As the US celebrates Thanksgiving over the next few days, there’s great live music being made around the world: David Byrne concludes his 2018 American Utopia world tour in Australia, Sam Amidon performs in Latvia, Timo Andres is in Brooklyn, Tigran Hamasyan is in Spain, and Brad Mehldau brings his new Piano Concerto to Poland.
As the United States celebrates Thanksgiving over the next few days, there’s great live music being made around the world from David Byrne, Sam Amidon, Timo Andres, Tigran Hamasyan, and Brad Mehldau.
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David Byrne concludes his critically-acclaimed 2018 American Utopia world tour in Australia, with shows at Convention Centre in Gold Coast tonight, Margaret Court Arena in Melbourne on Saturday, and AEC Theatre in Adelaide on Sunday.
Radio New Zealand, reviewing the American Utopia show in Wellington last week, found itself “overwhelmed by the incredible display of musicianship, movement, and joy on stage.” “It’s world-class performers doing what they do best,” says Stuff. “There is no other performer quite like him … He’s fresh, inspirational and straight-up entertaining.” Under the Radar exclaims: “The feeling of being so happy your heart might explode. The feeling of wanting to move. This is the body, understanding the music better than the head. American Utopia exists for this reason.”
Ahead of the Criterion Collection’s release of David Byrne’s 1986 film True Stories on DVD and Blu-ray next week, Nonesuch/Todomundo Records releases True Stories, A Film by David Byrne: The Complete Soundtrack this Friday. The comprehensive soundtrack contains twenty-three songs, collected for the first time in one package, in film sequence.
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Sam Amidon and his frequent collaborator Shahzad Ismaily play a set at Sea Gate Theater House in Durbe, Latvia, on Friday, for the Zemlika Festival.
Amidon’s latest album, The Following Mountain, was released last year via Nonesuch Records. The Irish Times gives it four stars, calling it “breathtaking … a fascinating signpost to the future.”
He’ll tour Ireland as the special guest of Laura Veirs next February.
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Composer/pianist Timo Andres performs works by Robin Holcomb, Couperin, Ives, Hobart Smith, and more at The Owl Music Parlor in Brooklyn on Saturday, conveniently timed to support the intimate venue on Small Business Saturday.
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Tigran Hamasyan is in Spain, playing solo at Barts in Barcelona tonight, as part of Voll-Damm Jazz Festival, and Fernán Gómez Centro Cultural de la Villa in Madrid on Thursday, as part of JazzMadrid. He heads to Portugal from there, for a concert at Theatro Circo in Braga on Saturday.
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Brad Mehldau performs his new Piano Concerto with the Wrocław Philharmonic, led by Clark Rundell, at National Forum Hall in Wroclaw, Poland, on Friday. All About Jazz says Mehldau has “emerged as a player with a stunning virtuosity and daring ability to mine far reaches of improvisation.”
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