Ritmo Caliente

By Mark Towns

One of the towering figures of Afro-Cuban jazz, pianist, composer and bandleader Chucho Valdés comes to Blue Note Los Angeles for a two-night engagement Monday and Tuesday, September 14–15, with performances at 7:00 and 9:30 p.m. each night.

Valdés has spent more than six decades expanding the possibilities of Cuban music and jazz. A founding member and longtime leader of the groundbreaking Cuban group Irakere, he helped create a distinctive fusion of Afro-Cuban rhythms and ritual music with jazz, rock and classical influences that became enormously influential in the development of contemporary Latin Jazz.

His extraordinary career has earned him seven Grammy Awards, six Latin Grammy Awards, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Latin Recording Academy and, most recently, recognition as a 2025 NEA Jazz Master, the highest honor bestowed on jazz artists by the United States government.

At 84, and approaching his 85th birthday in October, Valdés remains an active and adventurous musician. His recent projects include Cuba & Beyond, recorded with his Royal Quartet and nominated for a Grammy, as well as Irakere 50, celebrating the revolutionary ensemble he co-founded more than half a century ago.

The Blue Note engagement provides a rare opportunity to experience one of the great living masters of Cuban music in the intimate setting of the club’s new Los Angeles home.

Chucho Valdés
Blue Note Los Angeles
6372 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles
Monday & Tuesday, September 14–15
7:00 & 9:30 p.m.

NEA Jazz Masters Take Center Stage in Los Angeles
By Mark Towns

Los Angeles gets a particularly impressive gathering of jazz royalty Tuesday night, September 15, when the 2026 NEA Jazz Masters Tribute Concert comes to Walt Disney Concert Hall.

This year’s class has some serious Ritmo Caliente credentials. Brazilian percussion legend Airto Moreira, whose groundbreaking work stretches from Miles Davis and Weather Report to Return to Forever and his own Brazilian jazz recordings, is joined by Los Angeles pianist, composer and groove master Patrice Rushen, acclaimed vocalist and composer Carmen Lundy, and veteran jazz broadcaster Rhonda Hamilton, recipient of the A.B. Spellman Award for Jazz Advocacy.

The NEA Jazz Masters designation is considered the nation’s highest honor in jazz, and the annual tribute is less an awards ceremony than a concert celebrating the music and careers of the honorees. Lundy and Hamilton will be on hand in Los Angeles; Moreira and Rushen are unable to attend, but both will be represented by special musical performances. 2026 NEA Jazz Masters Event.pdf

And there’s plenty of firepower lined up for those performances. The cast includes drummer Terri Lyne Carrington, saxophonist Justo Almario, bassist Ben Williams, drummer Terreon Gully, guitarist Andrew Renfroe, bassist Dezron Douglas, pianist Julius Rodriguez, Diana Purim and a substantial supporting ensemble.

The concert begins at 8 p.m. Tuesday, September 15, at Walt Disney Concert Hall, and admission is free, with advance reservations available for up to two tickets per person. Remaining seats will be distributed through a same-night giveaway line. The entire program will also be streamed live online.

For Southern California jazz fans, this one is hard to beat: four distinctly different careers, one major honor, and a stage full of musicians assembled to celebrate them.

By Mark Towns

Few guitarists have spent five decades crossing musical borders as convincingly as Al DiMeola, who brings his current Guitarchitect Tour to Newport Beach’s historic Lido Theater on Friday, September 18.

For listeners who primarily associate DiMeola with the electrifying jazz-fusion of his early career, this particular tour offers another side of the guitarist. The current Guitarchitect presentation features an acoustic trio with Barcelona guitarist Isaac Romagosa and Spanish percussionist Sergio Martínez, creating an intimate setting for the rhythmic detail, intricate interplay and Mediterranean influences that have become such an important part of Di Meola’s musical language.

And intimate is particularly appropriate at the Lido Theater. With DiMeola scheduled to move on to the considerably larger Alex Theatre in Glendale the following night, the Newport Beach engagement offers Southern California listeners a relatively rare opportunity to experience one of the world’s great guitarists in a smaller room, where the subtleties of an acoustic performance can be heard and felt at close range.

DiMeola burst onto the international scene in the 1970s as a member of Chick Corea’s groundbreaking Return to Forever, where his extraordinary speed, precision and rhythmic command immediately established him as one of the major guitar voices of the fusion era. His subsequent solo recordings, including Land of the Midnight Sun, Elegant Gypsy and Casino, expanded that vocabulary, bringing together jazz, rock, Latin rhythms, flamenco and other international influences.

His acoustic playing became equally influential. The landmark Friday Night in San Francisco, recorded with Paco de Lucía and John McLaughlin, introduced an enormous audience to the possibilities of virtuoso acoustic guitar and remains one of the defining guitar recordings of its era.

