Links: L.A. performances (1/19/24, long).

Select chronological listings.


* The World Stage in Leimert Park has Friday 8pm PT (and sometimes other days) in-person presentations with occasional simultaneous live streams of righteous jazz; keep up with the schedule here. Donations encouraged here. Fri. Jan. 19: experienced mainstream pianist Bobby West. Fri. Jan. 26: trombonist Ryan Porter. Fri. Feb. 2: bassist Eric Revis. Fri. Feb. 9: Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra. Sat. Feb. 10: Panel Discussion and Live Performances: The History of Jazz in Leimert Park. Fri. Feb. 16: saxist Louis Van Taylor. Fri. Feb. 23: Dexter Gordon Birthday Celebration.
* The Baked Potato in Universal City presents fusion (etc.) concerts at 8 & 10pm nightly. Fri. Jan. 19: guitarist, keyboardist, vocalist, composer and former Zappa lieutenant Mike Keneally always has something different to say, here with his crack Beer for Dolphins quartet. Tues. Jan. 23: Blast off with the crankin' guitar of Jeff Kollman and Cosmosquad. Thurs. Feb. 1: saxist Danny Janklow Elevation with slammin' Gene Coye on drums. Thurs. & Fri. Feb. 29 & March 1: Virgil Donati Group. Fri. & Sat. March 22 & 23: Michael Landau Group. Sun. March 24: Hazy Jane. Full schedule here.
* Catalina's Jazz Club in Hollywood hosts mostly mainstream jazz and singers, but there are exceptions. Fri. Jan. 19: veteran fusion bassist (CAB) Bunny Brunel & Friends. Sun. Jan. 21: superguitarist Stanley Jordan. Sat. & Sun. Jan. 27 & 28: drum fusioneer Simon Phillips Protocol V. Fri. & Sat. Feb. 9 & 10: Pete Escovedo. Full calendar here.
* The LAX-area bar Sam First offers 7:30pm and 9pm jazz shows, in person and sometimes STREAMING. Fri. & Sat. Jan. 19 & 20: the tuned-in veteran piano & bass duo of Alan Pasqua & Darek Oles (Friday's set is broadcast live on KJAZZ 88.1 FM). Tuesday Happenings feature jams led by top local artists, most often the inspired pianist Gerald Clayton. Thurs. Feb. 22: Miles/DiMeola/Gambale pianist Kei Akagi Trio with bassist Darek Oles and drummer Jason Harnell. Fri. & Sat. Feb. 23 & 24: pianist Josh Nelson Ensemble. Wed. Feb. 28: Gloria Cheng (7:30). Wed. March 13: trombonist-composer Jon Hatamiya Sextet. Look here for full schedule and options.
* The Jazz Bakery has resumed sponsoring live shows; view its calendar here. Sat. Jan. 20: lilting Puerto Rican saxist Miguel Zenón Quartet at Santa Monica's Moss Theater.
* Downtown's Belasco Theater stages some rock & metal shows. Sat. Jan. 20: Ozzy axman Zakk Wylde's trio really does add something extra to the Sab classikks with Zakk Sabbath. Sun. March 24: KMFDM. Tues. April 30: Insomnium. Fri. May 24: Cattle Decapitation, Carnifex. Calendar & tix here.
* The Mint (Pico & Crescent Heights) usually has Sunday jazz shows anchored by pianist Sam Hirsh Trio, and others of note. Fri. Jan. 26: The Azar Lawrence Experience lifts the soul-jazz (read MetalJazz's recent review here). Mon. Feb.12: New Orleans' Dirty Dozen Brass Band. Check listings here.
* 1720 (east of downtown, south of the 10 freeway) books metal etc. Mon. Jan. 22: French technical deathsters Gorod. Sat. Feb. 24: Polish death metal from Vader. Fri. March 8: Ov Sulfur. Thurs. March 14: Darkest Hour. Tues. April 16: Tyr. Sat. April 27: Korpiklaani. Sat. May 11: Born of Osiris. Full calendar here.
* Atwater's adventurous avant/modern/world club Zebulon offers surprises from the present and past. Tues. Jan. 23: Dave Harrington's Pranksters West featuring Nels Cline & more, Stuart Bogie (solo), Yuka Honda (solo). Sun. Feb. 4: Sun Ra Arkestra. Sun. Feb. 18: Marc Ribot's Ceramic Dog. Thurs. Feb. 22: Kahil El'Zabar's Ethnic Heritage Ensemble. Fri. April 19: Deathchant, Danava. Full calendar here.
* JustJazzTV is a great resource for live jazz. Tues. Jan. 23: bassist Linda May Han Oh at the Town House in Venice.
* 2220 Arts + Archives (Beverly Blvd. near Alvarado) hosts a variety of cultural presentations including jazz & electronic. Thurs. Jan. 25: Johanna Hedva; anyone who plays noisy minimalist guitar and subtitles a song "Tears Are What God Uses To Lubricate Its Big Machine of Nothing" is worth hearing. Sat. Feb. 10: Jeremy Cunningham Quartet, Anna Butterss & Ben Lumsdaine. Tues. Feb. 20: Vicki Ray. Listings here.
* El Rey Theater on Wilshire Boulevard's Miracle Mile books yer occasional metal show. Sat. Jan. 27: From Rob Halford to Marilyn Manson to Rob Zombie to Motley Crue to his own wild solo records, John 5 plays the hell out of a guitar. Calendar here.
* Teragram Ballroom downtown mixes in metal and jazz. Sat. Jan. 27: Joey Dosik. Tues. March 5: Municipal Waste. Listings here.
