LA's Minaret Records brings its cult jazz shows to venues across the city this week

The Los Angeles-based record label Minaret Records, which has become a haven for artists in the L.A. jazz scene, is holding its second annual winter festival.

It'll be a weeklong celebration of artists across styles and generations, from solo trombone sets to alt/pop/jazz hybrids, held in pop-up venues across central and northeast L.A.

About Minaret

Minaret started as the brainchild of Yousef Hilmy, who noticed that there was a niche to be filled in the L.A. jazz scene: Often, his own friends who played jazz didn’t have a label or support system.

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“I saw in the L.A. jazz scene that there wasn't really a young label and there were a lot of really great artists who were sharing space,” Hilmy said. “So I thought of it as something that would champion these young artists [and] try to create a label that could tell the story of L.A. jazz music and really just American jazz music.”

Hilmy, who describes himself as a lifelong music fan, started out by working with artists he knew, eventually building a cult following of devotees in the local music scene.

The label’s name comes from Hilmy’s background – minarets are the towers attached to mosques where calls to prayer come from, and to him they symbolize both a daily reminder and a source of direction, themes that run through Minaret Records’ work.

“I'm Arab, I'm Egyptian, and I grew up in a very ‘hospitality is everything’ culture,” he said. “I try to bring that to Minaret with these shows, just like a feeling of family and familiarity and friendliness – to me, that's like a really important thing at a time like now that’s very alienated and where people are looking for friendship and community.”

This community ethos extends to Minaret’s work as an event series – the first of which was held immediately before the pandemic before Hilmy had to put it on pause.

“People like to say the word DIY – I always hesitate because I think what we're doing has a very high production value – but just in-house, independent, cutting out all the middlemen, all the ticketing platforms, and just really keeping it direct to the audience,” Hilmy said. “That's my biggest goal with this.”

About the shows

Rather than a traditional single-day festival, the festival is structured as a weeklong series – and many of the events are in repurposed or unconventional venues like churches and nonprofit spaces.

While last year’s festival was a single-day event at a dedicated concert venue, this year’s lineup will be more similar to Minaret’s typical offerings, which consist of intimate, pop-up style and house shows.

Each night will have varied offerings, as Hilmy booked double bills for each concert.

“The idea is like, for somebody that's first getting introduced to Minaret, they can kind of get a feeling of what our shows are like while still having this kind of festival layout,” he said.

And while many of Minaret’s signings are younger artists, the festival will represent an intergenerational lineup: For example, Roy McCurdy, known for his recordings with Cannonball Adderley in the 1960s and 1970s, will take the stage at Highland Park's Scribble on Tuesday.

To that end, Hilmy hopes that he can continue bringing in more jazz lovers of all ages into his shows.

“Jazz music a lot of times takes place at bars, which there’s nothing wrong with that,” Hilmy said. “But there's so many young kids, high schoolers, middle schoolers, or even people in college who aren't 21 yet who are big fans of this music and who contribute – and sometimes those are the people that know the most.”

That inclusivity is especially important to Hilmy during what he called “the time of Live Nation and conglomerates in music.”

“I strive to program very anti-corporate events and really try to keep ticket prices accessible,” Hilmy said. “It's a community that takes care of each other and where everyone is welcome.”

Where to catch the shows

Heads up: At the time of writing, a low ticket warning has been issued for the festival’s shows on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, so you may want to act fast if you’re interested. For more details, visit Minaret Records’ website.

• Monday, Dec 16

  • Performers: Paul Cornish Trio, Zekkereya El-Magharbel (Solo)
  • Time: 8 p.m.
  • Location: The High Low, 3000 Los Feliz Blvd

• Tuesday, Dec 17

  • Performers: Henry Solomon Trio (feat. Roy McCurdy & Carmen Quill), Thom Gill/Sam Wilkes/Chris Fishman
  • Time: 8 p.m.
  • Location: Scribble, 5541 York Blvd

• Wednesday, Dec 18

  • Performers: Genevieve Artadi, Yibs
  • Time: 8 p.m.
  • Location: Mid City Yacht Club, 4904 W Adams Blvd

• Thursday, Dec 19

  • Performers: Steve Lehman Trio + Mark Turner; Ambrose Akinmusire, Chiquitamagic, & Justin Brown
  • Time: 8 p.m.
  • Location: 2220 Arts + Archives, 2220 Beverly Blvd

• Friday, Dec 20

  • Performers: Jon Hatamiya Big Band, takoda/telemakus/miguel atwood-ferguson
  • Time: 8 p.m.
  • Location: Harmony Room, 2109 Chicksaw Ave