By CHARLES ANDREWS
DAN HALL
NATALYA ZERNITSKAYA
CAROLINE TOROSIS
JESSE ZWICK
Why am I singling out four of our City Council members, especially for my NOTEWORTHY music and arts recommendations calendar?
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Every week for more than 14 years, I have been combing the possibilities of where there are live performances in this big, spread-out city of LA, shows I would eagerly attend, giving you reasons why you would enjoy and should not miss them. Some of them, of course, are a bit far from where you live, but are worth the effort.
But what if you didn’t have to take the time and hassle to get there? What if you could make a short drive, or hop on a bus, or even walk? Wouldn’t that be great?
That was a very real possibility for Santa Monicans until a couple of weeks ago. Until Torosis, Hall, Zwick, and Zernitskaya voted down the possibility of bringing our famous Santa Monica Civic Auditorium back to life. A consortium of the top players in the entertainment world became very interested in that project, presented a plan that would cost the residents and the City of Santa Monica nothing, zilch, zero, and would be a great economic generator, and asked the Council for another six months, or even three, to fine-tune their financial estimates. The Council, 4 to 3 (see the four names above), voted no. After this famed venue sat for years, the council could not wait another few months for an iron-clad proposal.
So now what? The property is open to other proposals, including razing the landmarked, historic building to make way for… a hotel? Retail? Certainly, housing. This horrible Council vote was shocking, but not surprising. In my next CURIOUS CITY column, this Friday in The Mirror, I will explain why this was not an isolated move, but right in line with their philosophy and agenda, let’s call it their Project Santa Monica 2025. And like Trump/GOP/MAGA, they are just getting started.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED:
Halloween “HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME,” film + organ music – There are a lot of fun ways to celebrate Halloween, and this one tops my list. Partly because I love the sound, seldom heard, of the mighty Disney Hall organ with its French pipe organs, as a new actor layered over the classic 1923 silent film of the old tale of the hunchback of Notre Dame (Lon Chaney), making it more exciting and dramatic than any of those 1923 moviegoers could imagine. And you’ll have time after to join that cool party you didn’t want to miss. Fri 8 p.m., Walt Disney Concert Hall, LA, $44-141.
JOHN SCOFIELD’S COMBO 73 – I almost missed seeing this fantastic booking at a venue just starting to have more performances. Scofield is a legendary name as a guitarist and composer, mostly in jazz, but he is very fluid in his songs and the genres he tries on. He left school at Berklee to join Chet Baker and Gerry Mulligan, hand as played with Miles, Mavis, Mingus, Gov’t Mule, Jaco, Herbie, Bill Frisell, and Phil Lesh. I think the most interesting element of this quartet is Gerasld clayton on piano. He is exquisite, creative, and ethereal at times. This is a rare and potent music event. We’re all so fortunate to live in LA. Sat 7 p.m., 9:30 p.m., Theatre Raymond Kabbaz, $
“HAVE I GOT NEWS FOR YOU” – Elevated from now on to HIGHY status. Because it is that good. Panel game show format takes on politics and current events, but it’s more important to be funny than right. Often hilarious. The chaos is overseen by one of my favorites, Roy Wood Jr., but his two team captains, Amber Ruffin and Michael Ian Black, dish up the biggest laughs, most of them spontaneously. Sometimes they have a lame guest panelist on, but the others carry the show and don’t wait for them to open their mouths. Every Sat, 9 p.m., CNN
HOT CLUB OF LOS ANGELES – You can go to the Cinema Bar any Monday night, 9-11:30, free, for almost 14 years now, and hear these hot players run through Django Reinhardt-style ‘30s jazz. This amazing ensemble is a treasure. Mon 9 p.m., Cinema Bar, Culver City, free.
RECOMMENDED
“HAVE I GOT NEWS FOR YOU” – Panel game show format takes on politics and current events, but it’s more important to be funny than right. Often hilarious. The chaos is overseen by one of my favorites, Roy Wood Jr., but his two team captains, Amber Ruffin and Michael Ian Black, dish up the biggest laughs, most of them spontaneously. Every Sat, 9 p.m., CNN
TOLEDO DIAMOND – Don’t go to Harvelle’s this Sunday evening because you know he’s always there – this Sunday he ain’t. This is beyond rare; he must have a very good reason. I can’t remember another time in 14 years he has not been there at the end of the week. His decades-long Sunday night residency at Santa Monica’s Harvelle’s, the oldest blues bar in LA (almost a century!), is the stuff of myth. 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. He’s scheduled to be back next Sunday.
COMING ATTRACTIONS (also recommended): Halloween “HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME,” film + organ music, Disney Hall, 10/31; HOT CLUB OF LOS ANGELES, Cinema Bar, 11/3, 10. 17, 24, 12/1, 8, 15, 22, 29; TOLEDO DIAMOND, Harvelle’s Santa Monica, 11/9, 16, 23, 30, 12/7, 14, 21, 28; OZOMATLI, Venice West, 11/14, 12/12.
DOWN THE ROAD (also recommended): PATTI SMITH, “HORSES,” Disney Hall, 11/15; LA TRIO, Sam First, 11/15; ROBERT PLANT, United Theater on Broadway, 11/22, 23; LA OPERA’s “LA BOHEME,” Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 11/22, 30, 12/4, 6, 10, 14; DENGUE FEVER, Venice West, 12/5; JACKSHIT, McCabe’s, 12/9, 10, 11; LA PHIL, MOZART, SIBELIUS, Disney Hall, 12/12, 13, 14; LIBRARY GIRL, Ruskin Theatre, 11/9, 12/14; CHARLES LLOYD QUARTET w/ GERALD CLAYTON, Blue Note, 12/15.
Charles Andrews has listened to a lot of music of all kinds, including more than 3,500 live shows. He has lived in Santa Monica for 39 years and wouldn’t live anywhere else in the world. Really. Send love and/or hate mail to: therealmrmusic@gmail.com
