Concerts #317, 407, 462 - Eric Bibb at McCabe's Guitar Shop (November 1, 2003 - March 16, 2008)

I went to my first-ever Eric Bibb concert without knowing much about the artist - it was 2003, two years before the founding of YouTube, so there weren't as many music sampling opportunities as we have today.

Eric came out, said hello and started playing - two songs later I knew that I was in for a true treat.

Eric is great at everything a singer-songwriter is expected to be great in - composing good tunes, writing meaningful lyrics, playing the guitar with skill and virtuosity and singing with soul and passion. He's good at picking cover songs, too. Now throw in his good looks and wonderful personality and what you get is a top-notch artist, someone truly unique, who makes you wonder why he isn't better known in the States.

Here's a YouTube video that demonstrates what I mean:

Needless to say, after my hugely enjoyable introduction to Eric Bibb's music, I had to see him every time he came back to McCabe's. For his June 23, 2006 concert, I took along two Latino friends and co-workers, both new in the country, both quite worldly, but decidedly deficient when it came to American classic gospel, blues and folk music. The concert was a big hit with both of them and I felt great for having introduced them to something so distinctly American. Just like in 2003, Eric was warm, friendly, humorous and sang his heart out. With songs such as "Shingle By Shingle", "I Heard The Angels Singing", "In My Father's House", "Champagne Habits", "Don't Ever Let Nobody Drag Your Spirit Down", "Needed Time" and many others, Eric delivered a knock-out punch that's hard to forget.

Eric Bibb fans Fabian (left) and Octavio (2006)

Eric's appearance in 2008 came with an added attraction, namely bassist-extraordinaire Danny Thompson, well known to me from his association with Richard Thompson. Danny was there for the entire concert, and so was drummer Larry Crocker.

Once again I have to credit McCabe's for having exposed me to Eric Bibb, a musician of the highest caliber and someone I would have probably not discovered on my own.

Eric Bibb at McCabe's (photo by Jay Matsueda)

For more of Jay Matsueda's concert photos you may want to visit:

 http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jay-Matsueda-Music-Photography-LA/148601893507

Concert #623 - Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 8 at the Shrine Auditorium (Conductor: Gustavo Dudamel) (February 4, 2012)

Gustav Mahler

It was wall-to-wall Gustav last Saturday night at the Shrine Auditorium, with Gustavo Dudamel conducting a grandiose production of Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 8, also known as the "Symphony Of A Thousand". It was also wall-to-wall musicians, around one thousand of them, the most I've ever seen on one stage, at one time.

Gustavo Dudamel

The Shrine Auditorium has a humongous stage to begin with, but to make it suitable for one thousand musicians, it had to be super-sized at the expense of the first twelve seat rows. That was good news to me and my Better Half, as our Row 27 tickets allowed us to be only fifteen rows away from the stage. Not bad. Watching the musicians file in and take their seats, all one thousand of them, was an event in itself.

The lights went off twenty-five minutes after the advertised show time, as the famed Gustavo Dudamel, accompanied by seven vocalists, took the stage to a rousing reception. An eighth vocalist joined the fun later.

 The Singers

Manuela Uhl (soprano)

Julianna Di Giacomo (soprano)

Kiera Duffy (soprano)

Anna Larsson (alto)

Charlotte Hellekant (alto)

Burkhard Fritz (tenor)

Brian Mulligan (baritone)

Alexander Vinogradov (bass)

Gustavo Dudamel got quite a workout conducting not one, but two full symphony orchestras merged into one - the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Venezuela's Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra were seated together so one could not distinguish one from the other.

In 2009, the imposing Mormon Tabernacle Choir knocked my socks off when I saw them perform live in Salt Lake City, yet - at least in terms of numbers - they would have paled in comparison to what was assembled for Mahler's 8th Symphony. Just imagine a conglomerate made up of sixteen different choirs, some of them nationally known, amounting to about eight hundred voices - it was a thrill just looking at them, let alone listening to their collective singing.

Pictures don't do justice to the size of the orchestra and choir

LIST OF PARTICIPATING CHOIRS

Los Angeles Master Chorale

Los Angeles Children's Chorus   

Angeles Chorale

Pacific Chorale

Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles

Angel City Chorale

Choir of All Saints Church, Pasadena

Chorus of the Inner City Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles

Los Angeles Chamber Choir

Los Robles Master Chorale

Pasadena Pro Musica

Pasadena Master Chorale

Philippine Chamber Singers of Los Angeles

Renaissance Arts Academy

Vox Femina Los Angeles

National Children’s Chorus

I can't say that the music hit me particularly hard, but it was certainly enjoyable. I liked the crescendos that wrapped up the two parts of the symphony and I enjoyed watching Gustavo Dudamel's body language. 

Standing ovation!

Standing ovation!

The gorgeous Shrine Auditorium

Wall decorations at the Shrine