You may not be familiar with incredible jazz bass player/composer Linda May Han Oh. If so, be sure to check out her own recordings and her collaborations with artists such as Vijay Iyer, Tyshawn Sorey and many more.

We spoke when she was on tour supporting her album The Glass Hours which came out in 2023. In this conversation Oh talks about her relationship to the songs on the record (some of which date back to 2018), the themes that resonate throughout the album and what level of faith she has that things are getting better.

You can read the print version of my interview with Linda May Han Oh HERE. The story includes a video of her performing. Don’t miss it.

I hope you have a great holiday season and enjoy these top 12 interviews.

The post Top 12 Interviews of 2024: LINDA MAY HAN OH appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

One of the most highly-acclaimed jazz albums of last year was The Glass Hours. 10 songs written and performed by bassist/composer Linda May Han Oh. Each song is imbued with the thinking Oh has been doing for a number of years about the world in which we live.

Some of her album’s compositions date back to 2018. It was a time when there was a different occupant at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, there was a different mentality in the country and it was before Oh became a mother. These are just a few of the things that were on her mind at the time and are just some of the issues that find their way into her very thoughtful compositions.

Oh is on tour with her band playing much of the music from The Glass Hours. I had the privilege of seeing her perform last night at The Townhouse in Venice, CA. The openness with which they played this music allowed for a sense of urgency that was palpable. Oh has four more shows in California before the end of the month. She will then join Vijay Iyer for four nights of shows at the Village Vanguard before continuing on her own tour on the East Coast. (You can find her itinerary here.)

Last week, before she started this tour, I spoke with Oh about the album, the ideas that inspired her album and her hopes for the future. What follows are excerpts from our conversation that have been edited for length and clarity. To watch the full interview with Oh (and dozens of other interviews with artists), please go to our YouTube channel.

The Glass Hours was released last year. That means it was probably recorded in 2022 and some of the compositions pre-date those sessions. How has your relationship to these compositions evolved since then?

Most of these pieces were composed, or at least the first incarnation of them, were composed around about 2018 or so. We first performed that music at the end of 2019 at the Jazz Gallery here in New York City. This was at a time where we were nearing the end of the Trump presidency. There was a bit of uncertainty of what was going to happen next politically and I was just questioning a lot of things, a lot of our values, a lot of the systems within which we live.

I was really thinking about what how we value time and what we choose to do with it. Initially some of the songs were formed as a result of questions that I was asking myself about what I was doing in my life and as an artist.

What were some of those questions you were asking yourself?

Just in terms of how we deal with warfare and violence between countries. Assessing my amount of privilege to that. I can work here with music in a space where many people before me have fought on my behalf for my freedoms. How we can regulate women’s bodies in one way in order to preserve life, but then not provide adequate regulations when it comes to gun control and protecting our kids in schools, and also within the health care system as well. All these things culminated in these songs. Although these conversations started in 2018, they evolved a lot throughout the years. The pandemic hit in 2020 and it was a difficult time for all of us. It shifted some of these positions for me personally. A lot of them evolved, went many different directions, and then I added some other songs. The imperative is about grit and resilience which I think we all had to think about during this time. 

Was the composing of these pieces an opportunity for you to try to come to answer answers for yourself or to pose the questions so that listeners can take in, and use, your music as a way of thinking about these things?

I would say the latter, because I think a lot of these issues are so complex that it is really hard to find a definitive answer to how to solve these problems. I use music for a lot of different things. I want to bring something beautiful into the world. I also wanted to use it to question things. I also wanted to use to use it in a way that can make an impact in some way, make a shift in someone’s consciousness when they hear it.

If I’m sort of confused or wondering about something, music is really helpful for me in order to just at least digest it. I’m not necessarily looking for answers, but this is my expression of how I’m feeling, what I’m questioning.

What you’re questioning on The Glass Hours are some of the basic ideas that we have been contemplating for decades. Do you think that we will ever get to a place where these questions don’t have to be asked? Can your music play a part in getting us to that point? 

I feel like these questions are always somewhat going to be asked. There’s just so much of history repeating. You might hear some of those themes in Antiquity and Jus Ad Bellum (two songs on The Glass Hours). I think a lot about morality and, now with a child, it’s actually how we teach morality and how certain themes and stories that we teach kids – whether it be through books or movies – sometimes they aren’t clear cut. I’m always questioning how I am to do better and how I can contribute.

What does live performance give you in terms of opening up your compositions or perhaps the way you hear and perform them? Not just the way you do, but also your colleagues who are on the stage with you?

Nothing beats live music, you know? The music that we create is always so different each night to night. We may maintain some of the same messages and some of the framework of these compositions. But ultimately, so much of what we do is improvised and special to that specific moment. I’m lucky to play with musicians who are very experienced in improvisation ready for anything to happen. 

It seems to me like a lot of the questions that you’re bringing up in your music could be solved by what you and your band mates have to do every night, which is just listen. Whether anybody gets the message behind the music or not, can’t the fundamentals of live performance of music actually serve as a foundation for solving a lot of our problems?

I work with a lot of students of varying ages and I always say that everybody should learn how to improvise, learn how to play in an ensemble because there’s so much to be said about problem solving, working together, empathy, listening, that really carries through into everyday life. Whether or not some of these students choose to pursue music as a career, you’ve got these skills that you can use anywhere.

