Fall Concert Picks in Los Angeles

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Though it’s still warm outside, the fall performance season has begun and that means many worthy shows around the corner. Here are my top picks in jazz with a few Flamenco ones thrown in as well — starting with a concert that’s happening tomorrow evening! Click on the links in the listings below for tickets and more information.

1.  Brazilian guitarist Fabiano do Nascimento performs downtown at the Blue Whale this Tuesday, September 20, 9:00 p.m. He is an incredible guitarist, and we’re lucky to have him in Los Angeles.

2. As always, the Blue Whale presents great musicians. Another great show there this week is pianist Vardan Ovsepian‘s Chamber Ensemble, Thursday, September 22, 9:00 p.m. Ovsepian is an edgy jazz pianist who is often featured with Miguel Atwood-Ferguson’s ensemble.

Farruquito
Farruquito (The original image is no longer available, please contact KCRW if you need access to the original image.)

3. Flamenco dance superstar Farruquito is on the bill at Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, Thursday, September 29, 8:00 p.m. Farruquito comes from a dynasty of great flamenco dancers; his father and his grandfather Farruco were hailed as the greatest dancers of their generations. Farruquito inherited the mantle, but his career was derailed because of a hit-and-run manslaughter conviction in 2003, for which he spent several years in prison. He finally toured the U.S. last year, but had bypassed Los Angeles. We finally get a chance to see him this year.

4. Legendary jazz tenor saxophonist Pharoah Sanders is on a double bill with the Gurrosonic Orchestra on Sunday, October 2, 6:00 p.m. at the John Anson Ford Amphitheatre as part of the 2016 Angel City Jazz Festival.

5. Also part of the Angel City Jazz Festival, pianists Craig Taborn and Kris Davis play a double bill with solo guitarist Julian Lage at Zipper Hall, The Colburn School, on Saturday, October 8, 7:00 p.m. Tabor and Davis are two innovative musicians who share a rare jazz duet concert. Tabor released a terrific album called “Chants” on the ECM label a few years ago. Click here for the full Angel City Jazz Festival schedule.

6. The Luckman Fine Arts Complex at Cal State Los Angeles has a nice lineup, including a show called “Jazz 100: The Music of Dizzy Gillespie, Ella Fitzgerald, Mongo Santamaria, Thelonious Monk” featuring Chris Potter, Danilo Perez, Avishai Cohen, Lizz Wright, and others. The show is a centennial celebration of Gillespie, Fitzgerald, Santamaria, and Monk — who were all born in the same year! It takes place on Saturday, October 8, at 8:00 p.m.

[vimeo]https://vimeo.com/164299531[/vimeo]

7.  As I’ve mentioned in a previous post, three amazing tropical Latin flute players — Justo Almario (Colombia/LA), Art Webb (NYC/LA), and Orlando “Maraca” Valle (Cuba) — will perform at the Havana-LA Jazz Flute Summit at La Plaza de la Cultura y Artes on Sunday, October 9 at 7:00 p.m. Click here for tickets, performance videos and more information.

8. Also highlighted in a previous post but worth repeating, Flamenco guitar superstar Tomatito will have his first Los Angeles show ever, at the Wilshire Ebell Theater on Friday, October 21, 8:00 p.m.

Diego el Cigala
Diego El Cigala (The original image is no longer available, please contact KCRW if you need access to the original image.)

9. Finally, innovative Flamenco singer Diego El Cigala comes to town on Friday, November 18, 8:00 p.m. This show is also at the Luckman Fine Arts Complex. His voice is the essence of Flamenco.

Hope to catch you at some of these events!

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