Music

The All American Wranglers saddled up and rode into Glendale, stopping at Verdugo Park on July 29 and bringing with them a chuck-wagon load of country sounds to the city of Glendale?s Summer Concert Series. Lead vocalist and guitarist Todd Fariss led the cowboys in a repertoire ranging from vintage to modern country music, encouraging picnickers to come out and line dance. The group has three local gigs coming up at 8:30 p.m. Thursday at Joe?s Great American Bar & Grill, 4311 W. Magnolia Blvd.

When he was 7 years old, Glendale resident Richard Paris started playing the piano. By the time he was in the seventh grade, Paris had his own four-piece band with piano, banjo, saxophone and drums. After high school, Paris, a Nebraska native, attended the University of Idaho and founded "Paris Knights" jazz band. He played piano for four years with his college band. In 1939, he landed his first job teaching music to high school students and earned an annual salary of $950.

Rosette Gonzales When Angela Balogh Calin designs costumes for a play, it's not just about having a keen fashion sense. It's an artistic process that involves literature, music and collaborative research. And she goes through the same process when she designs stage sets. Calin, a Burbank resident, has worked on dozens of plays, sometimes designing sets and costumes in the same production at A Noise Within in Glendale and South Coast Repertory Theater in Costa Mesa.

Gary Moskowitz Robin Winkelstein thinks of the annual Glendale Community Concerts in two ways. One, the shows are a chance to hear amazing music for the first time. Second, they are a forum for education. The Glendale Community Concert Assn. celebrates 50 years of bringing musical performances to Glendale this year. Seven shows are scheduled between September and April in the auditorium at Glendale High School, 1440 E. Broadway. Membership in the association is $45 for adults or $12 for students 18 and younger.

Ryan Carter When Jon Sherman powers up his musical system, he plugs into the sun. This summer, he's made a commitment to bring his concept to the masses. For the past couple of Thursdays, among the fresh-fruit vendors at the Glendale Certified Farmers Market, Sherman's musical rig has looked more like a Mars Polar Lander touched down on a Brand Boulevard sidewalk. But it is really Sherman, 48, and his solar-powered, 200-watt sound system.

Glendale Community College will host several music performances Sunday in the auditorium at the college, 1500 N. Verdugo Road. The GCC Jazz Band will perform its spring concert at 4 p.m. Sunday. The concert is open to the public. Admission is $7, and students and seniors get in for $5. Children younger than 12 get in for free. Vocal and instrumental music groups will perform during a music recital at 7:30 p.m. Sunday in the auditorium. The music recital is free and open to the public.

Crescenta Valley High School students took to the stage Friday during a performance of “The Sound of Music.” More than 100 students were involved in planning, singing, dancing and playing musical instruments for the show, which debuted Thursday in the school’s auditorium. The show was a collaborative effort involving orchestra, choir and drama students. Students will perform again at 7:30 tonight and 2 p.m. Sunday, and March 13 and 14. Tickets range from $5 to $15 and are available at the door.

Fred Ortega For those who can't get enough of marching band music during the school year, there is always the La Canada Flintridge Community Band. The homegrown group of local amateur musicians performed Sunday in La Canada Flintridge Memorial Park before a crowd of several hundred as part of the city's Music in the Park summer concert series. The band is made up of between 40 and 50 members from the foothills and beyond, said conductor Susan Hamre of Tujunga.

As Vera Stewart, a member of the 12-person handbell choir at Glendale High School, was preparing for her choir’s schoolwide performance Friday morning, she was approached by a member of the school’s marching band, who didn’t really know what a handbell choir was. “Some people have never seen bells before,” said Vera, 17. Even though the handbell choir is part of the music department at Glendale High just like...

Come one, come all, to St. George's "Music for Charity Event" at 7 p.m. on Feb. 3. Providing the night of snappy jazz, with torch songs and other favorites, will be Razzmatazz, featuring vocalist Jan Abell, and Steve Fry on keyboards, drummer Pete Lippman and tickling the trumpet Pete Peterson. St. George's Episcopal Church invites the community to put on its dancing shoes or just come enjoy some delightful jazz, wine and dessert to support a worthy cause. All net proceeds will go directly to Door of Hope, a privately funded, faith-based outreach for homeless families to help them regain their life and dignity in the community.