Category: Music

Mike Clinco Quartet at The Oyster House

February 9, 2010 Off

I caught guitarist and composer, Mike Clinco with his quartet, at The Oyster House in North Hollywood Monday night. Mike is a fluid, melodic player with a warm, open, sound and a great relaxed feel. He has worked with many extraordinary artists including: Bo Diddley, Bobby McFerrin, Ella Fitzgerald and Henry Mancini. Mike has composed…

By Eric Jensen

Support live music in LA…

January 27, 2010 Off

One of the things I have really enjoyed since moving to Los Angeles a few years ago is the incredible wealth of skilled musicians living here. The boom years of the recording industry attracted and developed a remarkable pool of talent. One could work in music in this town for decades and still not meet…

By Eric Jensen

Rudder: Matorning

June 10, 2009 Off

I’m loving the new disc by NYC-based Rudder – Matorning. This is what might happen if Eddie Harris, Medeski, Martin & Woods, Zawinul, P-Funk, and The Prodigy had a BBQ in The Fun House. Killer trippy, electro-funk wackiness. Takes me back to Miles in the 70s…

By Eric Jensen

Appaloosa Review

March 1, 2009 Off

OK, I have seen enough Westerns that I am more or less done with the genre. But I am always open to something new. I am a big Robert B. Parker fan, I love Ed Harris, Jeremy Irons, Renee Zellweger and Jeff Beal’s music so I had to see Appaloosa, although I regretfully missed it…

By Eric Jensen

Music As a Career, Pt.1

February 12, 2009 Off

Over time, professional musicians can lose their spark after years of unexpected challenges in an ever changing and highly competitive industry. The profound love and commitment to the power of music can become tempered by the harsh realities of making a living. There’s an old joke: Q: How do you get a musician to complain?A:…

By Eric Jensen

Harps and Angels

August 29, 2008 Off

Randy Newman’s Harps and Angels is right up there with the best of his work, sardonic, poignant, clever, and filled with compassion and humor. He is able to comment on the American condition directly, without pulling his punches in a way no one else can. ‘A Few Words In Defense of Our Country’, and ‘A…

By Eric Jensen

Shelby Lynne does Bacharach

April 6, 2008 Off

I’ve been listening to Shelby Lynne’s Dusty Springfield tribute, “Just A Little Lovin” quite a bit the last few days. It’s a great sounding record, beautifully under-produced by Phil Ramone. I keep returning to her version of the Bacharach/David tune ‘Anyone Who Had A Heart’. This is a very hip tune. The harmonic structure travels…

By Eric Jensen