Will Brahm, fantastic guitarist

Will Brahm:

Viale Bramante

About once a year I have the pleasure of bringing my jazz quartet up to the Bay Area in Northern CA.  I was up there on SATURDAY JUNE 10, 2023 at The Sound Room in Oakland CA, and I'll be back again in April 2023!

The band features Will Brahm on guitar. (Will tours with Arturo Sandoval), Fred Randolph on Bass and Rob Rhodes on drums.

I am very excited to be working with Will. He is a talented young guitarist that can play in the style of Pat Metheny or Wes Montgomery - very versatile!  You have to check this guy out. Born and Raised in Portland Oregon, Will  moved to Los Angeles in 2007 where he received his bachelors of music in Jazz Guitar Studies at California State University Long Beach. He is a five time consecutive recipient of the “K-jazz” scholarship. 

This weeks Musical Moment is one of Will's compositions, "Viale Bramante"

https://youtu.be/cbZWaukQMI8

 

The Sound Room is aptly named. The focus is on the sound or the music. Unlike clubs where the performance may be peripheral to the experience, at the Sound Room the performance IS the experience.  It is an all-ages listening room. They exist to present great music and promote jazz as an art form. The ticket price pays the band, and they get by with Beer/wine and food sales at the club.

https://www.soundroom.org/events

Tina Turner: Proud Mary 1971

We lost another icon this week with the death of Tina Turner.

Tina was born in 1939 as Anna Mae Bullock in Nutbush, Tennessee. A powerhouse singer capable of squeezing every possible emotion out of songs such as “Proud Mary,” “River Deep, Mountain High” and “What’s Love Got to Do With It,”  The Grammy-winning vocalist overcame an abusive marriage and decades of adversity before being fully embraced as a rock ’n’ roll original who exuded a raw sensuality with her commanding yet soulful voice, million-dollar legs and iconic hair.

When she left her marriage from Ike Turner in 1974  (their popularity was peaking following a tour with the Rolling Stones), her career stumbled and she struggled for years. Then she mounted a stunning comeback in 1984 with the album “Private Dancer,” which sold more than 10 million copies and scored four Grammy Awards.

She went on to become an inspiration for millions, proof of female empowerment and the ability to overcome adversity. And all's well that ends well - Turner sold her music catalog to the German music corporation BMG for a reported $50 million in 2021.

Check out this clip from 1996, when Tina was 57 years old. AMAZING! I DARE you to be able to dance like this! https://youtu.be/CCM_JGrv8UI?t=131

Here is a clip of Ike and Tina Turner with the Ikettes, performing Proud Mary on Italian TV in 1971. And that band! TIGHT! and check out the bass player - I want those pants!!!!

https://youtu.be/nL1l0Fz5RlE

Jacob Collier - the Audience Choir

 Perhaps you have heard of Jacob Collier?

Jacob is a genre-busting 28-year old artist who sings incredibly complex harmonies and plays every instrument. He was born in England to musical parents, but that alone cannot explain his phenomenal talent. In just the last four years, Jacob has released four albums of music containing over 60 songs.  He is a great believer in the power of music. He also seems to attract a very talented and musical audience. Here is Jacob Collier conducting his "Audience Choir" live at O2 Academy, Brixton, London in June 2022. You have to hear it to believe it.

https://youtu.be/3KsF309XpJo

Ray Charles - Georgia (1976)

 

Did you ever get to see Ray Charles live? I saw him a couple of times at different festivals back in the '70s. Brother Ray was an incredible performer, and he ran a super-tight band from the piano even though he was blind from the age of 7 years old. His career spanned over 50 years. His final public appearance was on April 30, 2004, at the dedication of his music studio as a historic landmark in Los Angeles

This year at PATH JAZZ NIGHT there is a double treat. The Jazz & Blues Revue will do a Tribute to Ray Charles, and special guest vocalist Eric Benet will also perform.  The show is NEXT THURSDAY NOVEMBER 3 and there are a few seats left. Tickets are $200, and all proceeds go to PATH Ventures to help build supportive housing for LA's homeless.

