STING 3.0: The Police legend returns to Los Angeles, remaining experimental and relevant– Courtesy Photo
TAKE STING OUT OF ELECTION BLUES
By Charles Andrews
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED:
HOT CLUB OF LOS ANGELES — You can go to the Cinema Bar any Monday night, 9-11:30, for more than a decade now, and hear these hot players run through Django Reinhart-style ‘30s jazz. This amazing ensemble is a treasure. Don’t take them for granted and put your rolickin’ Monday night off. Mon 9 p.m., Cinema Bar, Culver City, free.
RECOMMENDED:
Tonight -"KOOZA," CIRQUE DU SOLEIL – Now you don’t have to drive to Vegas! This is a good bet as HIGHLY RECOMMENDED, and hopefully I will be able to report back on that, but a couple of friends gave it high marks. No one else really does what they do, on this scale. They invented it. I’ve only seen a few of their shows but they seem to have retained their high standards all these years, ever since I saw their first one also here on SM Beach, by the Pier, 37 years ago, that launched them to great international success. I think they know they have a rep to maintain with Santa Monicans. Thurs, Fri, Sat, next Thurs 8 p.m., Sat 1, 4:30 p.m., Sun 2, 5:30 p.m., Santa Monica Pier, $69-310.
MICHAEL MAYO – LA native Mayo has been knocking them out from London to the White House to Monterey to the Hollywood Bowl, with a "commanding and other-worldly vocal style." (You hooked me right there.) Sat 8 p.m., Jazz Bakery, Santa Monica, $45.
RICHARD THOMPSON – If you don’t know of Richard Thompson – where have you been for the last 60 years? It’s impossible to describe his career in less than a few pages, but he remains a master musician whose rendering of the alphabet could make you weep. Sat 8 p.m.,The Bellwether, LA, $55.
JON COWHERD-JOHN PATITUCCI-BRIAN BLADE – You may as well just bring a sleeping bag to Saturday’s show and be first in line for this one. The Jon Cowherd Trio is three of the most imaginative and wide-ranging artists in modern jazz: pianist and Hammond B3 player Cowherd, bassist John Patitucci, and drummer Brian Blade. Their individual awards are numerous, but their intertwined roots go back 25 years. I’ve seen Blade and Patitucci before, in other combos; this should be a memorable evening. Sun 7:30 p.m., Jazz Bakery, Santa Monica, $50.
LIBRARY GIRL, "I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night)" – Curated by LG founder Susan Hayden with Darrell Larson, with readings by Debbon Ayer, Jane Cantillon, Cory Cofer, Michael C Ford, Darrell Larson, Barry Michels, Aram Saroyan and Romaine Washington, and music by Great Willow. LG usually has some musical theme or hook, and this show is titled after one of my favorite songs in the universe, by The Electric Prunes. Bless you, Susan. Sun 7 p.m., Ruskin Group Theatre, SM Airport, $20 (includes free parking, free dessert). Such a deal.
TOLEDO DIAMOND – His decades-long Sunday night residency at Santa Monica’s Harvelle’s, the oldest blues bar in LA (almost a century!), is a treasure that you shouldn’t assume will always be there.Toledo choreographs (literally) a truly unique show, a blend of ‘50s hipster jazz and his dancing dames and a most modern smokin’ hot band that gets better all the time. Every Sunday 9:30 p.m., Harvelle’s Santa Monica, $12.
STING 3.0 – It’s been nearly 50 years since The Police busted out in a big way, and you may think the old cop is old news, but he has remained experimental and relevant (as has bandmate Stewart Copeland - Andy Summers never did matter) and while I haven’t the foggiest idea what he is up to now, he’s a pretty solid bet, to entertain you and maybe even open your mind some. Tues, Wed 8 p.m., Wiltern Theatre, LA, $194-1,492.
COMING ATTRACTIONS (also recommended): "KOOZA," CIRQUE DU SOLEIL, Santa Monica Pier, 11/7, 8, 9, 10, 14, 15, 16, 17, 21, 22, 23, 24, 27, 29, 30; LIBRARY GIRL, Ruskin Group Theatre, 11/10; TOLEDO DIAMOND, Harvelle’s, 11/10, 17, 24; HOT CLUB OF LOS ANGELES, Cinema Bar, 11/11, 18, 25; MICHAEL MAYO, Jazz Bakery, 11/9; RICHARD THOMPSON, Bellwether, 11/9; JON COWHERD-JOHN PATITUCCI-BRIAN BLADE, Jazz Bakery, 11/10; CARLA OLSEN GENE CLARK TRIBUTE, McCabe’s, 11/16; "Noon to Midnight: Field Recordings," Disney Hall, 11/216; SUN RA ARKESTRA, Lodge Room, 11/25; BRAHMS with ZUBIN MEHTA, Disney Hall, 12/6, 7, 8; ZUBIN MEHTA Conducts SCHOENBERG’S "Gurrelieder," LA PHIL, LA Master Chorale, Disney Hall, 12/13, 15;STING 3.0, Wiltern, 11/12, 13, 15, 16, 17; BILLIE EILISH, Kia Forum, 12/15, 16, 17, 20; KY-MANI MARLEY, Lodge Room, 12/17.
Charles Andrews has listened to a lot of music of all kinds, including more than 3,000 live shows. He has lived in Santa Monica for 38 years and wouldn’t live anywhere else in the world. Really. Send love and/or hate mail to: mailto:therealmrmusic@gmail.com
