Our top pick this weekend is the voice of playwright Adrienne Kennedy whose play Ohio State Murders stars one of the greatest voices of our time: Audra McDonald.

The music of Adam Guettel, new experiments with voice, the voice of jazz’s future, the history-making voices of male ballerinas, Broadway stars galore and more are all available for your enjoyment.

So let’s get to it. Here are the Top Ten Best Bets: June 4th – June 7th:

*TOP PICK* PLAY READING: Ohio State Murders – Spotlight on Plays – Now – June 7th

Adrienne Kennedy’s Ohio State Murders is this week’s offering from the Spotlight on Plays series from Broadway’s Best Shows.

The play is set at Ohio State University where Suzanne Alexander, an African-American writer, was a student in 1949. She returns to discuss the themes of violence in her writing.

The stories she tells and the violence she’s examining take viewers down a shocking path as the mystery slow reveals itself.

This reading will star six-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald, Warner Miller, Lizan Mitchell and Ben Rappaport. Kenny Leon, who directed the 2014 revival of A Raisin in the Sun, directs this reading. Of note, both he and McDonald won Tony Awards for work on that production.

Ohio State Murders had its world premiere in 1992 at the Great Lakes Theater Festival. In 2007 the play opened off-Broadway at The Duke on 42nd Street.

Charles Isherwood, writing for the New York Times, said of the play:

“Like all truly scary horror stories, the tale told in Adrienne Kennedy’s Ohio State Murders leaves a lasting chill in the bones. Hours after seeing this short, sharp, quietly hypnotic play about an infanticide that ruptures a Midwestern winter in the 1950s, you might find yourself looking anxiously over your shoulder or starting awake with an unsettling thought or image in your head.”

Tickets are $19 with proceeds benefitting The Actors Fund. Tickets allow for on-demand streaming through Monday, June 7th at 6:00 PM ET/3:00 PM PT.

CHORAL/VOCAL: Myths and Hymns: Chapter 4: FAITH – Now – June 30th

The fourth and final chapter of Adam Guettel’s Myths and Hymns from MasterVoices is now streaming.

In this last part of the series, Anthony Roth Costanzo, Jennifer Holliday, Mikael Kilgore, Theresa McCarthy, Miles Mykkanen, Kelli O’Hara, Larry Owens and Nicholas Phan give voice to the final five songs in this song cycle.

Costanzo also directed The Great Highway (which also features O’Hara and Phan). Ted Sperling, the artistic director of MasterVoices directed two of the segments and Tony Award nominated director Trip Cullman directed the final segment, Saturn Returns: The Return.

Joining them are, of course, the MasterVoices singers.

This episode and the entire series are available for viewing on MasterVoices’ YouTube Channel. I love all four chapters of this series. You will, too. Take a look.

There’s no charge to watch Myths and Hymns. Donations are encouraged.

BROADWAY VOCALS: Victoria Clark – Broadway Stories & Songs with Ted Sperling – June 4th – June 5th

As long as we’re on the subject of Ted Sperling, his guest for this weekend’s Broadway Stories & Songs is the Tony Award-winning Victoria Clark. She was named Best Actress in a Musical for her performance as Margaret Johnson in Adam Guettel’s The Light in the Piazza.

Her performance in that musical was extraordinary.

Clark’s additional Broadway credits include the 1992 revival of Guys and Dolls, the 1995 revival of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Titanic, Urinetown, Sister Act, Cinderella and more.

She and Sperling have been friends since college. Their personal and professional familiarity will make this a show that’s a must-see for all fans of Broadway.

Victoria Clark will be live on June 4th at 5:00 PM ET/2:00 PM PT. Tickets are $25 and allow for a second viewing (or a first viewing if you can’t watch the show live on June 4th) on Saturday, June 5th at 2:00 PM ET/11:00 AM PT.

CHAMBER MUSIC: Tchaikovsky Serenade – Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra – Debuts June 4th – 9:30 PM ET/6:30 PM PT

The wildly ambitious and very successful series Close Quarters concludes what I hope will just be its first season with this final episode. Throughout all 14 episodes, James Darrah and LACO have redefined how classical music can be presented.

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings, composed in 1880, is being performed in this film.

Grant Gershon, Artistic Director of the Los Angeles Master Chorale, leads LACO in the performance. There are four movements in Tchaikovsky’s composition and in this particular film/performance, the running time is 30 minutes.

Darrah told me recently that this final episode reflects a summation of the entire series and a look at how Los Angeles weathered the pandemic.

You probably don’t need to have watched all previous thirteen episodes. But I can assure you if you just watch this one, you’ll be likely to want to watch all fourteen.

DANCE DOCUMENTARY: Ballerina Boys – American Masters on PBS – June 4th (check local listings)

This fascinating, amusing and moving documentary takes a look at Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo (The Trocks). They are an ensemble of male ballet dancers who take their dance seriously and present it with whopping doses of humor.

As the British might say, they take the piss out of the art form. But they do it with a absolute respect for the work.

Filmmakers Chana Gazit and Martha Barylick take a look at the 45-year history of The Trocks. Ballerina Boys features interviews with founding members and also current members as it charts its way through over four decades of entertaining audiences. And as their trailer says, “Changing the world one pirouette at a time.”

I’ve seen this film and it is wildly entertaining and, at times, deeply moving.

JAZZ: Immanuel Wilkins Quartet – Vermont Jazz Center – June 5th – 8:00 PM ET/5:00 PM PT

I’ve written several times about Immanuel Wilkins and how amazing he is. This Saturday is the best chance for you to see precisely what critics have been talking about.

Wilkins will be joined by Daryl Johns on bass; Kweku Sumbry on drums and Micah Thomas on piano.

This Tiny Desk concert for NPR should give you a good idea.

When I interviewed Wilkins last August as his album Omega was about to be released, he told me that he wrestled with releasing an album during the pandemic and not being able to tour behind it. Amongst the things he told me was:

“People need to hear it live. The band is a live band. It’s definitely something that should be played live and it would have been nice to have a proper release concert.”

Saturday’s concert will be a big step forward for Wilkins and for all of us to hear how dynamic this music is live.

There’s no charge to watch the concert; however, donations are encouraged.

CONTEMPORARY CLASSICAL MUSIC: Bang on a Can Marathon of Song – June 6th – 1:00 PM ET/10:00 AM PT

Fans of contemporary classical music, particularly those works that showcase the human voice, will be keenly interested in this Sunday’s Bang on a Can Marathon of Song. Expect multiple uses of the human voice to be employed here.

There are eleven world premieres scheduled.

This streaming marathon runs for four hours. Here is the line-up:

1:00 PM ET/10:00 AM PT

Arlen Hulsko performs the world premiere of and there was by Mary Kouyoumdjian. Composer Peni Candra Rini gives the world premiere of her new work. Ken Thomson gives the world premiere performance of Zero at the Bone by Anna Clyne. Composer Albert Kuvezin gives the world premiere of Eremchick (The Spider).

2:00 PM ET/11:00 AM PT

Julian Otis performs Prelude to the Holy Presence of Joan D’Arc by Julius Eastman. Composer Fred Frith gives the world premiere performance of his new work. Kyle Brenn’s Still/Exist will be performed. Taja Cheek, performing as L’Rain will perform. David Cossin will give the world premiere performance of RYB by Florent Ghys.

3:00 PM ET/12:00 PM PT

This hour opens with the world premiere of witness by Matana Roberts. Mark Stewart will perform the world premiere of a new work by Trevor Watson. Composer Eddy Kwan gives the world premiere of his new work. The final performance is by Allison Russell.

4:00 PM ET/1:00 PM PT

Vicky Chow gives the world premiere of a new work by Sophie Cash. Robert Black gives the world premiere of Audible Autopsy by Charles Amirkhanian.

There is no charge to watch the marathon. Donations are encouraged.

