This is one hell of a week-long immersion into the music.

Things I wish... I wish there had been programs like the annual UCSD Jazz Camp available back when I was struggling to assimilate jazz as a young musician in the late '70s and early '80s. I spent the day hanging …

Straddling the "inside" and the "outside" like a colossus, White delivered the goods.

It is a rare, and beautiful thing to have the opportunity to witness a singular talent developing at a pace so accelerated that each performance is a learning experience for the listener. I've probably seen pianist Joshua White 20 times …

Gilbert Castellanos brought five young musicians together for an opportunity to shine on their own.

San Diego trumpet master Gilbert Castellanos is always involved in giving back to the jazz community, and the June 22 performance of "The Young Lions," at Dizzy's emerged as another classic example of this generosity. Castellanos introduced a quintet of …

One man, one piano and a world of ideas.

San Diegan's will have the rare opportunity to experience the piano mastery of Joshua White in a solo context on Sunday, June 23, at Dizzy's (4275 Misson Bay Dr.), at 7:00 pm. I've been listening to jazz for 35 years, …

Solid mainstream piano trio featuring Hamilton Price and Steve Hass.

Well traveled sideman pianist George Colligan made a trio hit at the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library on June 16, with an LA rhythm section comprised of Hamilton Price on bass and Steve Hass on drums. Opening with "Waiting For …

Turetzky and Perrin transformed words into music with help from the Weller's.

Contrabass virtuoso Bert Turetzky joined forces with Chuck Perrin to present a night of bass and poetry -- specifically the works of Pablo Neruda and Jack Kerouac -- to a large and attentive audience on June 14 at Dizzy's in …

An extremely talented group of players helped the composer realize his ambitions.

Young composer/multi-instrumentalist Joshua Kwassman migrated into town from his NYC base on June 12, drawing a small but enthusiastic group of listeners to experience the wide-ranging and cinematic sound collages that constitute his Song of the Brother Spirits CD. This …

Refining their aesthetic for an upcoming West Coast tour, Johnson's group delighted a packed house.

The Steph Johnson Trio launched the Summer season of bi-monthly Jazz Live concerts on June 11, at the Saville Theatre and streaming on jazz88.org, another feature presentation from KSDS Jazz 88. The soulful singer has been gigging plenty with this …

Promoting a new album that defies easy categorization, the saxophonist makes a Dizzy's hit.

I've been spending the afternoon listening to the new disc from composer / multi-instrumentalist Joshua Kwassman as sort of a last minute preparation for his upcoming show, June 12, at Dizzy's which starts at 7:30 pm. Kwassman, who is a …

The intrepid horn man even engaged in a horn battle with himself.

Trumpet virtuoso Gilbert Castellanos turned in another one of his excellent theme-based shows on June 8, at 98 Bottles, this one titled A Tribute to Dinah Washington & Clark Terry, joined by his wife Lorraine Castellanos on vocals, with Mikan …

Lots of electricity in the air for Storey's fusion project.

On June 7, Dizzy's operator Chuck Perrin provided an opportunity to experience the work of guitarist Jim Storey's fusion project Storeylines, featuring virtuoso pianist Lynn Willard, bassist Ignacio Arango and veteran drummer Gary Nieves, with special guest vocalist Janet Hammer. …

Johnson's life has been a whirlwind of gigs, rehearsals and practice lately.

KSDS Jazz 88 kicks off their summer "Jazz Live" concert series with a premier performance on June 11, by the Steph Johnson Trio, closely on the heels of Johnson's latest CD -release Nature Girl. Johnson has been on a tear …

This is a striking pop-vocal effort, beautifully recorded.

Imperial Beach musician Teagan Taylor has a brand-new CD about to drop, Hello, which might come as a surprise to those who only know her as a solid, mainstream trumpeter and occasional vocalist. Indeed, Hello is first and foremost, a …

The experience of this trio kept things grooving.

Israel born, NYC based guitarist Roni Ben-Hur came to San Diego June 2, for an Athenaeum Jazz production at The Studio on Park Ave, joined by fellow NY heavyweights Santi Debriano on bass and Duduka Da Fonseca on drums. Ben-Hur …

Sprague used ethnic percussion-loops and guitar synthesizer to negate the lack of bass and drums, making for a thrilling three-way conversation.

Tenor saxophonist Brian Levy, with guitarist Peter Sprague and pianist Mikan Zlatkovich combined for a knockout concert of modern jazz at its finest May 25, dispelling the notion that a rhythm section is absolutely necessary for potent music making. They …

Ian Tordella led a tenor-heavy ensemble and a crack rhythm section at the Little Italy venue.

Local saxophone wizard Ian Tordella delivered a mostly cerebral set on May 24 at 98 Bottles, billed as The Twin Tenors, Vol. III, featuring LA saxophonist Joe Berry along with pianist Kamau Kenyatta, bassist Rob Thorsen and drummer Charles Weller. …

Four of the world's top players joined forces for a concert in La Jolla.

Athenaeum Jazz concluded its Spring series of concerts on May 23, with the Anthony Wilson Seasons Guitar Quartet in front of a nearly sold-out house at TSRI in La Jolla, shattering some expectations and succumbing to others in the process. …

There is a special, exploratory chemistry happening with these three.

Veteran double bass artist Rob Thorsen celebrated the recent release of his CD, Rob Thorsen Trio: Live on May 18, in front of a healthy crowd of jazz aficionados at Dizzy's in Pacific Beach. Featuring pianist Joshua White and drummer …

Wanicur's charts are tricky, but with Peter Sprague, Ian Tordella and Charles Weller in the band, easy to digest.

San Diego bassist Ben Wanicur held a CD release party May 17, at Dizzy's celebrating his new disc The Excluded Middle, fronting an all-star band featuring Peter Sprague on guitar, Ian Tordella on saxophone and Charles Weller on drums. Opening …

This is Vol.III in the series, pairing Tordella with LA sax man Joe Berry

Saxophonist Ian Tordella continues his Twin Tenors series, which spotlights up-and-coming saxophone talent (as well as established players) in the southern California area, accompanied by an outstanding local rhythm section comprised of bassist Rob Thorsen, pianist Kamau Kenyatta, and drummer …