James Blood Ulmer

While they adjust to a new name for the long-running performance series anchored at UCLA 's Royce Hall, audiences may be reassured by the selection of major names that Kristy Edmunds, the new director who tweaked the title, has included in her first season of picks. Read More

Vernon Reid has a busy 2012 on tap, with a new jazz-rock collaboration as a part of Spectrum Road to be issued next month and then a reunion project planned with Living Colour. Read More

Charismatic and dynamic saxophonist/bandleader Lakecia Benjamin, who has played with Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys, The Roots and Macy Gray, will take center stage in her own right with the June 12 release of her unconventional soul/funk album, RETOX , on Motéma Music. Read More