HIGHLY RECOMMENDED:
THIS EVENING! LA PHIL with MICHAEL TILSON THOMAS, EMANUEL AX plays BRAHMS – I know we all fell in love with The Dude (amel), but many fondly remember how the region-born child prodigy MTT made our great orchestra in the 80s headed and LA Times music critic Mark Swed praised the “transcendent” return of an “eternal prodigal son from LA” last week, particularly poignant after his brain tumor surgery late last summer. Emanuel Ax is one of the best classical pianists in the world, and the break is followed by the epic “Piano Concerto No. 1” by Brahms with the opening number “Blumine” by Mahler, a movement from his tone poem First Symphony. MTT loves him a little bit Mahler – except when there are helicopters. Also in the opening round, Thomas conducts one of his absolute favorite works, Alban Berg’s “Three Pieces for Orchestra”, which he describes as “a musical journey to the“ limit of reason ”. Sounds like quite a program. Thu, Fri 8:00 p.m., Sun 2:00 p.m., Walt Disney Concert Hall, DTLA, $ 71-229.
LA PHIL with Michael Tilson Thomas, GERALD CLAYTON plays Symphonic ELLINGTON – I’m really excited. And it shows that a truly extraordinary philharmonic group goes beyond their usual parameters with care, intent, knowledge and skill in order to push boundaries in the right way, not just for the sake of experimentation, and without sacrificing their artistry and reputation. My two favorite jazz pianists on the planet are Benny Green and Gerald Clayton, and with his musical upbringing in LA, Clayton is the perfect pianist for both revealing the grandeur of Ellington’s orchestral work and revealing things we may never have heard before. If you want to grapple with the genius of a vast past, give a giant of the present a call. Next Thursday, Fri 8:00 p.m., Walt Disney Concert Hall, DTLA, $ 63-214.
RECOMMENDED:
15th Annual SoCal SLACK KEY FESTIVAL – I would definitely be here if I weren’t in Disney Hall at the same time, with MTT and The Ax, Mahler, Berg and Brahms. As much as I love Hawaiian music and have slept at major festivals on the islands, somehow I’ve never made it to this one in 15 years. But I know the cast line up and I know they will have island dancers and special foods and drinks and other cultural treats, so it will be like an afternoon trip to Hawaii with a great live soundtrack. You’ll likely be grinning the entire time you’re there. Sun 11 am-5pm, 2pm concert, Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center, $ 20-135.
BEYOND BAROQUE, a famous spoken word institution in nearby Venice, has decided to stay closed until the end of February due to omicron.
RACHAEL & VILRAY – Don’t you know the names? I have no idea where Vilray is from or if he even has a middle name, I could look him up if I’m interested, he’s probably a would-be producer or musician or songwriter or follower who managed to meet Rachael Price , the very talented singer for Lake Street Dive, and somehow X-ray persuaded her to marry him, despite his lack of looks and training ethic, bespectacled and bald. Now they are touring as a duo with romantic pop songs from the 30s and 40s. I caught her playing in an abandoned church in an unusual part of town a few years ago and it was packed and the crowd loved her, going crazy after every song. I enjoyed it, but I kept thinking of two things that she’s holding back so as not to make it sound like a final third fill-in at the last minute, and I’ve heard so many people make these songs better. I think the young audience has never heard this material before. With everything Lake Street Dive says about how democratic the band is and everyone contributes equally, they would be nowhere without Price. Born in Australia and raised in Tennessee, the singer can sell the Bejeezus of any song or style, and she loves the video camera. But duo vocalization doesn’t give her the opportunity to let go. If it sounds like I have a crush, it doesn’t take into account the marital status of the two of us, but isn’t it really about kids? Hand signals: How many picked up the guitar for the art or for the girls / dudes? Some might not think of Rachael as a classic beauty, but we all have our types, don’t we? I still don’t forgive the feeble, homely little Jimmy Taylor for taking Carly Simon off the market. By the way, Sunday’s R&B show at the Troubadour has just been canceled. But I wanted to write about Rachael anyway, and it’s a slow week of concerts. Not that what I wrote above about dissing all of her musical friends and lovers is going to take me anywhere with her unless I was excluded from concerts. Maybe an injunction. We’ll have to wait until October to see the Lake Street Dive at the Hollywood Bowl. Look after me Disguised.
UPCOMING ATTRACTIONS: PONCHO SANCHEZ, Venice West, 1/22; COLIN BLUNSTONE, Joe Wong, The Downtown Palace Theater, 1/22; SARAH SILVERMAN & Friends, Largo at Coronet 1/22; ITZAK PERLMAN, Rohan De Silva, Walt Disney Concert Hall, 1/26; BJORK, Shrine Auditorium, 1/26, 29, 2/2; NATHANIEL RATELIFF & The Night Sweats The Novo, 1/28; THE ENGLISH BEAT, The Bourbon Room, 1/28/29; RAUL MALO, Canyon Agoura Hills January 28th, Canyon Santa Clarita January 30th; MUSICARES Honors JONI MITCHELL, LA Convention Center, Jan 29; FEE Bill of Lading, Troubadour, 1/29; JOHN MAYALL, Venice West, 1/30; NORTH MISSISSIPPI ALL STARS, Venice West, 2/2; BARBARA MORRISON, vibrato, 2/13; PETE ESCOVEDO, vibrato, 2/20.
Charles Andrews has heard a lot of music of all kinds, including more than 2,000 live shows. He has lived in Santa Monica for 36 years and would not live anywhere else in the world. Really. Send him love and / or rebuke to [email protected]
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