Articles by Paula Edelstein

Chick Corea Trio Musical Palette Delights Holiday Audiences

by Paula Edelstein
March 13, 2004

Catalina’s Bar & Grill Los Angeles, CA December 17, 2000

The holiday season is tinged with varied emotions best expressed in music. Wonder, awe, gaiety and warmth all emanated from the standing room only audience at Catalina’s Bar & Grill in Los Angeles, California on December 17th, 2000 for The Chick Corea Trio. The songs Corea painted on the audience's hearts were absent of pain and tragedy and the emotional depth he lends to ...

Elvin Jones' Jazz Machine Powers Up At The Jazz Bakery

by Paula Edelstein
March 12, 2004

Elvin Jones’ Jazz Machine powered up at The Jazz Bakery in what had to be one of the best sets of the year. Fresh from a rousing performance to commemorate his 75th Anniversary at the San Francisco Jazz Festival, the patriarch of jazz drumming ignited the L.A. audience with an amazing repertoire of originals that ranged from Delfeayo Marsalis’ “The Unknown Tongue” to Jones’ rendition of a Japanese work/folk song in which he and his bandmates depicted the tenacity and ...

Al Di Meola Delivers A Blazing Set At The Knitting Factory (Los Angeles)

by Paula Edelstein
March 12, 2004

Al DiMeola and a new World Sinfonia group brought their intriguing fusion of rhythmic and electronic flair to the Knitting Factory October 8th. Their strong Latin jazz and buoyant world melodies were blended extremely well with a heavier electronic jazz/rock feeling which brought standing ovations from the audience several times during both well-attended shows. Di Meola’s compositional control over his fusion band resulted in a satisfying mixture of pre-composed structures of varying complexity, raw improvisational energy and beautiful melodic appeal.

George Duke Quintet

by Paula Edelstein
March 8, 2004

Catalina’s Bar & Grill Los Angeles, CA January 17, 2001

COOL, George Duke's foray on Warner Brothers Jazz that has led him back onto the jazz scene, seems to be paying off with jazz audiences in Los Angeles. His 6 night gig at Catalina's Bar & Grill in Los Angeles, CA on January 17-21, 2001 was met with roaring appreciation and has generated a river of commentary by the critics on the Los Angeles jazz scene. ...

That Night At Catalina's: The Kenny Burrell Quintet

by Paula Edelstein
March 8, 2004

Catalina’s Bar & Grill Los Angeles, CA

I just wanted to freeze this moment in jazz history. The physical, the emotional, the complete impact that the Kenny Burrell Quintet had on his audience at Catalina’s Bar & Grill the week of January 30th through February 4th, 2001 in Los Angeles, California was priceless. Accompanying the great guitarist, educator, and jazz icon was Ricky Woodard on tenor saxophone, Sherman Ferguson on drums, Gerald Wiggins on piano and Roberto Miranda ...

Nicholas Payton's Louis Armstrong Centennial Celebration At U.C.L.A.

by Paula Edelstein
March 8, 2004

The Grammy-winning trumpeter, Nicholas Payton presented an exciting performance of Tin Pan Alley standards associated with Louis Armstrong, Thursday February 15, 2001 at UCLA’s Royce Hall. The celebration is Payton’s tribute to one of the world's most important jazz masters and has been extended into the 21st Century by popular demand! This concert, part of a month-long celebration showcasing the vitality, quality and diversity of the Los Angeles cultural community in conjunction with the events surrounding the Grammy Awards, was ...

Maceo Parker: Blowin' the Roof Off the House of Blues!

by Paula Edelstein
March 8, 2004

“If Maceo is not on the groove, then the groove is not on.” – Stevie WonderMaceo Parker has been on the groove all over the world and has played all of the House of Blues’ club venues except his hometown of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. His extraordinary body of work stretches from the 60s to the present with virtually all of it high quality, despite his being in the shadow of James Brown for many years. But after tonight, ...

That Night At Catalina's: The Ray Brown Trio

by Paula Edelstein
March 8, 2004

The Ray Brown Trio Catalina Bar & Grill

The Ray Brown Trio received very high marks for their performance at the Catalina Bar & Grill in Los Angeles Friday night the 16th of February. The trio presented a compelling set complete with material ranging from an original piece composed by Ray for Phineas Newborn to Duke Ellington classics set in a medley that showcased each member’s greatest talents. The veteran bassist stepped into the spotlight joined by Larry ...

The Power of Jazz Happens At Big Sur JazzFest

by Paula Edelstein
March 8, 2004

Nestled high in the redwoods along the edge of the Pacific Ocean is a 17-mile stretch of romantic, natural charm called Big Sur. Among the annual highlights here is the annual Big Sur JazzFest that spans the course of three days. This year, May 4, 5, and 6th were the event-filled days that attracted those with an affinity for jazz in a beautiful setting to this tiny, coastal resort town. Complete with venues to match the sparkling serenity of the ...

Richard Bona: Scenes From My Life

by Paula Edelstein
October 1, 1999

Bassist/multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Richard Bona has debuted SCENES FROM MY LIFE for Columbia Jazz. The Cameroon, Africa native who is widely considered to be one of the world’s top bass players, and rightly so, has performed with such great musicians as Harry Belafonte, Joe Zawinul, Manu Dibango, Billy Cobham, The Brecker Brothers and Salif Keita. Singing in his native language of Douala, Richard Bona blends African music and jazz to reveal his remarkable talents as a vocalist and instrumentalist. He composed all ...