By Bill Vaughan
Entertainment Writer
The just-announced 2023 Hollywood Bowl summer season sets the iconic amphitheater as an essential destination with its diverse lineup spanning jazz, blues, R&B, classical, rock and more.
As previously reported in Tasty Clips, opening night June 10 kicks off with the iconic Janet Jackson, joined by Grammy Award-winning rapper Ludacris (whose “Fast X” will be previewed during the Super Bowl) and featuring a special appearance by the Youth Orchestra Los Angeles, conducted by Thomas Wilkins.
Among the highlights this season:
The two-day Herbie Hancock/Kamasi Washington-curated Hollywood Bowl Jazz Festival (June 17-18), hosted by Arsenio Hall, featuring Washington along with Leon Bridges, West Coast Get Down, Digable Planets, Samara Joy, The Soul Rebels with Big Freedia, St. Paul and The Broken Bones, Poncho Sanchez, Lionel Loueke and Gretchen Parlato, Boukman Eksperyans, Butcher Brown, Andrew Gouché and Prayze Connection, and more.
Jill Scott (June 22) performing her 2000 debut studio album “Who Is Jill Scott? Words and Sounds Vol. 1” in its entirety.
R&B icon Charlie Wilson (a.k.a. “Uncle Charlie”) returning to the Bowl July 12 with hits from his days as lead singer of the Gap Band and from his solo career.
Two nights featuring Kool & The Gang and the Village People (July 14-15). In case you haven’t heard, leader Robert “Kool” Bell madeOprah Winfrey’s Top 10 “O-List” of Valentine’s Day Picks For 2023 for his Le Kool Champagne.
Reggae Night XXI featuring Beres Hammond, Steel Pulse and Third World (July 23).
A special birthday concert, “Quincy Jones’ 90th-Birthday Tribute: A Musical Celebration” with performances of the recording legend’s songs by a roster of special guests and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, led by composer, conductor, and Jones collaborator Jules Buckley (July 28-29).
LA Philharmonic Music and Artistic Director Gustavo Dudamel, back for his 14th season conducting the orchestra with evenings featuring the Maestro of the Movies: John Williams (July 7-9), soprano Angel Blue (July 11), and An Ellington Celebration honoring jazz pianist, composer, and bandleader Duke Ellington (July 13).
Also: Latin music icon Rubén Blades (Aug. 11), “Empress of Soul” Gladys Knight (Aug. 16), Herbie Hancock with special guests (Aug. 23), Culture Club (Aug. 25-26), Air Supply and Michael Bolton (Sept. 3), Say She She (Aug. 6), My Morning Jacket (Aug. 20), Dave Koz and Friends with Morris Day & The Time (Aug. 27), Buddy Guy with Christone “Kingfish” Ingram (Sept. 6), Maxwell leading the Fireworks Finale (Sept. 8-10), Jacob Collier with the LA Phil (Sept. 13), and an all-star performance of “Promises,” the acclaimed 2021 album-length composition recorded with the late tenor saxophonist Pharoah Sanders (Sept. 20).
Group sales and new subscriptions are available now with “create your own” packages available March 14, and single-ticket sales beginning May 2. For a full schedule and more visit: hollywoodbowl.com.
PAFF WAYS: The Pan African Film Festival is teaming with Malik Books for a couple of Black History presentations. Up first is an evening with celebrity photographer Carell Augustus, author of “Black Hollywood: Reimagining Iconic Movie Moments” Feb. 13 at 7 p.m.
It will be followed on Feb. 15 with attorney and former “Real Housewives of New York” personality Eboni K. Williams, author of “Bet On Black: The Good News About Being Black In America.”
“Move When The Spirit Says Move: The Legacy of Dorothy Foreman Cotton” makes its world premiere Feb. 10. It is the story of the only woman on Martin Luther King Jr.’s executive staff, which is just the tip of the iceberg of her continuing legacy.
The short “Getaway,” a tale of motherhood written and produced by Malaika Paquiot and directed by Stephanie Malson, is also premiering Feb. 12, with additional screenings Feb. 15 and 18.
“God Said Give ‘Em Drum Machines,” a documentary on the beginnings of techno music and how Detroit was the creative and cultural hub for the creation of these beats, will be unveiled Feb. 16 at Cinemark Baldwin Hills Crenshaw.
