March 23, 2009

Verocai triumphant, Axelrod cancelled – Timeless to return late Summer, 2009.

It is with saddened hearts that we must announce today that Timeless, the extraordinary musical series, has ended without its fourth installment.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, the David Axelrod concert scheduled to take place on April 5, 2009 is now cancelled. Pre-concert ticket purchasers for the show will be automatically refunded via credit/debit cards. Patrons who purchased tickets at the Harriet and Charles Luckman Fine Arts Complex box office should return to the theater for a refund.

On a personal note, I don’t really know what to say – my arduous attempts to make this event a reality did not work out as planned. We had luminaries from as far away as Ethiopia and Brazil grace the Timeless stage; and to have to cancel a local legend in the end has been very difficult. Those of you who know me and know my personal relationship to David will know the enormity of my disappointment. Though we are unable to present our series in its entirety, it was still an undeniable success. From the composer-arrangers to our special guests to the incredible orchestra, we made history and breathtaking magic.

I would like to extend our complete gratitude to VTech – more personally Tom Bacon for taking this chance with us and sticking with it. Tom isn’t one to want to be in the limelight but I can say that none of this would have been possible without him, his wisdom and patience.

Worth revisiting, here is our take on last Sunday’s show:

It isn’t often that the cosmos align as perfectly as they did on Sunday to bring Arthur Verocai to L.A. for the first time. Though some people in attendance may have been familiar with his work through hip-hop’s skillful integration of his epic sound, there was no mistaking that Verocai’s symphonic artistry extends beyond the confines of sampling. With a 36+ piece orchestra – including Brazilian heavy hitters Ivan “Mamao” Conti, Aloisio Aguiar, Jose Bertrami and Airto Moreira – Verocai made his fabled 1972 self-titled album unfold before a “timeless” group of admirers.

Leading his troupe through cascading horns and soaring string arrangements, Verocai looked like an elegant prophet sent to take us on a journey to an unknown heavenly destination. Without hesitation, he opened the night with the intense “Karina (Domingo no Grajau),” dominated by an all-pervading horn section and the soulful twangs of Woody Aplanalp’s purposeful electric guitar.

Sultry classic “Dedicada a Ela” was given new life by Justo Almario’s saxophone, while soon after, the mestre himself took the microphone to sing his futuristic lament “Caboclo.” The most anticipated song of the evening was the larger-than-life “Na Boca do Sol,” which serves as an emblem of Verocai’s decidedly Brazilian approach to his visionary fusion of soul, jazz and psychedelic funk. Sung exquisitely by Clarisse Grova, Diana Booker and the recording’s original vocalist, Carlos Dafe, it was only fitting that the concert ended with a stepped-up encore of it.

The momentous night ended too soon, but we hope this is not the last time our city’s humble ears will be graced by this living legend’s brilliance. Obrigado, Arthur ­– we love you!

And indeed, thank you, Los Angeles. It has been an astonishing journey – one that has proven to be a learning curve for all of us at Mochilla and ArtDontSleep. It has raised the bar for all concert goers in this city, and hopefully, institutional programmers will finally come to comprehend that with their budgets, they can make bigger and better things happen in this city. We’ve broken the mold, and there’s no turning back.

With total gratitude…

B+  (Mochilla)