A Door Left Ajar
Review by Daria Benedict

In a dimly lit room amidst yet dimmer ’70s wood paneling and décor, a lone spotlight shines on a small stage and its black and gray brick background. At stage right stands a simple upright piano, seemingly unassuming considering its imminent devoir. Hundreds of guitars hang wistfully from ceiling to floor waiting for someone to make their music heard. But the menagerie gathered at McCabe's Guitar Shop on this Saturday, Feb 16, is not interested in the guitar collection or even the more eclectic collection of camel bells and sitars. They await a living legend.

After a modest introduction, enter an even more modest Ray Manzarek. He descends a small stairway from stage left, walks directly to the microphone and begins to speak over still-ringing applause. Like the mesmerizing mix of rock and roll and poetry that The Doors are credited with achieving in their era, Manzarek draws the crowd immediately into his narration with ease and nonchalance. He jokes about the possible critics present in the audience and, for their benefit, recounts meeting Jim Morrisson in one quickly-spewed sentence and plays the oh-so-well-known first bars of “Light My Fire” on the piano.

The rest of the evening is a pleasurable blur. Though his appearance is speckled with mention of his recent creative endeavors, the penultimate outcome is a glimpse into what it was like to be a guy in the ’60s; a guy who just so happened to be in The Doors. Simultaneously suspending time, yet propelling thought in all directions, Manzarek cracks open the door revealing a glimpse into his music. Without words (save for sporadic interpolations for the Poet), speaking instead with fluttering finger patterns and a stunning mix of dynamics in melody and rhythm, the Pianist ultimately seizes the collective breath of the audience with his gift. “The End,” “The Crystal Ship,” “Break On Through,” and “Riders on The Storm,” among others, silence the room - proving that the liberation and comfort found in a Doors song are timeless qualities accessible to any generation.

Masterclass: The Marcus Roberts Trio

by Nick Burns

In a concert hall nestled in the greenery and quietude of a Sunday evening on the campus of California State Northridge, the Marcus Roberts Trio performed for an academic audience. A dynamic backdrop of projected hues framed the artists and their grand piano, regal double bass, and sparkling drum set. The scene, like Roberts' playing, was meticulously prepared, clean, and beautiful.

Roberts demonstrated his ability to lead the group melodically by interspersing the familiar head of “Mack the Knife” into the tail of his solo in the tune. He proved ready to relinquish that lead with an out-of-tempo solo in "The Entertainer" (and freed himself of the time-keeping restrictions of stride piano).

Bassist Roland Guerin provided staccato plucking and legato bowing as the music demanded. Jason Marsalis' often single, consecutive strikes on his drums and cymbals offered a direct, open, and even educational exposition of this vocabulary of sounds; an approach reminiscent of his brother Wynton's Lincoln Center performances, in which he educates rich folk in jazz, one mezzo piano note at a time.

Roberts reminds listeners how highly intellectual his art form may be, should audiences allow it to inhabit a space in culture on par with classical music's current position. What remains to be seen is what, if anything, of jazz's intended meaning is lost in this relocation.

Dark Room at the Viper Room
by SNOOK/Immedia Wire Service

Loud aggressive bands populate LA clubs like wannabe stars populate network reality shows. The thing they both seem to have in common is a total lack of talent.

To get your attention, these bands seem to do impressions of whatever is on MTV’s rotation list*. Bad impressions of some truly bad bands. Others cop an attitude without the talent to back it up, either in songs or musicianship. Then there are those few groups that you know work hard at creating original tunes played with skill and flair.

In the case of Dark Room, flair means smacking you physically with an audio blast that forces the skin on your face back into a smile. Songs like “Mortician Blues” turn guitars into percussion machines. “Trim” and “Anna Lies” are so good, so aggressive, so well crafted that I have to call them inspired. When they played the last two songs, you could feel the Viper Room tingle with an electrical charge. It was like someone touched a high voltage wire to the spilt beer on the floor. Damn, I love it when that happens.

This type of music is not to everyone’s taste. It’s bold. It’s loud. And best of all, it’s exceptionally good. In the end, maybe that’s all that matters. Paul Garvey, Guitar & Vocals; Francis Fallon, Guitar and Vocals; Ian Brumbaugh, Drums; Mike Renninger, Bass; * Some bands on MTV’s rotation list are great, but it’s not polite to name the ones that suck.