CABARET: Alex Newell – The Seth Concert Series – June 6th – 3:00 PM ET/12:00 PM PT

You might know Alex Newell from Glee. You might have seen Newell in the 2017 Broadway production of Once on This Island.

Or you might have seen as Mo on Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist. (If you haven’t watched this NBC series, you’ll definitely need to make up for lost time.)

However you know Newell, there’s one thing you know for sure, he can sing!

Newell and Rudetsky will of course share plenty of music along with the kind of stories that only Broadway insiders know and fans of musical theater will want to hear. As June is Pride Month, what better way to spend some time this weekend than with Alex Newell and Seth Rudetsky.

If you are unable to watch the show at 3:00 PM ET, there is an encore showing at 8:00 PM ET/5:00 PM PT. Tickets for either show are $25.

TRIBUTE TO BROADWAY: Curtain Up, Light the Lights – Roundabout Theatre Company – June 7th – 7:45 PM ET/4:45 PM PT

If you live in New York, you can join this 2021 Roundabout Theatre Company Gala live in Central Park. Luckily for those who don’t you can stream it live. Either way, here’s what you’ll get:

Tony Winner Jane Krakowski will perform live from Rumsey Playfield with the New York Pops.

Joining her for part of the concert will be Tituss Burgess (her co-star from Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt). Just for good measure there are a few special guests: Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), EGOT Whoopi Goldberg, Oscar winner Emma Stone (La La Land), Grammy and Emmy Award winner Blair Underwood and Tony Award-nominee Vanessa Williams. Those are the announced special guests. There is word of even more stars to be participating.

As the ghost lights will soon be relieved of 24-hour a day duty and the marquees of Broadway relit in anticipation of theaters re-opening, Curtain Up, Light the Lights will be a great way to welcome the return of Broadway.

Virtual tickets start at $25.

BROADWAY VOCALS: Pajama Cast Party – June 7th – 8:00 PM ET/5:00 PM PT

If I only said Kristin Chenoweth would that be enough? Certainly she’s popular enough. And maybe she’ll be wearing pajamas.

Yes, the three-time Tony Award nominee (and winner for You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown) and star of Wicked is joining Jim Caruso on Monday for the 61st episode of Pajama Cast Party.

In addition to singing, she’ll be sharing some of the young talented performers who are participating in Broadway Bootcamp of which she is one of the directors.

Also joining is Ryan Silverman who appeared in the 2013 Classic Stage Company production of Passion and appeared on Broadway in the 2014 revival of Side Show.

There is no charge to watch the show. Donations are encouraged with a portion of the proceeds going to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and The Actors Fund.

Those are our Top Ten Best Bets: June 4th – June 7th. Just a few reminders and on other note before we finish.

A few weeks ago we highlighted We Have to Hurry by Dorothy Lyman. It’s a moving play about two neighbors at a retirement community who fear time is not on their side during a quarantine. The play was so popular that a second live performance of the play is taking place this weekend with the playwright as Margaret and the enormously talented Alfred Molina as Gil. They have two performances (one Saturday and one on Sunday.) You can find details here.

Metropolitan Opera’s programming this weekend features the 2019-2020 season production of Porgy and Bess on Friday (highly recommended); the 2014-2015 season production of Macbeth on Saturday and the 2019-2020 season production of Philip Glass’s Akhnaten on Sunday (also highly recommended).

On Monday the Met presents classic operas told in new ways. Monday’s offering is the 2012-2013 production of Rigoletto. We’ll have full details in Monday’s preview of the entire week.

That officially concludes all the offerings I have for you in our Top Ten Best Bets: June 4th – June 7th. Have a great weekend. Enjoy the performing arts!

Main Photo: Audra McDonald (Courtesy her website)

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Our top pick, previewed yesterday, is a reading of Larry Kramer’s The Normal Heart on Saturday. We also have some great jazz music for you (both traditional vocals and a very contemporary performance), a London production of Chekhov that earned rave reviews, a tribute to two of Broadway’s best songwriters, chamber music and a contortionist. After all, it’s Mother’s Day weekend. Don’t all mothers just love contortionists?

Here are the Top 10 Best Bets: May 7th – May 10th

*TOP PICK* PLAY READING: The Normal Heart – ONE Archives Foundation – May 8th – 8:00 PM ET/5:00 PM PT

We previewed this event yesterday as out Top Pick, but here are the pertinent details:

Director Paris Barclay has assembled Sterling K. Brown, Laverne Cox, Jeremy Pope, Vincent Rodriguez III, Guillermo Díaz, Jake Borelli, Ryan O’Connell, Daniel Newman, Jay Hayden and Danielle Savre for a virtual reading of Larry Kramer’s play.

The reading will be introduced by Martin Sheen.

There will be just this one live performance of The Normal Heart. It will not be available for viewing afterwards. There will be a Q&A with the cast and Barclay following the reading. Tickets begin at $10 for students, $20 for general admission.

PLAY READING: Rachel – Roundabout Theatre Company’s Refocus Project – Now – May 7th

Angelina Weld Grimké’s 1916 play Rachel, is the second play in the Refocus Project from Roundabout Theatre Company. Their project puts emphasis on plays by Black playwrights from the 20th century that didn’t get enough attention or faded into footnotes of history in an effort to bring greater awareness to these works.

Rachel tells the story of a Black woman who, upon learning some long-ago buried secrets about her family, has to rethink being a Black parent and bringing children into the world.

Miranda Haymon directs Sekai Abení, Alexander Bello, E. Faye Butler, Stephanie Everett, Paige Gilbert, Brandon Gill, Toney Goins, Abigail Jean-Baptiste and Zani Jones Mbayise.

The reading is free, but registration is required.

JAZZ: Joel Ross & Immanuel Wilkins – Village Vanguard – May 7th – May 9th

You’d be hard-pressed to find a more compelling pairing of jazz musicians than vibraphonist Joel Ross and alto saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins.

The two have been collaborating for quite some time. Wilkins is a member of Ross’ Good Vibes quintet.

Nate Chinen, in a report for NPR, described a 2018 concert in which Ross performed with drummer Makaya McCraven this way. “Ross took one solo that provoked the sort of raucous hollers you’d sooner expect in a basketball arena. Again, this was a vibraphone solo.“

Wilkins album, Omega, was declared the Best Jazz Album of 2020 by Giovanni Russonello of the New York Times.

I spoke to Wilkins last year about the album and his music. You can read that interview here. And if you’re a fan, Jason Moran, who produced the album, told me that this music was “just the tip of the iceberg.”

Tickets for this concert are $10.

PLAY: Uncle Vanya – PBS Great Performances – May 7th check local listings

Anton Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya is performed by a cast headed by Richard Armitrage and Toby Jones. Conor McPherson adapted the play for this production which played at the Harold Pinter Theatre in London and was directed by Ian Rickson.

Arifa Akbar, writing in her five-star review for The Guardian, said of the production:

“Ian Rickson’s exquisite production is full of energy despite the play’s prevailing ennui. It does not radically reinvent or revolutionise Chekov’s 19th-century story. It returns us to the great, mournful spirit of Chekhov’s tale about unrequited love, ageing and disappointment in middle-age, while giving it a sleeker, modern beat.

“McPherson’s script has a stripped, vivid simplicity which quickens the pace of the drama, and despite its contemporary language – Vanya swears and uses such terms as “wanging on” – it does not grate or take away from the melancholic poetry.”

CHAMBER MUSIC: Beyond the Horizon – LA Chamber Orchestra – Premieres May 7th – 9:30 PM ET/6:30 PM PT

This is the 12th episode in LACO’s Close Quarters series and definitely one of its most intriguing. Jessie Montgomery, the composer who curated the previous episode, curates this episode as well. She is joined by her fellow alums from Juilliard, mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard (who directs) and music producer Nadia Sirota.

The program features Alvin Singleton’s Be Natural (a pun any music major will understand); Mazz Swift’s The End of All That Is Holy, The Beginning of All That is Good and Montgomery’s Break Away.

