By CHARLES ANDREWS
WELCOME into the world, JULIAN! My newly minted next-door neighbor, now is the third Beautiful Boy in our small complex. While there are little ones running around trying to get us to remember who we are, there is hope for the world. Born very nearly on Julian Charles John Lennon’s birthday. I think he will be a musician. Good work, Jess! Yeah, you too, Colin.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED:
Tonight! – SAMARA JOY – There’s no question Samara Joy is a great talent, carrier of an old school torch, and the Blue Note is a perfect place to see her, but I can’t even tell you how much the tickets were because both nights are sold out. Blue Note LA is definitely one of those venues where you have to jump on tickets as soon as you see an act booked that you don’t want to miss (and they add new bookings all the time). I suppose you can call the club and see if they have a cancellation list. Wed, Thurs, 7, 9:30 p.m., Blue Note LA, Hollywood.
VERDI “FALSTAFF,” L.A. OPERA – I will never forget the L.A. Opera’s last phenomenal production of Philip Glass’s “Akhnaten,” but I am delighted they are now back, with Verdi doing Shakerspreare, an all-star jam! Only one performance this week, one next week, then several more through May. Burt, don’t wait to get tickets, or you may be drinking alone. Sat 7:30 p.m., Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, LA, $44-400.
“BLUE KISS,” Ruskin Group Theatre – Once you’ve memorized your lines and done the show a time or two, it’s a bit like a musician playing songs they know. But think about what goes into it before that. The writing and that whole process, then revising, editing, cutting, then second thoughts. Finally submitted. Then the Ruskin folks have to consider piles of scripts to see which one best fits all their considerations, well aware that their decades-long fine reputation is only as good as the last production. Then you’ve got the choices on casting, staging, lighting, music, direction, and costumes. This one is not an easy ride for the audience, not many smiles, but well worth it. They’ve got another winner here. Fri, Sat 8 p.m., Sun 2 p.m., Ruskin Group Theatre, SM Airport, $30-35.
JANEK GWIZDALA TRIO w/ PETER ERSKINE, Nir Felder – I know nothing about Gwizdala and Felder, and probably I should, but if Peter Erskine has joined them, not only is that the only endorsement I need, Peter don’t play no mediocre gigs. It is another opportunity, in a small combo, to appreciate this long-time Santa Monican jazz percussion wonder up close. Sam First is a great venue, very small. Sat 7:30, 9:30 p.m., Sam First, LAX, $45-50.
RICK SHEA, TONY GILKYSON – I am NOT going to cajole you one more time. I have written about this duo SO many times. Go look it up. Then just go. Sun 8 p.m., McCabe’s, Santa Monica, $24.
HOT CLUB OF LOS ANGELES – This rockin’ quintet, known for Django Reinhardt-style ‘30s-’40s jazz (for starters, but they go way beyond), whose across-the-board virtuosity never fails to bring a smile. I have never heard anyone walk away from one of the HCOLA shows and say, “They’re pretty good!” Usually, it’s hard to say anything when your jaw is on the floor. Still at their years-long residency at the intimate Cinema Bar just outside Santa Monica, every Monday night. Lucky us. Take advantage. Mon 9 p.m., Cinema Bar, Culver City, no cover.
RECOMMENDED:
TOLEDO DIAMOND – Who’s been showing up even longer than the Hot Club, with a very different but also virtuosic show? 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 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. Toledo is perhaps the longest-running proof that Santa Monica is a City of the Arts. (Yes, you bet, this is art.)Sun 9 p.m., Harvelle’s, Santa Monica, $13.
TV RECOMMENDATIONS:
“THE DAILY SHOW” – Mon – Thurs 11 p.m., COMEDY CENTRAL.
“HAVE I GOT NEWS FOR YOU” – You can learn a lot from this show, but, nah, it’s all about the newsworthy jokes and satire. Sat 9 p.m., CNN.
“DARK WINDS” – Hooray, I was mistaken about the final episode of season 4 airing last Sunday, the eight episoders will run through April, so I’m not going to beat a dead horse… that might contain the hidden spirit of the shape shifter killer the Navajo Police have been searching for, because Leaphorn might detect the sublest clue on that carcass… OK, I made that up, but barely because this brilliant, very different series does present superbly-written, -acted, -edited psychological thriller murder mysteries set deep in Diné country, and unfolds from the Navajo perspective, ingrained over centuries in the same NM-AZ desert territory. There is a reason, or many reasons, why Robert Redford persisted for decades to get author Tony Hillerman’s tales brought to the screen, and finally launched it as executive producer (with George R.R. Martin) before he died. Stories have been mashed together seamlessly, along with novels of Tony’s daughter, Anne Hillerman, who took up where her father left off, quite successfully, with all 10 of her novels making the NY Times bestseller lists. All episodes available on AMC+. Binge-watch and you will marvel that you experienced such all-around superb filmmaking, and that you were also transported to another world you had no clue existed. Oh yeah, and the cinematography, the landscape, is breathtaking. Best news: season 5 has been greenlighted. Sun 9 p.m., AMC, AMC+.
COMING ATTRACTIONS (also recommended): SAMARA JOY, Blue Note LA, 4/15, 16; “BLUE KISS,” Ruskin Group Theatre, 4/17-5/17; JANEK GWIZDALA TRIO w/ PETER ERSKINE, Nir Felder, Sam First, 4/18; VERDI “FALSTAFF,” L.A. OPERA, 4/18, 26, 30, 5/2, 6, 10; “HAVE I GOT NEWS FOR YOU,” CNN Sat 9 p.m., 4/18, 25; TOLEDO DIAMOND, Harvelle’s Santa Monica, 4/18, 25; RICK SHEA, TONY GILKYSON, McCabe’s, 4/19; THE LEGENDARY WAILERS w/ JUNIOR MARVIN, Blue Note LA, 4/19; GERALD CLAYTON TRIO, Sam First, 4/20, 21;
DOWN THE ROAD (also recommended): ; TAKE 6, Blue Note LA, 4/30-5/3; STANLEY CLARKE’S SANTA MONICA INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL, BroadStage, 5/1-9; LIQUID KITTY PUNK ROCK BBQ, Harvelle’s, 5/3; TOLEDO DIAMOND, Harvelle’s, 5/3, 10, 17, 24, 31; MESHELL NDEGEOCELLO, Blue Note LA, 5/4, 5; LA SANTA CECILIA, Fonda Theatre, 5/7; MOZART “THE MAGIC FLUTE,” L.A. OPERA, 5/30, 6/6, 11, 14, 17, 21.
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 40 years and wouldn’t live anywhere else in the world. Really. Send love and/or hate mail to: therealmrmusic@gmail.com.
