What we’re about
This group is for people who appreciate music and other forms of art beyond the mainstream, with a particular focus on the avant-garde or otherwise odd. Free Jazz, Musique Concrete, Atonality, Noise Music, Outsider Art, Surrealism, Dada, Junk Art, ...you name it! Not all events will necessarily be "weird", but simply off the beaten mainstream path.
This is intended to be an oasis from crass commercial banalities.
I'll post events that interest me, but I am also interested in hearing from artists, musicians, and other creative types about their events that I can share with members. Post your events and ideas in the "Discussions" section. I want this group to also be a vehicle that helps support artists and organizations that are doing interesting creative work.
The only requests are that we keep things friendly and civilized and free from partisan politics.
Upcoming events (4+)
See all- MOVIE NIGHT: TALKING HEADS "TRUE STORIES"The Frida Cinema, Santa Ana, CA
Cross-posted with So Cal Explorers
Date: Sunday, April 20 5:30 pm
Venue: Frida Cinema
305 E 4th St #100, Santa Ana, CA 92701
Phone: (714) 285-9422Possible dinner after, TBD
Trailer here
Director: David Byrne Run Time: 89 min. Release Year: 1986
Starring: Annie McEnroe, David Byrne, Jo Harvey Allen, John Goodman, Spalding Gray
Continue celebrating our 4/20 Weekend at The Frida with David Byrne’s True Stories from 1986!
Article from Criterion Collection
A small but growing Texas town, filled with strange and musical characters, celebrates its sesquicentennial and converge on a local parade and talent show.
Directed by and starring David Byrne of Talking Heads, True Stories is a borderline-experimental film that has gradually gained recognition as a cult classic over the years. Its reputation, while not as widely known as some major mainstream films of the era, has steadily grown, particularly for its quirky blend of humor and social commentary. Oh…and did we mention it has an amazing soundtrack?
- JAZZ NIGHT: HIROMI’S SONICWONDERIrvine Barclay Theatre, Irvine, CA
Date: Thursday, April 24, 2025, 8:00
Venue: IRVINE BARCLAY THEATRE
4242 Campus Dr., Irvine, California 92612Tickets: $34.00 to $134.00
https://www.thebarclay.org/online/article/hiromiPresented by Irvine Barclay Theatre
HIROMI’S SONICWONDER“One of jazz piano’s most brazenly virtuosic players.” —JazzTimes
NPR Tiny Desk Concert:
https://youtu.be/pnISpahN2dMJazz pianist Hiromi has electrified audiences with a creative energy that encompasses and eclipses the boundaries of jazz, classical and pop, taking improvisation and composition to new heights of complexity and sophistication. Her new groove-heavy project called Sonicwonder features a young and electrified 4-piece band including Adam O’Farrill on trumpet, Hadrien Feraud on bass, and Gene Coye on drums.
Born in Hamamatsu, Japan, Hiromi began studying piano when she was six years old. When she was 17, Chick Corea invited her to play with him at a Tokyo concert. She attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, where she was mentored by jazz legend Ahmad Jamal. Hiromi is a perennial favorite on DownBeat’s Annual Critics and Readers Poll, and has performed at the world’s finest jazz festivals, including Montreux, Umbria, North Sea, Newport, and Monterey. Her work has been celebrated by media including The New York Times, NPR Music, and The Washington Post, and she was a featured performer at the Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony in 2021.
- Music 101: The Concerto: Part 3 With KUSC's Alan ChapmanWalt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles, CA
Enhance your listening and appreciation of classical music through Music 101 with KUSC's Alan Chapman.
I have attended several of these and Alan Chapman is always very educational and entertaining.
DATE: Wed / Apr 30, 2025 - 7:30PM
VENUE: WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL
111 S Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90012PARKING: $10.00 for the day. Disney Hall has a large underground parking structure. Other lots are available in the area. Street parking is difficult.
TICKETS: $5 + $1 fee
About this Performance
Through the centuries, concertos have been the platform for virtuosos to thrill audiences. In the first two installments of this series, Alan Chapman traced the development and structure of the concerto from its beginnings through the late 19th century. Now, he resumes this chronological journey with many musical examples and vibrant visuals. Whether you’re continuing the series or joining for the first time, all are welcome to come and learn!About Music 101
These music appreciation courses are designed for all audiences, from those who know very little about classical music to those who are lifelong listeners. Choose one or more classes, each of which explores a variety of topics illustrated with musical examples from the LA Phil’s season, plus vibrant visuals and a lively Q&A. See all upcoming Music 101 events and learn more, here. - JAZZ AT THE BAKED POTATO - BILLY CHILDSThe Baked Potato, Los Angeles, CA
We have seen Billy Childs many times, including at the Baked Potato, and he is just never anything but great.
