United Nations Tunes Up For First International Jazz Day

SF Symphony review: Brahms in new light Brahms' Double Concerto for Violin and Cello is one of those pieces that's deceptively easy to write off - until you hear it played with the sort of eloquence and vitality that it got during Saturday's wonderful concert by the San Francisco Symphony. There's a long history of politely condescending to the Double Concerto, the last of the composer's major orchestral works, and it's not too hard to understand why. [] Saturday's performance in Davies Symphony Hall, which featured superb playing by violinist Arabella Steinbacher and cellist Alban Gerhardt as well as canny leadership by guest conductor Marek Janowski, cast new light on this overlooked score.

After more than two years away from conducting, James Levine led the Met Orchestra in a performance at Carnegie Hall.    

The most influential DJ at this weekend's Electric Daisy Carnival in New York opened the festival's mainstage early on the first day It was the French producer Cedric Gervais whose 2012 hit "Molly" has inspired a catch phrase emblazoned on thousands of t-shirts across the parking lot of Citi Field

Karen O saves one tender moment for Wonder while thrashing out a hardcore vibe in Gulf Shores.By Mike Ayers Yeah Yeah Yeah's Karen O [file] Photo: Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images GULF SHORES, Alabama — About halfway through the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Hangout Music Festival set, frontwoman Karen O took a moment to make a special announcement before playing the band's 2004 breakout single "Maps." "This is dedicated to Stevie Wonder," she called out to the thousands of fans who showed up to catch the Yeah's set. The iconic R&B star was slated to follow the Yeah Yeah Yeahs on the Hangout Stage as the weekend's headliner. But Karen's tender moments ended there. For the duration of the band's set, she was her usual brash-n-flash self. Decked out in a green sequin blazer and short combo, she carried the crowd through the band's back catalog as well as a host of songs from the band's newest album, Mosquito, occasionally pausing to give shout outs to the "ganja smokers" and lending her mic to the crowd for some vocal duties.Songs like the fiery "Heads Will Roll" and the head-pounding "Phenomenon" were hard-rocking reminders of where the band was 10 years ago, when they broke out of the downtown New York City art-rock scene. There are few people more fascinating to watch than Karen O. #hangout #yeahyeahyeahs— Kate Russell (@KateRussell11) May 19, 2013 But their new numbers cast the band into more of an electro-meets-new wave vibe. "Sacrilege" and "Suck Your Blood" contained more tribal elements, mixing pounding rhythms from drummer Brian Chase as well as some sampled elements. It's not that surprising, considering they tapped LCD Soundsystem mastermind James Murphy and TV on the Radio's Dave Sitek for Mosquito production duties — and the band translates those newfound sounds well in a festival setting. Nine Hangout Fest Vines That Put You Right On The Sand Along with playing Hangout Music Fest, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs have a host of other festival gigs lined up for the summer, including Firefly Festival in Delaware, Milwaukee's Summerfest and the Outside Lands Festival in San Francisco. Related Photos Related Artists Yeah Yeah Yeahs