Select chronological listings, last fully updated July 7, 2023.
LACMA on Wilshire Boulevard's Miracle Mile offers FREE outdoor jazz concerts every Friday at 6pm. Fri. July 21: wild bassist Billy Mohler Quartet. Fri. Aug. 18: L.A. Jazz Quartet. Fri. Sept. 8: Munyungo Jackson. Fri. Sept. 15: The Jazz Treasure Award goes to saxist Charles Owens. Fri. Sept. 22: Ernie Watts. Full calendar here.
ETA, a bar in Highland Park, brings top local (etc.) jazz. Check in anytime here, as it often books on short notice. Fri. July 21: guitarist Horace Bray with krazy bassist Billy Mohler and much-sought drummer Jonathan Pinson. Sat. July 22: Dave Harrington (Darkside, Alanis Morissette) with bassist Billy Mohler and drummer Jay Bellerose. Mon. July 24: drummer Aaron Steele with Josh Johnson and Solomon Dors.
The World Stage in Leimert Park has Friday 8pm PT (and sometimes Saturday) in-person presentations with occasional simultaneous live streams of righteous jazz; keep up with the schedule here. Fri. July 21: vocalist Neil Leadbetter. Fri. July 28: sax omniscient Charles Owens. Fri. Aug. 4: Cosmic Vibrations featuring Dwight Trible, Breeze Smith, Christopher Garcia, Pablo Garcia and Peter Jacobson. Fri. Aug. 11: vocalist Angie Wells. Sat. Aug. 12. 4pm, free: Celebration of Life for WS Music Theory Workshop Coordinator Billy McCoy. Fri. Aug. 18: keyboardist Rudi Mwongozi. Fri. Aug. 25: saxist Benn Clatworthy. Donations encouraged here.
Highland Park's Lodge Room occasionally books jazz, metal, heft and influential obscurities. Sat. July 22: hard-riffin' rock from California vets Acid King. Thurs. Aug. 3: Vieux Farka Touré. Tues. Aug. 8: Ronnie Foster. Thurs. Sept. 14: Kamaal Williams. Sat. Sept. 30: The Avengers. Full schedule here.
JustJazz.tv is a great resource for live jazz. Sat. July 22: Jazz Re-Evolution fest at the Ford in Cahuenga Pass. Sat. Aug. 26: Leimert Park Jazz Fest headlined by Stanley Clarke. Fri. Oct. 27: Azz-Is Jazz Fest in Venice. And more.
The Hollywood Bowl has some jazz etc. Sun. July 23: Reggae Night with Beres Hammond, Steel Pulse. Wed. Aug. 9: Joe Bonamassa With Orchestra. Fri. Aug. 11: Ruben Blades. Wed. Aug. 23: Herbie Hancock celebrates Wayne Shorter. Wed. Sept. 6: Buddy Guy. Fri. Nov. 3: Kiss 'em goodbye. Details here.
The Mint (Pico & Crescent Heights) has mostly Sunday jazz shows. Sun. July 23: Jazz Butchers and Sam Hirsh Trio. Sun. July 30: MB Projkt and Sam Hirsh Trio. Check listings here.
Atwater's adventurous avant/modern/world club Zebulon offers surprises from the present and past. Mon. & Tues. July 24 & 25: Long after its founder's transcendence, Sun Ra Arkestra continues to realign our chakras. Wed. Oct. 4: Wolf Eyes with Anthony Braxton. Wed. Oct. 25: Oceans And (Tim Berne), Harriet Tubman (Angel City Fest). Sat. Nov. 4: MSSV (Mike Baggetta, Stephen Hodges & Mike Watt). Full calendar here.
Inglewood's midsize YouTube Theater brings variety programming. Tues. July 25: big fusoid metal bill featuring Dream Theater, Devin Townsend, the boggling instrumentals of Tosin Abasi's Animals As Leaders. Wed. Oct. 11: Dethklok, Babymetal. Calendar here.
