Results for "SoCal Jazz"
Jeff Richman: Fresh & Formidable Fusion Pioneer
by Jim Worsley
When the name Jeff Richman enters the conversation, there is a good chance you have nested deeply into the fusion guitarist rabbit hole. Richman recently released his eighteenth studio album XYZ (Blue Canoe, 2023), to go along with six gorgeously respectful tribute records. Now 71, the Berklee College of Music grad, has etched his name in ...
Sam First Records: Live Jazz on Vinyl
by Jim Worsley
Four short years ago I had the pleasure of attending and putting pen to paper (well, not literally anymore) about Sam First, jny: Los Angeles' hottest new jazz, haunt, which had made a splash on the city's jazz scene. Subsequent visits further validated the hip vibe of modernism combined with vintage jazz. To say that the ...
The Music of Thelonious Monk: John Beasley's MONK'estra Live
by Jim Worsley
If you are familiar with John Beasley's MONK'estra, then you may understand my excitement level at the prospects of seeing and hearing his music in a live show. The brilliance of Thelonious Monk's compositions propelled by the power and sass of big band swagger. This recent performance took place at The Barclay Performing Arts Center on ...
The Weckl/Kennedy Project: Live at The Catalina Jazz Club
by Jim Worsley
If you are a fan of fusion, you likely know that Tom Kennedy and Dave Weckl started playing together in their early teens. Recently, Weckl reminisced about that glorious time in their lives, while on stage at the Catalina Jazz Club in Hollywood. Yes, it was the Weckl/Kennedy Project playing the finale of a three-night engagement. ...
Dennis Chambers: Heartbeats and Backbeats
by Jim Worsley
We all know that Dennis Chambers is among the world's greatest drummers. In a spontaneous conversation, the gentleman proved to be as kind and generous as he is with his backbeats and grooves. He spoke candidly about the life threatening battles he has faced. Spanning from intense to humorous, Chambers opened up on his medical ordeals, ...
Lukasz Pawlik: Making Long Distance Connections
by Jim Worsley
It would come as no surprise if the last name Pawlik is familiar to you. Grammy-winning jazz composer and pianist Wlodek Pawlik, from Poland, has been a vital part of the jazz community for many years now. As it turns out, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. His son, Lukasz Pawlik, is a multitalented ...
Hiromi: Dancing and Smiling With Every Note
by Jim Worsley
Few musicians have impacted the jazz and music world with the zeal and character of Hiromi. She paints on the finest palette, on par with the finest wine or richest chocolate. Her ambitious and superlative skills as a pianist are matched by the complexities and sheer genius of her compositions. Whether flying solo, in trio, quartet, ...
Dolby ATMOS: Now HEAR This
by Jim Worsley
I almost entitled this “A Vacation For Your Ears." Seemed a bit wordy, although surely accurate. An invitation to Studio1LA from owners and masters of immersive engineering Karma Auger (yes he is Brian Auger's son) and Erich Gobel (pictured left to right, respectively) was accepted with high expectations. Auger, the drummer, and Gobel, the guitarist, bring ...
Pasqua, Erskine, and Oles: The Art of the Jazz Trio
by Jim Worsley
"We've known each other and have been playing together for fifty years now," was proudly, if even more sentimentally, reminisced by pianist Alan Pasqua in reference to drummer Peter Erskine to an intimate and appreciative audience at Sam First in Los Angeles during a recent performance. Bassist Darek Oleszkiewicz, who has been part of the mix ...
L.A. Jazz Quartet: Live at The Baked Potato
by Jim Worsley
The Baked Potato in Studio City (Los Angeles) is an iconic little jazz club that has been serving it up hot, both live music and scrumptious baked potatoes, for a half century now. The intimate space has played host to a long and impressive list of jazz elites. With a pre-pandemic capacity of not much more ...
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