HIGHLY RECOMMENDED:
MOZART’S “THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO,” LA OPERA – Last Chance! For you, and me. How can I give this the penultimate recommendation without having seen it yet? Well… Mozart, and years of experiencing LA Opera’s achieving high standards and a backup LA Times classical music critic Mark Swed having given it an unusually long and positive review. So don’t give me any excuses. You’ve always wanted to see if the LA Opera is as good as I have been preaching for years, so what better way to check it out than with a new production of the master Mozart’s renowned “Figaro,” for crying out loud. Sun 2 p.m., Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, LA, $49-399.
THE HOT CLUB OF LOS ANGELES – It’s just outside Santa Monica, street parking is easy, it’s a friendly little neighborhood bar where you can see and hear everywhere in the tiny room, the sound is great, the stage is maybe a foot high and right next to the patrons, drinks are reasonable and there is no cover. (But there is no room for swing dancers unless you want to go out on the sidewalk.) Hot Club’s brand of virtuoso, sometimes breakneck Django-style 1930s gypsy swing jazz is found nowhere else and even if it was, it couldn’t possibly be this good. It’s a show worth 50 bucks cover, and worth waiting a year for. These guys are masters, individually and collectively. You will find it hard to stop smiling all night. Mon 9 p.m., Cinema Bar, Culver City, no cover.
EM – is back! Well, she was gone only last Tuesday because the Damn Well Please Organ Trio very musically and energetically took over the joint with its annual Fat Tuesday Mardi Gras show. So come see what you’ve been missing, one of the most talented and versatile artists in this town. Tues 9:30 p.m., Harvelle’s, $10.
RECOMMENDED:
TODAY! - BOB MARLEY ONE LOVE EXPERIENCE – Here’s why I recommend this exhibit that I have not yet seen. A lot of Americans still don’t get this, but Bob Marley was one of the greatest performers and musicians (no, not his guitar, his compelling, hypnotic vocal instrument)… ever. He often seemed possessed by some divine spirit when he sang, his Wailers were musically phenomenal, and his songwriting ranks with the very best. He was also, not incidentally, a powerful spiritual and political leader worldwide. Music was in every fiber of his being but it was the platform through which he wanted to change the world. One love. That’s a pretty big philosophy and call to action, in just two words. But is this an exhibit that lives up to the subject matter? I’m pretty sure it does because Silverlake’s Roger Steffens, the world’s foremost authority on Marley, if not reggae itself, is leading tours every weekend at 1 and 3, and he would not do that if it wasn’t up to snuff. He does caution that this covers only “the Island (record label) years,” but that’s what most people are familiar with. Sun-Thurs 11 a.m. - 6 p.m., Fri-Sat 11 a.m. - 10 p.m., Ovation Hollywood, $10 - $75.
TOLEDO DIAMOND – Unique, riveting, first class act. There’s nothing like it, it is high performance art and great fun. Degeneracy is rarely so well disciplined. Sun 9:30 p.m., Harvelle’s, Santa Monica, $12.
LA PHIL, MEHTA CONDUCTS MAHLER 3 - It’s the towering third symphony of the troubled giant Gustav Mahler, performed by the world class LA Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by the legendary Zubin Mehta, a Mahler specialist who adores the Third. I’d go if I were you. You don’t get these opportunities in Albuquerque. Next Thurs 8 p.m., Walt Disney Concert Hall, LA, $89-299.
COMING ATTRACTIONS: LADYSMITH BLACK MAMBAZO, Disney Hall, 3/3; TOLEDO DIAMOND, Harvelle’s, 3/4, 11, 18, 25; HOT CLUB OF LOS ANGELES, Cinema Bar, 3/6, 13, 20, 27; EM, Harvelle’s, 3/7, 14, 21, 28; LA PHIL, MEHTA CONDUCTS MAHLER 3, Disney Hall, 3/2, 3, 4, 5; SONNY LANDRETH, CINDY CASHDOLLAR, McCabe’s, 3/4; NATHANIEL RATELIFF Plays NILSSON, Disney Hall, 3/8; JANE’S ADDICTION, Hollywood Palladium, 3/9; RICK SHEA, Cinema Bar, 3/9; LA PHIL, MEHTA CONDUCTS “SYMPHONIE FANTASTIQUE,” Disney Hall, 3/10, 11, 12; LIBRARY GIRL, Ruskin Group Theatre, 3/nana5; LA CHAMBER ORCHESTRA, JEFFREY KAHANE, Royce Hall, 3/11, 12; KULA SHAKER, Regent Theater, 3/12; BONNIE RAITT, Terrace Theater, 3/14; ZIGGY MARLEY, Disney Hall, 3/16, 17; WILLIE NELSON 90, Hollywood Bowl, 4/29, 30.
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 37 years and wouldn’t live anywhere else in the world. Really. Send love and/or rebuke to him at therealmrmusic@gmail.com
