Results for "Los Angeles"

Andrea Balestra: A Rich Sicilian Odyssey

by Jim Worsley
February 17, 2021

Guitarist Andrea Balestra makes a cerebral investment with every note he plays and with all of his compositions. A lot of guitarists like to jam. Balestra isn't one of them. Substance is preferred over droning speed. His highly intensified music is born of traditional Italian music...being from Sicily perhaps a factor...a deep integration of blues, a ...

Vocalist/Lyricist Mark Winkler Teams With Pianist David Benoit For 'Old Friends'

February 12, 2021

Singer, lyricist Mark Winkler and pianist, composer David Benoit have teamed up to record an album that pays homage to their 37 years of friendship. Old Friends is a collection of some of the artists’ favorites songs by some of their favorite composers, as well as three original tunes, newly rendered in an affable collaboration by ...

Vocalist/Songwriter Bruce Brown Weaves Witty Narratives Over Soulful Jazz On 'Death Of Expertise'

February 8, 2021

When Bruce Brown lived in Los Angeles, he enjoyed a whirlwind of what he calls “live furniture background gigs,” countless casuals, and hipper engagements, like singing and playing piano in the lobby of the L.A. Biltmore Hotel. While doing this, he decided to take a leap of faith and pursue his longtime dream of songwriting full ...

Maki Mae Releases Astonishing Winter Album Of Jazz Standards

February 2, 2021

There is something quite special about music with the power to tell story and engaging people in a whole new way. This is definitely the case of Seasonal Songbook, an intimate and melodically excellent recent release by Maki Mae. This release has 13 songs, treading the audience to nearly 50 minutes of outstanding music. There is ...

Pedro Boschi

Born: September 10, 1982

Pedro’s music reflects the colors and sounds of the Mata Atlântica. His compositions are a unique synthesis of rich imagination and some magic. Pedro’s music is not only influenced by musicians such as Jobim and Hermeto Pascoal, but heavily influenced by literature and poetry. His musicality and great creativity make his compositions somewhat poetic chronicles full of metaphors of the Brazilian collective imagination. The sounds of the forest and rivers, the ocean and the birds are always there, even when not in the most conventional way. His music approaches harmony and melody in such an imaginative way, each song creates its own universe

Roman Miroshnichenko Nominated In The Hollywood Music Awards And Wins Global Music Award

January 20, 2021

Multi-Award winning guitar virtuoso Roman Miroshnichenko's composition “Bodhrán's Magic" was nominated in the Instrumental category at The Hollywood Music in Media Awards (HMMA). Previous HMMA nominees and laureates including soundtracks for the films Joker, Parasites, The Addams Family, Ford V Ferrari, The Green Book, composers and songwriters Hans Zimmer, Alan Silvestri, Earth, Wind & Fire, Annie ...

Guitarist Mike Scott Releases 'Collecting Things,' Featuring Joe Bagg, Darek Oles And Jake Reed

January 12, 2021

Collecting Things, the newest recording by guitarist and composer Mike Scott, is a pastiche of music styles mostly penned by Scott and performed by some of the top jazz musicians in Southern California. This is the third album by Scott as a leader and follows Fallen Peach (2011) and Good Place To Be (2000). The L.A. ...

Janis Mann & Kenny Werner - Dreams Of Flying

January 7, 2021

DownBeat Editors' Pick: January 2021 Renowned jazz vocalist Janis Mann teams up once again with world-class pianist Kenny Werner for Dreams of Flying. For this, her eighth album, Janice chose a mesmerizing collection of modern standards from the New American Songbook. Songs by Joni Mitchell, Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder, Jimmy Webb, Stephen Sondheim, Johnny Mandel, Blossom ...

Gregg Young

Gregg, originally from San Francisco, was signed to a major label recording contract when in his teens and had an "NFL or NBA" musical experience while touring and recording. Gregg has been in shows that included such acts as Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, Steve Miller, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Linda Ronstadt, Steppenwolf, Iron Butterfly, Eric Burden, War, Jose Feliciano and others. Gregg has had the privilege of having guitar great Carlos Santana as a friend and mentor, and learned a great deal while playing with Bo Diddley and Sly Stone. He was granted former resident status of Alcatraz due to an overnight stay (to make music) during the Indian occupation. In 2018, Young released a solo steel string guitar album, Alcatraz, which was considered in 2 Categories for a Grammy in 2019 for "Best Roots Performance" & "Best Contemporary Instrumental Album"

2020: The Year in Jazz

by Ken Franckling
January 2, 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic put the jazz world in a tailspin, just like the world at large, in 2020. And there is plenty of uncertainty going into the new year about what “new normal: might emerge from the darkness. International Jazz Day, like so many other things, became an online virtual event this time around. Pianist Keith ...