Endorphines Prompt Lively Discussion

A good workout brings out the best in us. Some say it is the increased blood to the brain, others claim its the higher levels of endorphins. It's probably both.

I stopped to view the plume coming off a Wilmington oil refinery fire, seen in the distance, after my 45 minute vigorous walk on the Hill. Bryan, of Long Beach, did the same after running up the Hill's steepest street-- four times!

As we watched the plume grow, we started commenting on the parallels with the British Petroleum disaster currently playing out in the Gulf. I asked his opinion about how well President Obama is handling the disaster, and he gave me a nuanced response. "The situation is far too complex to pin blame," he said. He then went on to discuss the multiple agencies, jurisdictions and historic considerations involved, unwilling to join the large numbers of Americans who say Obama is not responding well.

"Complexity" kept cropping up, as Bryan ranged from problems confronted by developing nations; to his documentary video project in Guyana, (formerly British Guyana in South America) where he was born; to the challenges of living a life of principle, exemplified by the just deceased coach John Wooden.

Finally, we discussed the political complexities of preserving open public space, pointing to the Hilltop Park and the trails nearby.

Bryan, owner of an IT company in Long Beach found at Shuffler.com, runs daily on the Hill. "I love those trails," he said.

We shook hands twice before we parted, and said we'd be seeing each other on line and on the Hill.

-- See slide show to the right for the entire Pleasant Encounters project

-- RCH

Sacramento Jazz Jubilee

I knew I was in trouble when Bethany changed to her dancing shoes.

Since Maria was home sick in bed, I was on my own, free to indulge in my own exuberant, anarchic and undisciplined dance style--by myself--to the swinging sounds of traditional jazz. I guess Bethany had seen some potential there, asking me to dance, and wakening me from my crazy little world. She changed her shoes, and I started apologizing for not knowing the conventional steps and moves. But it wasn't long before we got into the groove, thanks to her encouragement and coaching.

A swing dance fan since high school, Bethany, of Pittsburg, P.A., had scheduled her visit to friend Peter, currently living in Sacramento, for Memorial Day Weekend so she could dance at this, the 37th Sacramento Jazz and Jubilee. Peter, a non-dancer, sat nearby, trying not to look too interested; after all trad jazz isn't real hip these days. Bethany herself commented that this is her grandmother's music. (I suggested that it is really her great grandmother's music, since it was my parents' music.)

We were dancing to the music of the Fulton Street Jazz Band, a favorite of the Jubilee, and led by Bob Ringwald, pianist and father of film star Molly Ringwald, famous for The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink and many other movie and TV credits. She got her start at a very early age, singing with the band at the first two Jubilees. This year Molly was a featured performer at the Jubilee, separate from her dad and fronting her own band. (Click on the Fulton Street Jazz Band link above for a taste of Dad's music.)

(And click on Jazz Jubilee Photo Album for a few photos of this year's Jubilee.)

The Jubilee, begun originally in 1974 as a dixieland Memorial Day festival sponsored by the Sacramento Traditional Jazz Society, quickly expanded to include various types of traditional jazz, favorites of the older crowd. Now, as those older fans die out, the focus has broadened even more to include latin, blues, zydeco, straight ahead jazz, gypsy jazz, and other genres, to attract a younger audience.

This year, 60 professional and 15 youth bands--mostly from California-- played to 60,000 to 70,000, at about 20 venues. Today, most of the music is centered at Old Town Sac, the Holiday Inn downtown, and the Convention Center Area, including the Sheraton Hotel.

Just 15 years ago, 100 bands were coming from as far away as Poland, Germany, Scotland and Guatemala, to play for as many as 200,000 happy fans, in about 40 different venues: in Old Town Sac, Cal Expo, the Convention Center, the Crest Theater, and small tents scattered in between. Rumors of budget and management problems have persisted throughout.

But the musical artistry persists. By and large, it is a happy, danceable music. The crowd is still pretty old, not particularly hip by today's standards, but it is a happy crowd. And the musicians? Many are what I've taken to calling "community musicians," artist for whom artistic expression and a more intimate connection with the audience and fellow musicians trump the allure of fame and fortune. Community musicians are the "organic farmers" of the musical world, says Rick Lotter, the drummer who first introduced me to the term, and who is leader of Sacramento's Capital Jazz Project, a straight ahead jazz combo which performed this year, and of a more roots music group, Mumbo Gumbo, that has performed at previous Jubilees.

Community musicians are a throwback to an earlier era, with a new technology twist. They are DIY regional musicians who, with assistance from the Internet, can compose, record, perform, distribute their music, and build a loyal fan base. They hustle gigs and teach aspiring amateurs... AND they can afford to raise families. They are the embodiment of an alternative to the superficial glitz and glamour of "American Idol."

My interests in music are far-ranging, from classical, folk, rock, and blues, roots, straight ahead jazz and world music. In my opinion, none can match the exuberance and joy of traditional jazz and swing. I don't listen to or play much of it during the year, but as Memorial Day Weekend approaches, the corners of my mouth seem to turn up in anticipation.

Its not only a time for music, but it is a time to reunite with old friends and make new ones. Our annual visit to the Jubilee over these past 30 years, has become a gathering, a reunion of old graduate school buddies. Our pace has slowed, and we've even buried a couple of friends. But we keep coming back.

