Uncategorized

2012: What Haven’t I Done Yet?

by Rachel Cantrell on January 9, 2012

2011 treated me pretty well — I finished off my first semester at Columbia, explored the city’s jazz sphere (extensively!), ate too much NYC grub, and miraculously stumbled upon a way to spend my nights at the Village Vanguard. I even got a chance to enjoy a bit of the same party back here in [...]

{ 0 comments }

New Year’s Eve, Toast of the Nation, and the Blue Whale

by Rachel Cantrell on December 31, 2011

Tonight I’ll be ringing in the new year at the Blue Whale with Alex Rodriguez and some new friends at WBGO for the annual Toast of the Nation. Starting at 8pm E.S.T, you’ll be able to check out some pretty incredible jazz nationwide — starting in Boston with the Julian Lage trio at Berklee and [...]

{ 0 comments }

There’s a few revelations I’ve had working behind the coat check desk at the Village Vanguard during the Christian McBride & The Inside Straight series this past week. First off, for lack of better vocabulary, I’ve got the coolest job in the world. In exchange for the simple task of taking the coats and bags [...]

{ 0 comments }

In the Meantime, Some Fan Mail…

by Rachel Cantrell on December 8, 2011

In between finals, essays, and working coat check at the Village Vanguard, I got this in my email the other night. I guess I’m doing something right. Stay tuned for some reflections on the Christian McBride & Inside Straight show from last week, and the Jenny Scheinman/Bill Frisell/Brian Blade show going on until Sunday. And [...]

{ 4 comments }

It’s been quite a while since I last posted, and it’s been quite the adventure since then. I’m now writing from my temporary (and perhaps, future) home in New York City at Columbia University — a city that constantly reminds me how drastically far away I am from my home in Los Angeles. But this, [...]

{ 2 comments }

After four very busy weeks at the California State Summer School for the Arts (CSSSA) music program, I’m now at home on my laptop trying to catch up with all of the music that was shared with me over the course of this past month. Though I was exposed to a wide variety of music [...]

{ 0 comments }

Tomorrow: John Daversa CD Release Party @ Catalina’s

by Rachel Cantrell on July 19, 2011

Before I head to bed here at CSSSA @ CalArts, here’s something that you should check out tomorrow night (Wednesday, July 20th) if you have the chance- the John Daversa Big Band’s CD release party at Catalina’s Jazz Bar & Grill celebrating the band’s first studio album. The party starts at 8 pm and it’s [...]

{ 0 comments }

Twist: An American Musical Ticket Giveaway!

by Rachel Cantrell on June 25, 2011

Last weekend I had the pleasure of checking out a preview show of Twist: An American Musical thanks to the folks spreading the word about this fantastic new production at the Pasadena Playhouse. The show begins on the 26th of this month (which is tomorrow!), and I’ll save my words about the production until after it [...]

{ 1 comment }

Over the course of Memorial Day Weekend — which, if you’re keeping track, was the next three days of my five-day jazz extravaganza — I spent my nights at my favorite little jazz venue in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles for the LA Jazz Collective’s Memorial Day Weekend Festival. The first night opened with an exciting [...]

{ 1 comment }

Over the past few days…

by Rachel Cantrell on May 27, 2011

…I’ve been having a pretty sweet weekend. And I want to share as much of it with you as I can. That being said, I’ve also jumped straight out of my graduation ceremony into some past-midnight jazz clubs — and I’ll be doing this every day until Sunday night with the Daversa band. So until [...]

{ 0 comments }