s Eve with Sugaray Rayford

KJazz and The Mint present blues vocalist Sugaray Rayford on Sunday, December 31st at 8pm. With his old school vocal style, echoes of Muddy Waters, Otis Redding and Teddy Pendergrass can be heard. Don’t miss out on this special show!

New Year’s Eve with Sugaray Rayford
December 31st
8pm
The Mint
6010 W Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90035 themintla.com and kkjz.org

 

 

Any information to be considered for this column can be sent to: chrisjwalker1@earthlink.net