The Steve Lockwood Trio: Jazz Landscapers
by Nick Burns

While the emotional charge of a jazz tune conventionally stems from personal and familiar feelings like love, happiness, or angst, pianist Steve Lockwood's compositions inspire the wonder and awe that accompany encounters with novelty. As his titles - e.g., “Nightfall,” “Fly on the Wall,” “Symmetry,” “The Enchanted Room” - suggest, the music conjures visuals, mirages of scenery that surround the audience. The listener derives his sense of wonder from his inability to analyze the entire scene at once; he must release the urge to breakdown, organize, and stereotype every sound and solo. Lockwood and his trio of musical landscapers put their compositions and chemistry to the test at The Knitting Factory's AlterKnit Lounge on February 11.

Lockwood charges his lines with harmonic momentum, letting them spill into any interval (e.g., in “Face to Face,” which contains surprisingly bold jumps in pitch within its melody). Kendall Kay's drumming fills in the blanks with ethereal sounds from shakers, a gong, and plenty of cymbals. He initiates interpretations of the main rhythmic figures, though remains unafraid to withdraw and leave those figures to implicature while he colors and frames the lines and phrases of his bandmates.

Bassist Chris Symer incorporates the role of time-keeper (perhaps out of habit learned in performing with his usual drummer, the unconventional and anti-metronomic Billy Mintz). Notes effortlessly hum off his acoustic bass strings, proving there's no need for harsh percussive snaps and pops in order to prod and reign-in a band's tempo.

The trio lay a foundation of conventional bebop elements then pose challenges by extending the boundaries of harmony while rethinking the relationship between percussion and rhythm. Their show relocated jazz to an unfamiliar realm wide enough for new exploration.

Music Notes
by Alaina Fiorante

Former Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson unexpectedly releases a 13 song compilation album titled The Best of Bruce Dickinson, complete with familiar, definitive heavy metal sounds. Bruce returns with his deep thundering guitar riffs while his revered brave vocal style proves, nearly two decades later, that he has not retired his heavy metal soul. Welcome back Bruce.

Simon Shaheen & Qantara, signed with ARK 21 Records, releases an 11 track album titled Blue Flame. Blue Flame is an instrumental album of sounds born in the Middle East which combine ancient and traditional sounds with highlights of contemporary jazz and exotic rhythms.

Nancy Bloom composes both music and lyrics in her new album titled Spirits Walking the Wind… Echoes of the Ancestors…Voices of the Spirits, she sings devotedly in the foreground of simple, meditative music. Her dedication is overtly in the sentiment of Native American philosophy while composing her album using interesting and unusual instruments such as: Andean clay whistles, Native American flute, a Celtic Harp among other very unconventional instruments. (Album available through Spirit In Bloom Productions (866-333-0444).

Dakota Moon finished their second album called A Place To Land featuring 11 songs of lighthearted lyrics and casual music, suitable for easy listeners. The songs, to name a few, “Looking For A Place To Land”, “Lonely Days” and “ My Song”, are mostly sympathetic love ballads lamenting over the usual love pains. For more information contact Aaron Walton Entertainment at www.awent.com.

Haled signed with ARK 21, releases his album titled Kenza, a 14 track album rich with a mixture of primitive sounds ranging from Indian vocal pitches to ancient Egyptian rythyms. Kenza is available for purchase at www.ark21.com.

Three of Algeria’s biggest stars, Rachid Taha, Khaled and Faudel collaborate on album titled 1,2,3, Soleils brought to us by Mondo Melodia (www.mondomelodia.com).

Hakim releases Desert Roses 2 double album that is comprised of Middle Eastern charm with a Latin twist. He’s an Arabic Ricky Ricardo. Hakim has been said to be “one of the most powerful singers to come out of the Arab world” while he is also well known in the Middle East as being one of the leaders for inventing the Egyptian Style of music known as “Shabi”. More information is available at www.mondomelodia.com.

