Etta James, the soulful American singer whose powerful voice famously crooned the classic "At Last," has died, just five days ahead of her 74th birthday. Her death was confirmed by her longtime manager and friend, Lupe De Leon. more ›

What’s on tap for a Tuesday night in LA? Here’s a lineup we picked out for you: A West Coast “re-screening” premiere of Wynn Chamberlain’s Brand X; wine and jazz at Palate in Glendale; Anne Enright at ALOUD and The MOTH storytelling. Read on for all the details. more ›

What’s on tap for a Tuesday night in LA? Here’s a lineup we picked out for you: Spooky cartoons at Cinefamily, an evening with Mrs. Brady at the Paley Center, Hector Tobar at Skylight Books and wine and jazz at Palate in Glendale. Read on for all the details.` more ›

What a better way to cool off tonight than with a little wine and jazz? Pancho Sanchez plays at Hollywood and Highland while Palate in Glendale showcases a few Riesling selections. If you're looking for more artsy stuff: LA artist Paul McCarthy lectures at the Hammer on Paul Thek's work and then there's always Iris at the Kodak. more ›

Legendary vocalist Etta James will undergo a medical evaluation based on an order issued today by a Riverside County Superior Court judge, according to the LA Times. James, who has dementia and leukemia, has been living at home and receiving 24-hour care, but questions arose in court as to how reliable that care may be: more ›

Family Bookstore holds the launch of the book, Touchable Sound: 7" Records from America, tonight at 7 pm. There will be a slide show of 7"s with commentary and discussion by all three book editors--Mike Treff, Brian Roettinger, Diego Hadis, plus Britt Brown of Not Not Fun Records and Justin Pearson of Three One G Records. more ›

Big sounds will be buzz from multiple venues over the next week as jazz notables Henry Grimes, Wadada Leo Smith, Ravi Coltrane, and John Abercrombie highlight this year's Angel City Jazz Fest. more ›

1642 is hep, happening and hidden from weekday swarm. Away from the pomp and cheeseballery of Sunset Boulevard, the unassuming venue at 1642 Temple Street is a neighborhood bar cushioned between Echo Park and Historic Filipinotown (HiFi). more ›

When Bitches Brew came out in 1970, the critics were split and many fans were turned off to hear Miles Davis turn toward a definitively more electric sound. But it became Davis' first gold record -- probably because so many people just had to hear it for themselves. more ›

Tonight Skylight Books welcomes LA author Mona Simpson who’ll read from her latest novel My Hollywood. She’s better known for her novel turned chick flick Anywhere But Here. 7:30 pm. more ›

Sad Happy Sucker, an absurdist comedy by Lee Kirk, opens at the the Lyric Hyperion Theatre in Los Angeles tonight and runs through Oct. 10. It’s produced by Jenna Fischer (The Office) and directed by Sean Gunn, and the play “touches on the absurdist themes of alienation, helplessness, and anxieties the anxieties of everyday life.” The shows play on Friday and Saturday nights at 8 pm and Sundays at 7 pm. Tickets: $20, $15 Sundays. more ›

The Downtown Art Walk takes place tonight and among all the art openings is one that caught our eye: Eat Me, An Eye Scream Social--a group show with summer themed art--at Bang Gallery. Opening reception tonight from 6-10 pm. Remember that there’s a mobile food truck court at 334 S. Main St. After the Art Walk, Slang Chicken will be performing at Casey’s Irish Pub between 8 pm and 2 am. more ›

Warm up those vocals...Friday Night Sing-Alongs at Walt Disney Concert Hall takes place tonight from 6:30 to 7:30 pm and again from 8 to 9 pm at W.M. Keck Amphitheatre. Tonight’s theme? Disco. Sing favs like “Stayin’ Alive” and “Shake Your Groove Thing” while accompanied by live musicians. Lyric sheets are provided. Free admission, but but tickets are required. (Tickets for 6:30 pm Sing-Along will be distributed beginning at 6. Tickets for 8 pm Sing-Along will be distributed beginning at 7:30pm. One ticket per person to those waiting in line. Capacity is limited.) more ›

Pamela Rose presents the album and stage show Wild Women of Song tonight at 7:30 pm at the Grammy Museum. The SF jazz and blues vocalist Rose celebrates the lives, times and music of women songwriters from the Tin Pan Alley days. She uses images, storytelling and a "cultural retrospective while treating the audience to a wonderful jazz and blues concert.” Tickets: $12. more ›

Happy Memorial Day, LA! Here are your event options for today: VINO The first City of Angels Wine Fest kicks off at noon today in the Music Center Plaza. It's a fundraiser hosted by the Rotary Club of Los Angeles to benefit the Volunteers of America Los Angeles (VOALA) downtown homeless service center. Wines from more than 30 California wineries will be paired with foods from several Patina Restaurant Group offerings. Tickets are $75 at the door, and the tasting runs until 5 pm. more ›

An Alice in Wonderland Exhibition opens today at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in DTLA. Original costumes from the film by Oscar-winning designer Colleen Atwood (Memoirs of a Geisha, Chicago) include Johnny Depp’s original Mad Hatter fighter garment, several of Mia Wasikowska’s Alice dresses and Helena Bonham Carter’s Red Queen Dress. Also on display are costume sketches, hats and props from the film as well as the “Edgier Side of Alice-” inspired clothing and products by Sue Wong, Tom Binns, Avril Lavigne and FIDM grads. The exhibit is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 am to 4 pm and runs through the end of September. more ›

