As we all breathe a collective sigh of relief that the dog days of summer are behind us, we can now enjoy the outdoors without fear of melting under the relentless scorching sun. What a better way to enjoy a crisp fall evening then to take in some live music under the stars.
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art continues with it’s popular Friday night Jazz series with the Otmaro Ruiz Quartet on Oct. 12. This dynamic Venezuelan jazz pianist and composer has worked with some of today’s top musicians, including Dianne Reeves, Alex Acuna, John Mclaughlin, Herb Alpert, and Robbie Robertson.
Coming up on Friday, Oct. 26, acclaimed vocalist Sara Gazarek returns to LACMA with songs from her latest acclaimed recording Blossom & Bee, produced by jazz organ legend Larry Goldings. Winner of the first ever Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation Vocal Soloist Award and the prestigious Downbeat Student Music Award for Outstanding Collegiate Jazz Vocalist, Gazarek has toured the world’s major festivals and clubs. She has recently started teaching USC School of Music. The Jazz at LACMA concerts are free and begin at 6 p.m.
The Center for the Art of Performance on the UCLA campus has a busy October with several exciting concerts coming up this fall. This Saturday, Grammy nominated guitarist/composer Bill Frisell and award-winning filmmaker Bill Morrison will take the audience on a journey through the devastation wrought by the Mississippi River Flood of 1927. The natural disaster displaced thousands of people and created what became known as the “Great Migration,” of rural southern blacks to Northern cities, which eventually morphed Delta blues into electrified Chicago Blues, R&B and soon after, the first inklings of rock ‘n’ roll. The concert takes place at Royce Hall on the UCLA campus and begins at 8 p.m.
The rest of October on the campus of UCLA is busy, with dynamic jazz pianist and composer Vijay Iyer performing on Sunday, Oct. 14 along with special guest saxophonist Steve Coleman. The Vijay Iyer and Bill Frisell concerts are presented in association with Angel City Jazz Festival, whose four-year-old jazz festival is co-produced by Angel City Arts and the Jazz Bakery. You can visit visit angelcityjazz.com for the full lineup of concerts.
Under the steady hand of Executive and Artistic Director Kristy Edmunds, UCLA’s performing arts program (most recently known as UCLA Live), continues to support artists and presenting their work in many art forms and projects.
If you want stay local and avoid tanking up on skyrocketing gas prices, you can ride or walk up to the Cinema Bar on Sepulveda Boulevard in Culver City and check out the Groovy Rednecks on Saturday, Oct. 20. The Rednecks are an alt-country band who refer to themselves as being a “country band for people who hate country” and a “Drinkin’ Band.”
A staple in the L.A. club scene in the 1990’s, the Rednecks have played over 400 shows in venues that anyone who was worth their salt in the music scene back then went to. Remember Rajis or the Shamrock? How about Jumbo’s Clown Room on Hollywood Boulevard where a young Courtney Love use to strip, while her fledgling rock band Hole tried to make a name for themselves on the club scene.
Typhoon at the Santa Monica airport continues its eclectic jazz calendar with the Kim Richmond Concert Jazz Orchestra on Monday, Oct. 15. Besides writing the bulk of the arrangements, leader Kim Richmond is featured as alto sax soloist and conductor. Richmond’s expanded instrumentation in this group contributes to the symphonic nature of the orchestra was formed to provide a workshop for major concert works that include elements of both large ensemble jazz with free-swinging improvisation and symphonic colors and textures. Cover is $10 with no minimum on drinks. For the complete October calendar at Typhoon, visit, www.typhoon.biz.