George Wein is the godfather of the outdoor music festival. Well before Coachella, Lollapalooza or even Woodstock, Wein was gathering the best jazz musicians for a festival in Newport. Over the decades he has produced sterling shows, and he has recently taken the reins of the CareFusion NYC Jazz Festival.  CareFusion has taken an admirable hands off approach, allowing Wein to create an artistically satisfying range of shows. In celebration of Hancock’s 70th birthday, Carnegie Hall was the site of an eclectic concert, covering the range of Hancock’s prodigious output.

Following the success of 2009’s event headlined by rocker Gavin Rossdale, Walk With Sally announces the lineup for its 4th annual White Light White Night fundraiser, concert, auction and cocktail party. The event has gained a reputation as the summer party not-to-miss in the South Bay, always promising a star-studded night. With rooftop city views and an exclusive performance by Rocco DeLuca, the event will be hosted on Saturday, July 10, 2010, at 6:00 p.m. at the South Bay BMW lot and rooftop in Torrance.

If you have ever hummed along to one of the many tunes sprinkled throughout the Monty Python oeuvre, or if you have enjoyed the raucous laughter of the musical “Spamalot” you have benefitted from the eclectic talents of Neil Innes. If you wondered one evening in the late 1970s what happened to the usual shenanigans on Saturday Night Live when a Beatles mockumentary (“The Rutles”) was broadcast, or if you delighted in the anarchic songs of the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, that was Innes driving the bus.

Well, this album was released back in October of 2009, but who cares, right? It’s music, it endures (one hopes), and whether a review hits the day of the album release or six months later, the album’s still out there to buy, download or steal in some form or other. Plus it’s a good bet that very few out there really knew this album existed anyway.

The latest in this ongoing series of entertaining events at Royce Hall continued on March 10 with a night of Maurice Ravel, conducted by Myung-Whun Chung, and featuring amazing soprano Anne Sofie von Otter during the readings of Sheherazade.  Presented by UCLA Live in the warm and inviting confines of the aforementioned Royce Hall, and sponsored by the E. Nakamichi Foundation, the night was a delectable and cultured night populated by the usual varied crowd and infused with dreams.

Another night in Los Angeles, another wonderful event at Royce Hall, as always presented by UCLA Live, those rascals. This was an unparalleled event, prefaced by some pretty decent sushi and a too big bottle of beer, along with some fabulous people watching. A varied, to say the extreme least, crowd of older, newer, younger, wiser, the folks gathered to see this event were in for a lovely treat, tucked away and safe from the rain in the warm confines of this amazing venue. And so we begin…

Ray Davies is no stranger when it comes to looking back.  Over the course of four decades writing songs, Davies has not been shy about wearing his retrospective vision on his sleeve.  This is easily confirmed by a quick perusal of the titles of his most famous songs. So it should come as no surprise that he has reached back to one of the oldest musical traditions for his latest album, that of a collection of a capella voices.

First off, let’s recap. Last article written for this website: October 2008. Divorced from wife of almost 10 years, moved out of home of almost 10 years, new Jeep, new girlfriend. Still able to make killer pasta sauce. In other words, all is right with the world.

For someone who has been through all the changes of the music business in the last six decades, Solomon Burke offers a unique perspective. Although Solomon never quite achieved the crossover appeal of his contemporaries Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles or Sam Cooke, his shadow looms large across the musical landscape.