Rockin with St.Teresa

February 26
Eleni Mandell, Exene, Rob Zabrecky at The Derby - record release party for Eleni Mandell’s Snakebite, featuring Exene Cervenka (X), reading from A Beer on Every Page, Rob Zabrecky (Possum Dixon), Mark Mallman (Minneapolis), DJ Prickle and MC Fred Armisen; The Crisis at Ballona Wetlands: Saving the West Bluffs from Develop-ment at The Ken Edwards Center, 7pm. Ken Edwards Center, 1527 - 4th Street, Room 105, Santa Monica;
On The Couch: The Living Room Sessions w/ Jim Bianco, David Cowan, Sally Semrad, Mark Lane, Dean Thomas, Jonneine Zapata The Mint;
Paul Ruderman at The Fold (Silverlake Lounge);
The Faint at The El Rey; Daniel Johnston at The Knitting Factory;
The Lily’s, Moroccan, Ariel Pink at The Echo; Stitches, Smogtown, Negatives at The Garage;
Redhawk, Native, Two Red Skins & One Yellow Man at HOB;
AM Radio, Cerulean, Twin Star at Spaceland; Excessories at The Bigfoot Lodge;
John Fogerty, Billy Joel, Sheryl Crow, Stevie Nicks, The Eagles at The Concert for the Artist’s Rights (The Forum);
The Dixie Chicks, Trisha Yearwood, Emmylou Harris, Dwight Yoakum at The Concert for Artist’s Rights (Universal Amph);
No Doubt, Offspring, Weezer at The Concert for Artist’s Rights (Long Beach Arena);
“It Factor” Screening, Substance Drum n’ Bass with Rusta Mok in the Alterknit Lounge;
David Peters, X Cell Factor, Came from Outer Space, Title 15, New York Winters at Dragonfly;
Cold Medina at 14 Below;
Kite, Evan Brau, Dirty, Bitter Things, Drive Through Jesus at The Gig;
Anti Flag, Against All Authority, Thrice, Virus Nine, Pipedown at The Glass House;
Sparklejets UK, The Sugarplastic, Candypants, The Mockers at Spaceland;
The Garage Dogs, Still, Fozzy’s Here, Final Rhyme, Faction at the Whisky;
Autumns, Radio Vago, Dick Army, Molecular at The Troubadour;
Kindle, Blackbird Sky, Sugar Bitch, DJ Roky Manson at Viper Room.

February 27
David “Fathead” Newman, John Hicks Trio at The Jazz Bakery (2/27 – 3/3);
Domingo 7, Salsa Soup, Likido at The KnitFac;
Centimeters, Deimos (Sacramento), Voodoo Organist, Bobb Bruno (Polar Goldie Cats) The Fold;
The Mars Volta at Spaceland;
Eddie Reed Orchestra at The Derby;
Dave Wakeling, Duke Daniels, Blue Minded at 14 Below;
Erykah Badu at The House of Blues; Gazzarri’s Night, Ratt, Chigger Red, Raven’s Cry at The Key Club;
Death Cab For Cutie, Dismemberment Plan, Aveo at The Glass House;
Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci at The Troubadour;
Cain is Able, Dumayla, Lumber 4 Songs, Matador, Mecial Spelvis at The Cocont Teasr;
Tito Nieves (post Grammy party) at The Conga Rm;
Whisky Diaries, Smelly Roses, Honey Tree Lane, DJ Iron Magandeth at The Garage;
Rock n’ Roll Glamour Show: Lustra, Fire-bug, Drugstore Cowgirls, Dirty Little Pedro, Acoustic Pharoah, Rebecca Hart The Gig;
Circle of Songs, Twine: Novabeats Sound System, Mr. Soon, Subversive, Element, Cavestar at the Alterknit Lounge;
Get Set, Airbus at The Mint;
The Stand, Supremium, Puzzlegut, DJ Roky Manson at The Viper Room.

February 28
Sour Vein at The Fold (Silverlake Lounge);
AM Radio, Cerulcan, Twin Star at Spaceland; Alicia Keys at The Wiltern;
The Faint, Adult, I am Spoonbender at The El Rey;
Mongoose, DJ Ron Miller at The West End;
Portable, Soul Cracker, High Speed Scene at BB King’s;
Potent Chokey, Mess America, Pillshovel, Faith in The System, 2/3 Sober, Psychotrip at The Coconut Teaszer;
Dakah at The Conga Room;
Pal Joey, Three Bad Jacks at The Derby; Jamaican Live at The Dragonfly;
Confidentials, Painting Daisies, Insomnia at 14 Below;
The Stitches, Smogtown, Negatives The Garage;
Solomon, Shana Susman, Rodney, The Ride at The Gig;
Phantom Planet, Maroon 5 at The Glass House; Red Nation Celebration, Sixth Annual at HOB;
Houston, Ron Jeremy at The Hollywood Burlesque & Comedy Show (Key Club);
Lesa Carlson, Telepathy at the Alterknit Lounge; Daniel Johnston, New Tickles, Jon Dee Graham, Quazar & The Bamboozled Knit Fac;
The Junglist Platoon at Martini Lounge;
Chris Pierce, Oh God, Eve’s Garden The Mint;
Anti-Flag, Thrice, Against All Authority, Piped Down at The Roxy;
Rurik, Lunar Click, Ankla, Facedown, The Anix at The Whisky a Go Go;
Rooney at The Troubadour; Valid, Slowtime Mondays, Moth, DJ Pixie Stix Viper Room;
Barbara Morrison at The West End.