* Sun. Jan. 28: The ensemble of mainstream jazz trumpeter Elliott Caine plays The York, a big bar in Highland Park, from 8 to 10pm, no cover. Website here.
* The Whisky on Sunset Strip books metal etc. Fri. Feb. 2: Glenn Hughes. Fri. Feb. 23: Lizzy Borden. Sat. Feb. 24: Brazilian deathsters Crypta. Sat. March 2: Thredge. Tues. April 2: Raven. Wed. April 3: Uli Jon Roth. Sat. April 27: Firewind. Tues. April 30: Doyle, Otep. Fri. July 19: Robby Krieger. Calendar here.
* The new-music and avant-jazz series Soundwaves presents regular Saturday 3:30pm concerts at Santa Monica Public Library, 601 Santa Monica Blvd., Santa Monica 90401; FREE. Sat. Feb. 3: violinist-violist-vocalist Wendy Richman. Sat. March. 2: saxophonist Chris Jonas. Sat. April 6: Cold Blue Music Night. Sat. May 4: guitarist Joe Baiza Quartet with vocalist Jessika Kenney, bassist David O. Jones and drummer Brian Christopherson. Sat. June 1: bassist Steuart Liebig's Minim with oboeist Breana Gilcher, cellist Maggie Parkins and pianist Vicki Ray. Sat. July 6: The Present Quartet with bassist Jeff Schwartz, flutist Ellen Burr, harpist Anne LeBaron and windman Charles Sharp.
* Highland Park's Lodge Room occasionally books jazz, metal, heft and influential obscurities. Sun. Feb. 4: Jazz Is Dead blowout with Gerald Clayton, Immanuel Wilkins, Joel Ross, Kendrick Scott, Matt Brewer; two shows. Thurs. Feb. 22: Bassekou Kouyate. Full schedule here.
* Sat. Feb. 10, 7pm: Post-traditional jazz pianist Julius Rodriguez plays West Hollywood's Sun Rose, 8430 Sunset Blvd., as part of the city's free Winter Sounds series.
* Open Gate Theater has moved its long-running and invaluable avant concert series to the Neighborhood Unitarian Universalist Church, 301 N. Orange Grove Ave., Pasadena. Sun. Feb. 11, 7pm: bassist Miller Wrenn Large Ensemble (electronics! winds! strings! percussion! voices!) plus precise abstract pianist Ben Rosenbloom Unit featuring Scott Worthington (bass) and Will Salmon (flute & voice). Sun. March 2: Kallen-LeBaron & Powell, Wayne Peet Band. Sun. April 7: new mixed-media works by Mikaela Elson, Tany Ling and Elliot Menard. Sun. May 6: operatics from Anne LaBaron, Will Salmon. Sun. June 16: Steuart Liebig/Minim, Cassia Streb with special guests. More here.
* REDCAT (beneath downtown's Disney Hall) presents some experimental music and jazz along with its culturally edgy programming. Sat. Feb. 17: Sans Soleil (Chris Williams & Patrick Shiroishi) with William Parker & Lesley Mok. Sat. Feb. 24: Delbert Anderson & Mali Obomsawin. Fri. & Sat. June 14 & 15: Partch Ensemble. Calendar here.
* Vibrato, a luxurious restaurant high up in Bel Air, books mostly mainstream jazz singers. Sun. Feb. 18: Alan Chan Jazz Orchestra. Full schedule here.
* Sat. Feb. 24, 7pm: Jazz-funk keyboardist Brandon Coleman plays West Hollywood's Sun Rose, 8430 Sunset Blvd., as part of the city's free Winter Sounds series.
* Santa Monica's Jacaranda music series presents a great selection of forward-looking modern classical and world music. Sun. Feb. 25: Kahil El'Zabar directs the Lyris Quartet and his Ethnic Heritage Ensemble in exploring the influence of Arnold Schoenberg's 12-tone music upon John Coltrane. Full listings here.
* The Canyon in Agoura Hills books its share of metal, fusion and original good stuff. Fri. March 8: Gene Loves Jezebel. Sat. March 30: Lynch Mob. Fri. April 5: Tom Keifer. Calendar here.
* The Fonda Theater in Hollywood has occasional metal & world. Sun. Mar. 10: Voivod, Prong. Calendar here.
* Alva's Showroom in San Pedro brings in some intriguing music from the edges in addition to tributes and stuff. Fri. & Sat. March 29 & 30: Mike Keneally & Beer for Dolphins. Full lineup here.
* The Saban Theater in Beverly Hills occasionally melts faces or brings in an outside master. Sat. April 6: Tom Keifer, L.A. Guns. Calendar here.
* Downtown's Disney Hall presents some jazz and events of note beyond classical. Sat. April 20: Herbie Hancock. Tickets here.
* The Kia Forum in Inglewood gets heavy now and then. Oct. 8: Iron Maiden. Listings here.
* Piano Spheres always has topflight outward programming from the classically trained world at venues around town. Calendar here.
* Keep up with L.A. Jazz Society events, including its Young Musician Showcases, here.
* The Jazz Salon presents top singers on Thursdays and sometimes Sundays at downtown's Los Angeles Athletic Club. Check in here. (The Salon moves to regular Sundays in March; watch for updates.)
* The Mayan downtown has jazz and rock sometimes. Calendar here.
* Inglewood's midsize YouTube Theater brings variety programming. Calendar here.
* The Orpheum downtown rocks and jazzes at times. Tickets here.
* Downtown's Peacock Theater (formerly Microsoft Theater) occasionally books heavy music. Lineup here.