Best jazz and classical concerts of 2021 offered aural inspiration in a year of COVID-19 challenges
The San Diego Union-Tribune
By GEORGE VARGA
The most notable classical-music story here in 2021 merited national attention, thanks to the debut of the San Diego Symphony’s new $85 million year-round outdoor concert venue, The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park. Its opening had been delayed a year by the coronavirus pandemic, but would have deservedly earned headlines in any year.
The most notable jazz story here in 2021 also merited national attention. Alto sax legend Charles McPherson, who turned 82 in July, performed the first livestreamed concert of his career. It took place in May at the La Jolla Athenaeum Music & Arts Library, the first online concert in the venue’s 100-year history. For the few masked (and very socially distanced) attendees, myself included, it was a vibrant performance by an enduring jazz master.