March 1
Death Cab For Cutie at the El Rey;
The Makers, Pleasure Forever, Lords of Altamont at Spaceland; Ledwardka’apana at McCabe’s (Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar Great - also on 3/2);
Alicia Keys at The Wiltern;
Daniel Ash at The Galaxy;
The Faint at The Glass House;
Rock En Español, Pastilla, Emaue, Los Super Litios, Retro Vizor at BB Kings;
Bombchild, Dog Days, Plan R, Trip Adagio at The Coconut Teazser;
Zen Tricksters, Neaime, Electric Soup 14 Below;
Club Elec, Trick at The Garage;
Surreal, Star Mary, The Piper Downs, Throttle Black Sparky at The Gig;
The Faint, Adult, I am Spoonbender at The Glass House;
Sound Tribe Sector 9 at HOB;
Jaid, Kendal Payne at The Key Club;
Moldy Peaches, The Tyde, Gram Rabbit, Dave Dondero at The Knitting Factory;
Jack Shit, Robby, Feel, Storm Lee at The Mint;
Anti Flag, Tsunami Bomb, Piped Down, Virus Nine at The Roxy;
Systemic, Antagonist, Lithium, The Dekoys, Faceplant, Product of Society at The Whisky;
Violet Indiana, Starflyer 59 at The Troubadour.

March 2
Sing Sing (with Emma from Lush & Jason from Elastica), George Sarah, String Trio, Big Sir at The Knitting Factory;
Pal Shazar, Jules Shear, The Signal Hill Transmission at The Mint;
Leona Naess at The Knitting Factory;
Ani DiFranco at The Grove;
Kottonmouth Kings at The Galaxy;
LAMF, The Republic, Filthy Stinking Four, The Cause, Home in 42 Days, Engines of Aggression at The Coconut Teazser;
Son Mayor at The Conga Room;
Bridehumper, Ripchord, Orchard, Rubberside Down at 14 Below;
Electric Frankenstein, Texas Terri & The Stiff Ones, Smogtown, Hollywood Hate Garage;
Neverno, Smittin, Moshav, Second Cycle Gig;
Up Syndrome, Nerfherder, Allistar Glass House;
Blues Festival at HOB;
Jaded, Co Jones, Mercy Lady Day Key Club;
Phantom Planet, The Start at The Roxy;
Sharon Shannon, Seldom, The Long Winters at Spaceland;
Potent Chokey, Louden Swain, Bitterfly, Dama, Milkweed, Soil, Moonshine Bandits Whisky;
Dirtbombs, The Go, Flash Express Troubadour;
Deadsy at The Viper Room.

March 3
Merle Haggard (only LA Appearance), the Blind Boys of Alabama, Ramblin’ Jack Elliot El Rey;
The Good Life, Azure at Spaceland;
Starflyer 59, Joy Electric, Elseworth Dragon, Push at The Glass House;
Saw Doctors at HOB;
Punk Rock/Heavy Metal Karoake at The Knitting Factory;
Mem Shannon & The Membership at The Mint;
The Good Life, Azure Ray at Spaceland;
Total Chaos, Narcoleptic Youth, The Voids, The Mistakes, All or Nothing H.C., Bad Samaritans at The Troubadour.

March 4
Double Naught Spy Car at Zen;
Gluey Brothers, Harvey Sid Fischer at 14 Below;
Chick Singer Night at The Mint;
Elemental, Dry Cell, Endism at The Troubadour.

March 5
Wu Tang Clan at HOB;
For Stars, Migala at The Knitting Factory;
Daniel Ash, Lennon, Love and Rockets, Tones on Tail at The Roxy;
Kleveland at The Silverlake Lounge;
Arch Enemy, Creamatorium, Taken Troubadour.

March 6
Gush, V for Vendetta (Providence), Ferdinand at The Silverlake Lounge;
Hugh Masekela at The Conga Room;
Delinquen Habits Spanish Grease 2002 KnitFac;
Afrika Bambaataa, Dilated Peoples, Mix Master Mike, DJ Z Trip at Scratch Tour (The Palace);
Mary J. Blige at The Shrine.

