George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic at UCSD
The San Diego Symphony and Rock & Roll Hall of Famer George Clinton have little in common, unless this cosmic-funk pioneer has made clandestine recordings with the orchestra that have been hidden in a secret vault.
But after this weekend, the hugely influential Clinton and the symphony will share at least one key local connection.
His concert here Saturday night at UC San Diego’s Epstein Family Amphitheater is at the same venue the symphony performed at a year ago this month for the venue’s grand opening.
Saturday’s concert is being billed as George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic/Epstein Family Amphitheater 1st Birthday Party (or GCPFEFABP for short). It comes as part of his Just for the Funk of It! Final Tour?!? (The “Final” reference alludes to the fact that Clinton, 82, announced his retirement tour five years ago and is still on he road.)
While he won’t have an orchestra with him to throw down the funk, Clinton’s 18-piece band features two keyboardists, two bassists, two singers, two rappers and five guitarists, including Garret Shider, the son of late P-Funk guitar mainstay Gary Shider.
One of the other guitarists, Trafael Lewis, is one of Clinton’s grandchildren. So is singer Tonyshaw Nelson. Guitarist-singer Tracey Lewis is Clinton’s son and Trafael Lewis’s father. Guitarist Michael Hampton has been in P-Funk since he joined — at the age of 17 — in 1975.
Keyboardist and music director Danny Bedrosian came on board, full time, in 2004. He is the author of “The Authorized P-Funk Song Reference Official Canon of Parliament-Funkadelic, 1956-2023.” The voluminous, 504-page hardcover book will be published next month by Rowman & Littlefield.
Clinton now spends much of his time seated on stage, but he still sets the tone each night. Eschewing set-lists, he calls out songs for his band to play on the spur of the moment.
Given how many classics he has helmed — from “Flashlight” and “Atomic Dog” to “One Nation Under a Groove,” “Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof Off the Sucker)” and so many more — the oft-sampled Clinton has plenty of options.
7:30 p.m. Saturday. Epstein Family Amphitheater, 9500 Gilman Drive, UC San Diego, La Jolla. $30-$75. amphitheater.ucsd.edu
Multilingual singer Allison Adams Tucker will be featured at the In Between the Notes concert at UC San Diego’s Park & Market downtown.
(Howard Lipin/For The San Diego Union-Tribune)
In Between The Notes — A Collaborative All-Female Jazz Concert
A good array of San Diego’s wealth of musical talent will be showcased at Monday night’s edition of the In Between the Notes concert series, which is being expertly curated by top pianist Irving Flores.
The lineup features three leading area singers — Allison Adams Tucker, Whitney Shay and Lorraine Hussey — and six standout instrumentalists.
They include violinist Jamie Shadowlight, flutist Lori Bell, percussionist Monette Marino, bassist Evona Wascinski, pianist Melonie Grinnell and her sister-in-law, drummer Laurel Grinnell, who is the director of San Diego State’s Javanese Gamelan Ensemble.
All are veterans of the San Diego music scene who can be relied on to deliver memorable performances. Their repertoire will mix jazz classics and more recent compositions. The results should be a treat.
6 p.m. Monday. Guggenheim Theater at UC San Diego’s Park & Market, 1100 Market Street, downtown. $45 (includes a pre-concert welcoming reception with appetizers). parkandmarket.ucsd.edu
Sabrosas Latin Orchestra
I can’t recall if San Diego has boasted any all-female salsa bands prior to now, but Sabrosas Latin Orchestra is worth celebrating either way.
The brassy ensemble’s lineup features between 10 and 12 women per gig, including percussionist Monette Marino and pianist Tomo Osako.
The group’s name — “Sabrosas,” which translates as “delicious,” is also a slang word in Mexico for “hot women” — appears to be a sly variation on the title of Latin-jazz percussion great Mongo Santamaria’s classic 1959 album, “Sabroso!”
Formed in 2018, Sabrosas Latin Orchestra is skilled at creating propulsive music that keeps dance floors packed. That should be the case during the group’s encore gig at the Belly Up.
8 p.m. Wednesday. Belly Up, 143 South Cedros Avenue, Solana Beach. $14 (must be 21 or older to attend). bellyup.com