How important do you think it is for people listening to understand the point of what you’re getting to with each individual composition or is it enough that they enjoy the music?

At the end of the day, everyone’s going to perceive this music in their own individual way. If I can invite the listener to be in the moment and embrace the here and now by listening, that’s my number one goal. Everyone’s coming from such a different place and headspace and people listen for very different reasons. I hope that people can see some of the emotion, the message behind the songs.

On January 9th, the Grammys website posted a story about alternative jazz and included The Glass Hours as an example of alternative jazz. What does that or any other label mean to you as it relates to either your music or how other music is categorized?

I don’t think too much about labels when it comes to actually making the music, but I do see how it’s necessary for writers, for people in the industry to categorize or to promote certain things; publicize what this music sounds like. It kind of is what it is. I know a lot of people have fought very hard to get this new category into the Grammys, which is amazing. I’m proud of a lot of people who are rallying for more space for improvised music that isn’t mainstream, that isn’t pop music. I’m all for giving more space and more recognition to some of these musicians.

The jazz world is famous for collaborations and I think that’s what makes it all one of the most interesting genres of music that there is. You’ve had the privilege of working with Vijay Iyer, Ethan Iverson, Billy Childs, Terri Lyne Carrington and Tyshawn Sorey. How have artists like that inspired you and informed who you are as a musician today?

If we just start with Tyshawn Corey. I mean, he is just a force of nature. As a bass player I just feel so lucky to be able to play with so many incredible drummers. Tyshawn is not only an incredible drummer, you can riff with him on Max Roach and all the masters. I can also show him some of my percussion scores, and I showed him my solo piano piece, and immediately he’s telling me all the scores to check out. I’m super inspired by some of these musicians that have dedicated their lives to this art form.

You have another collaboration with Vijay Iyer on his upcoming album, Compassion (due February 2nd), which finds you once again working with Tyshawn.

[Vijay is] just a classic example of somebody who’s extremely well-versed in many different worlds and super inspiring. Someone like Terri Lyne Carrington*. She’s just a visionary and not only one of my favorite drummers, but as a composer, producer, a band leader. I’ve seen her in many leadership contexts where she really cares.

There are a lot of people in these positions of power, positions of leadership that, may or may not, do it for their own egoistic purposes. Terri Lyne is just one of those people that really cares about the people that she is trying to work with and making things better and making things more equitable.

I interviewed Vijay in 2019 and I asked him about a quote that he gave to NPR in an interview two years prior where he said, “The reason we’re on this planet as individuals is to express and reflect the moment we’re in now.” I followed up by asking him are the moments getting easier. Knowing that you also believe you’re here to express and reflect the moment we’re in now, as a composer, a musician and mother, do you feel like we’re headed in the right direction?

I definitely feel some uncertainty and uneasiness. I’m constantly reminded of incredible people day to day. I try and make sure that I acknowledge them in my life in terms of people who who want to strive for better. It’s hard to say is it getting easier. The state of the world with things like climate change and those issues, which I feel we should be doing a lot more. There are still positive things happening in the world in terms of advancements in technology to solve certain problems. It’s important to acknowledge those things.

This particular time is a very tumultuous time. I try and keep us up to date with the news as I can, at the same time knowing that a lot of the news that we hear can be very heartbreaking. Positive news is always a really good thing and I think it is good to welcome that. Easier? I don’t know. I feel very privileged in my particular life to be doing what I’m doing. I just hope for better. I have faith that we can do better. 

To watch the full interview with Linda May Han Oh, please go here.

Terri Lyne Carrington will be performing at CAP UCLA’s Royce Hall on Saturday, January 27th. For tickets and more information, please go here.

All photos of Linda May Han Oh (©Robyn Twomey/Courtesy Fully Altered Media)

The post Linda May Han Oh Has Faith We Can Do Better appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

Childs gave the world premiere performance of of Darkness and Light. Whether the evening fully answered the goal of finding where these genres of music overlapped, it did confirm that Childs is someone who successfully lives in both worlds.

On Thursday, October 14th, Childs and his Jazz Chamber Ensemble, will be headlining an Angel City Jazz Concert at The Ford in Los Angeles. Joining them on the bill are vocalists Dianne Reeves and Moira Smiley, Lyris Quartet and there will be poetry recited by Alexander Gedeon, who was named earlier this year as the Minister of Culture for Long Beach Opera.

Childs has received five Grammy Awards from amongst his 16 nominations. His most recent album was 2020’s Acceptance. His work also appears on Inna Faliks’ new album Reimagine: Beethoven & Ravel. In short, he’s one of the most in-demand and prolific artists of our time.

Yesterday I spoke by phone with Childs about his music, what he wants to say with it and the important role audiences play in hearing the music. What follows are excerpts from that conversation that have been edited for length and clarity.

Do you see any value in trying to define or categorize music?

I don’t. That is the ultimate answer. There is gonna be music that springs from various cultures that has its own cultural take on what defines the values of the music. The aim of music is to connect with the listener and to bring something healing to the listener. So in that regard music is universal. The language of the music is developed without words. So people listen to it and it affects them emotionally or psychologically or [how]ever. There are different ways that various cultures have dealt with music doing that and there are differences there. But I see the ultimate goal as the same.

