Jazz

In front of a twinkling array of lights and a crowd of thousands, jazz singer Steve Tyrell delivered the second performance Wednesday night in what officials said will be an annual summer concert series at the Americana at Brand. Tyrell, who shot to fame singing “The Way You Look Tonight” in the 1991 comedy Father of the Bride, crooned through his collection of jazz standards and selections from his newest album, “Back to Bacharach.” The summer concert series at the Americana kicked off Aug. 6 with R&B quartet En Vogue singing to a crowd of about 4,000 people, officials said.

Growing up surrounded by music, Tigran Hamasyan found himself attracted to the piano as a mere toddler. After years of practice and hard work, Hamasyan, 19, of Glendale, now finds himself as one of the 12 semi-finalists in the 2006 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano Competition, where he will compete for scholarships and the prestige of winning the internationally acclaimed award. Hamasyan said he's grateful to be part of the competition, which will be held Saturday in Washington D.C., and is going to use the experience as a learning outlet.

GLENDALE -- Jazz violinist Lesa Terry of Glendale will present a special concert at 3 p.m. Sunday at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre, 4401 W. 8th St., Los Angeles. Titled "Jubilee to Jazz: A Celebration of Black Music," the concert will feature Terry with a double string quartet exploring a range of music including spirituals, blues, gospel and jazz, including a number of classic jazz tunes recast for this unique instrumentation. Admission is free. Terry gained prominence as a member of drummer Max Roach's Double Quartet, which led her to form the Grammy-nominated Uptown String Quartet, a landmark group that fused many styles of music.

Come one, come all, to St. George's "Music for Charity Event", Saturday, February 18th at 7:30 p.m. Providing the night of snappy jazz, with Torch songs and other favorites, will be the fabulous 'Razzmatazz' - featuring vocalist Jan Abell, Steve Fry on keyboard, drummer Pete Lippman and tickling the trumpet, Pete Peterson. St. George's Episcopal Church invites the community to put on its dancin' shoes or just come enjoy some delightful jazz, wine and dessert to support a worthy cause.

When Jimmy Spencer strolls onto the stage at Mr. B's restaurant in Burbank impeccably dressed in a gray tailored suit, satin tie, handkerchief and silver cufflinks, he looks like a member of the Rat Pack. But once the room fills with the sound of his rich, velvety baritone voice, it's clear he sings with the intimacy of Nat King Cole. Spencer is a versatile singer who courts his audience with smooth and gentle phrasing and a warm, vibrant delivery.

Paul Andersen, Weekend GLENDALE -- It sits on a mound in a swirl of freeway ramps, a low-slung, woodsy fauna-inflected bastion of seafood, at the true junction of the Ventura (134) and Glendale (2) freeways. It might not seem at first glance to be a hot night spot, but for much of the past year the Rusty Pelican has been steadily gaining a reputation as a great place to hear live jazz on weekend nights, thanks to the superlative sounds of 2AZZ1 and the Body and Soul Band and the Eric Byak Band.

RITA PARDUE-FALLMAN Congratulations to Hoover High School jazz students Timmy Jordan, Autumn Yi, Sam Gonzalez, Frankie Bueno and Alexy Yeghikian for receiving outstanding soloist awards in the Valencia Super Bowl of Jazz on May 21. Congratulations to Cameron Funk for earning third place in the Junior Olympics Archery Division for 15- to 17-year-olds. According to Julianne Erikson, PTSA president, senior students are very busy with senior events.

Light on the Corner Church in Montrose invites Foothill residents to enjoy some great live jazz at 6 p.m. on Feb. 11. The free concert features smooth jazz by four of L.A.'s hottest musicians, including Darren Ross on drums, Lynn Woolever on bass, Michael Hughes on piano and Mark Carter on guitar. Carter has worked with some of the most respected names on the jazz scene like Al Jarreau, Eric Marienthal, Michael Paulo and Keith Felch. Jon Karn, the church's pastor, envisions an annual concert series and feels sure that the Foothills is full of jazz lovers.

Clarinet player Ron Going was drawn into the world of traditional New Orleans-style jazz when he and his wife started taking vacations in New Orleans back in 1969. They would frequent the clubs and soon met veteran musicians of the style -- some who started performing it in the early 1900s and were still playing into their 90s. They would ask him to sit in with them, which he said, was a very special privilege. He continues playing that style of music today with his group Gremoli, which appears at jazz festivals and jazz clubs throughout Southern California.

There is obviously one thing that cozy and quaint Jax Bar & Grill in Glendale is known for besides food and that is the jazz musicians they bring in to entertain their guests. On Tuesday night, the New York-based jazz trio known as Origin Blue made a stop at the trendy establishment during their West Coast tour. With a few people celebrating birthdays, several couples out on dates, and some locals enjoying a beer or two at the bar, the scene was set for Origin Blue to deliver a funk-filled performance of their eclectic style of jazz.