Vibrato, a luxurious restaurant high up in Bel Air, books mostly mainstream jazz. Thurs. July 27: Macy Gray's 1970. Full schedule here.
MacArthur Park's Levitt Pavilion, 2230 W. Sixth St., has music again this summer. Fri. July 28, 7pm: Tuareg desert rock from Imarhan. Sun. July 30, 5pm: West African music with Weedie Braimah & the Hands of Time plus amazing Ghanaian malletman SK Kakraba. Sun. Aug. 27: classic reggae with Dub Club DJs Tom Chasteen & Boss Harmony. Full calendar here.
The LAX-area bar Sam First offers 7:30pm and 9pm jazz shows, in person and sometimes STREAMING. Fri. July 28: airy pianist and thoughtful composer Cathlene Pineda Quartet. Sat. July 29: Roy McCurdy Quintet. Thurs. Aug. 3: Michael Wolff Trio. Tuesdays are jams, usually hosted by world-class pianist Gerald Clayton. Look here for full schedule and options.
2220 Arts + Archives (Beverly Blvd. near Alvarado) hosts a variety of cultural presentations including jazz & electronic. Sat. July 29: the roaring rhythm of a great L.A. tradition, Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra. Tues. Sept. 19: electronified powwow singer Joe Rainey. Sun. Oct. 15: Jeong Lim Yang's Zodiac Trio, Ingrid Laubrock (Angel City Fest). Fri. Oct. 27: Mat Maneri (Angel City Fest). Listings here.
The Whisky on Sunset Strip books metal etc. Sun. July 30: former Manson and KMFDM axman Skold. Wed. Aug. 23: Leatherwolf. Wed. Sept. 6: Uli Jon Roth. Thurs. Sept. 28: Gene Loves Jezebel. Fri. Oct. 13: 45 Grave. Calendar here.
The well-curated Vernacular New-Music Series at Oracle Tavern in a hideaway west of Chinatown usually the first and third Mondays of the month posts listings here. Mon. Aug. 1, 8pm: TBA.
The Baked Potato in Universal City presents fusion (etc.) concerts at 8 & 10pm. Fri. & Sat. Aug. 4 & 5: Greg Howe. Full schedule here.
Sat. Aug. 5, 8:30pm: Urban country poets I See Hawks in L.A. play two sets, with the Ben Vaughn Duo with Teresa Cowles opening. At the Cinema Bar, 3967 Sepulveda Blvd, Culver City 90230; free but you can donate; website here.
Sat. Aug. 5, 8pm: The Music Center's Summer Sound Waves presents Jazz Unleashed L.A., featuring trumpeter Chief Adjuah (formerly Christian Scott), plus an All-Star Jazz Collective featuring saxist David Binney. Tickets here.
Sat. Aug. 5, 3:30pm: The new-music concert series Soundwaves presents Mexican flutist Wilfrido Terrazas performing his compositions and improvisations. At Santa Monica Public Library, 601 Santa Monica Blvd., Santa Monica 90401; FREE.
Open Gate Theater has moved its long-running and invaluable avant concert series from the Eagle Rock Cultural Center mostly to the Neighborhood Unitarian Universalist Church, 301 N. Orange Grove Ave., Pasadena. Sun. Aug. 6, 7pm: unusual winds and percussion from Liam Mooney. Keep up with events here.
The Mayan downtown has jazz and rock sometimes. Sun. & Mon. Aug. 6 & 7: Brazilian composer-singer Arthur Verocai with orchestra. Calendar here.
The Regent downtown books some heavy music. Sat. Aug. 12: Zambian '70s psychedelic rockers W.I.T.C.H. Thurs. Sept. 7: Eyehategod. Full lineup here.
This summer's free summer Sunday Grand Performances at downtown's California Plaza include some jazz. Sun. Aug. 19: Mark De Clive-Lowe presents Jazz Is in the House. Website here.
Downtown's Belasco Theater stages some rock & metal shows. Thurs. Aug. 24: Boris, The Melvins. Fri. Sept 29: Wolfmother. Wed. Oct. 4: Cradle of Filth, DevilDriver. Sat. Oct. 21: Ne Obliviscaris. Calendar & tix here.