You did an online interview with Grant Gershon and Jenny Wong of the Los Angeles Master Chorale in June of last year where you talked about the challenges you were facing in writing music. How that situation changed for you?

I just got a barrage of commissions, which is as a great problem to have, and they just pile up like this one on the other. So you get overwhelmed and you don’t know where to begin. I’m not the kind of composer that can multi-task, like composing this thing and then composing that other thing at the same time. I have to do one thing at a time.

In 2020, you’re looking at COVID which is completely destroying the very essence of why we do music. We can’t congregate. The way we do business is the way we meet, the way we get educated, the way we worship – it’s through congregation. And so when a disease is preventing me from doing that, it’s very psychologically traumatic. So there’s that.

And then Trump was still president, which was, I’ll just put it euphemistically, very uncomfortable for me. Then the general election results denial was stressful. With the fires going on, with the racial stuff, George Flloyd and all of that stuff made it really difficult to say, “Yeah, let me write my next great symphony.”

You’ve been performing recently around Los Angeles. What does it mean to you to be back on stage with live audiences?

It means everything. When I conceive of music I’m also thinking of what impact is it having on the listener. It’s a main motivation to compose music to have it effect people. To have people there in a live situation where they can just get the direct transference of the music to their ears – that’s important. That’s why you do music.

For Thursday night’s show you’ll once again be working with Dianne Reeves. What does your collaboration with her offer you that is unique to who she is and what she brings as an artist? 

I have been working with her since 1977, so we kind of know each other. We’re kind of cut from the same cloth. We’re close in age and we grew up listening to the same things and being influenced by the same things. Conceptually she really understands how I hear music. And I really get where she’s coming from, too.

I think the thing that both of us ultimately strive to do in all of our performances is to impart a dramatic experience to the listener. She does it through her voice and through her interpretation of lyrics and the visceral impact of how she’s singing. I try to do the same through composition through structure and melodic and harmonic motion. I utilize those things to try to elicit an response, you know? So that’s the ultimate goal. I also think that we like music that is ambitious and large and big and that deals with the big issues. It’s not really minimal but maximal music almost.

Is it important for you as a composer and a performer for audiences to understand what you’re saying with your music? 

Yeah, I do. Otherwise, what’s the point? I mean, not so much to understand, but be moved by it and have it have an impact. I think it’s important for us to to make that impression on the audience. It’s not as important to me for the audience to understand in a technical sense what we’re doing. But it’s very important for me for them to understand what we’re trying to say and to be open to it. We’re both trying to do that.

What will you be addressing in this concert?

There’s going to be a lot of stuff that’s dealing with things of a political nature, things of a racial nature and issues that I want to address that are on my mind.

With everything that’s going on in the world, it would seemingly be irresponsible not to address these issues.

I would think so. Well, you know, some people just want to entertain – which is fine. Some people view their art as maybe an escape for people to come to, to run away from the problems of the world. But I think there can be an element of both. I think music is ultimately to heal people and sometimes you need to confront what the problem is to be healed.

For healing to take place, listeners must be engaged. In 2011, you told All About Jazz that you make the distinction between active listening and passive listening. What are your thoughts about the art of listening and whether technology is leading us down a path where passive listening is the most we can hope for?

That’s a danger and that’s unfortunately what is happening. You have people who are satisfied with listening to something off of their playlist by just turning on their iPhone and listening to it through those crappy speakers, rather than someone who actually gets the vinyl and puts it on the turntable and listens to it through their hi-fi system or actually goes to a concert and listens to the whole thing and has an experience. That’s kind of what’s going on.

Then you have like pop producers who are compressing the music so that it just slams you in the face. And it’s like the same. You know there’s like about a hundred songs that are written off of the same harmonic progression in different permutations. It all sounds the same. The vocal licks sound all the same. It’s almost as though there is this concerted effort to limit people’s limit the range of expression that people can tolerate and listen to, you know?

But I fight that. My answer to that is to keep writing music that I think is important. I think people are humans underneath all of this. I think there’s an element of people when they hear the truth, they respond to it regardless of what they’ve been exposed to.

For tickets to Thursday night’s concert at The Ford, please go here.

All photos of Billy Childs by Raj Naik/Courtesy Unlimited Myles

The post Billy Childs Writes Music That Heals appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

This weekend’s choices range from several jazz performances to a topical one-woman show to a powerful dance performance and some great classical music.

If you’re looking for Halloween-themed events in our Best Bets, I want to point you to our special column dedicated to all things spooky you and your family can enjoy this weekend.

Here are our selection of the Best Bets at Home: October 30th – November 1st:

Reena Esmail’s Piano Trio – The Wallis – Now – November 19th

The world premiere of composer Reena Esmail’s Piano Trio took place last November in Seattle. It is a work that finds both Indian and Western classical music combined. As Esmail said about the work, “Imagine if you could say a single sentence, but it could be understood simultaneously in two different languages – that is what I aim to create through my music.”

Over the course of the next four weeks The Wallis will present a performance of one movement of her Piano Trio combined with insights and observations from Esmail and the three musicians performing the work. They are Vijay Gupta on violin, Peter Myers on cello and Suzana Bartal on piano.

