Billy Cobham’s Spectrum 40 January 26, 2013 The Mint in Los Angeles, CA Jim Brock Photography/©Eye on the Music Full Gallery: Billy Cobham’s Spectrum 40, The Mint, Los Angeles, 1.26.13 Mahavishnu Orchestra is in the pantheon of jazz fusion pioneers. Black hole density, volcanic intensity and ridiculous virtuosity. I had never heard anything quite like John McLaughlin’s(…)
Dragon Smoke (New Orleans, LA) December 12, 2012 The Mint in Los Angeles, CA Jim Brock Photography/©Eye on the Music Full Gallery: Dragon Smoke, The Mint, Los Angeles, 12.12.12 Certain celestial alignments skip decades, if not lifetimes, or at a minimum, involve covering great distances at greater expense. Think solar eclipses, Comet Hale-Bopp or if you get(…)
Red Baraat (Brooklyn, NY) September 18th, 2012 The Mint in Los Angeles, CA Gallery: Jim Brock Photography/©Eye on the Music Since I last caught up with Red Baraat in February, the self described “Brooklyn dhol’n’brass” by way of a second line, has been to the White House, played Bonnaroo and High Sierra, performed at the TED conference, toured Europe(…)
Bombino (Niger) September 18th, 2012 The Mint in Los Angeles, CA Gallery: Jim Brock Photography/©Eye on the Music Tuareg guitarist Omara “Bombino” Moctar was born in a nomadic encampment in Niger in 1980. Some 26 years later he was playing alongside Keith Richards and Charlie Watts in California. The here to the there and now is an amazing(…)
The Revivalists (New Orleans, LA) September 11th, 2012 The Mint in Los Angeles, CA Gallery: Jim Brock Photography/©Eye on the Music Jazzfest’s surprise moments can happen any time. One of mine came this year when The Revivalists kicked off the Fest from the Gentilly stage before noon on the opening Friday. While the band has played the Fest(…)
Honey Island Swamp Band (New Orleans, LA) August 14th, 2012 The Mint in Los Angeles, CA Gallery: Jim Brock Photography/©Eye on the Music It’s apropos that the Honey Island Swamp Band would return for a summer gig at The Mint following an appearance at Outside Lands the prior weekend. After all, the Bay Area figures so prominently(…)
Robert Walter (New Orleans, LA), Simon Lott (Baton Rouge, LA), Chuck Parada (San Diego, CA), and Chris Stillwell (San Diego, CA) June 13th, 2012 The Mint in Los Angeles, CA Gallery: Jim Brock Photography/©Eye on the Music There is no sound quite as satisfying as a Hammond B-3 organ through a Leslie speaker. In the(…)