Station Fire Up-Date

For the latest news and information concerninng the Station Fire, go to: www.altadenablog.com

Tonight's Concert in the Park will go on as scheduled at 7:00 PM

We spoke this morning with one of the Captains from LA County Fire and he indicated that the concert should go on as scheduled. He felt it was a good idea to have a couple of hours of distraction from the fire. In fact, he said he may send some firefighters to the concert for some Rest & Relaxation.

However, if we have a dramatic change in winds or if the fire behaves erratically, we will re-evaluate.

The show will go on!

Recent Altadena Burglaries from Community Advisory Committee (CAC)

Greetings to you all,Many of you are aware, some more painfully than others, that we are experiencing a big spike in burglaries in Altadena - both residential and auto.

These burglaries are not isolated to Altadena. They are occurring all over Southern California.

Many gangs seem to have burglary teams.

You may recall that at the beginning of summer, one group of burglars was caught in La Crescenta, and they were tied to Altadena burglaries. Within a few days, another burglary suspect was caught in the act in West Altadena.

Yesterday, two sets of burglars were caught outside of our area, all gang members. It is likely that one of the sets of burglars will be tied to some of the burglaries in Altadena. It is currently unknown whether the second set will be connected to any of the burglaries here.

Altadena residents are experiencing residential burglaries all over Altadena, and we all should pay attention to any groups of two or three or four people, could be men or women, walking the neighborhood, knocking on doors, looking for opportunities. If there is no response at the door, they often head to the rear or side yard to look for ways to gain entry. Some will defeat security systems, and dogs are not a deterrent.

If someone inside the house answers, the burglars will often make up some story, about car trouble, or a lost dog or "looking for a friend who lives here". It was reported by one neighborhood in Central Altadena yesterday that someone gained entry by removing a window air conditioner. In another neighborhood, the family burglarized indicated that entry was made through a window on one side of the house, but that the burglars had also opened a window and door on the rear, perhaps to exit quickly if necessary.

The most recent rash of auto breakins, also occurring all over Altadena, is a smash and grab, the vehicle window is broken and a visible GPS system is grabbed. These breakins are occurring in the early morning hours, between midnight and 5 am.

In the residential breakins, the suspects often work in teams, with one or two canvassing for opportunity and others waiting in a car down the street, or around the corner.

If you see people walking in your neighborhood who are unknown to you, it's a good idea to just call the Altadena Sheriff's Station, describe what you're observing and the deputies will come out. Please do not confront strangers yourself. It is much better to let the deputies talk to them. It may be that they have a legitimate reason for being there, but it's also possible that they do not.

Let the deputies sort it out.It is also recommended that you park your cars in your garage if you have one. Do not leave any valuables in your car, especially those things that are easily grabbed. That includes portable GPS units, phones, MP3 players, handbags, wallets, coins, computers, or anything else that gives burglars an easy choice to make.

When in doubt about anyone in your area, call the Sheriff's Station. 626 798 1131.Stay vigilant, stay safe and don't make it easier on burglars and thieves.

If you have other questions or concerns, please let me know.

Thanks,Carolyn

The All American Wranglers Farnsworth Park 7:00 PM August 29th

The All American Wranglers have performed for many special events, corporate functions, concerts, as well as five shows nightly at the Los Angeles County Fair.

Some of their Southern California clients include summer concerts for the cities of: Corona, Cerritos, Fontana, Brea, Calimesa, Claremont, Glendora, La Palma, San Dimas, Altadena, La Canada/Flintridge, Glendale, Huntington Park, San Pedro, Los Angeles, Whittier, Monrovia, La Verne, & Santa Clarita Valley.

The core instrumentation consists of a four-piece band: lead vocalist & acoustic guitar, electric guitar & vocals, drums & vocals, bass guitar.

Be sure to check out our calendar page for our current scedule.
Read the review from our La Canada/Flintridge show.
Visit our store to purchase your AAW wear and show your support for AAW.

