THE AMAZING MONTY, JAZZ BAKERY -courtesy photo
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!!!
Thank you, thank you, tusen takk! May 29: JFK, CK Chesterton, TH White, Patrick Henry, Danny Elfman, King Charles II, Austin Reeves and of course Tenzing Norgay, first man to look down on the world from the summit of Everest. I am in a village on an island south of Bergen, Norway. Why not?
It will be a relief to get away from the daily, escalating ravages of the Orange Oligarch for a bit. He continues to spend his time finding new ways to decimate the arts, education, our national security, veterans, hungry children, free speech and all the other freedoms so many fought and died for the last 250 years. (Cue a sharp salute to my pop, Charles “Andy” Andrews, who served in WWII at FDR’s summer White House at Hyde Park, NY, enlisting in his mid-30s, and also a couple years in the US Navy, at age 15. Neither a “sucker” nor a “loser,” Mr. Commander-in-Chief Bone Spurs.)
LOCAL LOSSES
The havoc caused by “Rump” (that’s what’s writ large on the face of his new eponymous $600 watches) and his Chainsaw Chum will soon affect nearly everyone, and many will die, but it is already hitting Santa Monica hard. The venerable Jazz Bakery, begun 33 years ago by famed vocalist Ruth Price, still booking and leading it vigorously at 87, got notice a couple weeks ago that their annual $25,000 NEA (National Endowment for the Arts) grant was being immediately cancelled and clawed back, a blow so crippling for this invaluable Santa Monica music institution that Price had to announce that her scheduled May 31 performance by revered Jamaican pianist Monty Alexander and his group… might be their final one. So she declared it a fundraiser for JB (see below), a last attempt to have this important cultural jewel remain with us.
I have been uplifted, enlightened, entertained and sometimes floored by attending most of their performances of the last nine years in the beautiful, acoustically superb Moss Theatre on the campus of New Roads School, at the SM east end of Olympic (and a few before that, when it was at Culver City’s Helms Bakery). I never saw a single performance that wasn’t an A or an A+. Can’t say that about any other venue, in my long life of live music.
CLASS ACT
In their email blast this week, classy jazz venue Sam First, near LAX, urged their fans to attend that fundraiser. Across the music spectrum, and all aspects of our nation and society, we’re much better off if we cooperate, not compete, dontcha think?
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED:
MONTY ALEXANDER – I suggest you go to the JB page to get more information on this revered Jamaican-born pianist, and the fundraiser he is doing for the beloved but beleaguered Jazz Bakery, another victim of Trump’s anti-arts actions. This will be a very special show, and you will be fighting back with your donation. Sat 7:30 p.m., Nate Holden Performing Arts Center, LA, $50-300.
LOVE – Of all the great bands that came out of LA in the ‘60s, Love may have been the most underrated. The only reason I became aware of them was because I was in a communications group in the Army stationed in Germany – with a bunch of guys from SoCal who were getting the latest best LPs from home. It helped to have someone explain lyrics like, “Oh, the snot has caked against my pants…” Just kidding. The explanation was often a shrug and a raised eyebrow and, well, they take a lot of drugs. But, the music. Many industry veterans and music journalists put their “Forever Changes” album on lists of Best 10 Ever. (Me, Best 5. And when I got an FM radio gig my name was The Good Humor Man.) But why are they worth seeing, really worth seeing, now, nearly 60 years later? Because founding guitarist Johnny Echols was wise enough years ago to hook up with a talented band named Baby Lemonade who were huge Love fans and very willing to learn to play the music note for note. Rare, and very rewarding. Sat 6 p.m., The Echo, LA, $42/
RICKY GERVAIS – You probably either love him or hate him. I used to be in the “eh” camp but either he’s gotten better or I’ve gotten smarter. I think he’s stepped back a bit from going nuclear offensive. Seemed his hobby used to be saying the most godawful shocking things to celebrity audiences. Mellowed some now, perhaps? Less angry? Less to prove? And now more effective as a social satirist, and funnier. He’s now one of my very favorites. Makes atheism hilarious, and hard to argue against. He’s got a lot of heart. Sat 7:30 p.m., Hollywood Bowl, $30-516.
LA OPERA’s “RIGOLETTO” – Oh great, one more “don’t miss” on the same night. I need a clone. Fortunately, this Verdi classic will be performed five more times in June. With baritone star Quinn Kelsey in his signature role. “Seduction, murder, revenge - decadence and corruption” – sounds like today’s headlines, but with more class, I’m sure, and a better soundtrack. You'll hear some of the most famous music passages ever. Sat 8 p.m., Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, LA, $84-450.
HOT CLUB OF LOS ANGELES – You can go to the Cinema Bar any Monday night, 9-11:30, for almost 14 years now, and hear these hot players run through Django Reinhart-style ‘30s jazz. This amazing ensemble is a treasure. Mon 9 p.m., Cinema Bar, Culver City, free.
RECOMMENDED:
TOLEDO DIAMOND – His decades-long Sunday night residency at Santa Monica’s Harvelle’s, the oldest blues bar in LA (almost a century!), is a treasure that you shouldn’t assume will always be there. Toledo choreographs (literally) a truly unique show, a blend of ‘50s hipster jazz and his dancing dames and a most modern smokin’ hot band that gets better all the time. Every Sunday 9:30 p.m., Harvelle’s, Santa Monica, $12.
COMING ATTRACTIONS (also recommended): LOVE, Echo, 5/31; LA OPERA’s “RIGOLETTO,” Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 5/31, 6/8, 12, 15, 18, 21; RICKY GERVAIS, Hwd Bowl, 5/31; TOLEDO DIAMOND, Harvelle’s, 6/1, 8, 15, 22, 29; HOT CLUB OF LOS ANGELES, Cinema Bar, 6/3, 10, 17, 24; TROMBONE SHORTY & ORLEANS AVENUE, Greek, 6/8.
DOWN THE ROAD (also recommended): PACIFIC OPERA PROJECT’s “H.M.S. PINAFORE,” Heritage Square Museum Lawn, 6/13, 14, 15, 20, 21, 22; BLUE NOTE JAZZ FEST Day 2, GRACE JONES, STANLEY CLARKE N.4EVER, others, Hwd Bowl, 6/15; RHIANNON GIDDENS, STEVE MARTIN, others, Hwd Bowl, 6/18; LYLE LOVETT & HIS LARGE BAND, Orpheum, 6/20; MAKE MUSIC DAY, global, 6/21; GETTY VILLA MUSEUM reopens, Pacific Palisades, 6/27; DAN NAVARRO, McCabe’s, 6/28; JOHN FOGERTY, Hwd Bowl, 7/6; PAUL SIMON, Terrace Theater, 7/7, Disney, 7/9, 11, 12, 14, 16; ALISON KRAUS, UNION STATION, Greek, 7/13; LIBRARY GIRL, Ruskin, 7/13, 8/10, 9/14, 10/12, 11/9, 12/14; BRAHMS, GRIEG, LA PHIL, Hwd Bowl, 7/17; GERSHWIN, DVOŘÁK, LA PHIL, Hwd Bowl, 7/22; “THE PLANETS,”, LA PHIL, Hwd Bowl, 7/24; DAVE ALVIN, JIMMY DALE GILMORE, McCabe’s, 7/25, 26, 27..
Charles Andrews has listened to a lot of music of all kinds, including more than 3,000 live shows. He has lived in Santa Monica for 39 years and wouldn’t live anywhere else in the world. Really. Not even Kauai. Send love and/or hate mail to: therealmrmusic@gmail.com