LA County Close Up

ARIAS INSPIRED BY THE POETRY OF POPE JOHN PAUL II COMPOSED AND CONDUCTED BY VICTOR VANACORE PRESENTED BY BACK EAST ENTERTAINMENT Grammy winner, composer, arranger and conductor Victor Vanacore will lead a world-class orchestra and well-known tenor soloists in the world premiere of La Sorgente, a concert of 10 neo-classical arias composed to the poems of Pope John Paul II.

ANGEL CITY JAZZ FESTIVAL - MONK CENTENNIAL EDITION PRESENTED BY ANGEL CITY ARTS For its 10-year anniversary, the Angel City Jazz Festival presents a special tribute to innovative jazz pianist and composer Thelonious Monk in celebration of his centennial. Monk’s impact on today’s jazz cannot be overstated - virtually every living jazz musician has been deeply influenced by his radically original music. The celebration kicks off with “Thelonious Monk's Afro-Cuban Dream,” adding the clave to Carmen McRae's "Carmen sings Monk,” featuring Dee Dee Bridgewater on vocals, Brian Lynch on trumpet, Conrad Herwig on trombone, Manuel Valera on piano, Ruben Rodriguez on bass, Richie Flores on conga and Robby Ameen on drums. The final part of the program reimagines Monk DJ style, with performances by DJ Logic, Mark de Clive-Lowe, Deantoni Parks and Steve Lehman slicing and sampling Monk through John Beasley's own MONK'estra records.

30 AÑOS DE "CANCIONES DE MI PADRE" Some of LA's favorite artists will come together to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Linda Ronstadt’s hit album “Canciones de Mi Padre,” a milestone for Mexican traditional Mariachi music in the United States. The night includes performances by Linda’s niece, solo artist Marisa Ronstadt; Los Angeles’ favorite all-female stringed mariachi, Las Colibrí; the first all-female youth mariachi academy, Las Jovencitas; and Ballet Folklorico Ollín, who will recreate scenes from the original “Canciones de Mi Padre” tour. Host José Armando Ronstadt will add personal insight into the Ronstadt family and legacy, his cousin Linda’s success and how cultural identity took on a new meaning for Mexican-Americans all because of one multiplatinum-selling album.

VIVER BRASIL CELEBRATES 20 YEARS: AGÔ AYÓ - SPIRITS RISING Celebrating its 20th Anniversary, Viver Brasil will feature premieres by choreographers Marina Magalhães and Vera Passos, with new music by Kahlil Cummings and Simon Carroll. These works will illuminate the Afro-Brazilian ancestral wisdom of orixa dance and music, the social dances of frevo, samba and the spectacle of the bloco afro. This anniversary concert highlights Viver Brasil's joy, jubilance and artistic range as the company explores themes of race, gender and social equity.

ASTRAL PROGRESSIONS WITH JOSEF LEIMBERG + FRIENDS. Virtuoso trumpeter and composer Josef Leimberg will make his Ford Theatres debut performing music from his recent album, Astral Progressions, a fusion of cosmic jazz with soul, R&B and hip-hop. Josef appeared on Kendrick Lamar's Grammy Award–winning LP To Pimp a Butterfly, and has worked with Snoop Dogg, Erykah Badu, Funkadelic, Thundercat and Dr. Dre, among others. For his Ford performance, he will bring along some of his favorite musicians and collaborators, including singer/songwriters Bilal, Jimetta Rose and Jermaine Holmes (D'Angelo's The Vanguard/Drumhedz), to perform his signature style of innovative and expansive jazz. Presented by Go As If