Adieu to two valiant dancing women of Los Angeles arts: Deborah Lawlor & Flip Manne 2
Fountain Theatre co-founder Deborah Lawlor, who died May 2, 2023, began her career in the ’60s as a dancer, choreographer and actor in New York, where she was a member of the Judson Church/Caffe Cino scene in the Village. She moved to South India in 1968, there pioneering Auroville, a 12-square-mile utopian international community created ...
Feel it. Set your body on ‘vibrate’ at ambient bass-guitar concert 1
May
23
2023
I’m up for a bath. Any kind of bath — I’m dirty!!! But an ‘ambient soundbath’ particularly rings my chime. That’s what’s on offer at bassist and electronic producer John von Seggern‘s immersive audiovisual experience, a concert held in a structure of fascination on Los Feliz Boulevard — the one that houses the Philosophical Research ...
What is Alonzo King’s ‘Deep River’ ?
It’s a rare circumstance that we in Southern California have two viewing possibilities of an artistic-and-timely, multi-disciplinary work uniting a top-notch dance company with jazz artists, also of the highest caliber. Deep River by the San Francisco-based Alonzo King LINES Ballet features a score by jazz pianist, composer, and MacArthur Fellow Jason Moran, and in ...
At the Three Deuces with Art Tatum
May
18
2023
Well, he was a genius. But that didn’t stop the yahoos in the audience from talking and smoking and drinking while he was playing. Here’s a chance to get a front-row seat on the great Art Tatum, as, in all good cheer, he pulverizes a little ditty with his inimitable rollicking harmonic deconstruction. 43/12/5, NYC., ...
Through the doors of Abbey Road Studios — at The Wallis
Remember the famous shot …? Taken a few seconds after this one? The crosswalk photo of the Beatles crossing in London’s St John’s Wood before their recording session at Abbey Road Studios, in which the image of a barefooted Paul McCartney spawned a crazed conspiracy theory that Paul was dead? And that John Lennon’s subterfuging ...
Baroque musicians/dancers to prance & Zoom thru time
The Julliard School’s primary period-instrument ensemble, Juilliard415, Robert Mealy, Director, has scheduled a time-traveling performance enhanced by students from Juilliard Dance and baroque dancers. That means that added to the frolicking among woodwinds and strings, there will be prancing, high-stepping, posing, bourréeing, sissoning, and throw in a contretemps. All of that is coming your way ...
Go celestial! jazz & classical music series at Mt. Wilson Observatory
Apr
6
2023
Who knew, beyond being a gateway to the heavens, that Mt. Wilson Observatory also has fine acoustics! (I didn’t.) To the ears of cognoscenti, the 100-inch dome is a 20th century temple to science with acoustics akin to the great cathedrals of Europe. There, a live music performance-series has taken place over the last five ...
Charles Lloyd’s ecstatic melody on his 85th
On the cusp of Charles Lloyd’s 85th birthday—we’ll join the master in celebration at Saturday’s live performance at The Soraya—the acclaimed tenor saxophonist and flutist stands at the summit of jazz. A master improviser whose musical ethos was forged in the crucible of 1960s musical freedom, Lloyd has been a restless and unpredictable explorer on ...
Double Grammy-awardee Samara Joy to front Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra at The Soraya
Feb
24
2023
Best wishes poured in from all around the world. But a special frisson of joy came from The Soraya Stage in Los Angeles. That’s because Sunday March 26 at 7 pm, the 23-year-old Wonder Woman Samara Joy, @samarajoysings), who (how can we put this calmly?) killed at the GRAMMY® Awards a month ago 🎉 will ...
REVIEW: Cécile McLorin Salvant’s singular jazz style, at Royce Hall
While she’s no stranger to Southern California audiences, vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant’s show presented by CAP UCLA’s Royce Hall on January 26 reinforced her status as a one-of-a-kind singer. Through her idiosyncratic artistry, willingness to indulge the moment, and her genial manner, Salvant charmed and thrilled the near capacity of Royce’s floor. In the broader ...