CLIPPETTES: Samara Joy, the jazz darling who won the Grammy for Best New Artist is singing with The Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra at The Soraya Feb. 11, as A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie is at The Novo, and the “Ladies Night Out Comedy Tour” with host Nene Leakes, Loni Love, Jess Hilarious, Melanie Camarcho and B Simone hits the Microsoft Theater …
Also that evening at the Beverly Hilton, the 10th annual Make-Up Artists & Hair Stylists Guild Awards, honoring excellence in motion pictures, television, commercials and live theater, fetes Angela Bassett with the Distinguished Artist Award …
Roberts Projects presents the new work “Kehinde Wiley: Colorful Realm” at their gallery from Feb. 12 – April 8 …
Walt Disney Concert Hall hosts “An Evening with John Legend” Feb. 13 and 14. The special solo shows will feature intimate presentations of his greatest hits, as well as selections from his just-released Republic Records album “Legend (Piano Solo Version)” …
Singer Jacquees performs a lover’s show at The Novo Feb. 14 …
The biopic “Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” directed by Kasi Lemmons, is now available digitally, as well as the Oscar-nominated film “Empire of Light” from Sam Mendes (“Skyfall”) with Olivia Colman and Micheal Ward …
Creative expression is the focus as the L.A. Art Show opens at the L.A. Convention Center Feb. 15 through Feb. 19. Meanwhile, Frieze Los Angeles (Feb. 16-19) is back and bigger than ever with over 120 galleries across Santa Monica Airport.
TC ON TV: Feb. 10 – “Somebody I Used To Know” (Prime Video): Jay Ellis (“Insecure,” “Top Gun: Maverick”) and Kiersey Clemons star in this romantic comedy written by co-star Alison Brie and directed by Dave Franco. “Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur” (Disney): Series premiere of the animated series based on the hit comic book adventures of a young genius who accidently brings a dinosaur to NYC’s Lower East Side. The voices of Diamond White, Alfre Woodard, Gary Anthony Williams, Jermaine Fowler,Sasheer Zamata, Utkarsh Ambudkar (“Ghosts”), and Laurence Fishburne are featured with a theme song written and produced by executive music producer Raphael Saadiq. “The Last of Us” (HBO Max/On Demand): This episode, spotlighting new additions Lamar Johnson (“Your Honor”) and deaf actor Keivonn Woodard, is being released a couple of days in advance of the regular Sunday HBO slot due to the Super Bowl. “Criss Angel’s Magic with The Stars” (CW): Real Housewives Cynthia Bailey takes on “Stargirl” Brec Bassinger in the season finale hosted by Eddie Griffin.
Feb. 12 – “Super Bowl LVII” (Fox): Watch Rihanna live! “Next Level Chef” (Fox): The second season of the Gordon Ramsay-led series with fellow chef judges Nyesha Arrington and Richard Blais gets the coveted post-game slot.
Feb. 13 – “Off Camera” (Ovation): Chadwick Boseman, Regina Hall “Most Expensivest” (Vice): A fourth season of 2 Chainz uncovering all the extravagant ways the “1 percent” enjoys blowing its load.
Feb. 14 – “A Sunday Affair” (Netflix): Acclaimed Nigerian actress Nse Ikpe-Etim stars in this film about lifelong best friends who fall for the same complicated man. “Jennifer Hudson” (Syn): Tyrese Gibson, Muni Long “Off Camera” (Ovation): Keegan-Michael Key, Common “Fight The Power: How Hip Hop Changed The World” (PBS): “Culture Wars” looks at the 1990s and the culture’s rise in popularity as it is attacked by all sides of the political establishment. “Accused” (Fox): Malcolm-Jamal Warner and Wendell Pierce team for this story of a father encouraged by friends to take justice into his own hands upon learning about his daughter being assaulted.
Feb. 15 – “African Queens” (Netflix): Jada Pinkett Smith is executive producer and narrator of this docu-series tracing the rise and reign of Queen Njinga of Angola amid family betrayal and political rivalries. “Wu-Tang: An American Saga” (Hulu): A third season of the Emmy-nominated series based on the true story of the formation of hip hop’s Wu-Tang Clan. “Off Camera” (Ovation): Octavia Spencer, Uzo Aduba “The Masked Singer” (Fox): Season nine comes with a new twist: for the first time ever, panelists will have the opportunity to save a singer from elimination.
Feb. 16 – “Star Trek: Picard” (Paramount+): The third (and final?) season reunites the entire lead cast of “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” including LeVar Burton.
END QUOTE: “Look what it’s done to the culture. Look how the energy of the world moved. They play her whole album in the club. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen that. The whole entire joint — like, everything? Every remix is amazing. Everyone’s inspired. It has inspired the world. It’s inspiring creativity. … When it just inspires creativity, that’s an album. That has to be Album of the Year. It has to be.” – JAY-Z to Tidal on Beyoncé’s “Renaissance” missing out on the Album of the Year Grammy Award
As featured in the Los Angeles Wave and Independent, Tasty Clips is one of the leading entertainment columns in the nation, serving nearly 1 million weekly readers. Bill Vaughan may be reached at tastyclips@yahoo.com, via Twitter @tastyclips, or Instagram @tasty_clips.