Fri.-Sun. Aug. 25-27: Metallica plates SoFi Stadium. Tickets here.
1720 (east of downtown, south of the 10 freeway) books metal etc. Tues. Aug. 29: Batushka. Sun. Sept. 3: Psycroptic, Decrepit Birth. Tues. Sept. 19: Angelmaker. Sun. Oct. 8: Attila. Tues. Oct. 10: Paleface Swiss. Full calendar here.
Catalina's Jazz Club in Hollywood hosts mostly mainstream jazz and singers, but there are exceptions. Fri.-Sun. Sept. 1-3, Poncho Sanchez. Full calendar here.
Alva's Showroom in San Pedro brings in some intriguing music from the edges in addition to tributes and stuff. Sat. Sept. 2: L.A. saxist with the true feel Dale Fielder Quartet. Full lineup here.
The Wiltern (Wilton & Western) occasionally harbors metal. Sat. Sept. 2: Kamelot. Fri. Oct. 6: The Darkness. Wed. Oct. 18: Max & Iggor Cavalera, Exhumed. Full calendar here.
Keep up with L.A. Jazz Society events, including its Young Musician Showcases, here. Sat. Sept. 9 at Montalban Theater: 40th Anniversary Celebration Concert featuring Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra and Jazz Tribute Awards.
The Kia Forum in Inglewood revs some metal. Mon. & Tues. Sept. 11 & 12: Ghost. Thurs. Dec. 7: Aerosmith fly the coop on their "final" tour. Listings here.
The Orpheum downtown rocks and jazzes at times. Sun. Sept. 24: Snarky Puppy. Tickets here.
The Canyon in Agoura Hills books its share of metal, fusion and original good stuff. Fri. Oct. 3: femme ax ripper Orianthi. Calendar here.
Fri.-Sun. Oct. 6-8: PowerTrip presents GNR, Iron Maiden, AC/DC, Judas Priest, Metallica, Tool and lots more out in Indio (Ozzy bowed out). Sell an oligarch's yacht and buy tickets here.
Oct. 13-29: Don't let out-of-town relatives get married during Angel City Jazz Fest, stocked with an exciting mix of forward-looking artists at venues throughout the city. Details here.
Fri. Oct. 13: Celebrating Sam Rivers with Billy Harper, Nicole McCabe et al. at LACMA.
Sat. Oct. 14: Destiny Mohammad/Teodross Avery at the World Stage.
Sun. Oct. 15: Jeong Yim Lang, Crump-Laubrock-Smythe at 2220.
Mon. Oct. 16: Vernacular Night featuring Vinny Golia, Motoko Honda, Nicole McCabe et al. at Oracle Tavern.
Sat. Oct. 21: Gloria Cheng at Zipper Hall.
Sun. Oct. 22: Todd Sickafoose, Kirk Knuffke at Moss Theater.
Wed. Oct. 25: Oceans And (Tim Berne), Harriet Tubman (Brandon Ross) at Zebulon.
Fri. Oct. 27: Mat Maneri, Ennis Harris at 2220.
Sat. Oct. 28: Nicole Mitchell, Next Jazz Legacy at REDCAT.
Sun. Oct. 29: Todd Cochran/Hubert Laws, Billy Mohler at REDCAT.
Sat. Oct. 14: Bill Frisell & Ambrose Akinmusire play the Ace Hotel downtown; tickets here.
Downtown's Disney Hall presents some jazz and events of note beyond classical. Wed. Nov. 8: Brad Mehldau Trio. Tickets here.
Piano Spheres always has topflight outward programming from the classically trained world at the Thayer or Zipper halls downtown. Calendar here.
Santa Monica's Jacaranda music series presents a great selection of forward-looking modern classical and world music. Inquire regularly here.
The Jazz Salon presents top singers on Thursdays and sometimes Sundays at downtown's Los Angeles Athletic Club. Check in here.