Top San Diego concert picks for Aug. 25 to Aug. 31

Jun 18, 2023

Bass will absolutely be the place Sunday afternoon at Tio Leo’s in Bay Park for the 2023 edition of the San Diego Jazz Bass Summit.

Originally billed as the Double Bass Summit when it debuted in 2008 at Dizzy’s, the inaugural edition featured seven leading bassists including Marshall Hawkins, Mark Dresser and Rob Thorsen.

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All three will also perform at Sunday’s concert, which teams them with fellow bass standouts Andres Martin, Angelica Pruitt and Kathryn Schulmeister. They will be accompanied by pianist Melonie Grinnell and drummer Richard Sellers.

Seeing any one of these bassists alone would be a treat. Hawkins counts Roberta Flack and Miles Davis among his past musical employers, while Dresser — whose latest solo album, “Tines of Change,” came out in May — has worked with Anthony Braxton, Joe Lovano and many more. Then there’s Thorsen, whose credits are voluminous, and the Tijuana-based Martin, whose music has been performed by the San Diego Symphony and Camarada.

The lineup also includes former Dresser student Kathryn Schulmeister, who earned her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in contemporary music performance at UC San Diego, and Angelica Pruitt, a 2023 Grossmont College graduate and UC San Diego Jazz Camp alum.

The summit is being hosted by Thorsen. Each bassist will have a feature spot and there will also be a number of multiple-bass selections. Arrive early, as admission at this all-ages event is free and the weekly Sunday jazz concert series at Tio Leo’s typically draws turn-away crowds.

5 p.m. Sunday. Tio Leo’s 5302 Napa Street, Bay Park. Free. tioleosmusic.com

Will the real Spirit in the Room please stand up?

That’s a music-related question, not a line for a seance.

In 2012, veteran pop vocal star Tom Jones released an album, “Spirit in the Room,” featuring his version of former San Diegan Tom Waits’ “Bad As Me.”

Earlier this month, the Brooklyn buzz band Activity released its second album, “Spirit in the Room.”

And on Saturday, a Los Angeles quartet called Spirit in the Room will open here for Pantera and Lamb of God.

Led by Dennis Sanders, who usually records as a one-man band, Spirit in the Room’s 2022 EP, “Flamingo,” suggests a well-honed blend of Nine Inch Nails and The Deftones, by way of King Crimson and Portugal. The Man.

Sanders has been making music as Spirit in the Room since 2010 and played here last year at the Kensington Club. Its 180-person capacity might be equivalent to the number of seats in the back row at the nearly 20,000 amphitheater he’ll perform at here Saturday.

If Sanders can match “Flamingo’s” quality on stage, he’ll be worth arriving early to hear.

7 p.m. Saturday. North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre, 2050 Entertainment Circle, Chula Vista. $29-$219. livenation.com

There may be some nostalgia in the air when Dave Keuning, the guitarist and co-founder of The Killers, takes the stage at the Casbah Wednesday.

Music

A San Diego resident, the veteran musician performed his first-ever solo gig here at The Casbah in 2019

June 20, 2021

His arena-filling band played at the same 200-capacity club early in its career, more than 20 years ago. Keuning’s Casbah return will showcase his work as a solo artist (now based in North County) and singer-songwriter.

In the esteemed company of San Diego’s Sara Petite, he’ll have his work cut out for him.

8:30 p.m. Wednesday. The Casbah, 2501 Kettner Blvd., Middletown. $10 (must be 21 or older to attend). casbahmusic.com