The performance portion of Beyond the Horizon is conducted by Christopher Rountree of Wild Up! Visual artist Yee Eun Nam contributes to the film as does art director James Darrah.

There is no charge to watch Beyond the Horizon.

CHAMBER MUSIC: MusiKaravan: A Classical Road Trip with Delerium Musicum – The Wallis Sorting Room Sessions – May 7th – May 9th

Music by Johannes Brahms, Charlie Chaplin, Frederic Chopin, Vittorio Monti, Sergei Prokofiev, Giacomo Puccini and Dmitri Shostakovich will be performed by Delerium Musicum founding violinists Étienne Gara and YuEun Kim. They will be joined for two pieces by bassist Ryan Baird.

The full ensemble of musicians that make up Delerium Musicum will join for one of these pieces? Which one will it be? There is only one way to find out.

This concert is part of The Sorting Room Sessions at The Wallis.

Tickets are $20 and will allow for streaming for 48 hours

MOTHER’S DAY OFFERINGS: MOMentum Place and A Catalina Tribute to Mothers – May 8th

Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum is celebrating Mother’s Day with MOMentum Place, a show featuring aerial artists, circus performers, dancers and musicians. The line-up includes circus artist Elena Brocade; contortionist and acrobat Georgia Bryan, aerialist and stilt dancer Jena Carpenter of Dream World Cirque, ventriloquist Karl Herlinger, hand balancer Tyler Jacobson, stilt walker and acrobat Aaron Lyon, aerialist Kate Minwegen, cyr wheeler Sarah Moser and Cirque du Soleil alum Eric Newton, plus Dance Dimensions Kids and Focus Fish Kids. The show was curated by aerlist/dancer Lexi Pearl. Tickets are $35.

Catalina Jazz Club is holding A Catalina Tribute to Mothers at 9:00 PM ET/6:00 PM PT. Headlining the concert are singers Jack Jones, Freda Payne and Tierney Sutton. Vocalist Barbara Morrison is a special guest. Also performing are  Kristina Aglinz, Suren Arustamyan, Lynne Fiddmont, Andy Langham, Annie Reiner, Dayren Santamaria, Tyrone Mr. Superfantastic and more. Dave Damiani is the host. The show is free, however donations to help keep the doors open at Catalina Jazz Club are welcomed and encouraged.

JAZZ: Love in Exile – The Phillips Collection – May 9th – 4:00 PM ET/1:00 PM PT

There is no set program for this performance by pianist/composer Vijay Iyer, vocalist Arooj Aftab and bassist Shazad Ismaily. The website says Love in Exile performs as one continuous hour-long set.

Having long been a fan of Iyer, spending an hour wherever he and his fellow musicians wants to go sounds like pure heaven to me.

Iyer’s most recent album, Uneasy, was released in April on ECM Records and finds him performing with double bassist Linda May Han Oh and drummer Tyshawn Sorey. It’s a great album. You should definitely check it out.

There is no charge to watch this concert, but registration is required. Once Love in Exile debuts, you’ll have 7 days to watch the performance as often as you’d like.

DANCE: Past, Present, Future – ALL ARTS – May 9th – May 11th

ALL ARTS, part of New York’s PBS stations, is holding an three-night on-line dance festival beginning on Sunday.

If We Were a Love Song is first up at 8:00 PM ET on Sunday. Nina Simone’s music accompanies this work conceived by choreographer Kyle Abraham who is collaborating with filmmaker Dehanza Rogers.

Dancers (Slightly Out of Shape) airs on Monday at 8:00 PM ET. This is part documentary/part dance featuring choreographer Pam Tanowitz as she and her company resume rehearsals last year during the Covid crisis. It leads to excerpts from Every Moment Alters which is set to the music of Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Caroline Shaw.

One + One Make Three closes out the festival on Tuesday at 8:00 PM ET. This film showcases the work of Kinetic Light, an ensemble featuring disabled performers. This is also part documentary/part dance made by director Katherine Helen Fisher.

All three films will be accompanied by ASL and Open Captions for the hearing impaired.

BROADWAY: Broadway Close Up: Kander and Ebb – Kaufman Music Center – May 10th – 7:00 PM ET/4:00 PM PT

You know the work of John Kander and Fred Ebb: Cabaret, Chicago, Flora the Red Menace, Kiss of the Spider Woman, New York New York, The Scottsboro Boys and Woman of the Year.

Their work will be explored, discussed and performed with host Sean Hartley.

He’s joined by Tony Award-winner Karen Ziemba (Contact) who appeared in two musicals by the duo: Curtains and Steel Pier. The latter was written specifically for her.

Any fan of Kander and Ebb will want to purchase a ticket for this show. Tickets are $15

Those are our Top Ten Best Bets: May 7th – May 10th (even if we cheated a little bit by having two options listed together). But there are a few reminders:

The Metropolitan Opera has their own view of mothers with their theme of Happy Mother’s Day featuring Berg’s Wozzeck on Friday; Puccini’s Madama Butterfly on Saturday and Handel’s Agrippina on Sunday.

Puccini returns for the start of National Council Auditions Alumni Week with a 1981-1982 season production of La Bohème. We’ll have all the details for you on Monday.

LA Opera’s Signature Recital Series continues with the addition of a recital by the brilliant soprano Christine Goerke.

One rumor to pass along to you: word has it Alan Cumming will be Jim Caruso’s guest on Monday’s Pajama Cast Party.

That completes all our selections of Best Bets: May 7th – May 10th. I hope all of you who are mothers have a terrific weekend. For those of you celebrating with your moms, I hope we’ve given you plenty of options to consider.

Have a great weekend! Enjoy the culture!

Photo: Larry Kramer (Photo by David Shankbone/Courtesy David Shankbone)

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Music seems to be the best way to express holiday cheer (in a year when we truly need it) and multiple venues are using music to do just that. Fans of plays do not fear, we have a few options for you and there’s also a preview of a musical-in-development that was 10,000 years in the making.

Here are my Best Bets at Home: December 18th – December 20th:

MUSICAL: Iceboy! – PlayhouseLive – Now Available

As part of their original programming, Pasadena Playhouse’s PlayhouseLive offers a look into a musical in development called Iceboy!

Them musical tells the story of a Broadway star, Vera Vimm, who adopts a 10,000 year old Neanderthal, IceBoy. After being thawed out he becomes a fast-rising star whose popularity and fame begins to eclipse Vimm’s career.

Megan Mullally (Young Frankenstein) plays Vimm; Adam Devine plays Iceboy. Nick Offerman (Annapurna) and Laura Bell Bundy (Legally Blonde) are also in this preview. Three-time Tony nominee Kevin Chamberlin directs.

IceBoy! was written by by Mark Hollmann (Tony Award-winner for Urinetown), Erin Quinn Purcell (Duet!) and Jay Reiss (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee). This 22-1/2 minute preview features four songs from the musical.

This is free to view, but you do need to register at PlayhouseLive.

MAGIC/PLAY: Elephant Room: Dust from the Stars – Center Theatre Group Digital Stage – Now – December 20th

Some show are just so out there that you have two choices: you go with it or you resist. According to the New York Times, it might be futile to resist the charms of Elephant Room: Dust from the Stars.

Elisabeth Vincentelli, writing for the paper, said, “The show, part of the Fringe Festival in Philadelphia, packs a lot in just over an hour and is the most resourceful, gleefully entertaining new theater piece I have seen during the pandemic. Yes, it all happens on Zoom. Yes, there are tricks, some of them involving the audience. And yes, it’s possible to laugh alone in front of your computer.”

That’s good information to have because the video about the show might leave you scratching your head (or thinking you’ve wandered into magic-meets-Spinal Tap):

Perhaps you have. This meta-show, which appears to be taking place in our present-day world, will hopefully explain just what the meta is for.

Tickets are $10 for non-members/free for members. Performances take place on Friday, December 18th at 7:00 PM PST; Saturday, December 19th and Sunday, December 20th at 1:00 PM PST and 7:00 PM PST.

