Experimental jazz adds new dimension to Mat Bevel Institute

The Mat Bevel Institute is a lush, dense oasis of art that provides a fantastical retreat from the Southwestern style for which Tucson is known.

In one corner of the warehouse is a mannequin strapped into a car seat.

Another of Bevel's pieces features a series of broken television sets fixed to a metal frame. In another corner, a plastic Halloween alien mask peers out of a birdcage. A jack-o-lantern fixed to a fan gazes down from a rafter. [Read article]

It's hard to tell what was hotter ÷ the midsummer heat of a Phoenix evening or the blistering set delivered by the seasoned and smooth Dave Matthews Band as they swaggered through Cricket Pavilion Thursday.

The heat did not deter the band or its more than 20,000 fans from bouncing and dancing their way through an incredible two-and-a-half-hour set.

Fans were brought to their feet when Dave opened with "The Stone" and moved quickly into "When the World Ends." [Read article]

To call the latest incarnation of Î60s psychedelic blues-rock group The Doors a tribute band would be a gross injustice.

Yes, Jim Morrison, the foundation, frontman, and "Lizard King" of the original band is a boxed skeleton in French soil right now. Yes, the original drummer thinks The 21st Century Doors is a sham and wants no part of it.

However, what went down on Saturday night at Casino Del Sol's amphitheatre was not simply four guys playing Doors songs. It was The Doors' musicianship resurrected as whole as it comes these days, playing tunes that have withstood the test of time. "Five To One," "Break On Through," "L.A. Woman," "Soul Kitchen," "Riders On The Storm," "People Are Strange," "Crystal Ship," "Alabama Song," and highlights from their entire catalogue still retained their youthful resonance, even if aged keyboardist Ray Manzarek and guitarist Robby Krieger did not. [Read article]

Mya

Moodring Interscope

Mya mixes up the beat on her highly anticipated new release, Moodring.

Mya has put her "Ghetto Superstar" days behind her and is headed straight toward diva stardom. Moodring introduces a new flavor with the Missy Elliot-produced release, "My Love is like·Wo" and a rendition of Tom Petty's old-time classic, "Free Fallin'," incorporating sounds from edgy hip-hop, soul, techno-pop and sultry reggae. The reggae style comes through on track nine, "Things Come and Go," featuring Sean Paul. [Read article]