Music

Medeski, Martin & Wood (www.mmw.net/) brought their unique blend of free jazz, soul, funk, and electonica to the El Rey Theater in Los Angeles (www.theelrey.com/) on Thursday, February 18. The band is touring in celebration of the release of "Radiolarians: The Evolutionary Set," a box set from their label, Indirecto Records. MMW play music that is not what anyone would consider radio friendly. There are no vocals, and their style, although rooted in jazz, does not easily fit into a set category. Their knowledgeable and dedicated fans certainly don’t seem to mind. On this night, everyone in attendance enjoyed an improvisational exploration of music without boundaries. Read More »

Just one week after the New Orleans Saints' fairy-tale Super Bowl victory, another New Orleans institution landed in Los Angeles. The Dirty Dozen Brass Band came to town to regale displaced New Orleans natives and L. A. fans with their unique blend of jazz, soul, funk, and improvisation. A delayed arrival was cause for concern by the Mint (www.themintla.com/) staff and a throng of restless fans. Their scheduled start time of 10 p.m. came and went as word trickled down through the crowd that their flight from Atlanta hit a snag due to snowy weather in Dallas. Not hitting the stage until 12:35 a.m. meant for a significantly shorter set than anticipated. However, they made up for it by stringing together an energetic set of songs that brought them right to the edge of the 2 a.m. curfew. Read More »

Tower of Power (www.tofp.com) is a soul band from San Francisco that has been performing for 41 years. Their concert on December 11, 2009 at Club Nokia left no doubt that they still deliver a dynamic brand of soul, funk, and incredibly tight horn arrangements. Prior to the Tower of Power show, Average White Band opened with some fine soul and funk of their own. Tom Politzer, Tower of Power's lead tenor sax player, sat in for the encore, "Pick Up The Pieces". While both bands fall into the same genre, AWB's sound is more subtle. The crowd enjoyed the set, but clearly the highlight of the evening was yet to come. Read More »

The Black Crowes (www.blackcrowes.com) were on fire at Club Nokia on Saturday November 28, 2009. They took an already excited crowd to near hysteria with their brand of raucous, blues inspired rock. The show’s opener, Truth & Salvage Co., a band that has the honor of being the first signed to the Black Crowes new record label Silver Arrow Records, warmed up the audience. With a style that follows the Crowes’ blues roots, while injecting some country, soul, and roots rock, Truth & Salvage Co. wowed the crowd (www.truthandsalvageco.com). Read More »