Jazz in Buenos Aires: Thelonious Club

I recently moved to Buenos Aires, and one of my objectives while here is to investigate the jazz scene (needless to say, I'm interested in immersing myself in the city's music scene as a whole). At a 12:30 a.m. show a couple Saturdays back, I got my first taste. The venue was Thelonious Club, one of the more renowned jazz clubs in Buenos Aires, in Palermo. It was the late-night crowd, people who were clearly there because they were down to see some good jazz. And the band kicked ass: Levas Cruzadas, a 9-piece brass band: two trumpets, two trombones, three saxes, a tuba player playing the bass parts, and a drummer. Their sound was based in New Orleans jazz, but they also had a Balkan music side, as well as an experimental side, and a South American attitude. The drummer was laying down some excellent jazzed-out march beats. And Thelonious was a good venue for it; the seating was a bit limited, but it's a really nice space for jazz. Part one of the jazz search was a success.

Some Songs I've Been Obsessed With Lately

"In for the Kill" - La Roux
"I Can't Hardly Stand It" - The Cramps
"Today" - Jefferson Airplane
"The Suburbs" - Arcade Fire
"Paradise by the Dashboard Lights" - Meatloaf
"Shutterbug" - Big Boi
"Gentleman" - Fela Kuti
"Dancing on My Own" - Robyn
"Never Going Back Again" - Fleetwood Mac
"Power" - Kanye West

..and finally: "I Pharaoh" - Sun Ra

2010

I haven't written anything here for awhile, but damn, I just have to say that 2010 has been an incredible year for music so far. In March, the White Stripes released one of the great live albums of all time, Under Great White Northern Lights. In July, the Books returned with their fourth album, The Way Out, further cementing their place as one of my all-time favorite bands, and Big Boi finally released the long-delayed Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty, the first great Outkast-related album since 2003's Speakerboxxx/The Love Below. There have also been excellent albums from LCD Soundsystem, Gorillaz, Rihanna, Beach House, M.I.A., Robyn, and Born Ruffians just to name a few, not to mention all the ones I haven't heard yet (I have a long list of things to listen to). And finally, last week, Arcade Fire released their mindblowing third album, The Suburbs. Their first, Funeral, was one of my favorite albums of the past decade, and though I haven't gotten as into Neon Bible, I liked it a lot as well. Honestly, though, I think this is the best thing they've ever done. Maybe it's because I'm still under the spell of having just discovered it and being blown away, but man, I'm blown away.