MEMORIAL FOR SCOTT FERGUSON
— so it’s true, if you treat your kids right they will take care of you, in your dotage or even after the ashes are spread. Local music man Ferguson’s son Niall and daughter Caer put together an amazing tribute to him, held late Monday afternoon at the end of the Pier (Scott was stage manager for the Pier concert series), with bagpipes, the SAMOHI Chamber Orchestra, a touching Ralph Waldo poem and three blessings from a Tongva elder, and a truly gorgeous composition by outstanding cellist Niall, that nearly made me cry... and a lot more. I’ve always said, a big finish on a song is what people remember.
TONIGHT! TODAY!
— for the pure Hollywood madness — RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS - If you bought their new album in vinyl at AMOEBA in Hollywood on April Fool’s Day you got a ticket to their performance there today after they get their star on the Walk of Fame. Or you can go and try to buy that ticket from someone in the long, long line, for $1,000, or more, or maybe your first born (kids are overrated, but so are the Chili Peppers). Glad live music has come back to Amoeba, though.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED:
SOUNDS OF LA: “AUKAHI” (Flowing Harmony) with Kumu Hula Kealiʻi Ceballos, Daniel Ho, and Ohana) – After two spectacular presentations in this series, I have to bump this one up to HIGHLY RECOMMENDED even though I haven’t heard a note. You might expect something like this, curated by the Getty, would be a good bet, but the first two shows were pure gold and I would not take a chance on missing this. You will likely come away with a different, expanded perspective on Hawaiian music and culture. A unique performance, lots of musicians and hula dancers filling the stage, free, beautiful theater, what more could you ask? Sat 6 p.m., Sun 4 p.m., The Getty, Brentwood, free but reservations required and parking costs $15-20
EM the MASTER –Every Tuesday night, witness the multi-talented Em, a force of nature. I’ve been giving EM’s show a HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for months now and still do. She sings, dances, has dancers. She crawls across the floor like a reptile, gripping the mic and never missing a beat. She doesn’t play the piano, she attacks it. Uses her voice as an instrument in creative ways. Her energy is seemingly limitless. Writes terrific songs perfect for her act. More talent than anyone has a right to. Every Tues 9:30 p.m., Harvelle’s, Santa Monica, $10.
RECOMMENDED:
TONIGHT! - ROM RUSH – More likely you know the name but can’t name the hits, because he never even cracked the Top 100. But he is a folk legend for good reason, one of the originals still around from the ‘60s, credited by Rolling Stone with launching the era of the singer-songwriter. You will likely recognize “No Regrets” (“I love the Walker Brothers gorgeous version,” Rush said, “also it put my two oldest kids through college.”) Also “Urge for Going,” “Drop Down Mama,” “The Child’s Song,” and great songs he recognized from emerging artists, to which his recordings brought recognition and validation, like Joni Mitchell (“The Circle Game”), Jackson Browne, Nanci Griffith, Shawn Colvin and James Taylor, who, along with Garth Brooks, cited him as a huge influence on their music. His rich voice, great humor and guitar playing of his gentle, timeless songs will take you away. But just for fun, ask him to do his version of the great Bo Diddley song “Who Do You Love?” Thurs, McCabes, SM, $50.
TONIGHT! - LA PHIL with ZUBIN MEHTA performs BRUCKNER’S NINTH SYMPHONY, BERG’S VIOLIN CONCERTO – Not much of a Berg fan, but the last hour after intermission is well worth it. I love Bruckner’s Ninth. But so did a lot of his well-meaning friends, who apparently didn’t give him the credit they should have, because his life was spent staving off “experts’’ who made “improvements” to his work. He died with the fourth movement of his last symphony unfinished. It was not performed until he was seven years gone, and not with a legitimate last movement until three decades after that. Since then, better scholars (and composers) have settled a lot of scores, and we are fortunate to have this in the conducting hands of Zubin Mehta, recognized as a Bruckner expert. Thurs 8 p.m., Fri 11 a.m., Sun 2 p.m., Walt Disney Concert Hall, DTLA, $20-216
LIBRARY GIRL presents “We Tell Ourselves Stories In Order To Live - A Tribute to Joan Didion in Words + Music” – LG Susan Hayden declares this is an all-star cast of spoken wordies and my wife says, Joan Didion, are you kidding? So as a smart man who always listens to smart women, I will be there and I think you should too because although you may have missed 12 great years of these monthly performances of the highest caliber – for shame! Haven’t I been alerting you every month? You can start right now, you don’t want to miss the next 12 years. Sun 7 p.m., Ruskin Group Theatre, SM Airport, $20, includes dessert.
TOLEDO DIAMOND — Have you gone to catch his unique show yet, every Sunday night at Harvelle’s, here in SM? I’ve been recommending him for… decades. Choreographer to the biggest stars, smoky-voiced hep cat, creator of a unique floor show, with his dames, circus hoops, and a band that is truly a knockout. Trust me. You’ve never seen anything like Toledo. You will not forget this show and likely you will be back, friends in tow. Sun 9:30 p.m., Harvelle’s, Santa Monica, $12.
COMING ATTRACTIONS: PIERRE BENSUSAN, McCabe’s, 4/15; “YEMANDJA” starring ANGELIQUE KIDJO, Broad Stage; 4/15; Erskine/Pasqua/Oles Trio, Sam First, 4/15; JACARANDA presents BACH’S EASTER ORATORIO, First Presbyterin church, 4/16; ITZHAK PERLMAN, ROHAN DE SILVA, Walt Disney Concert Hall, 4/24; ROGER McGUINN, Smothers Theatre, 4/25; NAS with the LA PHIL, Walt Disney Concert Hall, 5/1; LA PHIL performs STRAVINSKY’S THE RITE OF SPRING with DUDAMEL, Walt Disney Concert Hall, 5/5, 6, 7, 8; JIM KWESKIN, McCabe’s, 5/7
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 36 years and wouldn’t live anywhere else in the world. Really. Send love and/or rebuke to him at therealmrmusic@gmail.com