Each movement will be streamed via Zoom. After that initial stream each movement can be found on The Wallis’ YouTube channel. Since the streaming events are on Thursdays, this week we have included a link to the YouTube page. If you want to watch subsequent performances on Zoom, you can go here to register for those.

Esmail is one of our most talented and interesting composers. This is going to be well worth your time if you love chamber music.

Kamasi Washington – Los Angeles Philharmonic – October 30th – November 29th

Jazz musician/composer Kamasi Washington takes to the Hollywood Bowl stage for a performance of the music he wrote for the film Becoming. This concert is part of the LA Phil’s Sound/Stage series and is free and available on their website. Becoming is the documentary about Michelle Obama’s book tour.

Along with the recently released Andra Day concert, this is a performance without the LA Phil.

Washington and his band perform his score. In addition to the performance, Washington will also be seen in an interview.

Of his work for Nadia Hallgren’s film, Washington told Rolling Stone Magazine, “Nadia asked me to write a song that would capture what the movie was saying about Michelle Obama. She’s a down-to-earth, brilliant queen who lives next door. She’s aware of who she is and what she has done, but she’s also aware of the people around her. So I tried to give that song a sense of depth and lightness. I thought, ‘If Michelle was going to write a song, what would it sound like?’”

Washington is one of our most exciting jazz musicians. I wouldn’t miss this.

Trio 3 & Vijay Iyer – Blue Note – October 30th – 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT – $10 Restream 11:00 PM EDT/8:00 PM PDT

New York’s Blue Note will live stream a concert on Friday featuring the supergroup Trio 3 and they are joined for this performance by pianist/composer Vijay Iyer.

The members of Trio 3 are Oliver Lake on alto sax, Reggie Workman on bass and Andrew Cyrille on drums. Iyer joined them for 2014’s Wiring.

Each musician has a lengthy career as both a leader and as a sideman. It is the combination of the three of them that makes truly unique music.

Nate Chinen, in writing for the New York Times about a 2015 performance at the Village Vanguard, said of Trio 3, “One misperception about the jazz avant-garde is that it’s essentially reactive, a single-minded pushback against conventions of form. Whatever lump of truth or slander you might find in that idea, Trio 3, which is playing at the Village Vanguard, provides scant supporting evidence for it. 

“An alliance of eminent composer-improvisers now in their 70s — the alto saxophonist Oliver Lake, the bassist Reggie Workman and the drummer Andrew Cyrille — Trio 3 belongs squarely to the jazz avant-garde, both in process and pedigree. But there was no rebellious undercurrent in the group’s first set on Wednesday night, which moved briskly through its allotted hour, propelled by cooperative forces.”

Adding Iyer to this trio will make for a truly wonderful concert.

Tickets are $15. There is also a re-streaming of the performance at 11:00 PM EDT/8:00 PM PDT.

Lila Downs – SFJAZZ – October 30th – 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT

This week’s Fridays at Five concert from SFJAZZ features Lila Downs in a concert from May 2019 at the venue in support of her album, Al Chile.

Downs, who is from Oaxaca, rose to fame with her participation in the soundtrack to Julie Taymor’s 2002 film, Frida. She is the winner of one Grammy and three Latin Grammy awards.

As a friend said to me recently in an e-mail, “Hope you are able to watch Lila Downs! I love her and saw her concert in Portugal a couple of years ago!! Lively!!!”

Even though the clip we have from this concert is a ballad, expect lively for much of the performance.

Membership is required to watch the concert. Either a $5 monthly membership or a $60 annual membership. Tips are also encouraged during the streaming of the concert which will be split between the artists and SFJAZZ.

A Swingin’ Sesame Street Celebration – Jazz at Lincoln Center on PBS – October 30th

Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra have played with a veritable who’s who of jazz artists throughout their careers. But this weekend’s show on Jazz at Lincoln Center on PBS finds them sharing the stage with some of the biggest stars in the world.

Elmo, Bert & Ernie, Big Bird, Grover, Oscar the Grouch and more Sesame Street characters join the orchestra to sing songs from the show in A Swingin’ Sesame Street Celebration.

The one-hour concert, which took place October 2019, is scheduled to air on October 30th. As with most PBS programming, best to check your local listings for exact start times.

So if you want to go where the air is sweet….

Kristina Wong for Public Office – Center Theatre Group – October 30th – November 29th

We often wonder why our elected officials seem to lack a sense of humor. Or why they lack any awareness of the absurdity of it all. That isn’t the case with Kristina Wong who both serves in office and is also a performance artist with a wicked sense of humor.

She combines both those seemingly disparate sensibilities in a new one-person show called Kristina Wong for Public Office.

The 75-minute comedy performance becomes available at 11:00 PM EDT/8:00 PM PDT from Center Theatre Group in Los Angeles.

Kristina Wong for Public Office examines the role an artist, who is also a politician, can play in the democratic process. She also examines what that process is like, the history of voting and what it takes to run a campaign – all filtered through Wong’s unique perspective.

Tickets to watch Kristina Wong for Public Office are $10.

