Louis Van Taylor Farnsworth Park - August 9th, 2008 - 7:00 PM

Louis Van Taylor

Louis Van Taylor's musical influences can be traced to his parent’s appreciation of jazz, ranging from the likes of Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Lionel Hampton, Dinah Washington, Sarah Vaughn and Dizzy Gillespie. Louis spent his first eleven years of growth in the private and public schools of Salt Lake City, Utah, enjoying the sounds of classical music and his father’s choice of Miles Davis’ "Sketches of Spain" and Cannonball's and John Coltrane's duet recordings chiming throughout the family's home. Though interested in learning the violin, upon leaving Utah and arriving in Los Angeles during the late 60’s, Louis Taylor Sr. encouraged his son to pursue a wind instrument. His junior high school teacher at Foshay, Mrs. Bicknell, provided her students an opportunity to try out all the instruments: woodwinds, brass and percussion, before choosing the instrument of their liking. Louis’ choice was the B-flat soprano clarinet and in less than two weeks the bass clarinet. After a brief stay in Los Angeles the Taylor Family moved to Pasadena, where Louis upon hearing a friend’s rendition of "Wade in The Water," on the tenor saxophone, made a change. From stage bands to a top-40 band, Louis abandoned the bass clarinet for the tenor, nurtured by the sounds Eddie Harris, John Coltrane, Stanley Turrentine, Wilton Felder, Junior Walker, Jimmy Heath, Joe Henderson, Eric Dolphy and the like. With private study and mentorship from Warne Marsh, the LB West Coffee House early morning jams with drummer Candy Finch, Charles Owens, Bill Greene, Buddy Collete, and a dear friend Gary Hammon, the lure of mastery was on. He attended CSLA for his bachelor degree in Music and private study through the Berkley School of Music Correspondence course while a member of the Ray Charles orchestra. Now adding all the saxophones and woodwinds to his arsenal, Louis has been much sought after with the likes of his first professional job with the Temptations featuring Dennis Edwards and Otis Williams, a twenty year association and employment with Ray Charles, to the Gap Band, Kool and the Gang, Gerald Wilson, Jimmie and Jeannie Cheatham, Maxine Weldon, Charles Wright, Eric Benet, Carl Thomas and many esteemed others.

www.louisvantaylor.com

For series information visit: www.altadenasheriffs.blogspot.com or call; 626-296-2103

National Night Out, August 5th at the Loma Alta Equestrian Center UPDATED 7/29/08

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THOSE MANNING BOYS July 26th, 7:00 PM Farnsworth Pub

Those Manning Boys

Meet Mike and Sean Manning, brothers, respectively the oldest and the youngest of eight siblings born to Sis and Ray Manning and raised in Altadena. Both are graduates of St. Elizabeth Parish School in Altadena and La Salle High School (Pasadena).

Mike is a guitarist of 44 years. He plays the bass guitar, 6-string and 12-string all with equal talent and abandon. Through college and prior to military service he played in rock ‘n roll garage bands. Today he is the director of the 8:30 Folk Mass choir at St. Elizabeth Church.

Sean is a tenor in the 10:00AM Mass choir at St. Elizabeth Church. He has been performing his repertoire of Irish folk music for over 10 years. It was his idea to team up with his brother and form a duet today known as Those Manning Boys.

For the past six years Those Manning Boys have been delighting people at parties with their act which employs the authentic character of music found in the public houses of Ireland. They have made appearances at Matt Denny’s Restaurant and Ale House in Arcadia and Gallagher’s Irish Pub in Long Beach. They are a regular at the various fund-raising events at St. Elizabeth, and have made appearances for special events such as the Sierra Madre Cancer Walk Marathon and the Friends of Ireland St. Patrick’s Day celebration.

This is the fourth appearance of Those Manning Boys at the Sheriff’s Support Group Summer Concert Series at Farnsworth Park and they hope that people will delight in the music and even participate in an organized sing-along.

For series information visit: www.altadenasheriffs.blogspot.com or call; 626-296-2103

The America Flyers July 12th 7:00 PM Farnsworth Park, Altadena CA

THE AMERICAN FLYERS


The American Flyers came to be in the early 1990’s, born of players that had formed strong friendships in a number of different bands in the 1980’s. The flyers have gone through numerous versions since that time with all members maintaining a strong fraternal bond with one another.

The current line up includes founding members Phil Capuano (Drums), and Van Nixholm (original bassist and current rhythm guitarist), Rex Forman (Base Guitar) from the band’s 3rd rendition, and Gene Diorio (Lead Guitar) from our 2nd incarnation and the guy with the greatest performance longevity in the band.

As in the beginning, these guys play together because they enjoy the camaraderie they share and the music they make. The music they enjoy, mostly rock, blues, and country all has some personal attachment to one member or another, whether they are present players or not currently performing. Please enjoy their heartfelt musical offerings. Partners, brothers, and friends.

For series information visit: www.altadenasheriffs.blogspot.com or call; 626-296-2103

Letter to the Editor

We, the undersigned, all Altadena Outstanding Citizens of the Year who continue to be deeply involved with and concerned for our community are writing in answer to the claims of the Altadena Town Council regarding police abuse and the expectation of reprisals printed in the Star News letters on May 30.

The facts, the documentation, and the racial make up of our station and patrol personnel--both past and present--stand in opposition to these claims as well as to any casual observations by Council members from wherever they work or reside. Whatever their perch at any given time of day they certainly don’t capture the larger view of what has occurred one block or one mile away in this community of nine square miles and more than 46,000 people.

The Altadena Station personnel, patrol deputies, volunteers, and command staff conduct community outreach on a level rarely seen elsewhere in the County of Los Angeles. The forums and organizations available to the community through the Sheriff’s station include Neighborhood Watch, Altadena Clergy Council, Sheriff’s Support Group of Altadena, Community Advisory Committee, Youth Activities League, Mountain Rescue, Volunteers on Patrol, and the Mounted Posse. Through the volunteer efforts of these groups and those working at the station we have our Summer Concert Series at Farnsworth Park, community barbeques, community presentations, and forums throughout the town all in an effort to reach out to the community to communicate and receive feedback. The folks from the station when conducting these forums relate to the community what is involved with law enforcement and the difficulties that Deputies face every day in their effort to keep us safe and protect our property. At these presentations they regularly reinforce the reporting procedures.

The Town Council exists to bring together community members and the government agencies that serve their needs in a proactive forum in order for information to be exchanged and so that difficulties on the part of anyone in town can be addressed by the appropriate representative. Blindsiding and grandstanding statements for the benefit of the cameras without giving sufficient notice so that the representative may present an informed response discredits the Council and its members and diminishes their effectiveness.

It behooves the members of the Altadena Town Council to become enlightened with all that is provided them by the Sheriff’s at our station and understand the recourse available on behalf of their constituents. They should endeavor to hone their communication abilities as well. As elected representatives of the community it is a small effort they should each undertake.

Jamie Bissner Cumi MacKenzie
Tecumseh Shackelford Ken Balder Sandra Thomas, PhD
Bob Klomburg Kathy Klomburg Tom Joyce