INTERNATIONAL HOLIDAY MUSIC: Nochebuena en Casa – The Soraya – December 18th – 8:00 PM EST/5:00 PM PST

Acclaimed writer/director/producer Dan Guerrero is your host for this at-home version of The Soraya’s annual holiday concert.

The artists performing include Ballet Folklórico de Los Ángeles, Aida Cuevas, Mariachi Garibaldi de Jaime Cuéllar, Suzanna Guzmán and José “Pepe” Martínez Jr. with Susie García. Some of them will welcome you into their homes for their performances, others were filmed safely on the stage at The Soraya.

There is no cost to watch this festive show which begins streaming on Friday, December 18th at 5:00 PM PST.

JAZZ: Kenny Barron: Quartets – Village Vanguard – December 18th – December 19th – 8:00 PM EST/5:00 PM PST

When Dizzy Gillespie and Stan Getz needed a pianist they turned to Kenny Barron. The eleven-time Grammy Award nominee, who has recorded with more artists than this page can hold, has two performances this weekend from New York’s Village Vanguard.

He is performing in quartet formation, but the two performances will feauture slightly, but significantly, different line-ups.

At the core of both performances will be Kiyoshi Kitagawa on bass and Jonathan Blake on drum. Rounding out the quartet on Friday will be vibraphonist Steve Nelson (who appeared on Barron’s 1982 recording Golden Lotus). For Saturday’s performance saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins joins Barron. Omega, by Wilkins, was named Best Jazz Album of 2020 by the New York Times.

Tickets for each concert are $10.

GOSPEL MUSIC: Blind Boys of Alabama Holiday Show – SFJAZZ – December 18th – 8:00 PM EST/5:00 PM PST

This week’s Fridays at Five concert from SFJAZZ is a bit of a departure from their regular jazz programming, but the concert being shown is an annual holiday tradition at the venue.

Blind Boys of Alabama will perform a concert of gospel and holiday music as only they can. If you’ve never heard them, you should. They are terrific.

The five-time Grammy Award-winning ensemble perform in this concert from 2018. They have recorded two Christmas albums: the 2003 Christmas release, Go Tell It on the Mountain, and their 2014 Talkin’ Christmas, which was a collaboration with blues great Taj Mahal.

The concert will stream only once at the allotted time. To view the Fridays at Five concerts you need either a monthly membership ($5) or an annual membership ($60).

PLAY READING: A Christmas Carol – Primary Stages – December 18th – December 22nd

Pulitzer Prize finalist Theresa Rebeck has co-written (with Erin Daley) a new version of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol which will have a live-reading on Friday, December 18th as a fundraiser for New York’s Primary Stages and their programming aimed at younger audiences.

Starring as Scrooge is four-time Tony-nominated actor Raúl Esparza (Speed-the-Plow; Company).

Joining him are Mary Bacon (Rock ‘n’ Roll), Abadi Bacon Leynse, Kimberly Chatterjee (Life Sucks), W. Tré Davis (Seared), David Mason (Seared), Krysta Rodriguez (Spring Awakening) and Matthew Saldivar (Bernhardt/Hamlet). Rebeck is directing the reading.

The Friday, December 18th, performance is live at 8:00 PM EST/5:00 PM PST. Tickets for the live reading are $100. Beginning December 19th, and through December 22nd, the reading will be available for free viewing.

CLASSICAL MUSIC: Bach’s Brandenburg 5 – Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra – December 18th – 9:30 PM EST/6:30 PM PST

Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra continues their Close Quarters series with this concert that features Johann Sebastian Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D Major and Claude Debussy’s Syrinx.

Music Director Jaime Martín will perform Syrinx which is a brief work by the French composer for solo flute.

Featured musicians performing the Bach will be Martín on flute; Conductor Laureate Jeffrey Kahane on fortepiano and Tereza Stanislav on violin.

Joining them will be Margaret Batjer, Susan Rishik and Josefina Vergara on violin; Erik Rynearson and Robert Brophy on viola; Andrew Shulman and Armen Ksajikian on cello and David Grossman on bass.

This series involves newly-created visuals to accompany each performance. This fourth episode of the Close Quarters series features the art of Ardeshir Tabrizi.

The concert is free and can be watched on the LA Chamber Orchestra website, their YouTube channel or their Facebook page.

JAZZ: Cyrus Chestnut & Dezron Douglas – MEZZROW – December 19th – 5:00 PM EST/2:00 PM PST and 7:00 PM EST/4:00 PM PST

Jazz pianist and bassist Dezron Douglas team up for two shows from New York’s Mezzrow. They last performed together at sister club Small’s in July. (You can watch that and many other archived videos from Smalls and Mezzrow with a membership.)

Chestnut has released 34 records. He and Douglas have recorded together since 2007’s Cyrus Plays Elvis. They have five other recordings together. Douglas, amongst his many performances, appears in Beyonce’s Homecoming.

I’m a fan of both musicians. Though somewhat crudely filmed, you always get great music from these performances live at Small’s and Mezzrow.

There is no charge to watch the concert. However, those who have the means can purchase tax-deductible “reservations” for $50 for each set.

JAZZ: Big Band Holidays – Jazz at Lincoln Center – December 19th – December 26th

Every year Jazz at Lincoln Center celebrates the holidays with a big band concert filled with seasonal songs. This year is no exception, but it will be virtual instead of live.

Wynton Marsalis leads the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra in the concert. Special guests include Rubén Baldes, Kurt Elling, Ashley Pezzotti and Catherine Russell.

Premieres at 7:00 PM EST/4:00 PM PST on December 19th and will remain available for streaming through December 26th. Tickets are $25 for non-members; $20 for members.

PLAY: Interviewing Miss Davis – Fountain Theatre – December 19th – 8:00 PM EST/5:00 PM PST

I’m sure I don’t have to tell you who Miss Davis is. (Okay, I will.) Bette Davis, of course. This play by Laura Maria Censabella is based on her experiences.

Just after leaving college with dreams of being a writer, she gets a job interview with the screen legend to be her assistant. Would this job be a fast track to her dreams or sideline her aspirations?

And what of her possible new employer? A woman who famously said, “In this business until you’re known as a monster, you’re not a star.”

Karen Kondazian plays Davis in this reading. Wonjung Kim plays the woman being interviewed and Aleisha Force is the longtime assistant who is leaving Davis.

There is no charge to watch Interviewing Miss Davis. There will be a Hollywood holiday theme party along with the reading.

FILMED RADIO PLAY: It’s a Wonderful Life – Laguna Playhouse – December 19th – January 1st

Who doesn’t watch It’s a Wonderful Life during the holidays? Well, even if you are one of those who doesn’t consider the play a seasonal tradition, you might want to check out this version from the Laguna Playhouse.

Nick Cearley and Lauren Molina, who are known together as The Skivvies, have filmed a radio play version that has been adapted by Joe Landry to suit their talents. Since The Skivvies usually perform in their underwear, I’m not sure I can guarantee which talents Landry is relying on.

One thing that does serve as a foundation for his work is the screenplay from the original Frank Capra movie written by Frances Goodrich, Albert Hackett, Capra and Jo Swerling.

For the uninitiated, It’s a Wonderful Life tells the story of George Bailey. He’s suicidal and it’s only because of the intervention of his guardian angel, Clarence, that Bailey learns just how valuable his life has always been. The film starred Jimmy Stewart and features the classic line, “every time a bell rings an angel gets his wings.”

Maybe in this version every time a bell rings a cast member removes an article of clothing.

Tickets are $20.

VOCALS CONCERT: Audra Mae: Songs of Joy and Peace with Dylan Meek – The Sorting Room at The Wallis – December 19th – 11:00 PM EST/8:00 PM PST

Christina Aguilera, Avicii, Kelly Clarkson, Celine Dion and Miranda Lambert are just some of the performers who have recorded songs written/co-written by Audra Mae. The singer-songwriter, who happens to be the great great niece of Judy Garland, is also a singer with multiple albums of her own.