Altadena Jazz artist John Levy to be honored during the Brian Hughes concert Saturday, August 15th Farnsworth Park

John Levy, born April 11, 1912 in New Orleans, grew up in Chicago. When he was just a kid, a well-intentioned teacher told him to get a job at the Post Office so that he’d have a secure future. He didn’t listen to her because he imagined himself sitting behind a big desk. He didn’t know what he’d be doing at that desk, but he knew that he would be in business. He also loved music – jazz music. Years later, his love and his vision finally merged, leading him to become a personal manager in his own office with his own big desk.

It did not happen overnight. John started out as a jazz musician. He went to New York in August of 1944 to play with the Stuff Smith Trio at the Onyx Club. He was a good bass player, and had the privilege of working with many of the jazz greats including such renowned talents as Ben Webster, Errol Garner, and Milt Jackson. He also appeared with Billie Holiday at her comeback Carnegie Hall concert in 1948.

The following year, George Shearing heard him play at the famed Birdland club, and soon after John became the bassist in the original George Shearing Quintet. Touring the country with one of the hottest groups of the day, John not only played bass but also acted as Shearing's road manager. His business acumen and promotional astuteness won out; in 1951 John put down his bass to become a full-time personal manager—the first black personal manager in the pop or jazz music field. John Levy Enterprises, Inc. was open for business.

His transition from the ranks of jazz instrumentalist to his current eminence in the personal management field was a smooth one, despite the obstacles inherent in being a black businessman during that time. The rare combination of musical talent and shrewd business savvy made it possible for John to discover new talent and develop it to its maximum potential without the usual precarious trial and error struggle experienced by most artists.

By the 1960s, John’s client roster not only included George Shearing, but also Dakota Staton, Nancy Wilson, Cannonball Adderley, Wes Montgomery, Joe Williams, Shirley Horn, Ramsey Lewis, and others. Most weeks, you could find one or more of John's clients listed in the top ten of Billboard magazine's pop music charts. Back then, “jazz” was the popular music.

Some of the most successful jazz luminaries in the music world testify to the exceptional success of his all-encompassing methods. It was John Levy who first encouraged musicians to retain the publishing rights to their own compositions and set up publishing companies for his clients. In addition to his varied experiences in personal management, John often found himself in the role of both concert promoter and record producer.

His years of success in all areas has earned him an impeccable reputation in the entertainment industry, where he is both respected and admired by other managers, booking agents, concert promoters, entertainment lawyers and accountants, record company executives, and last but not least, the artists themselves.

The impressive roster of notables handled by John Levy over the past six decades is vast. A brief listing of the 85+ artists would have to include: Cannonball Adderley, Brook Benton, Andy & the Bey Sisters, Betty Carter, Randy Crawford, Lou Donaldson, Roberta Flack, Arsenio Hall, Herbie Hancock, Donny Hathaway, Eddie Harris, Johnny Hartman, Shirley Horn, Freddie Hubbard, Ahmad Jamal, Henry Johnson, Etta Jones, Yusef Lateef, Ramsey Lewis, Abby Lincoln, Herbie Mann, Letta Mbulu, Les McCann, Wes Montgomery, Billy Paul, Dianne Reeves, Marlena Shaw, George Shearing, Dakota Staton, Billy Taylor, Stanley Turrentine, Sarah Vaughan, Maxine Weldon, Joe Williams, and Nancy Wilson.

In the fall of 1997, at the age of 85, Levy's contribution to the world of jazz was formally recognized as he was inducted into the International Jazz Hall of Fame. In January 2006 he was named a Jazz Master by the National Endowment for the Arts, America's most prestigious prize in the field of Jazz. Today, John is still at work managing longtime clients and developing new talents. Joe Williams, longtime friend since the 1940s and client since the early 1960s, died March 29, 1999. His current clients include song-stylist Nancy Wilson (who has retired from touring but will continue to record and appear on special concerts), and jazz vocalist Clairdee.

