Music Top 5 September 16-30, 2016

John Mayall

JOHN MAYALL
(City Winery)
After fifty years, the British blues legend has the ravaged-but-indomitable demeanor to match that blistering, beautiful voice—and a career resurrection is the result.
September 30

SOMI
(Promontory)
Defiantly old-school R&B, tinged with jazz and African accents, by a ravishing young vocalist whose sumptuous singing ranks her with the greats.
September 16

ARTURO SANDOVAL
(SPACE)
The jazz trumpeter has roots in the classic age (his mentor was Dizzy Gillespie) and no one better resurrects that burnished, swaggering, gorgeously layered sound.
September 30

RAJAB SULEIMAN & KITHARA
(Old Town School of Folk Music)
World Music Fest is back and among the can’t-miss acts is this ensemble headed by Zanzibar’s leading qunan player, with hair-raising vocals by Saada Nassor.
September 21

BILL CALLAHAN
(Constellation)
The former Smog’s wry minimalism, dry wit and avuncular baritone create the kind of intimacy most singer-songwriters only ever aspire to.
September 25 and 26

Robert Rodi

Robert Rodi is an author, spoken-word performer and musician who has served as Newcity’s Music Editor since 2014. He’s written more than a dozen books, including the travel memoir “Seven Seasons In Siena,” and his literary and music criticism has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune, Salon, The Huffington Post and many other national and regional publications.
Contact: robert@newcity.com