Four Quartets: 2018 Premiere – Fisher Center at Bard – October 31st – November 1st

In February of this year choreographer Pam Tanowitz’s Four Quartets was performed at UCLA’s Royce Hall. This work is a collaboration with Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho, American painter Brice Marden and actress Kathleen Chalfant.

For two days this weekend Bard College will stream the 2018 premiere of Four Quartets. The work is inspired by T.S. Eliot’s monumental work.

Four Quartets is comprised of four different poems written by Eliot over a period of six years. They are Burnt Norton, Easy Coker, The Dry Salvages and Little Gidding. Thematically Eliot is exploring mankind’s place in the world and our relationships with both time and God.

Four Quartets is comprised of four different poems written by Eliot over a period of six years. They are Burnt Norton, Easy Coker, The Dry Salvages and Little Gidding. Thematically Eliot is exploring mankind’s place in the world and our relationships with both time and God.

The result of this collaboration has earned worldwide acclaim. Rightly so, it is a beautiful and powerful work.

Tickets range from $5 for Bard Students up to $25 to stream Four Quartets. (Pricing is based on your individual ability to afford tickets.)

There is another option as well. On Friday, October 30th at 7:00 PM EDT/4:00 PM PDT, you can join the premiere of a documentary, There the Dance Is (In the steps of Pam Tanowitz’s Four Quartets). The film features interviews with the dancers, Tanowitz and Chalfant.

Prior to the screening there will be a live Q&A between Tanowitz and Alistair Macaulay of the New York Times. You will also gain early access to stream the performance of Four Quartets. Tickets are $100.

Modern Beauty – Pittance Chamber Orchestra – November 1st – 6:00 PM EST/3:00 PM PST

Pittance Chamber Orchestra is comprised of musicians from the LA Opera Orchestra. This weekend they begin rolling out a three-part performance series called Modern Beauty. The performances were all filmed during the pandemic and feature Grammy Award-wining pianist Gloria Cheng.

The first performance finds Cheng and bassoonist Judith Farmer performing Sonata for Bassoon and Piano by Billy Childs. Included in this performance will be comments from Childs.

Part two of the series will stream on November 8th and the third part will stream on November 15th.

There is no charge for the performances, but donations are strongly encouraged.

En 3×4 – Quinteto Astor Piazzolla – November 1st – 6:00 PM EST/3:00 PM PST

One could argue that Astor Piazzolla redefined the tango with his compositions and his playing. Quinteto Astor Piazzolla celebrates his work in this performance filmed live in Buenos Aires for CAP UCLA.

On the program are seven different compositions: Verano Porteño, Camorra III, En 3×4, Soledad, Milonga del Ángel, Adios Nonino and Libertango.

The members of Quinteto Astor Piazzolla are Pablo Mainetti on bandoneón, Nicolás Guerschberg on piano, Serdar Geldymuradov on violin, Daniel Falasca on bass and Armando de la Vega on guitar.

There is no charge to watch the performance. However, donations are encouraged.

American Youth Symphony Fall Concert – November 1st – 7:00 PM EST/4:00 PM PST

Since its inception in the early 1960s, the American Youth Symphony has afforded Los Angeles-based students the opportunity to perform symphonic works as part of a fully-functioning orchestra. They regularly perform live concerts (commonly at Royce Hall) throughout the year.

Obviously 2020 is a different year. For their Fall Concert, Music Director Carlos Izcaray has assembled a combination of remotely-lead performances and two in-person filmed performances.

On the program is Stravinsky’s Symphonies of Wind Instruments performed by the AYS Virtual Wind & Brass Ensemble, Jessie Montgomery’s Starburst performed by the AYS String Ensemble, the world premiere of Izacary’s Bloom, performed by a Percussion Trio and Britten’s Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge also performed by the AYS String Ensemble.

Through the performance both Montgomery and Izacary will discuss the creation of their two compositions.

Tickets are free, but require registration. The link in the title will take you to details and provide access to register for the concert.

Beth Malone with Seth Rudetsky – November 1st – 8:00 PM EST/5:00 PM EST

Tony Award-nominee Beth Malone is best known for her performance as Adult Alison in the musical Fun Home. She recently appeared in the 2018 revival of Tony Kushner’s Angels in America. Earlier this year she starred as the title character in the off-Broadway production of The Unsinkable Molly Brown.

She is Seth Rudetsky’s guest this weekend for music and conversation about her life and career.

If you are unable to catch the live performance of Beth Malone‘s appearance, there is a re-stream on Monday, November 2nd at 3:00 PM EST/12:00 PM PST. Tickets are $25 for either date.

They are also making a VIP Upgrade available three hours prior to the live performance that allows a behind-the-scenes look at the sound check and prep for the live show. That’s an additional $25 and is only available on November 1st and requires the purchase of a ticket to the performance.

Those are our selections are your Best Bets at Home: October 30th – November 1st. As always, we offer a few reminders:

This weekend’s operas from the Metropolitan Opera are Boris Godunov on Friday, The Ghosts of Versailles on Saturday (which I strongly recommend) and Satyagraha on Sunday (another strong recommendation).

Table Top Shakespeare At Home features Cymbeline on Friday, Julius Caesar on Saturday and Antony and Cleopatra on Sunday.