When we last spoke with the 27 year-old trumpet phenom who has garnered Grammy nominations, countless accolades and numerous appearances on the big screen he was in town performing at the Catalina Jazz Club. Less than two years later, the New Orleans-bred musician returns to Los Angeles to perform two shows, a free show today at Amoeba Records (5pm) and Tuesday at The Roxy. more ›

Two interesting sales going on today: Flutter in Pasadena hosts a Minnie Rose, Christopher Fischer, Eze Sur Mer and Tag Jeans Trunk Show today from 11 am-5 pm. And various showrooms at the California Market Center Downtown are opening their doors to the public today for pre-holiday sample sale shopping. more ›

The sound of Melody Gardot's voice feels like a swath of dramatic black and white, evoking images of film noir and mint juleps. In describing her demeanor and jazz-tinged music, words such as vamp, moxie, sass, and verve can't help but emerge. However, Gardot's easy delivery has been hard won. Six years ago, when her involvement with music was more of a flirtation, she was struck by a Jeep Cherokee while riding her bike. more ›

UCLA Live presents Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis tonight at 8 pm at Royce Hall. Under Music Director Wynton Marsalis, the 15-piece resident orchestra at Jazz at Lincoln Center in NYC will perform rare historic compositions to modern jazz, including compositions and arrangements by members of the band. Tickets: $38-$85. ($15 UCLA students). more ›

September 15th is a special day for many Latin Americans that call L.A. home. On that fateful day in 1821, the Spanish were told they were no longer welcome in Central America. Various other countries, including Mexico, followed suit in the days that followed and today, that call to Independence is widely celebrated throughout the L.A. area. more ›

There’s a launch party and reading at Skylight Books of Peter Gadol’s brand-new novel Silver Lake, set in...Silver Lake. In his seventh book, Gadol chronicles two architects’ happy life together, and how that happiness is shattered by a peculiar, yet attractive, stranger. The reading begins at 7:30 pm. Free. more ›

There’s an opening reception tonight for Bryan Cunningham’s Wander Lost exhibit at La Luz de Jesus Gallery starting at 8 pm. His inspiration for the art was born out of a road trip across America. He got sick of seeing gentrified towns with megastores and chain restaurants, so he got off the freeways and took forgotten roads with “mom & pop diners, picturesque motels and backyard shrines (to anonymous deities) that gave an indigenous face back to the road.” more ›

Rogue Theater presents Shorts & Sweets tonight at 10:30 pm. It’s an evening of four world premiere one-act plays with three servings of sweets (cookies, cupcakes etc.) that keep to the plays’ themes. On the program are: Keeping Pace by Robin Rothstein, Weedwhaker Tuesday by Amanda Mauer, Free by Craig Pospisil and I Hate L.A. by John Pollono. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 10:30 pm until Aug. 22. Tickets are $15. more ›

Buzzworks Theater Company presents “Angst! A Radical Night of 80s Oddities” tonight at 8 pm at the Renberg Theatre at The Village at Ed Gould Plaza. The company will reinvent favorite 80s classics for the stage. The local indie-pop band, Populuxe, will be covering the biggest hits of the decade with celebrity guest singers. Audience members will be invited to mix and mingle with the stars at a post-show cocktail reception. Tickets are $25 and will help benefit the company. more ›

LAist is stoked about the three-day style and design event Dwell on Design, taking place today, tomorrow, and Sunday. Exhibits, panels, and special events are taking place all over town, and while we're most excited about some of the on stage speakers and panels this weekend and tomorrow night's movie & mobile food event, things get underway today at the Convention Center for the Dwell on Design Exhibition, open to Trade and Dwell Conference Plus ticket holders only until 8 p.m. more ›

Neko Case at the Greek Theatre on Friday and the 31st Annual Playboy Jazz Festival Saturday and Sunday at the Hollywood Bowl reminded us of how much we appreciate the summer outdoor concert season. more ›

Before Live Aid, Farm Aid & Chef Aid came The Secret Policemen's Ball - which made the mold for the benefit concert, broke it, taped it back together, and ran with it. With a wealth of British comedy (including The Pythons, Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry & Rowan Atkinson) and musical virtuosos (Pete Townshend, Sting, Eric Clapton & Phil Collins in then-unheard-of "unplugged" performances) donating their talents for Amnesty International, the show & tie-in albums, films & tapes, became a phenomenon more ›

The LA Convention Center opened its doors about an hour ago for the official start of the E3 Expo, the huge gaming trade show. It runs today until 6 pm and continues tomorrow and Thursday. Game debuts include Shaun White: World Stage, Halo: Reach and The Beatles: Rock Band. Search for #e3 on Twitter if you need the play-by-play. more ›

This week the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association announced the Hollywood Bowl 2009 Summer season. Board members, the press, and LA Philharmonic/Hollywood Bowl staff gathered on the stage at the Bowl to find out what is on the schedule this summer. The highlights are many. more ›