Reasons to be jazzed about Jazz Wednesdays in Laguna Beach:
- You will never get such quality jazz for so little money in LA.
- The venue, Seven Degrees, is a cutting-edge event center. You will get a nice modern architectural buzz from this place (and not in your ears – the sound system is great).
- It is easy to get in and out of this area during the winter. There is none of that Pageant chaos on Laguna Canyon. Parking is free after 6:00 pm.
- The cabaret ambience and seating facilitates mingling. Seriously, this is a polite, appreciative crowd. You can make friends.
- If you are an old fogey such as myself, you will appreciate that the event begins and ends early.
There are seven shows in the series. You can get the full schedule and tickets at the Laguna Beach Live website. Sometimes the events are available on Goldstar.
Specific shows in the series I want to highlight:
Bruce Forman Group on Feb. 1.
I am a jazz guitar fanatic so I have to see him. This won’t be reminiscent of George Benson. Foreman plays more like Herb Ellis or Barney Kessel when they’ve had their coffee. You can hear some clips of Forman’s work here. Some trivia: Bruce also plays in a cowboy bebop ensemble known as Cow Bop. I must see them!
Akiko Tsuruga Trio on March 1.
Even more rare than guitar jazz is Hammond B-3 organ jazz and Akiko brings it! Here is a video sample of her work. As you can see in the video, she is possessed! She’s based in NYC so you know she’s passed every jazz test on the planet. I’ve heard the Hammond style thanks to Jimmy Smith. Now I get to see it live for my first time ever and I have been catching jazz shows for …..37 years. Joining Ms. Tsuruga is the young phenom Graham Dechter on guitar. True story: I took friends to see Graham Dechter. During the intermission, one friend turned to me and asked “You play guitar, don’t you?” My answer: “I did until tonight.” He is that good.
Melissa Morgan on March 29.
Melissa Morgan (not to be confused with pop singer Meli’sa Morgan) is a warm-toned jazz singer in the tradition of Ella, Anita, Sarah, etc. She sticks to the Great America Songbook and adds the occasional touch of the blues. I could not ask for more. I know nothing about her, but she knocks it out of the park! Just listen.