March 7
Royal Crown Revue, James Intveld Key Club;
Timothy Mank, Sushi Kings at BB Kings;
Machine Head, Darwin’s Waiting Room, 3rd Strike at HOB;
Smile, Friends of Desire at The Knitting Factory;
Kaito (UK), Pine Marten, Silversun Pickups, Movies at The Silverlake Lounge;
The Vue, The Pattern at Spaceland.

March 8
John Trudell at The Roxy;
Rollins Band, Benefit for West Memphis Three, Wayne Kramer’s Ship of Fools, Original Sinner featuring Exene at The Troubadour;
The Original Blasters (Phil & Dave Alvin, John Bazz, Bill Bateman, Gene Taylor) at HOB;
Dream Theatre at The Wiltern;
Brian Jonestown Massacre, Asteroid #4, Run Run Run at The Knitting Factory;
Le Tigre at The El Rey;
Gorillaz at The Wiltern;
Keller Williams at The Galaxy;
Big Sandy, The Cal Vanes, The Lonely Blue Boys at BB King’s;
Ricardo Lemvo, Boujou Bumbastick at The Conga Room;
Zak Daniels, The One Eyed Snakes The Gig;
Spaceplane, Superstring, The Final Crisis at The Key Club;
Bennet Cole, Jonathan Sheldon at The Mint;
Bullfrog, Kid Koala at Spaceland;
The Disco Biscuits at The Whisky.

March 9
Maceo Parker at HOB; Hottie Knockers at The Coconut Teaszer;
Atomic Punks, The Militants, Rakshaw 14 Below;
David Bridie at The Knitting Factory;
Café R&B, Bopz at The Mint;
Dressy Bessy at Spaceland;
Fu Manchu at The Viper Room;
Susan Werner at McCabe’s.

March 10
Acid Mother’s Temple, Bluebird, Quiz o tic (DC), Maquiladora (San Diego) at The Silverlake Lounge.

March 11
Jon Spencer Blues Explosion at The El Rey;
Swearing at Motorists, My Morning Jackat at The Glass House.
Email: rockin88@lycos.com.

The Andy Summers Trio Rocks The Baked Potato
by Nick Burns

Since the days of rocking stadiums with The Police, Andy Summers has strayed farther in genre and magnitude than in artistic intent: He still wants to rock. The yearning hints of overtone-laden distortion buzzing out of Mesa Boogie brand amplification reveal the soul of a front-man who has witnessed first-hand the power of rock's blatant beats and aggressive appeal.

At the Baked Potato on Feb 9, Summers’ bandmates answer his call to rock ’n’ roll: Ric Fierabrucci on a crackling electric bass, and Toss Panos pounding the drums with a fluidity that by no means detracted from the wallops. From Fierabrucci’s brief foray into Eddie Van Halen-style finger-tapping, to Panos’ upstarts of bass drum thumping (on a double-bass pedal, an unlikely match for the small bass drum of the 'Potato’s house drum set), the rhythm section made a joking Summers’ ironic 360-degree swinging-arm-strumming finale all the less ironic.

Though technically bebop, the solos rested heavily on the explicit beats underneath them. Unlike hard bop, which can race so fast as to seemingly lift away from all but implied rhythmic underpinnings, leaving only the sounds of cymbal wash and the evenly accented quarter notes of a walking bass line (that sounds more like running) to provide context for a solo, Summers’ jazz ventured close to the typically allegretto base it delineated in each song's head. The improvised phrases each enjoyed showcase afforded by definition as clear as the unmistakably differentiated downbeats and upbeats.

CD Review
Eric Richards: The Flim Flam Man
Beetlegreen Music releases Eric Richards’ album titled The Flim Flam Man with 15 songs, each defining a collection of light jazz and moody rock ’n’ roll blues. Track 4, “Serenade in Blue” has that eerie lounge blues, desperate rock n’ roll sound that may give you a mental image of a few lonely guys at a lonesome, neighborhood bar near closing time hanging their heads down low. The entire album consists of an unusual mixture of sounds for each song as track 12 song titled “Hitman Blues” combines folk, blues, distant echoes in vocal tracks and soft, Led Zeppelin like finger picking which makes for an enjoyable combination overall. “Stumblebum” closes the album with a captivating instrumental guitar song that leaves your mind in a pleasant, pensive retreat. (www.beetlegreen.com)