She performs a concert of holidays songs and is joined by Dylan Meek, a singer/jazz pianist who was mentored by Johnny O’Neal. The concert is part of The Sorting Room series from The Wallis in Beverly Hills and is produced in conjunction with For the Record Live.

Mae has two special guests joining for the show: Darren Criss and Tracie Thoms.

Tickets are $25 and will allow for streaming for 24 hours from the start time.

BROADWAY VOCALS: Adam Pascal with Seth Rudetsky – December 20th – 8:00 PM EST/5:00 PM PST

Broadway fans, and particularly Rent-heads, know Adam Pascal from his role as Roger in the original production of Jonathan Larson’s Rent. His other Broadway credits include the Elton John and Tim Rice musical, Aida, Cabaret, Chicago, Memphis, Something Rotten! and most recently, Pretty Woman.

He’s Seth Rudetsky‘s guest for this week’s concert and conversation. Pascal knows Rudetsky well. He appeared in his musical, Disaster!

This replaces the concert with Pascal that was originally scheduled for November.

If Sunday’s live stream doesn’t work for you, they will re-stream the concert on Monday, December 21st at 3:00 PM EST/12:00 PM PST.

Tickets are $25.

Those are my Best Bets at Home: December 18th – December 20th. Stay safe. Stay healthy. Enjoy your weekend. Happy Holidays!

Photo: Jesse Vargas and Megan Mullally in Iceboy (Photo by Jeff Lorch/Courtesy Pasadena Playhouse)

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Quite a few of this week’s offerings are concerts. We have jazz, classical, Broadway vocals and one jazz/dance combination.

I’ve made a change to help you navigate my listings. Before each title there is a category that defines the genre of the listing. So if you only want to find jazz concerts, just look for JAZZ. For ballet or dance, look for DANCE. And in the case of our hybrid event, you’ll find DANCE/JAZZ combined. All listings are in order of when they become available.

Topping our list this week is the world premiere of a new work by composer Nico Muhly that is being performed by organist James McVinnie on Saturday.

Here are my choices as your Best Bets at Home: December 4th – December 6th.

PLAY: The Night of the Iguana – La Femme Theatre Productions – Now – December 6th

Tennessee Williams’ The Night of the Iguana gets an all-star reading from New York’s La Femme Theatre Productions.

Williams based the play on his own short story that in and of itself was inspired by his cousin. The Night of the Iguana had its Broadway debut in 1961.

Reverend Shannon has been forced out of his church after a sermon where he demonized God. He’s relegated to serving as a tour guide and accused of statutory rape of a 16-year-old girl.

While escorting a group of women to Acapulco and staying at a cheap motel, Shannon battles the pressures from the outside world and the demons within himself.

Dylan McDermott stars as Reverend Shannon; Phylicia Rashad plays Maxine; Roberta Maxwell as Judith Fellowes; Austin Pendleton as Nonno and Jean Lichty as Hannah, with Keith Randolph Smith, Carmen Berkeley, Eliud Kauffman, Julio Macias, Stephanie Schmiderer, Bradley James Tejeda and John Hans Tester. Emily Mann directs.

Tickets are range from $10 – $250 depending on your ability to pay. This reading serves as a fundraiser for The Actors Fund.

DANCE: in the absence of things – Baryshnikov Arts Center – Now – December 15th

In this ten-minute experimental dance short film, Somi Kakoma explores the impact the pandemic is having on her and her creative process.

Instead of being on the road, she returned home to Illinois and found herself wrestling with the the desire to create and perform and the need to just live.

Movement, art songs, spoken word and more are utilized to tell her story. Kakoma’s mother provides some of the film’s narration. There is also music from a recent live album, Holy Room – Live at Alte Opera with Frankfurt Radio Big Band in the film.

CLASSICAL: Beethoven’s The Creatures of Prometheus – The Philharmonia Orchestra of London – Beginning December 4th – 2:30 PM EST/11:30 AM PST

In February of this year, the Los Angeles Philharmonic had one of their most exciting concerts when Esa-Pekka Salonen, Simon McBurney and Gerard McBurney collaborated on The Weimar Republic: Salonen Conducts The Seven Deadly Sins.

Starting on Friday, Salonen and Gerard McBurney are once again collaborating on a concert. The Philharmonia Orchestra of London is performing Beethoven’s The Creatures of Prometheus.

Most concertgoers are familiar with the work’s overture; far fewer are familiar with the complete score Beethoven composed for this ballet that had its world premiere in Vienna in 1801.

McBurney has written a new script for this concert. There will be animation by Hillary Leben whose work has been seen in performance with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Silk Road Ensemble and more.

When you add that the narration will be performed by Stephen Fry, what else do you need?

The link takes you directly to The Philharmonia Orchestra of London’s YouTube page where this performance can be seen.

DANCE/JAZZ: waiting – 92nd Street Y – December 4th – 7:00 PM EST/4:00 PM PST

Dancer/choreographer Sidra Bell was working on waiting in anticipation of its world premiere performance in June of this year. That was postponed due to the pandemic.

The work is a collaboration with jazz composer/saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins.

Wilkins’ debut album, Omega, was named the Best Jazz Album of 2020 by the New York Times this week.

What is being shown is a work-in-progress of waiting. Sidra Bell and Immanuel Wilkins will participate in a post-performance Q&A.

Tickets are $10.

JAZZ: Christian McBride – Village Vanguard – December 4th – December 5th – 8:00 PM EST/5:00 PM PST

Bassist Christian McBride is joined by Marcus Strickland on saxophone; Josh Evans on trumpet and Nasheet Waits on drums for these two performances from New York’s Village Vanguard.

McBride’s most recent album is The Movement Revisited: A Musical Portrait of Four Icons.

On this record McBride celebrates Rosa Parks, Malcom X, Muhammad Ali and Martin Luther King, Jr.

He just received two Grammy Award nominations recently for Round Again (which finds him recording with Joshua Redman, Brad Mehldau and Brian Blade) and also for Trilogy 2 (which is a live recording with Chick Corea and Blade). He can’t win both awards unless there is a tie – he’s competing against himself.

Tickets are $10 for each performance.

JAZZ: Robert Glasper Acoustic Trio – The Kennedy Center – December 4th – 8:00 PM EST/5:00 PM EST

Composer, pianist, producer Robert Glasper is equally comfortable working in the hip-hop world (Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly, Maxwell, Common) and the jazz world (Terence Blanchard, Roy Hargrove, Christian McBride).

He has released albums that find him collaborating with such artists as Kamasi Washington, Terrace Martin, Phoelix and Herbie Hancock.

For this concert at The Kennedy Center he’s working in the trio configuration with Vicente Archer on bass and Justin Tyson on drums. As befits an artist who works in multiple genres, the trio will be joined by DJ Jahi Sundance.

I believe Glasper is one of our most interesting musicians and this should be a terrific concert.

After the performance, Glasper will be joined by Jason Moran for a conversation. Moran is the Kennedy Center Artistic Director for Jazz.

Tickets are $20 and the program will remain available for renting beyond this premiere showing.

PLAY/MAGIC: The Future – Geffen Stayhouse – December 4th – January 31st

It seems like only yesterday that magician Helder Guimarães just concluded his run of The Present with the Geffen Playhouse. He’s back with a new show and given its title I’m wondering if a trilogy is being planned.

The Future finds gambling at the core of Guimarães’ storytelling and perspective is the fulcrum through which we will view the story and guide its direction.

Frank Marshall returns as director. Will there also be a show next year called The Past?

Tickets are $95 with a majority of the performances already sold out. If you’re interested, act quickly. To do otherwise might gamble away your chance to get a look into The Future.

JAZZ: Pink Martini – SFJAZZ – December 4th – 8:00 PM EST/5:00 PM PST

This week’s Fridays at Five concert from San Francisco Jazz is a holiday concert by Pink Martini that was performed at the venue last December.

