Tortoise (music group)

Guitarist Jeff Parker leaves his comfort zone in relocating to L.A.

2013-05-14 20:40:00

Los Angeles can be tough on newcomers, particularly among musicians. A key figure in the fertile Chicago jazz scene and member of the groundbreaking indie band Tortoise, guitarist Jeff Parker is midway through a relocation to L.A. that has found him...

Segerstrom Center's 2013-14 season: 'Mormon,' 'Once,' solo divas

2013-03-23 14:00:00

“The Book of Mormon” and “Once,” Broadway musicals that dominated the two most recent Tony Awards, will come to Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa during the three-venue complex’s 2013-14 season. Bernadette Peters...

Need a hostess gift when invited to dinner? The Times' S. Irene Virbila has a few ideas

2012-01-19 00:00:00

When I spent some months in Venice, Italy, years ago, my friend Paolo would show up at dinner parties with prosciutto. I'm not talking about a paper packet of sliced ham but a whole prosciutto di San Daniele, the famous ham from Friuli, cured with the...

2011 year in review: Best in jazz

2011-12-13 16:32:59

Ex-RX Bandits drummer Chris Tsagakis talks going solo

2011-10-16 16:35:21

Pitchfork turns 15: Here are a few baby pictures

2011-08-15 21:36:28

Culture Watch: Starlicker's 'Double Demon'

2011-06-01 16:33:19

Portland's Blue Cranes take wing on the rails

2011-04-23 16:33:07

Yo La Tengo applies some new tricks and twists to its familiar ways

2013-05-16 00:00:00

The name of its latest record is "Fade," but as it approaches its 30th anniversary, Yo La Tengo is as vibrant as ever, a scrappy old dog open to learning new tricks and trying new techniques. "Fade" is Yo La Tengo's 13th studio album, and it's notable...

Yo La Tengo, with its highest-charting album, at Harlows on Sunday

2013-05-10 09:34:02

Yo La Tengo bassist James McNew imagines that Jay-Z has perfected the art of touring. "He's probably got a thousand people setting everything up, and he just flies in to the venue, does the show and then flies out," McNew mused, not as criticism or even...

Building a bridge between Chicago and France, through jazz

2013-04-23 10:43:00

Imagine what might happen if some of Chicago's most inventive jazz musicians embarked on a multi-year collaboration with their counterparts in France. Just think of the music that might result, the insights that could be shared, the audiences that would...

Trio inducted into road racing hall of fame | community news

2013-01-29 13:08:00

Running didn't mean a lot to Jennifer Quarles when she moved to Williamsburg in 2000. Now, it's a passion. Ditto Rhonda Venable. And for Bruce Davis, he's got love for scoring races and volunteer work. So for their dedication, accomplishments, and...

Independent label Thrill Jockey Records wants to thank you for listening to, supporting and spreading the word about its diverse artist roster the past 20 years.

2012-12-12 14:17:00

, Parker has spent the bulk of his career developing into one of the top modern jazz guitarists working today. His latest trio release, "Bright Light in Winter" (Delmark), mixes head-bobbing song craft with an elastic sense of improvisation.

2012-02-24 17:27:00

Doug McCombs' band is the strong silent type � so to speak. Brokeback, the long-running instrumental rock band of which McCombs is the sole constant, hails from an earlier era of Chicago rock where forgoing a singer and focusing on the songs was practically de rigueur (he also plays in Tortoise,

2011-12-15 09:51:36