Search
Jet Set Arts
Concert: Medeski Martin & Wood Come to LA's EL Rey Theater
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 »
Concert: Dirty Dozen Brass Band at the Mint
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 »
Concerts: New Orleans Musicians Take Over LA
Los Angeles was ground central for an invasion of talented New Orleans musicians during the middle weekend of January 2010. On consecutive nights, two of the city's best music venues, the Roxy Theatre (www.theroxyonsunset.com/) and the Mint (www.themintla.com/), hosted some of the greatest brass band, funk, and rock legends to come out of the Crescent City in the last 40 years. Friday night’s crowd at the Roxy on Sunset Boulevard was pumped up for Rebirth Brass Band (www.myspace.com/rebirthbrassband) and Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk (www.dumpstaphunk.com/). On Saturday, an industry-heavy crowd witnessed an all-star jam at the Mint led by Leo Nocentelli (www.nocentelli.com/) of the legendary Meters, and Stanton Moore (www.stantonmoore.com/) of Galactic. Read More »
Concert: Medeski Martin & Wood Come to LA's EL Rey Theater on FEB. 18
The El Rey Theater (www.theelrey.com/) will be the place to be for a night of soul, funk, hip hop, trip hop, and free jazz on Thursday, February 18. Medeski Martin & Wood (www.mmw.net/) will be in Los Angeles to celebrate the release of "Radiolarians: The Evolutionary Set," a box set on Indirecto Records. The music is the culmination of a two-year series. The New York-based band, formed in 1991, are known for their improvisational journeys during their live shows. The El Rey concert is sure to be a memorable event. Read More »
Concert: Tower of Power At Club Nokia
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 »
Concert: The Black Crowes at Club Nokia
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 »
Concert: Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger of the Doors at Club Nokia
I was able to cross off one of my bucket list items on Tuesday, October 6, 2009, at Club Nokia. Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger, with a strong supporting band, played the music of the Doors. The band was one of my earliest musical influences, and is still near the top of my list of favorites. Seeing them live became impossible long ago with the premature death of lead singer Jim Morrison, in 1971. The surviving members could have continued to play together with a new singer, but chose not to. Read More »
CD: Joe Henry: Blood from Stars
As a songwriter, Joe Henry is a mighty fine producer. When “Blood from Stars” comes to its conclusion, you can barely remember individual songs because they all seem to run together. What lingers is the CD’s atmosphere – dank, jazzy, vaguely sinister. Not unlike Bob Dylan’s “Love and Theft” or Tom Waits’ recent run of CDs, the album could have been recorded on Fats Waller’s back-porch on a dark and stormy night. Marc Ribot’s guitar thunderbolts occasionally brighten up the inky darkness but Henry’s songs will put you in mind of Depression-era blues and minstrel shuffles. Read More »
Books: Death's Daughter WIN a Signed Copy!
Best known for her role as fan favorite Tara Maclay on the television series “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” Amber Benson is also a writer, director, producer, and now novelist. The 32-year-old from Alabama has already released the first novel, “Death’s Daughter,” in an urban fantasy series that follows protagonist Calliope Reaper-Jones. Read More »
Concerts: The Voodoo Experience in New Orleans
New Orleans is known for its music, and there's no better way to experience the harder edge of that musical town than to visit over Halloween weekend and take in the legendary Voodoo Experience. Three full days of musical madness held in the center of City Park, this year's fest was a combo of heavy metal madness, returning rapper, and the coolest Swampland band ever. It all began on Friday, October 30, when a slightly overcast warm day went south as the party started, just after Janelle Monae took to the Voodoo Stage and the Black Keys started up across the meadow at the Playstation/Billboard.com Stage. Read More »