But Guitarchitect isn’t simply a greatest-hits retrospective. Di Meola has reached into different periods of his catalog, including compositions rarely or never previously performed live. Material from albums including The Infinite Desire, Consequence of Chaos, Opus and Pursuit of Radical Rhapsody has found its way into the program alongside music from his recent album Twentyfour.

The concert also expands beyond a conventional set of songs. Billed as “Music, Multimedia & Tales,” Guitarchitect incorporates visual elements and DiMeola’s own stories, creating a journey through a career that has continually moved between musical cultures and resisted easy categorization.

Recent performances have drawn from that remarkably broad musical world, ranging from DiMeola originals and Astor Piazzolla to interpretations of Lennon-McCartney, with longtime audience favorites such as “Mediterranean Sundance” remaining part of the conversation.

After more than 50 years of recording and touring, DiMeola still approaches the guitar as an instrument without borders. At the Lido, audiences will have the unusual advantage of experiencing that musical world from just a few feet away.

Al DiMeola: The Guitarchitect Tour
Friday, September 18, 8 p.m.
Lido Theater
3459 Via Lido, Newport Beach

By Mark Towns

Herb Alpert helped define an era when instrumental music was a major force on popular radio.

Throughout the 1960s, instrumental recordings regularly climbed the pop charts, and few artists enjoyed more commercial success than Alpert and the Tijuana Brass. At a time when rock bands and vocal groups dominated the airwaves, Alpert proved that a trumpet and a memorable melody could capture the imagination of millions of listeners.

On Sunday, July 5, Alpert returns to the Hollywood Bowl for the first time since 1968, bringing his Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass & Other Delights 60th Anniversary Tour back to one of Southern California’s most celebrated venues.

For younger listeners, it may come as a surprise that instrumental music once occupied such a prominent place on commercial radio. Along with artists such as Booker T. & the M.G.‘s, The Ventures and others, Herb Alpert helped demonstrate that a great melody didn’t need lyrics to become a hit. Few instrumental artists, however, matched the consistency of the Tijuana Brass.

One measure of Alpert’s success can still be found in record stores today. Spend an afternoon browsing through used vinyl and chances are you’ll run across a Herb Alpert album. Usually more than one. That’s not a reflection of changing tastes. It’s a reminder of just how many records he sold. With more than 70 million albums sold worldwide, Herb Alpert became one of the most successful instrumental artists in popular music history.

One of the signature recordings of that period was “A Taste of Honey.” Beatles fans may remember the song from Please Please Me, where Paul McCartney handled the vocal. Herb Alpert approached the same composition from an entirely different direction, transforming it into one of the defining instrumental recordings of the decade and earning four Grammy Awards in the process.

Although Alpert’s music was embraced by pop audiences, jazz listeners could always hear something more. His phrasing was economical and melodic, while the arrangements drew comfortably from Latin rhythms, mariachi traditions, big band writing and West Coast studio craftsmanship. The result was music that appealed to casual listeners without sacrificing musicianship.

That broad appeal eventually carried beyond the bandstand. Together with Jerry Moss, Alpert co-founded A&M Records, helping build one of the most influential independent labels in recording history. The label’s roster eventually included artists as diverse as Sergio Mendes & Brasil ‘66, Carpenters, Joe Cocker, Cat Stevens, Quincy Jones and many others, extending Alpert’s influence far beyond his own recordings.

The current anniversary tour celebrates the 60th anniversary of Whipped Cream & Other Delights, an album whose famous cover has become almost as recognizable as the music itself. Audiences can expect the familiar favorites including “The Lonely Bull,” “Spanish Flea,” “Tijuana Taxi,” “A Taste of Honey,” “Rise” and “This Guy’s in Love With You,” while a multimedia presentation traces the remarkable path of Alpert’s career through archival photographs, vintage film footage and stories behind the music.

Jazz fans should also appreciate the musicians joining Alpert onstage. Keyboardist Bill Cantos, bassist Hussain Jiffry, drummer Ray Brinker, guitarist Kerry Marx, trumpeter Kris Bergh and trombonist Ryan Dragon make up a versatile ensemble capable of moving effortlessly between pop, Latin grooves and jazz.

Herb Alpert has hinted that the Hollywood Bowl audience can expect a few surprises unique to this homecoming performance. That seems appropriate. Nearly six decades have passed since his last appearance at the Bowl, but his return celebrates more than longevity. It celebrates a career that demonstrated just how far instrumental music could travel when memorable melodies, tasteful arrangements and outstanding musicianship came together.

Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass perform Sunday, July 5, at the Hollywood Bowl. Showtime is 7:30 p.m. Complimentary pre-concert wine and beer tastings begin at 4:30 p.m. in the Plaza Marketplace.