This seventeen-member ensemble successfully blends musical styles to create a sound all their own. For instance, did you ever think this rhythm would be part of “We Three Kings?”

Having watched many a concert from this Fridays at Five series, I’m always pleased with how good these shows look and how great they sound.

The concert will air only at this one time. Tickets are $5 for a one-month subscription or $60 for a one-year subscription.

BROADWAY VOCALS: Vanessa Williams: Live from the West Side – Segerstrom Center – December 5th – 8:00 PM EST/5:00 PM PST

In the third and final concert from the Women of Broadway series Live from the West Side, Vanessa Williams take to the stage.

Williams was a Tony Award and Drama Desk Award nominee for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance as The Witch in Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s Into the Woods revival from 2002.

She made her Broadway debut when she joined the cast of Kiss of the Spider Woman as Aurora/Spider Woman in 1994. Her other Broadway credits include 2010’s Sondheim on Sondheim and the 2013 revival of The Trip to Bountiful.

Beyond her Broadway career she’s had best-selling albums and singles including The Colors of the Wind from the Disney animated film Pocahontas.

Tickets are $30 and allow for additional viewings for 72 hours.

JAZZ: Arturo Sandoval Live from the Broad Stage – The Broad Stage – December 5th – December 13th

In October of this year, trumpeter Arturo Sandoval and a small ensemble of musicians came together to film a live concert at the Broad Stage in Santa Monica. The end result is 60 minutes of Latin jazz sure to entertain.

Sandoval is a 10-time Grammy Award winner who was born in Cuba. There isn’t enough space to list all the recordings he’s made and all the musicians with whom he’s recorded. But perhaps the names Bennett, Estefan, Keys, Monk and Sinatra might sound familiar.

Joining him are Will Brahm on guitar; Ricard Pasillas on percussion; Johnny Friday on drums; John Belazaguy on bass and Max Haymer on piano.

Tickets are $10 for non-members. Free for members.

JAZZ: Barbara Morrison: Standing on Their Shoulders – The Wallis – December 5th – 11:00 PM EST/8:00 PM PST

No jazz vocalist can claim not to have been influenced by Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan and Dinah Washington. Singer Barbara Morrison is no exception.

In this concert, part of the virtual version of The Sorting Room from The Wallis, Morrison will put her own stamp on the songs these women made famous.

Tickets are $25 and allow for viewing for 24 hours. There are more concerts in this series and package deals are available for viewing either half or all six of The Sorting Room series.

CLASSICAL: James McVinnie Live from Concert Hall ‘Latvija’ in Ventspils – December 6th – 12:00 EST/9:00 AM PST

In February of 2018 I saw and heard organist James McVinnie give the world premiere performance of Register by Nico Muhly. It was an amazing performance of truly fascinating music.

It wasn’t their first collaboration. Muhly wrote 2013’s Cycles for McVinnie. Muhly and McVinnie have collaborated again on Nativity Cycle.

This music was written specifically for this concert and for McVinnie by Muhly.

The composer was inspired by plainsong. That term refers to unaccompanied church music sung in medieval modes and free rhythm. The text is taken from liturgical material.

Each of Muhly’s pieces will include the plainchant at the end, but expect him to transform the original music into something that is at times, much simpler and at other times, much more complex. All of which suits McVinnie’s talents.

Tickets are €8 which is just under $10 as of press time. This does not include any service charges. There is a note on the website that says ticket prices will increase as the concert dates get closer.

JAZZ: Billie Holiday: A Concert Celebration – 92nd Street Y – December 6th – December 9th

On November 21st, the Emmet Cohen Trio was joined by singers Catherine Russell and Veronica Swift for a celebration of the music of Billie Holiday filmed at New York’s 92nd Street Y. That concert will start being available on Sunday at 3:00 PM EST/12:00 PM PST and remain available for renting through December 9th.

Also joining the concert is saxophonist Tivon Pennicott who joins for a special tribute to the collaborations Holiday had with Lester Young.

I wasn’t familiar with Swift before reading about this concert. She’s quite good. It will be exciting to see where she goes with her career.

The members of Cohen’s trio are Yasushi Nakamura on bass and Kyle Poole on drums. (Cohen, of course, plays piano.)

Tickets are $15.

BROADWAY VOCALS: Eva Noblezada Live from Adelphi – Adelphi PAC Concert Hall – December 6th – 5:00 PM EST/2:00 PM PST

Eva Noblezada has appeared on Broadway in two musicals: She played Kim in the 2017 revival of Miss Saigon. She originated the role of Eurydice in the Tony Award-winning musical Hadestown. She was Tony nominated for both performances. In other words, she’s gotten a nomination for every role she’s performed on Broadway. She hasn’t yet snagged one of the trophies, but just you wait.

You’ll be able to see what makes her so engaging in this live concert on Sunday. I’ve seen her in Hadestown. She’s very talented and this should be a great opportunity to see her shine.

Tickets are $15.

CLASSICAL: McGill/McHale Trio – Shriver Hall Concert Series – December 6th – 5:30 PM EST/2:30 PM PST

Clarinettist Anthony McGill and his flautist brother Demarre met pianist Michael McHale when they were artists-in-residence at Bowling Green University. The trio first performed together in 2014 and they’ve been making music together ever since.

For this program, which took place at New York’s 92nd Street Y last December, the trio will celebrate dance. The concert features works by Chris Rogerson, Francis Poulenc, Antonin Dvořák, Guillaume Connesson, Claude Debussy and Paul Schoenfield.

There will be a post-performance Q&A with the artists available after the concert.

Tickets are $15 and allow for continued viewing through December 9th.

BROADWAY VOCALS: Ana Gasteyer with Seth Rudetsky – December 6th – 8:00 PM EST/5:00 PM PST

Columbia, Elphaba and Mrs. Peachum are all familiar characters to fans of musicals. Martha Stewart, Celine Dion and Hillary Rodham Clinton are familiar to most people.

Saturday Night Live veteran Ana Gasteyer has played them all.

Her Broadway debut came in the 2001 Broadway production of The Rocky Horror Show. Several years later she played that oh-so-green woman in Wicked after having appeared in a new production of The Threepenny Opera with Alan Cumming.

She joins Seth Rudetsky for his concert series this weekend. The live performance takes place on Sunday. If you are unable to watch that performance, it will be re-streamed on Monday, December 7th at 3:00 PM EST/12:00 PM PST.

Tickets for either performance are $28.50 (which includes service charges).

That concludes my selections of the Best Bets at Home: December 4th – December 6th. But there are always going to be a few reminders:

Ute Lemper’s Rendezvous with Marlene has a final streaming performance on Saturday, December 5th at 2:00 PM EST/11:00 AM PST.

Larry Powell’s The Gaze…No Homo continues with new episodes at The Fountain Theatre’s website.

Greenway Court Theatre’s If I Should Wake makes both parts available for the first time beginning on Friday. The show ends its streaming on December 10th.

All concerts that are part of the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Sound/Stage series remain available for streaming. The Solitude episode, featuring works by Thomas Adés and Duke Ellington, will only be available through December 15th.

The Metropolitan Opera concludes its Stars in Signature Roles week with Elīna Garanča in Bizet’s Carmen on Friday; Jessye Norman, Kathleen Battle and Tatiana Troyanos in Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos on Saturday and Shirley Verrett, Luciano Pavarotti and Cornell MacNeil in Puccini’s Tosca on Sunday.

Now we’ve truly come to the end of the Best Bets at Home: December 4th – December 6th. Enjoy your weekend and enjoy the culture!

Photo: James McVinnie (Photo ©Magnús Andersen/Courtesy of McVinnie’s website)

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It could be said that both his compositions and the way Wilkins performs are also way beyond his years. That was my impression when listening to his Blue Note Records debut, Omega, produced by Jason Moran. Amongst the ten tracks on the record are compositions addressing the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson; the 1918 lynching of Mary Turner and a four-part suite that addresses an on-again/off-again relationship.

