[contextly_auto_sidebar id="ocaaAdSFWvE4N0CAxZumQsegvYINpapN"] IT was no surprise that two of the greatest trios in jazz today put on bracing and powerful sets. What was new was that these two groups performed in the San Fernando Valley, an enormous swatch of suburbia that has often lagged behind the rest of Los Angeles for most kinds of culture. (As Easterners have often looked down on LA, … [Read more...]
Brad Mehldau’s LA Years
ACCLAIMED jazz pianist Brad Mehldau, who has become, probably, the most celebrated jazz instrumentalist of his generation, was in town this weekend, performing at Disney Hall. (Quite a good concert - Chris Barton's review here -- with both a chamber orchestra and a percussion-heavy combo, though I think he's best in a club in a trio format.) He made a brief mention, in between songs, to his years … [Read more...]
Celebrating Glenn Gould
Today would be the birthday of a musician who's nearly up there, for me, with john lennon and john coltrane. like them, he was a force of nature, complicated personally, and a man who left so much music behind i've listen to him every week -- sometimes every day -- for years. part of what first interested me about pianist glenn gould (1932-82) is that he was a classical musician who rockers, … [Read more...]