Glendale Pops subscribers probably don't know the name or music of 30-year-old Miles Mosley, a bassist and composer who headlines Saturday with the Glendale Pops Orchestra at the Alex Theatre. The pairing is a departure for a series more likely to feature artists with identifiable histories that make for a pleasant date night. “I've always been a proponent of showcasing new talent,” says Glendale Pops director Matt Catingub of the booking. “It's part of my mission to include this type of a showcase along with the things we did in our first season.

If you leave a phone message for guitarist/composer/arranger Greg Porée on a Monday or Tuesday, don't be surprised if you have to wait for a return call. Those days are taken up with providing the musical direction to a little enterprise called “Dancing with the Stars.” The hours are long and stressful, and when they're over, he needs time to himself. Drop into Andre Vener's welcoming Redwhite+Bluezz at 70 S. Raymond Ave. in Pasadena on a Wednesday night, though, and you'll find Porée and bassist Keith Jones providing engaging guitar-and-bass duets for the diners at that fine restaurant.

Though it wasn't recognized as such at the time, one of the pivotal recordings in the West Coast jazz renaissance occurred in September 1954. Drummer Shelly Manne, one of the central figures of the postwar Los Angeles jazz flowering, recorded an unprecedented trio with trumpeter Shorty Rogers and tenor saxophonist Jimmy Giuffre. It was one of the few precedents for the free jazz explosion that followed in the '60s, and it's gone largely unheralded until now. The high-profile studio and avant garde percussionist Brad Dutz has revisited Manne's seminal album, “The Three and the Two,” in his own trio the Other Three.

Four Hoover High School musicians entertained members and guests of the Glendale Committee for the Los Angeles Philharmonic during the annual spring luncheon on May 11 at the Oakmont Country Club. Member Lucile Leard introduced the students - Josh Paik, Noah Zelezny, Alistair Laskin and Vahan Safaryan - of the Downbeat Combo, a group selected from the studio jazz orchestra program at Hoover. Martin Rhees, the director of instrumental music at Hoover for three years, stood at the back of the room as members of the group introduced their musical selections.

The recent decision to expunge jazz from Doug McIntyre's morning show on KABC radio - in a purported move to enlarge the show's audience - has stirred passions around the Southland. Playboy Jazz Festival publicist Nina Gordon is surprised by the move. “It's ironic that they did that so close to International Jazz Day,” she says, “where the world honors jazz. It's tremendously popular all over the world, and very popular in L.A. “There's a bigger taste for jazz here than most people realize,” she continues.

On a recent Glendale night, the customary cold stillness of the 1100 block North Pacific Avenue in Glendale was agreeably jostled. At about 9, the warm sounds emerging from the Neat Bar doorway added welcome vitality to the commercial street that bisects placid residential blocks. Singer and keyboardist Dave Damiani has initiated a Wednesday jazz series at the Neat, making it a hospitable destination for listeners and musicians alike. After opening with guitarist Nick Mancini and vocalist Gina Saputo, Damiani brought his own Jazzadelics band in. The music, the fine musicians, the easy atmosphere and the well-stocked bar make Wednesday night jazz at the Neat a scene with the potential of becoming a real scene.

The Friday night jazz series at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art draws a large and varied crowd. Some are there to hear the music and some - as Duke Ellington observed about the clientele of Harlem's legendary Cotton Club - to fulfill their social aspirations. Pianist Frank Strazzeri led a band there last summer and a curious thing happened. Sound problems, a restless audience, and tentative musicians plagued the opening set. Strazzeri's piano was under-miked, but by the second set, his piano - at once swinging and full of harmonic beauty - quietly brought the crowd to order and coalesced the rough spots on the bandstand.

Something about the combination of warm weather and jazz feels so right. It sounds pretty good, too. These area establishments feature hot jazz, cool drinks and comfortable outdoor spaces to enjoy both. Left Coast Wine Bar This Glendale bar features nightly jazz from renowned musicians including Bar Area chanteuse Sony Holland and Grammy-winning guitarist Tommy Kay. The intimate venue holds only 50 or so patrons who can sip on a selection from Left Coast's extensive beer and wine list (we're talking hundreds of options here)

The creative aspect of being a live performer and composer for TV shows and film is what La Crescenta musician David Siebels loves most about his profession. He will be recognized for that creativity by his alma mater, Cal State University Fullerton, when he receives the university’s Distinguished Alumni Award on April 30 during a ceremony hosted by Visions & Visionaries at the Anaheim Marriott. After graduating from Cal State Fullerton in 1975 with a bachelor’s degree in music and emphasis in music education, Siebels went on to arrange and produce 27 albums, score 35 films and nine television series, conduct 65 musical variety television shows and compose and arrange two musical variety television specials.

“Hoboken to Hollywood: A Journey Through the Great American Songbook,” has been playing to sold-out crowds and critical acclaim for several months at the Edgemar Center for the Arts in Santa Monica. That trip from Hoboken to Hollywood required a few stops in Glendale, however, to achieve its success. “H to H” puts theater-goers in the audience at a taping of a Frank Sinatra network television special in the 1960s. The show is a mix of comedy and music. Luca Ellis plays Sinatra and carries the show with his impersonation.