+++Late breaking performance news+++
Jazz giant Stanley Clarke will be keeping his bass around Santa Monica a while longer, after months at the Broad Theater. He will be playing with the Samohi student jazz band (who have a great reputation) at their next performance in Barnum Hall. And the Ruskin Group Theatre at SM Airport will be starting a limited run this weekend of Unsavory Fellow, a Santa Monica coming of age tale by Nick James that Ruskin Director Mike eyers calls “one of the funniest shows I have ever seen.” That’s good enough for me.
Highly Recommended
62nd Topanga Banjo Fiddle Contest & Folk Festival — If you didn’t know this was coming up so soon, I’m glad I alerted you, and if you’ve never been, well, how long have you lived in LA, and what is wrong with you? Sure, there are no Big Names on the lineup, but how about dozens and dozens of great pickers and singers and dancers, all day long, in a gorgeous outdoor setting on a ranch north of the city, and the best part, to my mind, is what happens off the stage, away from the competitions, when musicians and listeners from all over the world gather around trees and ranch buildings and start jamming. Have you ever heard a dozen or more fiddles sawing away together on “Orange Blossom Special”? Heaven, in the pines. Treat yourself. Take your family and friends. Sun 9am onwards, King Gillette Ranch, Calabasas, check the website for prices, several categories from about $40 to $95 (VIP). cheaper now in advance than when you get there.
Hot Club of Los Angeles — You can go to the Cinema Bar any Monday, 9–11:30pm, for more than a decade now, and hear these hot players run through Django Reinhart-style ‘30s jazz. This amazing ensemble is a treasure, just over the border from SM. Mon 9pm, Cinema Bar, Culver City, no cover.
Kraftwerk — This is unprecedented. The German pioneering electronic music group are celebrating the 50th anniversary of their immortal Autobahn with a series of nine concerts at Disney Hall, each one covering one of their albums plus other material, ending in a final concert that covers it all. How will it stand up? Dated? With where electronic music has gone in that time? I think it will sound great and give us an appreciation for how much they said with their minimalist approach. Nine shows - you’ve got to be there for at least one. I will, Tues, Wed, next Thurs 8pm, Walt Disney Concert Hall, LA, $69-109
Pearl Jam — Still a rockin’ great band with a lead singer worth the price of admission, but that price has gotten pretty dear, and not just in dollars. I wonder how much time you should allow just to get close, get parked, walk in and find your seats? An extra three hours? Then add in your drive time in rush hour traffic from wherever you live. There is an opening act, Deep Sea Diver, so that’s another hour and a half till you get what you came for. And then, of course, how long to exit? Half a day’s investment in time, but, for hardcore fans like Kevin Poore, well worth it. Parking will cost you another $45 “plus fees,” and they give you the dimensions your vehicle cannot exceed, so, no school buses. Tues, Wed 7:30pm, Kia Forum, Inglewood, $176-975.
Recommended
Toledo Diamond — Unique, riveting, first class act. There’s nothing like it, it is high performance art and great decadent fun. Degeneracy is rarely so well disciplined. And the band is smokin’! Don’t. Miss. Toledo Diamond. Sun 9:30pm, Harvelle’s, Santa Monica, $12.
Coming Attractions (also Recommended): Toledo Diamond, Harvelle’s, 5/12, 19, 26; Hot Club of Los Angeles, Cinema Bar, 5/13, 20, 27; 62nd Topanga Banjo Fiddle Contest & Folk Festival, King Gillette Ranch, Calabasas, 5/19; Pearl Jam, Kia Forum, 5/21, 22; Kraftwerk, Disney Hall, 5/21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30; John McEuen, McCabe’s, 5/24; Tedeschi Trucks Band, Little Feat, Greek, 6/9; Library Girl, Ruskin Theatre, 6/9; Chris Stapleton, Hollywood Bowl, 6/26, plus Grace Potter 6/27; Rolling Stones, Sofi Stadium, 7/10, 13.
Charles Andrews has lived in Santa Monica for 38 years and wouldn’t live anywhere else.
