The Hollywood Bowl is a deservedly legendary summer institution, a beautiful natural amphitheater nestled in the Hollywood Hills where great music is the norm. Each year, the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association puts together an eclectic lineup of shows presenting not only its own orchestra, but some of the greatest musicians in the world representing all types of music. The Bowl is a treasure not only for patrons of classical music, but for fans of all jazz, pop, rock and the plethora of sty

Watching Chicago Blues Reunion perform last weekend in Hollywood, a term from the film industry came to my mind: this is a high-concept group. An ensemble cast of players from legendary blues bands like the Electric Flag, Paul Butterfield Blues Band, the Siegel-Schwall band and the backing bands of such greats as Howlin' Wolf, Janis Joplin and Bob Dylan, the Reunion is also just that, a gathering of old friends from the Chicago blues scene of the early 1960s. That sense of camaraderie came throu

The music of Marta Gomez is honest in its beauty and directness and maybe just a little deceitful in its complexity, seeming simpler than it actually is. The Colombian singer and songwriter seems to be using simple forms and language to express the world around her, but there is an awful lot of craft going into it and, making their first West Coast appearance last month at the Getty Center in Los Angeles, it was obvious that she and her band play with tremendous technical ability. Their debut wa

A person’s 65th birthday is a special occasion; upon reaching such a milestone, a celebration is certainly in order. For some folks, turning 65 means an imminent retirement and the chance to finally get that senior discount at IHOP. Veteran soul singer and songwriter Leon Ware is a little different; having at last reached his golden years, not only is his career not winding down, it actually seems to be still gathering steam. His performance at Catalina Bar & Grill in Hollywood on February 16th,

Jazz is sometimes referred to as American classical music, African-American classical music or some similarly tortured formulation. Of course, jazz ‘is’none of these things; jazz is jazz, and that really ought to be good enough. The form is its own unique entity, positioned in a place somewhere between popular music and concert music that allows its practitioners ample freedom to draw from either or both traditions. The second program in the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s 2004-2005 Jazz at Walt Disn