You can stream all three plays in the Donmar Warehouse’s Shakespeare Trilogy on Film this weekend. St. Ann’s Warehouse is making Julius Caesar, Henry IV and The Tempest available.

The reading of David Mamet’s Race continues through Sunday.

Have a safe and enjoyable Halloween weekend. I hope you enjoy our Best Bets at Home: October 30th – November 1st.

Photo: Kamasi Washington (Courtesy of the artist)

The post Best Bets at Home: October 30th – November 1st appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

Before details about the event, it is important to know a little about the past and present history of jazz in Los Angeles.

For the Love of Jazz will be hosted by LeRoy Downs and will feature a combination of live performances from Leimert Park and from artists’ homes.

The line-up of artists participating certainly reflects the role jazz music plays in Los Angeles. Scheduled to participate are Barbara Morrison, Hubert Laws, Michael Feinstein, Tierney Sutton, John Clayton, Sara Gazarek, Billy Childs, Gerald Clayton, Poncho Sanchez, Katie Thiroux, Justin Kauflin, Matt Witek, Jose Rizo, Christian Euman, Graham Decter, Alex Frank, Ryan Shaw, Eric Reed, Paul Cornish, Steve Lehman and more.

The concert is scheduled to run two hours.

As this is a fundraiser, donations are encouraged, but you can watch For the Love of Jazz for free. (A minimum donation of $20 is encouraged.) Tickets can be purchased/reserved here.

Photo courtesy LA Jazz Society

The post For the Love of Jazz appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

Your options this weekend have something for everyone. Classical music fans have four different concerts to watch. Opera fans have two different productions available. Fans of plays have a couple options. Three different Broadway stars have concerts this weekend. You can attend a high-end karaoke with music and stage stars in your pajamas. Jazz fans have an all-star concert. Finally, Broadway says goodbye to one of the most public victims of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Here are your Best Bets at Home: September 4th – September 7th:

Pacific Symphony’s Summer Replay – Pacific Symphony – Various Dates through October 24th

Orange County’s Pacific Symphony has a series of filmed concerts available on their website for free viewing. You have to sign up to watch them, but classical music fans have three concerts available now with a forth becoming available on Thursday, September 10th. They are:

Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 performed on September 16, 2017 conducted by Carl. St. Clair (available through September 12th)

Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 17 performed on May 20, 2017 by pianist Orli Shaham. Conducted by Carl St. Clair (available through September 26th)

Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique performed on February 7, 2020 conducted by Carl. St. Clair (available through October 10th)

On September 10th the Virtual Tchaikovsky Spectacular will become available through October 24th. The program features works by Rimsky-Korsakov, Borodin and Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture complete with live cannons and fireworks.

The Last Angry Brown Hat – Latino Theater Company – September 4th – September 13th

Los Angeles-based Latino Theater Company will offer a reading of the play The Last Angry Brown Hat by Alfredo Ramos. The play depicts the reunion of four friends who, in the 1960s, were members of a Chicago civil rights organization named the Brown Berets. When they come together for a friend’s funeral, they try to reconcile the angry young men they once were with the more mature men they have become.

The cast features Robert Beltran, Mike Gomez, Sal Lopez and Geoffrey Rivas. The Last Angry Brown Man is directed by Jose Luis Valenzuela.

While you are at the LATC website, you might notice that two other plays are available for streaming: an online reading of Alberto Barboza’s August 29th (through September 6th) and an archival film of Jose Luis Valenzuela’s La Olla (through September 10th).

Eleanor – Barrington Stage Company – September 4th – September 5th – 7:30 PM EDT/4:30 PM PDT

Tony Award-winning actress Harriet Harris, who won the award for her performance in the musical Thoroughly Modern Millie, will take on legendary first lady Eleanor Roosevelt in this new play by Mark St. Germain (Freud’s Last Session).

In this one-person show, Roosevelt offers her perspective on her unlikely journey from her relatively mundane upbringing to becoming the wife of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Her life has been subject to endless speculation on multiple levels.

How St. Germain distills this fascinating woman into his play should be quite interesting.

This production was originally meant to be performed live at Barrington Stage Company this weekend. Director Henry Stram filmed the play without an audience. Barrington Stage Company is making the play available for streaming for the price of $15.

Kate Baldwin in Concert – Broadway Relief Project – September 5th – 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT

New York’s Broadway Relief Project offers three great things in our current pandemic. The first is a live performance with a socially-distanced audience and artist; the second is a fundraiser for worthy causes and the last is the ability to livestream the performance. The concerts take place at Open Jar Studios.

On Saturday, Kate Baldwin will perform as a fundraiser for Active Minds, a non-profit addressing the issue of mental health.

Baldwin is a two-time Tony Award nominee for her delightful performances in the 2009 revival of Finian’s Rainbow and the 2017 revival of Hello, Dolly! with Bette Midler.

Not all livestream concerts in this series are free, but Kate Baldwin’s does appear to be without a fee to watch. Of course, donations are encouraged.

Rossini’s Sonatas – Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra – September 5th – 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT

The fifth and final concert in Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra’s Summerfest series features the works of composer Gioachino Rossini. The works being performed are his String Sonata No. 3 in C Major and the String Sonata No. 6 in D Major.

