Live Performances → LA Jazz Institute Presents “East Coast Sounds”
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I recently returned from a great weekend in sunny Los Angeles where I attended a program called “East Coast Sounds”, another wonderful event put on by Ken Poston and the LA Jazz Institute. It featured many jazz greats including Johnny Mandel, Bob Brookmeyer, the always unpredictable Med Flory, Teddy Charles, Terry Gibbs, Ed Shaunesey, Don Menza, Mose Allison, Scott Robinson and many more.
In addition to four days of almost non-stop music, rare films and facinating panel discussions, I still managed to find time to take in a great exhibit at the Fahey-Klein Gallery featuring the photography of the recently departed Herman Leonard, William Claxton, William Gottleib and Jim Marshall. It was wonderful seeing several dozen well know and some not so well known images in on place.
Then it was on to another exhibit called “The High Preist of Bop: The Jazz Odyssey of Thelonius Monk”. This one featured several Monk related items…lp covers, photographs, drawings and so on. This took place at the William Grant Still Arts Center.
For more on the event; here is a smiling review by friend and writer Jeff Krow.
I’m a believer
Los Angeles Jazz Institute Presents: East Coast Sounds – Out of the Cool & into the Hot - May 27-30, 2010 – Los Angeles Airport Marriott Hotel
There are moments for a jazz music and concert reviewer when the stars align and the skies clear to let heavenly musical bliss flood your senses. It can occur when listening to a CD and a particular passage straightens your spine, brings a smile to your lips and perhaps a mini-bolt of electricity brings a warmth that flows from your fingers down to your toes. When this rare sensation arrives, all is well with the world.
Listening to live jazz in a concentrated multi-day festival allows a greater chance for this jazz nirvana to appear. One of my first reactions when this occurs in a concert setting is to look around and see if others have seen and heard the light. It is a magical and mystical experience when you observe this telepathic exchange of energy. You can recognize when the non-verbal transference has taken place. There is a small bit of recognition between strangers- a nodding of the head accompanied by an occasional body sway. I’ve always felt a particular bonding at these moments, a near religious experience shared without the need for further communication.