Monday, September 1, 2008

Friday Night Jazz at LACMA

Summer nights in the city, filled with music and art …

While I wish I lived closer to more cultural opportunities, sometimes driving is worth the effort. This past Friday was one of those times. My husband and I drove to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) for one of their Friday Night Jazz sessions.

We had to drop our daughter off at a friend’s house and didn’t want this relatively new driver to brave the LA freeways during rush hour traffic on a Labor Day weekend. So we did it instead. No complaints from me. Here was a chance to use our LACMA membership for some art viewing and the opportunity to hear free jazz.


I used to be a jazz fan but moving further out into the ‘burbs 15 years ago meant fewer concerts and losing some radio reception. KKJZ, 88.1 FM, (KJAZZ) from Cal State University, Long Beach, was one of those lost connections. Online listening didn't grab me, and I just drifted away. So I haven't stayed current with contemporary artists. Friday I found a new one to add to my faves.

Outside in front of the Broad Contemporary Art Museum, we were in for a real treat. Bill Cantos, singer/songwriter/pianist was playing. We listened for much of the 2 hour concert. Even my classical leaning husband enjoyed the show and remarked on the uniqueness of Bill's voice, lyrics and ability to connect with the audience. I've never been good at head counts, but I'd estimate at 750 jazz aficionados groovin' to the beat.

Here’s a link for Bill on MySpace. Enjoy yourselves…I bought a CD and I’m reliving this end-of-summer evening under the palm trees. Good bye summer, hello autumn.

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