Recently in In The Bars Category

Arturo Sandoval returns to Scullers Jazz club for three night beginning Thursday, October 1st. Even if you're not a jazzer, Sandoval is guaranteed to blow your socks off with his high octane, bebop flurries. Whether he's exploiting the trumpet's high register or flying all over the piano keyboard, Sandoval will leave you smiling for days with his virtuoso playing and his infectious passion and love of all things music.

I've seen Arturo Sandoval perform three times. Each time I've been reborn.

After hearing Joe Cocker's soul stirring inerpretation of With a Little Help from My Friends, Paul McCartney and George Harrison quickly summoned Cocker to meet them hoping he could work some magic on a few other Beatle ditties: Harrison offered up Something; McCartney was more than willing to part with She Came in Through the Bathroom Window. With Leon Russell at the helm, Joe Cocker did it again infusing each song with his gritty growls and bluesy phrasing. Forty years later, Cocker's first three albums hold up remarkably well, his Dylan, Beatles, and Leonard Cohen covers outshining the originals.

If you regret missing Cocker's blistering performance at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium a few years back, you can catch this rock legend on June 7th when he plays the Hampton Beach Casino. Can't make the show, check out one of the concert clips from Woodstock or the Mad Dogs and Englishmen tour on You Tube. And if that's not enough to make you long for the days when sex, drugs and rock and roll ruled the world, relive what may be one of the funniest SNL moments ever...John Belushi's impersonation of Cocker complete with hands flailing and facial distortions. You'll be laughing for days!

When guitar legend Duane Allman was killed in a motorcycle accident in 1971 just short of his 25th birthday, fellow Allman Brothers band mate and guitarist Dickey Betts promptly began auditioning for a replacement. He chose Les Dudek. Born in Rhode Island, Les moved to Florida and was gigging around the South when he and a friend heard about the auditions with Betts. Shortly thereafter he was in the studio with the Allman Brothers working on the Brothers and Sisters album. Though it lacked the bluesy rock feel of its predecessors, Brothers and Sisters produced the two songs which became staples in their live shows: Ramblin' Man and Jessica, Les doubling up on the guitar harmonies with Betts on the former; cowriting and playing the acoustic guitar intro on the latter. After the Allman's, Les went on to record with the Steve Miller Band on Fly Like an Eagle and Boz Scaggs on his Silk Degrees album.

Les Dudek plays the Bull Run in Shirley this Friday, June 19th. Local favorites Ashbrook Haynes get things started at 8. Should be a great show.

Jazz guitarist Jeff Platz continues to captivate audiences world wide with his ethereal tones and smoldering improvisations. The Cleveland born guitarist, equally skilled in rock and avant garde jazz, hosts a monthly improvisational series in Providence, manages Skycap Records, a cutting edge jazz label in Munster, Germany, and has organized the Skycap Music Festival in Boston since 2004, bringing many unknown European jazz greats to the area.

Tomorrow night the Jeff Platz Group plays the 119 Gallery in Lowell. If experimental jazz is your thing, you don't want to miss this one. Music starts at 8:00 and a $10.00 donation is requested.

Got to love a band that lists author Graham Greene as a major influence and isn't afraid to sing in octaves incessantly throughout an album. While others have compared Kinnar's distinctive sound to the alt pop of the late 80's, I keep hearing reflections of the late 60's psychedelic pop, like something you'd hear on A Whole New Thing by Sly and the Family Stone. There's a sort of playful, party atmosphere to a Kinnar song that will find you humming along to their infectiously catchy melodies.

Saturday night you can hear it for yourself when Billerica based Kinnar hosts a CD release party at Mickey's. Proponents of the "free music" frame of thought, the band will be giving away copies of their latest CD The Wave-Vibration Structure of External Forms. As and added bonus, Rob Pierce (Audrey Can't Die) opens the show with a rare solo set. Should be a great night of music.

OK, you won't see the likes of Quay Lewd (photo) or Mondo Bondage anywhere when the Tubes take the stage at the Bull Run in Shirley this Friday night, but you will see original front man Fee Waybill (minus the 12" heels) singing everything from WPOD to She's a Beauty and that's good enough for me. Shortly after the Rundgren produced Love Bomb failed to ignite any sparks, Waybill left the band in 1985 releasing a few solo records and writing for film and other artists. In 1993,he rejoined the band he once roadied for. With four original members, the Tubes are guaranteed to rock the house even if they do it without the outrageous, (slightly pornographic) conceptual stage shows of the late 70's. Missing will be guitarist Bill Spooner and keyboardist Vince Welnick who went on to play with the Grateful Dead. Sadly, Welnick took his own life in 2006.

The Al Kooper show at Tupelo has been rescheduled to September. Incidentally, Al produced the Tubes self titled debut which gave the band cult like status with the teen anthems WPOD and What Do You Want from Life?

To celebrate the release of their long awaited third album, Year of the Ox, Jen Kearney and the Lost Onion play Gemstones in Lowell as part of the Friday Night Concert Series. Listening to To the Moon, one of the standout tracks on the album, is like taking a trip back in time to the soulful pleas of the early 70's complete with retro guitar and keyboard sounds that compliment Jen's passionate vocals beautifully. Layers of luscious vocal harmonies, missing on previous albums, create a joyfully, seductive background against the seriousness of the lyrics.

Lowell favorites Speakermute get things started with their own blend of hooky guitar lines and enticing vocal melodies. Show starts at 9:00. If there was ever a time to show your support for the local music scene, and in particular, two of Lowell's finest bands, playing in Lowell's newest music venue, Friday night is it. See you there!

Since it's inception in 2004, Ukulele Noir has been entertaining audiences up and down the East Coast with it's mysteriously dark, cabaret style shows. Hosted by songwriter and uke convert Craig Robertson, each Noir evening spotlights a handful of uke performers each playing a twenty minute set. I first heard Lowell's Melvern Taylor at a Noir show at the Revolving Museum a few years back, his clever nack for storytelling and crafty songwriting winning me over by the second song of his set.

Ukulele Noir is at Johnny D's this Tuesday night. Joining Robertson will be Greg Hawkes, keyboardist from the Cars, and Mark Occhionero performing his signature big band jazz covers on the uke. Special guest Melvern Taylor and His Fabulous Meltones highlight what promises to be a fun, darkly comical and somewhat strange night of music. Show starts at 8:30PM.

And one last thing: George Harrison's love of the uke is well documented and, according to Robertson, he wrote Here Comes the Sun on the uke. In the Clapton hosted Concert for George, Paul McCartney performs the first verse of the Harrison classic Something on the uke before the whole band kicks in and brings it all home.

Groton native Chad Burdick has opened for Lee Ann Womack, Charlie Daniels and Lowell favorite Phil Vassar, and with the powers that be in Nashville beginning to take notice, it won't be long until Chad explodes onto the Country charts. Voted Best New Country Star by his growing legion of fans, Chad continues to woo audiences nationwide with his heartfelt songwriting and powerful vocals. His new EP, Whiskey in the River, delivers a fine collection of originals including the sentimental favorite Those Letters and the two-stepping Tennessee Girl.

You can catch Chad at the Bull Run Ballroom in Shirley this Saturday night when he celebrates the official release of Whiskey in the River. Show starts at 8:00.