It was also my impression when speaking with him recently by phone about Omega, working with Moran and about the jazz giants on whose shoulders he certainly stands. Here are excerpts from that conversation that have been edited for clarity and length.

You are quoted in the bio from Blue Note as stating that “Ferguson” and “Mary Turner” are both “American traditions in a way.” (Each song has “An American Tradition” as part of its title.) Do you see anything going on in America to indicate that these traditions will soon become relics of history?

I think it is too early to tell. I am an optimist, but I think when we look at history and how things have transpired, the one thing I’m grateful for – and I have a lot of hope in – is I feel my generation of young people, thinkers, artists, activists and intellectuals in my generation and generations surrounding my own, I feel we do have the power to change things and I think we have the wherewithal and mind set to do so. I do have a lot of faith in my generation. It’s going to take a lot of work for things to change.

What role can music, specifically your music, play in motivating personal and substantive change?

First I’ll say that my kind of artistic vision, in a way, is pretty selfish. I write music for myself, for my own pleasure or my own feelings in a way. I’m also writing certain music as research or awareness to certain things. As artists it’s our job to document the times and kind of take heed of what’s going on in the world and comment on it – whether that’s a reaction to it, or against it. I hope this record sounds like a soundtrack for 2020 in a way.

As you recently found out in the August 7th New York Times listing of songs to listen to, the soundtrack of 2020 not only includes your music, but also the Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion hit song WAP.

(He laughs before responding.) That’s the great thing about what we’re doing. It’s all music and it’s all going in one place. Here’s the thing, some of my friends are buying the record who don’t listen to jazz to support. I end up being in the same playlist as Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion – the new Kanye. It’s interesting seeing how people kind of consume music. Music is generally consumed while doing something else – usually something mundane. A big thing I wanted to do was create music that radically grabs the listener in ways to stop what they are doing and command their attention.

Before producing Omega, you played with Jason Moran. How did having him produce your album influence the end product?

He was super instrumental. As a band we’d been playing together for 2-3 years, so I didn’t want someone to come in and strong-arm the situation. I trusted him with the music. He acted where he needed to and let us do our thing when we needed to. Jason is an interesting thinker because he’s always thinking about the upside down way of things. It’s a super unique perspective. It was nice to have someone like that in the studio.

Earlier this year I spoke to Jason who told me that young musicians in their 20s have to be aware of things like the environment, mass incarceration, gender equality and more. He said, “I love that because I think people are more awake and that makes the work harder. It doesn’t make it better necessarily, but it makes them learn and their audience grow.” Do you share that philosophy with Jason?

We need to be aware of everything going on to have more vantage points the music. Not just in music. We’re artists, but we’re humans. We’re creative people who have some sort of influence on society. I think it’s important we are always aware of the full spectrum and broaden our vantage point.

Releasing Omega during the Covid pandemic means you can’t tour to support the album and create awareness. How do you feel about the timing of the album’s release?

I wrestle with it. I think that people need to hear it live. The band is a live band. It’s definitely something that should be played live and it would have been nice to have a proper release concert. That was a little selfish of me. Once we were approaching the date, people are hungry for the music right now. Whether that’s social justice or Covid, our duty as artists is to serve the people and meet them where they are. I’m happy with the outpouring of support for the album. I hope it provides some sort of enjoyment and clarity for the times.

You’re from the Philadelphia area and have spoken about the mystique of the John Coltrane House there. Given your faith you seem to share some qualities with Coltrane who said, “My music is the spiritual expression of what I am – my faith, my knowledge, my being…When you see the possibilities of music, you desire to do something really good for people, to help humanity free itself from its hangups…I want to speak to their souls.” Does his thinking reflect the way you think about music yourself?

That quote is very special to me. Trane’s ideology and his views are very much a part of me as an artist and me as a person. I’m really inspired by his pursuit of life. He had a serious amount of humility, compassion and was blessed with spirit as a person. You could tell it from his family, from interviews and from people talking about him. For me it was something I realized early on listening to him play. How could someone play so many notes and play for so long and so intense? Somehow it sounds completely intersected and in servitude to the music. It doesn’t sound self-fulfilling.

I was so inspired, but why is there something missing in my playing? What’s the difference when I play the same amount of notes? It’s a spiritual thing. It’s a humility thing. It took me digging deeper into my spiritual pursuits. I think that was what really inspired me with John Coltrane was he had a similar situation in that our music was at the intersection of black consciousness, identity and spirituality. He was immediately the blueprint for me musically and spiritually. He’s about doing it all. That really inspired me.

Photo of Immanuel Wilkins by Dana Scruggs/Courtesy of Blue Note Records

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We have updated this post with a very special event from New York City’s Summerstage on Saturday that also celebrates Parker.

Here is this week’s Jazz Stream:

Palladium Plays the Music of Wayne Shorter – Smalls – August 25th – 4:45 PM EDT/1:45 PDT

While saxophonist Nicole Glover might not be a household name, within the jazz community she’s made quite a name for herself. She’s performed with Jason Brown, Mel Brown, Mike Clark, George Colligan, Kenny Garrett, Rodney Green, Chuck Israels, Geoffrey Keezer, Victor Lewis, Bernie Maupin, Gene Perla and Esperanza Spaulding.

Her sax playing has taken her around the world and includes some of the world’s most prestigious jazz clubs and venues.

But what makes this performance from Smalls compelling is that she is going to play the music of legendary sax musician Wayne Shorter. His work is both complicated and simple; intellectual and emotional; inspired and inspiring.

Joining Glover for this gig are Chien Chien Lu on vibraphone; Sean Mason on piano, Russell Hall on bass and Rodney Green on drums.

Pasquale Grasso Solo and Trio Filmed Live at Birdland – August 25th – 7:00 PM EDT/4:00 PM PDT

Certain praise helps make people aware of you. Then there’s that one quote that forever puts you on the map. For guitarist Pasquale Grasso it was when Pat Metheny proclaimed him “The best guitar player I’ve heard in maybe my entire life.”

Italian born Pasquale Grasso is a fixture in the New York jazz scene. This year he’s been releasing digital only EPs that find him playing solo versions of music written by and/or closely identified with the likes of Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker and Grasso’s personal idol, Bud Powell.

This concert was filmed at Birdland as part of the Radio Free Birdland! series and also part of their Charlie Parker Centennial Celebration. Grasso will be performing solo and in a trio with bassist Ari Roland and drummer Kenny Washington.

On Solo Bird, his tribute to Parker, her performs How High the Moon/Ornithology, Yardbird Suite, Parker’s Mood and more.

Tickets for this concert are $13.50. Advance purchase is recommended.

Vanisha Gould Quartet – Smalls – August 26th – 4:45 PM EDT/1:45 PDT

Here’s another artist who isn’t as well known yet as she’s going to be. Vocalist Vanisha Gould clearly knows the legacy of jazz singers that preceded her, but she’s also willing to take that knowledge and make something wholly her own in the process.

She performs on Wednesday at Smalls with Chris McCarthy on piano; Dan Pappalardo on bass and Anwar Marshall on drums.

Billy Stritch Filmed Live at Birdland – August 27th – 7:00 PM EDT/4:00 PM PDT

Singer/arranger/pianist Billy Stritch‘s second home is New York’s Birdland. So it was inevitable that he would join the list of musicians filming a concert on the New York venue’s stage for the Radio Free Birdland! series.

Rather than accompany others (as he does for Jim Caruso’s Cast Party and for artists such as Christine Ebersole, Linda Lavin and Liza Minnelli), he will be going solo for this show called Hooray For Love.

The set will feature such songs as Meet Me Midnight, You’ll See, Buds Won’t Bud and With So Little to Be Sure Of (which certainly seems like the song that best defines our world today. It comes from Stephen Sondheim’s 1964 musical, Anyone Can Whistle).