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By Mark Towns

Trumpeter Theo Croker brings his “100 Years of Miles” project to Blue Note Los Angeles on May 26 for an evening celebrating the enduring influence and creative spirit of Miles Davis through the lens of one of today’s most imaginative younger Jazz artists.

A Grammy-nominated trumpeter and composer, Croker has built a reputation for blending Jazz improvisation with soul, groove-driven rhythms, atmospheric production, and contemporary influences while remaining deeply connected to the tradition. The grandson of legendary trumpeter Doc Cheatham, Croker carries a strong musical lineage but has developed a distinctly modern voice of his own.

Part of Croker’s musical evolution came during a seven-year stay in Shanghai, where he performed extensively throughout Asia and developed the broader musical perspective that helped shape his adventurous approach. Since returning to the U.S., his recordings and live performances have moved comfortably between acoustic Jazz, electronic textures, hip-hop influences, and expansive improvisation, reflecting the same spirit of openness and reinvention that made Miles Davis such a transformative figure.

Blue Note promises “bold reinterpretations, deep cuts, and that fearless energy Miles set in motion,” suggesting the performance will go beyond a standard tribute concert and instead explore the restless creativity and forward momentum that defined Davis throughout his career.

For Los Angeles Jazz audiences, this should be a chance to hear one of today’s most compelling trumpet voices revisit the Miles Davis legacy with both reverence and originality.

Theo Croker brings his “100 Years of Miles” project to Blue Note Los Angeles on Tuesday, May 26, with performances at 7:00 and 9:30 p.m. Tickets and additional information are available through the Blue Note Los Angeles website. Theo Croker: 100 Years of Miles — A Living Tribute | Blue Note Los Angeles

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Concert Preview
By Mark Towns

Take 6 returns to Los Angeles for a one-night appearance at Blue Note LA on Thursday, April 30, bringing with them one of the most recognizable and enduring sounds in vocal music. For decades, they’ve occupied a space all their own, rooted in gospel but fully conversant in Jazz, R&B, and Pop.

What makes this group consistently compelling is their ability to bridge audiences. Jazz listeners hear the sophistication. Gospel audiences feel the foundation. Casual listeners just hear something that sounds amazing.

Their live performances move fluidly between styles and moods, from deeply rooted spiritual material to playful takes on familiar songs. There’s a sense of ease in how they present it all, backed by a catalog that spans generations without feeling dated.

Blue Note LA provides an ideal setting for this show. For longtime fans, it’s a chance to hear a group that has remained remarkably consistent while continuing to evolve. For anyone new to Take 6, it’s an opportunity to experience a vocal ensemble that has set the bar for decades.

Show Details:
Thursday, April 30
Blue Note LA
Showtimes typically at 7:00 PM and 9:30 PM (check listing for exact times)

Tickets are available directly through Blue Note LA’s website and box office. Advance purchase is strongly recommended, as seating is limited and shows frequently sell out.

Concert Preview

By Mark Towns

For many listeners today, the name Ravi Shankar may be familiar, but the full scope of his influence is easy to forget. In the 1960s, Shankar became one of the first artists to bring Indian classical music to Western rock and jazz audiences. His performances during the counterculture era—including his appearance at the legendary Woodstock Festival—introduced countless listeners to the hypnotic sound of the sitar and the rich musical language of Indian ragas.

For those unfamiliar, a raga isn’t just a scale or a tune. It’s more like a musical framework with its own personality—certain notes emphasized, others avoided, unfolding slowly and expressively as the musicians explore its mood. The result can feel almost meditative, with melodies that stretch and evolve in ways that can be both deeply spiritual and rhythmically electrifying. When Western audiences first encountered these sounds during the “hippie days” of the late ’60s, it was nothing short of mind-expanding.

That legacy continues with the Ravi Shankar Ensemble, a multi-generational group of world-class musicians dedicated to performing Shankar’s compositions. On their debut tour, the ensemble presents a special program curated by Sukanya Shankar and Anoushka Shankar, incorporating visual material from the Ravi Shankar archives alongside a dynamic selection of his music.

The lineup features sitarist Shubhendra Rao, tabla virtuoso Anubrata Chatterjee, mridangam master B. C. Manjunath, flutist Ravichandra Kulur, violinist and vocalist Padma Shankar, and sarod player Aayush Mohan.

For jazz listeners especially, Shankar’s music holds a natural appeal. Like jazz, it thrives on improvisation, deep listening, and a shared sense of musical exploration. Hearing these musicians interpret Shankar’s compositions offers a chance to experience a tradition that helped open Western ears more than half a century ago—and continues to resonate today.

As Shankar himself once said, music “transcends all languages and barriers.” More than fifty years after those groundbreaking performances in the 1960s, the sound of the sitar still carries that same sense of discovery.