Brian Hughes, August 15th, Farnsworth Park 7:00 PM

Brian Hughes “LIVE”, the classic new release by one of contemporary jazz’s finest guitarists features an allstar band: Tim Landers: Bass, (Al DiMeola, Billy Cobham, Gil Evans) Tal Bergman: Drums, (Joe Zawinul, Chaka Khan, Rod Stewart, Billy Idol) Ron Powell: Percussion, (Sergio Mendes, Madonna, Kenny G.) and longtime Hughes pianist and Les Portelli. “Prepare to be blown away...an incredible live performance...beautifully paced and packed with moments of brilliance and genre-shifting depth” says jazz reviewer Shannon West.

Hughes has carved out an impressive career in the contemporary jazz arena. His first two albums, Between Dusk and Dreaming and Under One Sky, firmly established him as one of the foremost guitarists and composers in the genre, perfectly blending his fluid and emotive guitar style into an exciting, melodic mix of Latin, Jazz and World Music compositions. After being picked as a winner in JAZZIZ Magazine's "Guitars On Fire" competition his subsequent recordings Straight To You, One 2 One, Shakin’ not Stirred and Along the Way have received critical acclaim and major radio air play from coast to coast. With his sizzling fret work and infectious compositions the media are accurate in saying: "Both a great artist and an accessible one. His passion is so obvious, intense and contagious, that his audience shares it.” Brian has received the SOCAN/BMI "Jazz & Instrumental Composer of the Year" Award six times from 1997 to 2006 and the title track from “Shakin’ Not Stirred” was featured on an episode of HBO’s “Sex and the City”. Also well known for his 20 year parallel career performing and recording with world renowned vocalist Loreena McKennitt, Brian’s skills as a musician (guitars, oud, bouzouki) and his production talents are evident on her current platinum recording “An Ancient Muse”, the concert DVD “Nights From The Alhambra”, filmed in Granada, Spain and her past seven multi-platinum recordings. Brian has just completed a 2007 World tour with McKennitt performing 83 concerts in 12 countries around the globe and has appeared with Loreena on the "Late Show" with David Letterman and received a Juno (Canadian Grammy) nomination as "Producer of the Year " for his work on the platinum selling Loreena McKennitt album “The Visit”.

Brian has also Produced several international Platinum selling albums for Greek recording artists Evanthia Reboutsika, Yannis Kotsiras and Panayotis Kalantzopoulos including the soundtrack for “A Touch of Spice” the top grossing film in Greek cinema history. He has also accompanied Celtic music legends, The Chieftains, on several tours.

Those Manning Boys & Friends, August 8th Farnsworh Park

From Left: Liam Lewis, Sean Manning, Mike Manning
THOSE MANNING BOYS AND FRIENDS

Formed in 2002, Those Manning Boys, an Irish duo, has been dedicated to the furthering of the American-Irish culture. Since then Brothers Mike and Sean Manning, native Altadenans, have been playing at events and pubs all across the San Gabriel Valley and the surrounding areas. Mike’s 60s-rock inspired guitar and Sean’s ethnic -styled vocals have delighted and intrigued audiences of all ages.


In 2005, stepping in as a last-minute replacement, the Boys made their debut at the Concerts in the Park at Farnsworth in Altadena. Greeted by a rousing reception, they have been an annual installment since. Each year the show has grown in scope and depth by adding more musicians and instruments with an ever-increasing repertoire of Irish cultural music. Returning this year will be fiddler extraordinaire, Liam Lewis, playing his classically inspired jigs and reels. Last year’s hit on drums, Pierre Dupuy returns with his brother Andre, also brothers native to Altadena, and their band Wreck ‘n’ Sow. Another exciting young find , Altadena’s own Tim Drake will bring his mastery of the truly Irish instrument, the uillean pipes, Ireland’s form of the more famous Scottish bagpipes. And back for the fifth straight year the Aniar School of Irish Dance and their award winning troupe will present a very special half-time show to live session music. Newcomers, the Moynahans, Jesse , Eli and their father Tim will delight us with the penny whistle and other stringed instruments. Also joining the Boys this year is Barbara Schilling on the Celtic harp, the national symbol of Ireland. Cead mille failte-(a hundred thousand welcomes) to you.

National Night Out, August 4th at the Loma Alta Equestrian Center