Jazz up the holiday season with concerts, charities, gifts

As nice as it is to wonder about upcoming holiday gifts, it’s also a time to think about others who may go without the basic necessities in life. In the spirit of giving, jazz pianist and composer George Kahn will hold his sixth annual Fundraiser Concert for Path Ventures on Dec. 14 at Hollywood’s Catalina Jazz Club. Path Ventures, a community development organization, focuses on the construction of quality affordable housing in the Los Angeles area.

The Path Ventures Holiday Jazz Revue will feature Culver City resident George Kahn on piano, with an all-star band of Los Angeles studio musicians, including Courtney Lemmon, Gina Saputo, Dianne Wright, Larry Klimas, Lyman Madieros, Even Stone and special guests. Kahn’s jazz and blues review is described as a journey through blues and jazz, from New York to L.A.; from the Andrew Sisters to the Pointer Sisters. In short, it’s music at the intersection of Jump Street and Boogaloo Avenue.

The 8:30 p.m. concert is at the Catalina Bar and Grill, 6725 Sunset Blvd. Tickets for the show only are $25 at the door, $100 with dinner. A great way to get into the holiday spirit with some down home blues and jazz, it will also help a worthy cause.

If you are a rock ‘n’ roll guitar fanatic and want to help give back in a charitable way, you may want to look at Gibson’s GuitarTown at the Sunset Strip Charity Auction. On Saturday, Dec. 3, Gibson Guitars and other local organizations will auction off 20 10-foot Gibson sculptures, which have lined the 1.6-mile famous music boulevard since August 2010.

Are you looking for a gift for the music fan who has everything? There are guitar sculptures that highlight the careers of Motley Crue, Guns N’ Roses, Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, The Beach Boys, Peter Frampton, Cheech & Chong and more. Bidding starts around $1,500 for these one-of-a-kind sculptures. All proceeds will support the Los Angeles Youth Network, West Hollywood Arts & Cultural Commission and the West Hollywood Library. Visual images of the sculptures and bidding information can be found at julienslive.com.

If G N’ R is your cup of tea, Axl Rose and his current crew of merry men will perform on Dec. 21 at the Forum in Inglewood. The current lineup comprises Rose on lead vocals, lead guitarists Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal, DJ Ashba, rhythm guitarist Richard Fortus, bassist Tommy Stinson, keyboardists Dizzy Reed and Chris Pitman and drummer Frank Ferrer.

Looking for something more local? The Choraliers concert of holiday music will take place on Dec. 3 at Grace Lutheran Church in Culver City. Kathrine Bates will conduct a 30-voice choir, performing all of your Christmas favorites. The free concert will feature pianist Dave Black, singer and guitarist Jo Anne Kurman and special guest Dick Williams. Grace Lutheran Church is at 4427 Overland Ave. and begins promptly at 7 p.m. Donations will be accepted.

On Friday, Dec. 2, Culver’s Club for Jazz presents a tribute to Los Angeles stalwart jazz pianist Mike Melvoin. The sets will feature tenor sax player Pete Christlieb, drummer Ralph Penland, bassist Tony Dumas and special guests. The cover is $15. Sets begin at 7:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. at the DoubleTree L.A. Westside Hotel in Culver City. More information can be found at in-housemusic.com.