Date: Friday Night, May 2, 2025 @ 8pm
Venue: The Baked Potato
3787 Cahuenga Blvd, Studio City, CA 91604Tickets: $44.25 total, plus 2 drink minimum
https://www.thebakedpotato.com/events/billy-childs-may-2-2025/6 TIME GRAMMY WINNER BILLY CHILDS
AUBREY SITUMORANG …BASS
CHRISTIAN EUMAN …DRUMS
ANDREW RENFROE …GUITAR
BILLY CHILDS …RHODESBilly Childs has emerged as one of the foremost American composers of his era, perhaps the most distinctly American composer since Aaron Copland – for like Copland, he has successfully married the musical products of his heritage with the Western neoclassical traditions of the twentieth century in a powerful symbiosis of style, range, and dynamism.
Childs has received orchestral and chamber commissions from, among others: Esa-Pekka Salonen and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Leonard Slatkin, the Los Angeles Master Chorale, the National Symphony, the Minnesota Orchestra, the Orpheus Orchestra, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Kronos Quartet, the Dorian Wind Quintet, the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, the Isidore Quartet, the American Brass Quintet, the Ying Quartet, the Lyris Quartet, Anne Akiko Meyers, Rachel Barton Pine, and Inna Faliks. His works have been performed at Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, and Disney Concert Hall.
He has also garnered seventeen GRAMMY nominations and six awards: two for Best Instrumental Composition (Into the Light from Lyric and The Path Among The Trees from Autumn: In Moving Pictures), two for Best Arrangement Accompanying a Vocalist (including New York Tendaberry from Map to the Treasure: Reimagining Laura Nyro, featuring Renee Fleming and Yo-Yo Ma), and two for Best Instrumental Jazz Album: Rebirth (2018) and The Winds of Change (2024). In 2006, Chamber Music America awarded Childs a New Jazz Works Award and in 2019 a Classical Commissioning Award – making him the first artist to receive awards in both genres. In 2009 Childs was the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, and in 2013 was awarded the Doris Duke Performing Artist Award. He has also been awarded a Composers Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters (2015). In 2018, Childs was named Outstanding Alumnus of the Thornton School of Music (sharing that honor with, among others: Morton Lauridsen, Michael Tilson Thomas, and Marilyn Horne). Childs has also served as president of Chamber Music America (2016-2022).
Childs’ jazz career began in 1977, when he joined the band of trombonist J.J. Johnson. Soon thereafter trumpet legend Freddie Hubbard recognized the 21-year-old’s prodigious talents, and invited Childs to join his star-studded ensemble. Over a six-year internship that followed, Hubbard became Childs’ mentor in mastering the art of small ensemble improvisation. Childs launched his recording career as a jazz solo artist in 1988, when he released four critically acclaimed albums on the Windham Hill Jazz label. He has also recorded two volumes of “jazz/chamber music” (an amalgam of jazz and classical music) – Lyric, Vol. 1 (2006) and Autumn: In Moving Pictures, Vol. 2 (2010); both recordings have collectively been nominated for five GRAMMY awards (winning twice). In 2014, Childs recorded a collection of re-imagined Laura Nyro compositions for Sony Masterworks. Map to the Treasure: Reimagining Laura Nyro was produced by Larry Klein, and features guest artists Renee Fleming, Yo-Yo Ma, Wayne Shorter, Alison Kraus, Dianne Reeves, Chris Botti, Esperanza Spalding, and Lisa Fischer. In 2017, Childs released the first of his Mack Avenue recordings, Rebirth, which won the 2018 GRAMMY award for Best Instrumental Jazz Album. The second, Acceptance, was released in 2020, and the third, The Winds of Change, was released in March, 2023, winning the 2024 GRAMMY Award for Best Instrumental Jazz Album.
As a pianist Childs has performed with Yo-Yo Ma, Sting, Renee Fleming, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, The Los Angeles Master Chorale, the Detroit Symphony, Rachel Barton Pine, Anne Akiko Meyers, Chick Corea, the Kronos Quartet, Wynton Marsalis, Jack DeJohnette, the Dorian Wind Quintet, Ying Quartet, the American Brass Quintet, and Dave Holland.