Spearheading this concert is Principal Bass player David Grossman. He is joined for the Rossini by Carrie Kennedy and Joel Pargman on violin and Andrew Shulman on cello.

The concert will conclude with Grossman performing improvisations on the Fats Waller song Honeysuckle Rose.

If you are unable to watch the stream of this performance at it scheduled time, the performance will be available for later viewing on LACO’s website.

Jazz Musicians UNITE Against Racism Concert – Just Jazz Television Network – September 5th – 10:00 PM EDT/7:00 PM PDT

Eleven very different jazz artists have come together for the second Jazz Musicians UNITE Against Racism livestream concert on Saturday night. Singer Dwight Trible and producer/journalist LeRoy Downs will host the three-hour event.

The artists participating are pianist/composer Billy Childs, singer Carmen Lundy, percussionist Munyungo Jackson, singer Tierney Sutton, saxophonist Bob Sheppard, percussionist/drummer Jonathan Pinson, drummer/composer Christian Euman, pianist Jamael Dean, bass player Dave Robaire, pianist Tamir Hendelman and bassist/composer Jonathan Richards.

Donizetti’s Maria Stuarda – Great Performances at the Met on PBS – September 6th (check local listings)

Conducted by Maurizio Benini; starring Elza van den Heever, Joyce DiDonato and Matthew Polenzani. This David McVicar production is from the 2012-2013 season.

If you follow our weekly updates of the Metropolitan Opera streaming schedule, this is the same production the Met streamed on April 28th

Mary, Queen of Scots, is the central figure in this opera written by Gaetano Donizetti that had its world premiere in 1835 at La Scala in Milan. The libretto by Guiseppe Bardari, was based on Friedrich von Schiller’s play, Mary Stuart, from 1800. The opera is part of the composer’s Tudor Trilogy along with Anna Bolena and Roberto Devereux.

The opera depicts the bitter rivalry that existed between Mary, Queen of Scots and Queen Elizabeth I.

Of DiDonato’s performance in the title role, Anthony Tommasini of the New York Times said, “Ms. DiDonato’s performance will be pointed to as a model of singing in which all components of the art form — technique, sound, color, nuance, diction — come together in service to expression and eloquence.”

Nick Cordero Memorial – BroadwayonDemand.com – September 6th – 7:00 PM EDT/4:00 PM PDT

We all followed the horrible story of Broadway performer Nick Cordero and his battle with Covid. Through Instagram updates from his wife, Amanda Kloots, we were all rooting for him to pull through. Sadly he passed away on July 5th.

Friends, family and fellow performers are coming together on Sunday to celebrate Cordero’s life with a memorial that will be streamed for free. The tribute will include performances by some of the many people with whom he shared the stage in such musicals as A Bronx Tale, Bullets Over Broadway, Waitress, and Rock of Ages. Expect photos, videos and memories as part of the memorial.

Thee is no charge to watch Nick Cordero’s memorial. You do need to create an account on Broadway on Demand. The event also serves as a fundraiser for the Save the Music Foundation. Donations can be made by texting CORDERO to 41444.

Brandon Victor Dixon in Concert – Broadway Relief Project – September 6th – 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT

As part of the same series as Kate Baldwin’s concert, Brandon Victor Dixon, perhaps best known for his portrayal of Judas in 2018’s Jesus Christ Superstar Live on Concert, will take to the Open Jar Studios stage in support of WeAre.Org. They are an organization that utilizes artists and the arts to further awareness of our shared humanity and responsibilities.

As anyone who saw Jesus Christ Superstar knows, Dixon is a powerful performer. His Broadway credits include The Color Purple, Motown: The Musical; Hamilton and Shuffle Along, Or the Making of a Musical Sensation and All that Followed. He also appeared off-Broadway in the enormously moving Kander and Ebb musical, The Scottsboro Boys.

There is a $5 fee for watching this livestream.

Karen Olivo with Seth Rudetsky – September 6th – 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT

Karen Olivo made her Broadway debut in the musical Rent. She then originated the roles of Faith in the musical Brooklyn and Vanessa in the musical In the Heights. She won a Tony Award for her portrayal of Anita in the 2009 revival of West Side Story. She was on Broadway in the role of Satine in the musical Moulin Rouge! when Broadway closed due to the pandemic.

She is Seth Rudetsky’s guest this week for his conversation/concert series. Sunday’s show will be live. If you cannot watch it then there will be an encore showing of the concert on September 7th at 3:00 PM EDT/12:00 PM PDT. Tickets to either showing are $25.

Massenet’s Manon – Metropolitan Opera – September 7th – 7:30 PM EDT/4:30 PM PDT

Since we’re including Monday due to the holiday, here is the first reveal of one of the operas to be found in this week’s celebration of French operas. (For the full line-up, check back on Monday.)

Conducted by Fabio Luisi, starring Anna Netrebko, Piotr Beczała, and Paulo Szot. This is the Laurent Pelly production from the 2011-2012 season. This is an encore presentation of the production that previously streamed on May 24th.

A young woman from a small town has an intense desire to lavish herself with all the riches and pleasures life has to offer her. Sounds like a story that could be written today.

