A slightly late birthday show for the late Brazilian composer Antonio Carlos Jobim, whowould have been 99 years old last Sunday had he not died 31 years ago as of Dec. 8,an infamous calendar day for musicians that also saw the deaths of John Lennon andDimebag Darrell — in different years, of course. Anyway, the […]
Danny Gaon
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Music Tonight: Thursday, Aug. 21
The good folks at the Creative Sanctuary are continuing Homage to the Message, a chronological celebration of various satellite members of the Jazz Messengers. This installment is all about the tunes of trumpeter and composer Lee Morgan — gone too soon at the age of 33, when his girlfriend shot him between sets at an […]
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Music Tonight: Thursday, July 24
The Creative Sanctuary’s fine cadre of jazz musicians continues rolling along with their excellent series celebrating the various satellite musicians associated with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. Tonight’s gig at 7 p.m. at the Arcata Playhouse is a celebration of tenor sax player Benny Golson, whose brief stint with the Messengers produced the 1958 […]
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Music Tonight: Saturday, June 28
The Creative Sanctuary presents another jazz show at the Arcata Playhouse tonight at 7 p.m., this one is a tribute to trumpeter and composer Kenny Dorham, a criminally underrated musician who died far too young and is perhaps most famous for his work with the early iteration of the Jazz Messengers. Co-producers James Zeller and […]
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That Summer Feeling
We live in a culture where apology, a change of temperament or evolving ideological alignment are considered signs of weakness. This seems like an intractable, complex problem, but it’s simple to sidestep when you remember everyone who runs things here is stupid as hell and arrogant to boot, and that you don’t have to be […]
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Music Tonight: Sunday, May 11
More jazz on the docket tonight, when the Creative Sanctuary presents Jazz is Peace: A tribute to Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn at the Arcata Playhouse tonight at 7 p.m. The line-up features a rogues gallery of top-notch musicians, including James Zeller, Katie Belknap, Danny Gaon, Ramsey Isaacs, Allison Muench, Matt Seno and Tree. There’s […]
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The Buddha of Suburbia
Following last week’s introduction, one might think I was being a little too hard on the Democratic Party, and some folks might be bothered by that. Fair enough. In my defense, I’m trying to help people — not the party, I have no love there — get through the denial and bargaining stages of grief, […]
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Music Tonight: Saturday, Aug. 31
The Sanctuary has been the place for well-curated celebrations of some of the true jazz greats of our country. Tonight is one such event, and I suggest you Take the A-Train to J Street by 7 p.m. and pony up the $15-$30 sliding scale door fee to head into a little piece of Birdland. The […]
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L.A. Freeway
I’m dropping a Guy Clark song for this week’s title because a) it’s very good and b) it was brought to my attention by a dear friend and one of the brightest stars in our local music scene. Beverly Twist and I have known each other for years now and I’ve written a lot about […]
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Music Tonight: Saturday, April 6
The Sanctuary presents “Ladies Sing for Lady Day,” an appreciation of Billie Holiday, whose birth happened 109 years ago on Sunday. Musicians James Zeller, Danny Gaon and James Forrest will back up local singers Lorenza Simmons, Paula Jones, Claire Bent and Katie Belnap as they roll through our lady’s songbook. Doors are at 7 p.m., […]
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Reap the Wild Wind
Well, April is here, “breeding lilacs out of the dead land, mixing memory and desire, stirring dull roots with spring rain,” according to the poet T.S. Eliot in one of his most famous works. A popular interpretation of his provocation of calling this “the cruellest month” is the notion that new life coming out of […]