Category Archives: Concert And Event Reviews

Arnie Perez’s “Sunday Serenade – TWOFER TRIBUTE (Walter Bishop Jr. & Pepper Adams)” at the Five Spot Jazz

Text by Sohrab Saadat Ladjevardi

This past Sunday, I attended the second set of Arnie Perez‘s “Sunday Serenade – TWOFER TRIBUTE (Walter Bishop Jr. & Pepper Adams)” at the Five Spot Jazz in the East Village. I went to support Arnie, check out the new venue, and listen to the baritone saxophone.

Arnie did a fantastic job producing this monthly event. Curating live jazz in New York City is challenging, especially when it comes to building a consistent local audience. The Five Spot Jazz recently opened—paying homage to the historic original—and offers an intimate 70-person capacity with live music, Japanese food, and drinks every night.

The lineup featured Rick Germanson (piano), Jason Marshall (baritone sax), Lonnie Plaxico (bass), and Charles Goold (drums). The performance was excellent throughout. Rick’s piano playing was flawless and inventive; the rhythm section was locked in, and Jason’s rich tone and dynamic baritone sax playing were truly inspiring.

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Concert Review: Ali Boulo Santo Cissoko (Senegal) & Volker Goetze (Germany)

Review by Hubl Greiner

(Photos courtesy of Hubl Greiner and Volker Goetze)

Ali Boulo Santo Cissoko & Volker Goetze – A Dialogue

There are encounters on stage that are more than just musical collaborations. Undoubtedly, this was the case for the concert by Ali Boulo Santo Cissoko (Kora) and Volker Goetze (trumpet) last Wednesday at K9 in Konstanz (Germany). The duo demonstrated just how deeply music can resonate when it is grounded in mutual understanding.

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Gig Review: Spaghetti Eastern Electro Dub in New York

Spaghetti Eastern Electro Dub, live at Otto’s Shrunken Head, June 29, 2025

Review by David Belmont

I was looking forward to catching Spaghetti Eastern Electro Dub at Otto’s for a couple of reasons. One, I have a perverse liking for the East Village dive bar that has been the scene of lots of independently produced entertainment and artistry over the decades, including a monthly poetry reading that I have participated in for the past several years. Two, I was interested in checking out the band in person after having gotten heavily into their Live at Green Kill Sessions CD when I was reviewing it for DooBeeDooBeeDoo NY. I wanted to see/hear what made this highly eclectic band tick, and, in my experience, there’s no better way to do that than check them out in an intimate setting.

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Renaud Garcia-Fons

Live Review: Renaud Garcia-Fons Solo and In Quartet. At the East Neuk Festival, Scotland.

Artist: Renaud Garcia-Fons
Genre: French double bassist presenting his modern take on Andalusian cante jondo and Maqam.
Live concerts: on 28 and 29 June 2024 in Anstruther, Scotland, as part of the 20th iteration of the East Neuk Festival, a boutique annual international music and arts festival.

Photos courtesy of East Neuk Fest’s official photographer, Neil Hanna.

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