Sony Holland Upcoming Concerts - April

Upcoming Concerts:

SONY HOLLAND DUO
@ the Left Coast Wine Bar
117 E. Harvard - Glendale, CA
Call for reservations: 818 507 7011
Tuesday, April 13 (8-11pm)
Saturday, April 24 (8:30 - Midnight)
Tuesday, April 27 (8-11pm)

Friday, APRIL 9th @ SPAZIO (8pm & 10pm)
w/ the Theo Saunders Combo
14755 Ventura Blvd. - Sherman Oaks (818)728-8400

Sun. APRIL 11, PALM SPRINGS
@ Vicky's of Sante Fe w/t Desert Cities Jazz Band!

Fri. APRIL 16, SAN FRANCISCO
CAFE DIVINE: 7pm - 9pm 1600 Stockton Street 415.986.3414

OUR DYNAMIC DUO IS COMING HOME TO CAFE DIVINE ON APRIL 16Th
Welcome Home Sony and Jerry

The Culver's Jazz Club - Sony Holland Concert Review

www.sonyholland.com

What a fantastic concert. You always here the phrase "you just can't improve upon perfection," however Sony Holland just gets better and better each time I hear her sing. She totally blew me away the other night at Culver's jazz club. She didn't just sing, she performed. Her band, The Theo Saunders Quartet who just happens to consist of some of the best players in the Los Angeles area was off the cuff. Not to mention Jerry Holland who is the best guitarist EVER. Below is a short snippet of the band performing "You Never Can Tell." Now remember I am not a videographer and I have a cheap camera so don't expect HD quality here :)



The club itself is nestled within the lobby and bar area of the Radisson hotel. It was founded in 1991 by Merle Kreibich who is just a sweetheart. She not only introduced Sony and the band but informed us about the upcoming shows and thanked the entire audience for coming out to the club. It was that special touch that made this club so special. You can click here to read more about the club including a calendar of upcoming performances.



If it has Sony's picture I take photos of it - hence, the sign above which was located right outside the door of the Culver's Club.



Above is a photo of the bar. Upon arriving at the hotel we decided to get a small bite at the bar before getting ready for the show. Besides we had a little time to kill so where better to spend it then at the bar? We ordered a plate of quesadillas of which we shared. It was a surprisingly large plate for a small bite. They were spicy, tasty and hit the spot. Inside the club there is a bar menu which holds an eclectic variety of food choices. I decided to have the crab cakes which were delectable and a non alcoholic beer. I was pleasantly surprised with the food in this club. The service was so friendly and accommodating that it made me feel as if I were home. They know how to treat their patron's at Culver's Club. Customer service is obviously top priority there and very much appreciated. I will have more on the food at this hotel in another post.



In the above photo, Sony and her band performing.



Theo Saunders tickling the ivories in the above photo. This guys rocks!!!



Me and my little buddy Sabrina above. I was so happy she joined us for the after concert festivities. Which reminds me I want to thank Gary and Trish, Sabrina's parents for again providing the bubbly and sweet treats for the after party. They do this at each of Sony's concerts and it is so much appreciated. Thanks you two.




It would not be a Sony Holland concert without her signature "At Last" performance. The above amateur video is a short clip of Sony and the song. Enjoy!

Stay tuned as I will have much more during this week.

Meet The Theo Saunders Quartet

Photo courtesy of sonyholland.blogspot.com

Vocalist Sony Holland will be in concert with the Theo Saunders Quartet on January 29th and February 5th. I had the pleasure of seeing Sony perform with the Theo Saunders quartet in October. They are stellar musicians and celebrities in their own right backing some of the best singers performing today. Click here for the link to my review of the Theo Saunders Quartet on Jo's Music Cafe blog.

Visit the Sony Holland blog.


Theo Saunders photo courtesy of sonyholland.blogspot.com

For more information on the Theo Saunders Quartet including some background on each player click Meet Theo Saunders and his Quartet

Video Below - Sony Holland & the Theo Saunders Quartet in concert at the Catalina Jazz Club in Hollywood.


