SoCal Jazz

Daily articles carefully curated by the All About Jazz staff. Read our popular and future articles.

Sometimes poignant.... sometimes humorous....always about jazz. The musings of a lifetime jazz listener in stories, concert reviews, profiles, interviews, and more.

SOCAL JAZZ June 23, 2020

Catalina Jazz Club: Landmark Jazz Haven Forges Onward

By Jim Worsley

While west-coasters long to go to the Blue Note in jny: New York City, east-coasters have their sights set on the Catalina Jazz Club in Hollywood. The family-owned and operated jazz hot spot has seen and heard from all the jazz legends over the past thirty-four years. The supper club has fine dining and even finer up close and personal jazz performances. Having been there many times myself and seen/heard legends such as Ron Carter, Steve Gadd, Marcus Miller, and ...

SOCAL JAZZ June 12, 2020

Tamir Hendelman: The Many Colors and Cultures of Tamir

By Jim Worsley

With so many talented jazz pianists over the years, it can be a challenge to make your own mark or carve out your own identity. Many fine musicians have simply blended into the scene, seemingly unnoticed, due to a lack of singularity that sets them apart. Tamir Hendelman crashes that barrier with a signature sound that embraces jazz, Brazilian, spirituality, the American Songbook, and more. With Israelia roots and American tradition, Hendelman has shared the stage and/or recording studio with ...

SOCAL JAZZ June 7, 2020

Leni Stern: A Special Spirit

By Jim Worsley

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Leni Stern and I spoke about the pandemic, and her experiences with such, during her many travels to Africa. Because this conversation was prior to the senseless murder on May 25th, that incident is not mentioned. This wasn't my first dance with the incomparable Leni Stern so I knew what to expect. Always gracious, personable, and positive, as quick to laugh as she is to deliver sincerity with heartfelt prose. Our last “official" conversation, Leni Stern: ...

SOCAL JAZZ May 7, 2020

Frank Tiberi: The Thundering is Still Heard

By Jim Worsley

The term “ninety-two years young" is a bit cliché, but if the shoe fits (oops, another cliché). Saxophonist Frank Tiberi (pictured above playing with saxophonist and long time friend George Garzone to the left) spoke with the verve and energy of a much younger man. He got excited, as if being back in the moment, when telling stories of as far back as the 1930s. We laughed, and I learned, in a conversation that covered a lot of ground.

SOCAL JAZZ April 20, 2020

Alice Soyer: A Tale of Two Wings

By Jim Worsley

To think of Alice Soyer is to immediately get in touch with your feelings. Soyer is a most accomplished composer, pianist, and vocalist, who also brilliantly shares her distinct impressions through her drawings and paintings. Born and raised just outside of jny: Paris, Soyer's art, in any form, denotes the cherished moments and adventures of her life in a personal and often poignant manner. Her career path was altered significantly by Bob James and David Sanborn. Musically for ...

SOCAL JAZZ April 9, 2020

George Garzone: Sax In The City

By Jim Worsley

George Garzone is not the mayor of the city of Boston. If he was appointed to a position it would more likely be king. He is, at the very least, the toast of the town. This isn't news. King George has reigned with a firm grasp of his mighty tenor saxophone for close to half a century now. Although not as much of a household name outside of Boston, Garzone is nonetheless revered by jazz enthusiasts around the globe. Perhaps ...

SOCAL JAZZ March 9, 2020

Samuel Torres: The Interfuse of Percussion and Orchestration

By Jim Worsley

Samuel Torres is a percussionist extraordinaire. Samuel Torres is an exceptional composer. Samuel Torres is an astute arranger. Samuel Torres has vast skills as an orchestrator. All of those statements are valid responses to the question, who is Samuel Torres? The Colombian born artist, who now makes his home in New York City, has, as they say in the industry, “made a lot of noise" over the past few years. No, I don't mean banging and clanging around on a ...