Terrace Martin
Blue Note Los Angeles1492 Ivar Avenue, Los Angeles 90028
Terrace Martin comes to Blue Note Los Angeles for a billed solo-artist appearance. The listing does not name a supporting band, guests, or a particular project, so the personnel and set format remain open. What is clear is a night with one of LA’s most expansive musical connectors, whose work brings jazz musicianship into direct conversation with funk, soul, R&B and hip-hop.
From Crenshaw in Los Angeles, Martin is a five-time Grammy-nominated multi-instrumentalist, producer, composer and vocalist. He is especially associated with his production and playing on Kendrick Lamar’s good kid, m.A.A.d city and To Pimp a Butterfly, and his collaborators include Snoop Dogg, Stevie Wonder, Herbie Hancock and Lalah Hathaway. He also belongs to the Grammy-nominated group Dinner Party with Robert Glasper, Kamasi Washington and 9th Wonder. Rolling Stone hears his music as “all about warmth,” built from “lush tapestries” of funk, hip-hop and R&B; Pitchfork says it “never stays in the same place for too long” while retaining a “breezy spirit.”
A small, dimly lit basement club tucked into a Hollywood corner, Blue Note Los Angeles is a dedicated jazz and live music space with a long-standing reputation for intimate, high-quality performances. The room is modest, with a few rows of seats facing a stage where the music is the focus. It's a place to listen, not to socialize, with the audience often quiet, absorbed in the musicians. Drinks are available, but the atmosphere is centered on the music. Shows are ticketed, with multiple sets each night, and the evening unfolds with a steady rhythm of live music, not casual conversation.