BUY TICKETS HERE

 Ray Charles sings Georgia: There are MANY live versions of this song on YouTube, but I think this is my favorite, from Midnight Special in 1976. Check out the hairstyles! Ray breaks it down around 3:00 and then brings it home with a rousing finish. A classic performance!

https://youtu.be/glggureA_Kk

The Jazz & Blues Revue - All Blues

 Jazz & Blues Revue is back!

All Blues

The Jazz & Blues Revue has been entertaining Los Angeles audiences for over 15 years now. COVID caused a hiatus in live performances, but the band is gearing up for a show on  SUNDAY OCTOBER 23 at CATALINA JAZZ CLUB IN HOLLYWOOD!

If you like Pink Martini and Postmodern Jukebox, you will LOVE The Jazz & Blues Revue. The band features three singers: Courtney Lemmon, Crystal Starr and Gina Saputo, with musical director George Kahn. We perform everything from The Andrew Sisters to The Pointer Sisters, with some Etta James and Aretha thrown into the mix. This year we are featuring songs by Ray Charles!

ONE NIGHT ONLY - OCTOBER 23 - music starts at 7:30 PM

BUY TICKETS HERE

or

Call Manny at 323-466-2210 to reserve seats

Here is a live-in-studio performance of the band from 2020, doing Miles Davis' "ALL BLUES", recorded at The Village in West Los Angeles

 

https://youtu.be/Vx_5_oFx3Ug

Mike Lang - live at Zipper Hall

 One of the great unsung heroes of the piano, Mike Lang died earlier this month.

Mike spent several decades as one of the premier musical talents in Los Angeles. He was well versed in various music forms, including jazz, classical, pop and R&B. He was both a freelance jazz musician and sought-after studio artist, with a career spanning records, motion pictures and television.

Unlike many of the other top studio "piano guys" in Los Angeles, Mike could not only read whatever chart was put in front of him by Henry Mancini, Dave Grusin, Jerry Goldsmith, Hans Zimmer, or countless other film composers, he could also improvise and play in most any style, jazz, pop, R+B, you name it.

I had the pleasure of sitting in on a recording session with Mike back in the '70's, and the composer asked him to play some "source music" for a restaurant scene. Mike proceeded to play jazz piano, and each chorus was in the style of a different pianist: Errol Garner, Bill Evans, Fats Waller. It was amazing to witness.

Mike was a true "studio cat", avoiding the spotlight, and s there are very few videos of him playing. In the last few years he began to do concerts here is Los Angeles. Here is a clip from one show at Zipper Hall, with Darek Oles on bass and Peter Erskine on drums.  Stick around to the end when Mike starts trading 8s with the drums to really hear his brilliance.

SNARKY PUPPY

 Is Snarky Puppy a Jazz Band? Is it an improvisational rock band? Or is it something different? If you have not heard of them in the last 17 years since they began recoding, let me introduce you.

The band was formed as a 10-piece group by Michael League after his second year at the University of North Texas, in 2004, “Because I was so bad,” he claimed, “I didn't place into any of the school ensembles. So Snarky Puppy was my way of getting to play.” The group has grown into an international super-band made up of "...a wide-ranging assemblage of musicians known affectionately as 'The Fam'." In more than 17 years since its founding, about 40 players have performed in "The Fam" on guitar, bass, keyboards, woodwinds, brass, strings, drums, and percussion, but six of the 10 members on the first studio album The Only Constant remain on the regular roster. Many past and present band members were students at the University of North Texas.

Personally I find their music most reminiscent of Frank Zappa's instrumental pieces, which is a great compliment. In typical 21st Century style, they focus more on touring and live performance rather than CDs. Many of their videos are live "in studio" performances where the audience is all wearing headphones so they hear the full studio mix as the band lays down the tracks.

Check out the drummers in this band. Nate Werth does not get enough camera time! He is snarky puppy’s secret weapon. What an amazing percussionist! Especially at 5:21 both him and Larnell Lewis are playing 32nd notes in unison… crazyyy

https://youtu.be/kk0WRHV_vt8