Deep Purple, with Kansas
“Never Say Die” is the name of a 1978 Black Sabbath album. But its title has been a near-constant mission statement for Deep Purple, which — like Black Sabbath — debuted in 1968.
True, Deep Purple imploded in 1976 and was on hiatus for the next eight years. But the pioneering English hard-rock band has been an otherwise constant presence since then. And three of its five current members — drummer Ian Paice, bassist Roger Glover and singer Ian Gillan — have been bandmates since 1969, a year after Deep Purple debuted.
Black Sabbath, by comparison, was inactive from 1984 to 1985, 1996 to 1997 and 2006 to 2011, before concluding its final farewell tour in 2017, then reuniting for four songs last summer, a few weeks before the death of lead singer Ozzy Osbourne.
Where Black Sabbath’s varying lineups have featured more than half a dozen different lead singers over the years (including, briefly, Gillan), Deep Purple has had four and Gillan’s tenure in three editions of the band adds up to a combined 44 years.
Gillan is now 81, Glover, 80, and Paice, 78 (the same age as keyboardist Don Airey, who joined the band in 2001). Simon McBride, 47, joined the band in 2022 and is the fourth guitarist in Deep Purple’s 57-year history.
Against considerable odds, Deep Purple released its 24th studio album, “Splat!”, in July and is on the road again — nine years after launching its “The Long Goodbye Tour” and 10 years after drummer Paice suffered a mini-stroke. Last year, Gillan disclosed that he was diagnosed with retinopathy and now has only has 30 percent of his vision remaining. He also stressed he is no hurry to retire.
Deep Purple’s fourth album to come out in the past six years, “Splat!” may not measure up to such band classics as 1970’s “In Rock,” 1971’s “Fireball” and 1972’s “Machine Head.” Those three albums that were hard-rocking favorites of mine in my mid-teens, as well as — on some especially charged songs — vital prototypes for speed-metal.
But “Splat!” is a consistently solid and accomplished outing by a veteran band that sounds like it still has more than a little left to prove. Its performance here Tuesday comes nearly a month after the group reunited — for the first time since 1993 — with Deep Purple’s long estranged original guitarist Ritchie Blackmore at a New York concert. They only played one song together, the inevitable “Smoke On The Water.”
No other reunions have been announced with Blackmore, 81, who suffers from vertigo, gout and heart issues, and has four herniated disks in his lumbar region. “I think we realized it could be the last time we see each other, maybe,” he told Guitar Player magazine. “I was there to heal any wounds — but there weren’t any wounds. Everyone was like, we were in the army, all along the Western front and we were all getting together again. Very emotional moment.”
6:15 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 8. North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre, 2050 Entertainment Circle, Chula Vista. $24.75-$122. ticketmaster.com
Miles Davis was one of the major cultural forces of the 20th century. His impact is still being felt today, 35 years after his death. His legacy will be saluted in concert this weekend at The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park. (Sony Music)
“Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins and Dizzy Gillespie at The Shell: A Night In Tunisia and More,” Gilbert Castellanos & The KSDS Jazz Orchestra
What’s in a name?
Saturday night’s concert at The Shell was originally billed as “Manteca! A Dizzy Gillespie & Chano Pozo Celebration,” featuring Gilbert Castellanos & The KSDS Jazz Orchestra.
The description of the renamed concert on The Shell’s website still includes “A Night in Tunisia,” “Cubana Be, Cubana Bop,” “Manteca” and “Tin Tin Deo,” four perpetually vibrant gems that bebop trumpet king Gillespie and Cuban percussion legend Chano Pozo recorded in the 1940s.
But now the show will also include performances of landmark works by Davis and Rollins, making for a more varied repertoire.
And with an 18-piece band that includes such standout players as trumpeters Castellanos and Derek Cannon, saxophonists Justo Almario and Charlie Arbelaez, trombonist Matt Hall and pianist Irving Flores, expect musical fireworks to prevail.
7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 5. The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park, 222 Marina Park Way, downtown. $47-$103. theshell.org
TajMo: Taj Mahal & Keb’ Mo’ Room On The Porch Tour 2026
American roots-music giant Taj Mahal is 84. Blues stalwart Keb’ Mo’ is 74.
Their first album together, 2017’s “TajMo,” won the 2017 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Bues Album. Its sequel, last year’s “Room On The Porch” is just as enticing.
With only a 10-year age difference between them, the musical rapport between these two guitar-playing singers and songwriters is more like an older and younger brother than father-son. But the wealth of experience they bring to the stage is as palpable as the depth and skill they bring to the rich aural traditions that they salute and extend on a nightly basis.
Backed by a 7-piece band, the two switch instruments and lead vocals with the ease and assuredness one would expect from artists of their stellar caliber. And they soar on stage whether performing their own songs or taking deep dives into such classics as Sleepy John Estes’ “Diving Duck Blues” and Jimmy Cox’s “Nobody Loves You When You’re Down and Out.”
Keb’ Mo’ (left) and Taj Mahal are touring together this summer as TajMo. The duo will perform next week with their band at Humphreys Concerts by the Bay (Courtesy of Jay Blakesberg)
7:30 p.m. next Friday, Sept. 11. Humphreys Concerts by the Bay, 2241 Shelter Island Drive, Shelter Island. $87.50. humphreysconcerts.com