Massenet’s opera was composed in 1883 and had its world premiere in January of 1884 in Paris. The libretto is by  Henri Meilhac and Philippe Gille. They based the opera on the 1731 Abbé Prévost novel, L’histoire du chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut.

There is always one main reason why this opera gets produced and the same reason that audiences love it. The soprano title role. In this production, Anna Netrebko sings Manon.

Anthony Tommasini, writing in the New York Times, made all of this abundantly clear in his review of this production and singled Netrebko out for praise. 

“The best parts of Massenet’s score are its inspired arias, especially for Manon. In places Ms. Netrebko’s low-range singing had an earthy, almost breathy quality that seemed Russian in character. But when she needed to, she sang melting phrases with silken legato and shimmering beauty, especially her poignant performance of ‘Adieu, notre petite table’ in Act II. Though she does not have perfect coloratura technique, she ably dispatches the roulades and runs, folding them deftly into extended melodic phrases. And she can send top notes soaring.”

Jim Caruso’s Pajama Cast Party – September 7th – 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT

We’ve written several times about Jim Caruso’s Cast Party. The show is an institution in New York and takes place at Birdland. Like many a show, Cast Party is now online and the dress code is truly comfortable: pajamas.

If you aren’t familiar, Cast Party finds performers from Broadway, jazz, popular song and more showing up to talk and perform.

This Monday’s guests include Pulitzer Prize and Tony-winning composer Tom Kitt (Next to Normal) who will be joined by his Michael to offer the world premiere of a new song; Derek Klena (Jagged Little Pill); Australian musical theatre star Stephen Mahy (Jekyll and Hyde) and Broadway veteran Terry Burell (The Threepenny Opera).

There is no charge to watch Jim Caruso’s Pajama Cast Party.

That’s it for your Best Bets at Home: September 4th – September 7th. But as always, we have some reminders for you:

Los Angeles area audiences can catch In Concert at the Hollywood Bowl on September 4th on PBS SoCal at 8:00 PM PDT. This week’s concert celebrates jazz performances.

Speaking of jazz, here are reminders from this week’s Jazz Stream:

Detroit Jazz Festival streams all weekend from September 4th – September 7th

Kenny Werner Trio Live at Smalls on September 4th

Dee Dee Bridgewater’s SFJazz Concert from 2017 is featured on September 4 as part of their Fridays at Five series

Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah’s 2020 concert from New York’s Blue Note is streaming on September 4th

Melissa Aldana Quartet performs Live at Smalls on September 5th.

Reminders from this week’s Metropolitan Opera productions:

The Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess streams on Friday and Saturday, September 4th and 5th.

Thomas Adés’s The Tempest streams on Sunday, September 6th.

That is our complete list of Best Bets at Home: September 4th – September 7th.

I hope you have a safe, happy and wonderful holiday weekend.

Photo: Nick Cordero (Courtesy of Broadway on Demand)

The post Best Bets at Home: September 4th – September 7th appeared first on Cultural Attaché.

On the bill are new works from Hitomi Oba, Vijay Iyer, Billy Childs, Kamasi Washington, Tyshawn Sorey and Hermeto Pascoal. Conductor Paolo Bortolameolli leads the New Music Group of the LA Philharmonic in this concert.

The works having their world premieres (all of which were commissioned by the LA Philharmonic) are:

Aina by Hitomi Oba

Oba is a composer and saxophonist and has the distinction of both opening the concert and being the sole woman on the bill. She is one of the founders of the new music collective LA Signal Lab. She performs with multiple ensembles (of varying configurations) and also teaches at UCLA.

Crisis Modes by Vijay Iyer

Pianist/composer Vijay Iyer has the distinction of having been voted Downbeat Magazine‘s artist of the year three times. He’s a MacArthur Fellow and one of the most highly acclaimed musician/composers of our time. Far From Over, his 2017 release, topped the Billboard Magazine jazz charts.

of Darkness and Light by Billy Childs

Five-time Grammy Award winner Billy Childs is both a jazz pianist and composer.His most recent album was 2017’s Rebirth. Over the course of his career he has received commissions from the LA Philharmonic, the LA Master Chorale and several other organizations. Amongst his earliest influences is this project’s curator, Herbie Hancock

Struggle from Within by Kamasi Washington

If you listen to KCRW you know Kamasi Washington headed their list of the best albums of 2018 with his most recent recording, Heaven and Earth. His previous album, The Epic, was a monumental 172-minute recording that put him front and center in discussions about contemporary jazz music.

For Fred Lerdahl by Tyshawn Sorey.

Sorey’s most recent record, Pillars, was hailed by critics around the world and found itself on several Best of 2018 lists. He plays multiple instruments and has performed with John Zorn, Steve Coleman and Vijay Iyer.

Suite Universal by Hermeto Pascoal

Pascoal is a multi-instrumentalist/composer from Brazil who first came to the United States in 1970 following the success of the group Quarteto Novo with Airto Moreira.  Beyond his own performances of his work, Pascoal’s compositions have been performed by a diverse group of artists that ranges from the Berlin Symphony to Gil Evan

Images of Herbie Hancock, Billy Childs and Paoloa Bortolameolli courtesy of the LA Philharmonic.

The post The Edge of Jazz appeared first on Cultural Attaché.