Vienna Teng Anthology May 1 $25
It didn’t take long for Vienna Teng to ditch the Suzuki piano books for jazz-inspired improv, composing her first album by age 16. But the self-described ‘music geek’ got a Stanford degree in computer engineering before realizing that the cubicle was not her calling ‘mdash; and thank god she quit her day job. (SM)
Steel Pulse House of Blues May 7 $32
Arguably the best reggae out of England, Steel Pulse has been preaching mantras of justice and free love since their ’78 debut Handsworth Revolution, which received critical acclaim from all corners ‘mdash; even white punk-rockers like the Stranglers could appreciate their subversive spirit. It didn’t take long for the rest of us to catch reggae fever; global audiences have been swinging to the revolution ever since. Jah, man. (SM)
De-Lovely Cole Porter Copley Symphony Hall May 1 ‘amp; 2 $20
It wasn’t until Cole Porter returned to Broadway at the end of the Jazz Age that he finally found the critical praise he’d been pining for after WWI. And with musical scores for shows like ‘Kiss Me, Kate,’ it’s no surprise the San Diego Symphony is playing tribute to the American composer with Michael Feinstein on the keys and Marvin Hamslisch with the baton. (EG)