Jazzfest in The Big Easy took place in spite of the damage that Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita ravaged the state of Louisiana with last year. The city of New Orleans would not be denied of its beloved Jazz & Heritage Festival, which show cased New Orleans as one of the largest tourist attractions in the United States. New Orleans is the original birth place of jazz with the greatest jazz sound in the world and home to some of the greatest jazz musicians that ever lived past and pres

India Aries’ performance at UCLA’s Royce Hall was simply amazing Thursday evening. Arie sung beautifully in her "Brown Skin," a top ten song from her first platinum CD Acoustic Soul. Arie vast musical styles can sometimes range from Neo Soul, R&B with a pop flavor and drippings of smooth jazz vibes. Arie performed an array of songs from her first CD as well as her latest platinum CD Voyage To India, which she won two Grammy Awards. "Vagina Monologue," a song Arie wrote for an u

After fifteen years the Old Pasadena Summer Fest moves to Brookside Park, Brookside is much larger, roomier and more accessible. The summer fest is one of the largest free jazz events in Southern California, attracting visitors in the thousands. The Playboy Jazz Fest offered plenty of live music-with various styles of jazz from traditional / contemporary smooth to Latin and Afro-Cuban-R&B and traditional blues as well. Percussionist Poncho Sanchez, blues guitarist Zac Harmon, smooth jazz

Once again tenor/soprano saxophonist Wayne shorter proves why he is the recipient of eight Grammy Awards and thirteen Grammy nominations. Shorter is joined by his quartet, drummer Brian Blade, pianist Danilo Perez and bassist John Patitucci also featuring the USC Thornton Jazz Orchestra. The evening was set at the University Of Southern California in the Bovard Auditorium as the jazz fans awaited the start of the show. Thelonious Monk Institute @ USC Ensemble began the evening with great con

You’re as young as you feel; just ask eighty-year-old Sam Rivers- truly one of the few icons of contemporary jazz still performing like nobody’s business. The Multi-instrumentalist jazz pianist, tenor/soprano saxophonist and flutist came to play. Energetic, lively and witty as Rivers performed wonderfully at the Jazz Bakery with great support from the others in the trio, bassist and bass clarinetist Doug Mathews and drummer, tenor saxophonist and pianist Anthony Cole. A six days engagement w