Billy Stritch’s style is a classic blend of jazz and cabaret and his arrangements are always tasty.

Tickets for this show are $23.50. Advance purchase is recommended.

You should also check out Billy’s Place on YouTube. He’s done 16 episodes so far from his home in New York. The most recent was a celebration of the work of Harold Arlen.

Wayne Shorter Celebration Part 4 – SFJazz – August 28th – 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM PDT

SFJazz’s Fridays at Five this week continues the celebration of sax legend Wayne Shorter. This concert, from January 2019, finds sax musician Joshua Redman and trumpet player Ambrose Akinmusire joining Shorter’s long-time quartet musicians pianist Danilo Pérez, bassist John Patitucci, and drummer Brian Blade.

This was one of a series of concerts that replaced scheduled Shorter concerts at SFJazz when the musician took ill.

It bears repeating that SFJazz’s streaming programming is available for either a one-month subscription of $5 or an annual subscription for $60. That will allow you to catch each Fridays at Five concert and additional programming they are adding to their line-up including live concerts. And if you join to see Wayne Shorter Celebration Part 4, you’ll also be able to watch Wayne Shorter Celebration Part 5 when Shorter is actually a part of the concert.

Lastly, let’s all wish Mr. Shorter a very happy birthday. August 25th (the day this post first runs) is his 87th birthday. We wish him well and many more happy birthdays. Thank you for the music!

David Murray – Village Vanguard – August 28th – August 29th – 9:00 PM EDT/6:00 PM PDT

Tenor sax musician David Murray has a perfect record at the Grammy Awards. As a member of McCoy Tyner’s band that recorded Blues for Coltrane: A Tribute to John Coltrane, he won the Grammy for Best Jazz Instrumental Performance by a Group in 1986.

Will he also be celebrating Bird in these two performances from the Village Vanguard in New York? It’s possible. Remember that he also earned considerable acclaim for his album Dark Star that was a tribute to the Grateful Dead. So anything is truly possible.

Though first on the scene as a performer of free jazz, Murray’s style has evolved over the years. In a 1984 story for the New York Times, Robert Palmer described Murray’s style this way:

“Although he is only 27 years old, his sound is ripely mature. Unlike most younger tenor saxophonists, who seem to have affected the forced, trebly tone associated with the late John Coltrane, Mr. Murray plays with the big-sound swagger of the mainline tenor tradition, which began with Coleman Hawkins and extended through Ben Webster to Sonny Rollins to the rhythm-and-blues honkers to Archie Schepp and Albert Ayler.”

Joining Murray for these two concerts will be pianist Lafayette Gilchrist.

Tickets are $10. Advance purchase is recommended.

SummerStage Anywhere Charlie Parker’s 100th Birthday Celebration – SummmerStage Instagram Page – August 29th – 10:30 AM EDT/7:30 AM PDT

This summer would have seen New York’s SummerStage holding their 28th annual Charlie Parker Jazz Festival in person in Marcus Garvey Park and Tompkins Square Park. However, circumstances being what they are, they are going online this year. What they have planned seems truly special.

A full day of programming is on tap and it features artists Jason Moran, Christian McBride, Immanuel Wilkins, Ravi Coltrane, Dee Dee Bridgewater and many more. Here’s the schedule (all times listed below are EDT):

10:30 AM – A recap of the 2018 Charlie Parker Jazz Festival. Included in this opening program are singer Catherine Russell, drummer/pianist Jack DeJohnette, pianist Monty Alexander, pianist/singer Amina Claudine Myers, bassist Buster Williams and more.

10:45 AM – Drummer Jerome Jennings will moderate a conversation with Sam Turvey, the founder of the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival and producer of the events and Erika Elliott, Executive Artistic Director of SummerStage.

12:00 PM – A showing of the 2018 performance of UNHEARD. It was written by and featured saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins, vibraphonist Joel Ross and trumpeter Adam O’Farrill. (Note: Next week we will have an interview with Wilkins about his impressive new album, Omega.)

12:15 PM – Six-time Grammy Award winning bassist/composer Christian McBride and singer Sheila Jordan will discuss Parker.

1:30 PM – A recap of the 2019 Charlier Parker Jazz Festival. Included in this recapped are drummer Winard Harper and his group Jeli Posse, multi-genre band Mwenso & The Shakes, singer Quiana Lynell, saxophonist Ravi Coltrane, singer Dee Dee Bridgewater, harpist Brandee Younger, saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin and more.

1:45 PM – A tap dance masterclass with Ayodele Casel (who collaborated with Arturo O’Farrill on a show at the Joyce Theatre in New York last September that left critics searching for additional superlatives to use).

4:00 PM – After a walk through Tompkins Square Park and a visit to Parker’s house, Turvey and Elliot will be joined in conversation by pianist/composer Jason Moran, saxophonist Jaleel Shaw and others. The event will conclude with a showing of the 2012 performance by multi-instrumentalist Miguel Atwood-Ferguson of Bird With Strings at that year’s festival.

Celebrating Bird – A Conversation with Music – 92Y – August 29th 2:00 PM EDT/11:00 AM PDT $10

New York’s 92 Street Y is offering up a series of on-line programs celebrating the centennial of Charlie Parker. They are having a screening of Clint Eastwood’s film Bird on Friday night; a Charlie Parker listening party on Saturday at 12 PM EDT and later that night they will show Hope Boykin’s dance film ...a movement. Journey.

But for me the highlight will be Saturday afternoon’s Celebrating Bird – A Conversation with Music. Former Village Voice writer Gary Giddins, who authored the 1986 book Celebrating Bird: The Triumph of Charlie Parker, will moderate a conversation that includes four contemporary jazz sax musicians: Joe Lovano, Charles McPherson, Grace Kelly and Antonio Hart.

Also joining the conversation will be legendary bebop pianist Barry Harris. Before he started recording in the 1950s, Harris sat in on some sets with Parker in Detroit in the 1940s. Parker, according to Harris’ website, would also come to the pianist’s house to see how he taught music.

Harris has performed with many of jazz music’s biggest names: Benny Golson, Sonny Stitt, Miles Davis, Max Roach, Cannonball Adderley, Coleman Hawkins and Lester Young – to name a few.

Archival footage will be shown and some of Parker’s most famous recordings will be part of the program. Several of Parker’s compositions will also be performed by the musicians. Amongst the songs scheduled to be performed are Yardbird Suite and Ornithology.

Tickets are $10. Advance purchase is recommended.

Ramsey Lewis – Saturday Salon on StageIt – August 29th – 2:00 PM EDT/11:00 AM PDT

National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master Ramsey Lewis has been making music in the public eye since 1956. The pianist has recorded over 80 albums. He’s won three Grammy Awards. He was also the host of a highly-rated public television series about jazz called Legends of Jazz.

In other words, if they do another series he’ll be in it, he won’t be hosting it.

This Saturday he’ll perform a show called Songs From The In Crowd on StageIt with some of the proceeds going to the Jazz Foundation of America. The money will help assist jazz musicians unable to make a living due to the current pandemic.

Tickets are $20.

Jon-Erik Kellso Quartet – Smalls – August 29th – 4:45 PM EDT/1:45 PDT

You know if Wynton Marsalis has you as a member of his Tentet playing Louis Armstrong material, you have to be a terrific jazz trumpet musician. Such is the role that Jon-Erik Kellso has played for Marsalis for several years. Kellso has also been a regular member of Vince Giordano’s Nighthawks.

Kellso will be front and center of his own quartet when they take to the stage at Smalls in New York on Saturday. Joining him will be Evan Arntzen on clarinet; Rossano Sportiello on piano and Neal Miner on bass.

Again, not a household name, but when the music is this good, does that really matter?

That’s Jazz Stream: August 25th – August 30th. Be sure to check out our Best Bets on Friday for the weekend. We often add more jazz listings there.

Main photo: Charlie Parker (Courtesy of CharlieParker.com)

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