Concert Venue and Information


Fri. Jan. 29, 2010
SONY HOLLAND / THEO SAUNDERS QUARTET (Theo Saunders, piano: Larry Koonse, guitar:
John B. Williams, bass: Tony Austin, drums)
2 Shows: 7:30 & 9:30pm
- No Cover Charge! -
@ the Culver's Club For Jazz:
Culver City Radisson Hotel
6161 W Centinella Avenue, Culver City, CA
Call 310 649 1776 ext.4137 Reservations Advised!

Friday, Feb. 5th
SONY HOLLAND / THEO SAUNDERS QUARTET
Steamers Jazz in Fullerton
(Theo Saunders, piano: Steve Cotter, guitar:
John B. Williams, bass: Tony Austin, drums)

If you are in the LA area, come on out, we'll see you there. If you are not in the LA area, both concerts are on a Friday evening so fly out and join us. Virgin America has a deal on fares right now. Another idea - Road trip :)

Enjoy

The Not So Friendly Skies

I normally do not like to use this blog for my rants. However since I usually just rave, what is one little rant now and then. Of course this is the second time I've complained about the airlines on this blog so I'll just continue the series.

As many of you know, I'll be going to Culver City the end of this month to see Sony perform with the Theo Saunders quartet. I booked the trip way in advance as soon as I heard she would be performing there. I got a great fare with Virgin America at $39.00 each way. So, I will fly down on the 29th and return on the 30th.

Those of you who know me well, know that the Grammy awards are an event for me each year. I usually attend a Grammy's party and enjoy the show. Well I didn't even think about the awards when I booked my trip to LA. The show is usually in February so I didn't even think about it until today when I saw online that the show was going to be held at the Staples center on the 31st. I immediately went to the airline website to find out that changing my return flight would cost me $75.00 plus an additional amount that would incur due to the fares having been increased since I booked.

Now I'm the type of traveler who travels on a budget and saves months in advance for trips. So, I have everything budgeted to a point that I cannot spend alot of extra money to stay an extra day. Not to mention, they are charging basically what I paid for the original flight. If I change the flight online myself, they'll charge $75.00 plus additional fees and the difference between the older and newer fares. If I call to change the flight it's $100.00 because, heaven for bid a customer service agent should have to spend five minutes on a computer to change it for me.

In all fairness, all the airlines do this. And, I knew when I booked that there would be charges incurred should I need to change my flight. My question though is how do they all get away with these inordinate charges and fees. Now mind you, my wanting to stay an extra day so that I could hang out with thousands of other people in front of the Staples Center so I can possibly take photos of stars is not an emergency. But, what if someone actually has an emergency situation and needs to change a flight? They have to pay these ridiculous charges on top of being stressed already? It's just crazy.

As it stands, I will be leaving my reservation as is and coming back home to attend my Grammy's party. I'm probably more angry at myself for not checking this out before I booked but it is so much easier to blame the airlines than it is to blame myself. After all, we all know that the airlines are basically price gauging businesses who care more about the almighty dollar than the customer. They are no different than any other business out there - I'm generalizing here.

So, in closing, thank you for listening to my rant and I promise not to make a habit of venting through this blog. I should start another blog, just for my rants.

Vocalist Sony Holland Upcoming Concerts

Photo courtesy of www.sonyholland.com


Singing "Embraceable You"

UPCOMING DATES:
Sony will be back in San Francisco for a pair of performances in mid-October.

October 15
CAFE DIVINE: SAN FRANCISCO, CA
7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. (guitar/vocal duo)
This is always a fun night at the charming North Beach café.
http://www.cafedivinesf.com
415.986.3414

October 17
THE BIG RUMBLE: SAN FRANCISCO, CA
Marina Green
Loma Prieta Earthquake Memorial Dedication Ceremony
Sony Holland Duo
Performance starts @ 4:00 p.m.
This will be a major event in San Francisco with all sorts of activities.
Please check out their web sites for more details:
http://www.thebigrumble.org
http://www.meqm.org

For the LA & road-trip people:
October 28
CATALINA’S IN LOS ANGELES
Sony with the Theo Saunders Quartet
8:00 p.m. (one set only)
http://www.catalinajazzclub.com/

See you there!