Your last concert was to see who and when?

A group of six "Young Jazzers" at Trumpets Jazz in Montclair, New Jersey last night, August 9. (Two saxes, trumpet, guitar, bass, drums)

Well-coordinated young talent in a comfortable venue.

Just attended Chris Botti's performance in the Matthews Auditorium of McCarter Theatre in Princeton, New Jersey, tonight.

As always, Chris put on a great show. He had five sidemen - piano, guitar, bass, drums, and electronic keyboard, and three guest artists - violinist, female vocalist, and male vocalist. All were extraordinary performers.

The material range from straight jazz (like Flamenco Sketches) to pop jazz (like Look of Love and Let's Stay Together) to neo-classical jazz (like Italia and Emmanuel). It was quite a tour de force, although I personally preferred the pop jazz numbers he featured more in earlier appearances.

I'm glad he has kept Look of Love in his routine since it is still my favorite, with its inspired original arrangement and its knockout opening. Auhmmm,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muisPg2ti8Y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGTDwiGxkzU

The performance was electronically augmented through the room's substantial audio equippage, even while Botti and female vocalist Sy Smith walked up the aisles engaging the audience in some of the numbers. By the way, he welcomed the audience to take pics and make recordings as we wished -- no copyright lawyers here.

Notably, while Botti's tour travels the world, there are some devotees that are so taken that they follow his travels to attend his performances in many geographically diverse venues.

I wish I could be one of them. Ahem.

I enjoyed the Doo Wop Project in the Matthews Auditorium of the McCarter Theatre in Princeton, New Jersey tonight.

It was an extraordinary performance by a most talented ensemble -- 5 male vocalists backed up piano, sax, drums, bass guitar, and electric guitar. They did numbers from Jersey Boys, Motown the Musical, and others from the same genre. What a treat, a real visit down memory lane.

I especially enjoyed the Smokey Robinson and Frankie Valli sets. The singers were unbelievably good, their renditions were waay beyond what I could have imagined.

Really super.

Bill Charlap Trio on May 10 at McCarter Theatre in Princeton, NJ. Bill, with bassist Peter Washington and drummer Kenny Washington, held forth with his jazz interpretations of "great American songbook" favorites in the Berlind auditorium. Melodic, artful, and engaging. A stimulating yet relaxing experience.

Just enjoyed the Yuko Mabuchi Trio at the Brand Library in Glendale, California. Guest performers included Robert Kyle on sax and flute and Billy Mitchell on organ.

Yuko is an animated pianist, quite mobile bouncing on the bench, and she likes to sing wordlessly with her playing. I found her jazz expressions of classics like Girl Talk and Blue Moon to be captivating, as well as her own composition Waves.

Robert Kyle did an extraordinary job with brilliant sax solos as well as a lovely flute performance with Sukiyaki. His interpretations fit in perfectly with the essential character of each presentation, as if he had been with the group for years.

Billy Mitchell’s accompaniment added an extra dimension to this evening’s session, very adroitly completing the soundscape and moving each song’s composition to a higher level.

I’m looking forward to Yuko’s next Yarlung Records release, a live recording of her performing Miles Davis. If it is as good as her first Yarlung album, I’ll be happy to add it to my top shelf collection.

Just saw Yuko Mabuchi (again!), this time at the Vibrato Grill in Bel Air, California. With Yuko were her trio mates, Del Atkins (bass) and Bobby Breton (drums), as well as guest Robert Kyle (saxes and flute).

They put together a polished, elegant set with controlled intensity and artful nuance. This playlist included jazz interpretations of three Antonio Carlos Jobim works and Yuko’s own Waves, all rendered beautifully.

Yuko pounded the ivories with energy, skill, and creativity. A prodigy indeed. As before, Robert Kyle was a great complement to the trio. And the Vibrato was a lovely venue for the evening.

Just got back from enjoying John Legend at the Hollywood Bowl this evening. I was impressed with the way the venue was melded into the specific topography of its site. And the sound system was more than up to the task of filling the small valley with loudness.

What a consummate performer! John delivered 23 songs perfectly, many that I knew and a few that were new to me.  I particularly liked his polished delivery of Marvin Gaye’s What’s Goin’ On, followed by a deeply heartfelt Ordinary People. Later, a very sentimental version of All of Me brought back poignant memories.

The concert ended with a fabulous fireworks display that capped a delightful evening.

Yuko Mabuchi performed at her exuberant return to the Vibrato Grill in Bel Air last night, billed as a celebration of the release of her paean to Miles Davis. I thoroughly enjoyed the first set, which included Miles’ So What as well as her inspired conception of Stevie Wonder’s Isn’t She Lovely.

Yuko’s creative stylings bridged bebop to a contemporary flair in her own high energy impressions. She was ably accompanied by her trio mates Del Atkins (bass) and Bobby Breton (drums) with guest JJ Kirkpatrick on the trumpet. The group laid out extended versions of some of the songs on her CD, taking the opportunity to air the full detail of their inspired interpretations without any time constraint.

The Vibrato is a lovely venue. Entering from the bright sun-lit Bel Air hillside, its blackout entry was a complete contrast that forced me to pause while my eyes adjusted. Further in, the darkness was a frame to brilliant colors decorating the stage in an expansive two storey dining room. A perfect setting for an evening of enchanting music.