To get to the heart of the matter, we have learned that our annual trek to Sacramento is a ritual, perhaps even a sacrament in Old Sac. To paraphrase from the noted music scholar Christopher Small's Musicking: The Meanings of Performing and Listening, the music and the event help us explore, affirm and celebrate our link with the Great Pattern that connects the whole living world.

This is what keeps us coming back.

-- RCH

Signal Hill Water Workers--Our "Boys in Orange"

We don't give them much thought, unless they block off our street, make all that racket, or cut off our water for repairs. No, we seldom give much thought to our "Boys in Orange." We take them--and the water they deliver to us--for granted.

I recently spent a week getting to know what they do there, digging in our streets, as they replaced 60-year-old galvanized service lines to our, and our neighbor's residences, with 1-inch copper pipes. I learned to appreciate these unsung workers of ours.

You can see photos of the process, with explanatory captions, by clicking on project.

There were several things that impressed me by this team of workers that I would otherwise not have experienced, had I not approached them with an appeal to let me document their work. Among these impressions are:

1. How, despite their cool and tough street-smart veneer, they were pleased to have someone take an interest in what they do on a daily basis; and how eager they were to show off their talents, and to share the complexities of their trade. They appreciate fully the intricacies of our vast water delivery system, and their own roles in that.

2. How they operated as a team, efficiently and methodically going about their business. Basically, a non-verbal group, relying heavily on hand signs, often midst noisy operations, to guide and protect fellow team members in their work. Without apparent direction, team members would share the work, digging or lifting a heavy piece of equipment, with an intuitive sense of what was needed. I saw a brute strength mixed with a delicate operation, to get the job done.

3. How each member of the team is able to do all project functions, and how the team does it all--from designation and notification of the work site to the final topping off of the trench with temporary patch and finished concrete work around the meter boxes. We discussed how working for a small city like Signal Hill allows them to be generalists, keeping the job interesting, and providing a good training ground for the young guys. The downside is the specialist, working in a big city, probably makes a bit more money.

4. How convivial the group is, and how each person is protective of the others. On the one hand, I saw good-natured ribbing--as when the dump truck inadvertently dumped its entire load; while on the other, I saw heartfelt concern, as they recounted a significant burn accident experienced by one of their team--Hector--that laid him up for two years.

5. I sensed a little frustrations over the increasing complexity and number of regulations that they must always be adapting to. Safety to the the worker and to the environment is a constant concern, and training on these matters is continual. During my week of observation, team leader Senior Water Worker, Rick, pointing to the large water jug attached to their truck, said he had just learned that they are out of compliance with the amount of drinking water they must carry: at least two gallons of water per worker per day.

6. How each project is unique, especially in older neighborhoods where there is a history of extensive oil drilling and operations. Despite the sophisticated Underground Service Alert system (USA), whereby all utilities are informed of proposed digging projects, and underground pipes are indicated by color-coded lines sprayed on pavement, there are most always surprises. I watched as they conferred among themselves, and also with their supervisor back in the office, to resolve unexpected challenges.

Take a look at the accompanying photo album, with captions, if you want to learn a little more about our "Boys in Orange" and the work they do. Further, it is instructive to consider that for each trade and for each system we rely upon--electrical, sewer, trash removal, gas, telephone, etc.--there are equivalents of our "Boys in Orange," who spend their professional lives training for, maintaining and repairing the infrastructure we rely upon daily.

Finally below see a very brief and poorly filmed video of Eric demonstrating one of the labor-saving skills he and the others have developed.

A Beautiful Little Girl, a Dog Story and a Baseball Story--Irresistible

A friendly foursome meets up on the Panorama Promenade. Camryn, right, is a dog lover; she has her own small dog back at home in the Wrigley neighborhood of Long Beach, and is smitten by this "Wrigley," a dog named after the venerable Chicago Cubs ballpark, with its loyal and long-suffering fans. She and her dad, Fritz, walk occasionally on the Hill.

Chicagoan Margaret left, walks Wrigley--sporting a Cubbies collar-- daily on the Hill. She and her husband are recent residents of a townhouse on the Hill's north side. They love the neighborhood, its amenities and central location--She works in Orange County, he in L.A.

The Cubbies collar will come off after baseball season. "Wrigley can endure only so much," Margaret says.

(See other Pleasant Encounters on Signal Hill in slide show to the right.)

--RCH

Public Practice at the Disney Concert Hall Garden

Its one thing to sit inside the elegant Frank Gehry-designed Disney Concert Hall--as we did last night--and feel the rapture and excitement of sounds made by world class musicians. Its quite another to pick a tune--as I did today on my guitar--just outside, in the garden. Both experiences were thrilling.

Active Arts at the Los Angeles Music Center is wrapping up its spring Public Practice program for amateur instrumentalists at its campus downtown--at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and the Walt Disney Concert Hall.

The debate about the value of investing public funds for the arts always seems to heat up in tough economic times. We are hearing more about how a community can become more vital, even spur economic growth, by keeping it arts programs alive. And on the level of the individual, we are told that music can improve the mind, raise test scores and make us better learners, young and old, alike.

But, as reported in March 1, 2010 edition of the L.A. Times,( Beyond the Mozart Effect) you have to be a hands-on participant, not just a listener to gain these individual benefits. Said another way, engaged creativity trumps detached connoisseurship. This does not mean we should value any less sitting back and enjoying a fine performance. But it does point to where we should be putting our public and private dollars, and investing our own time.

Compared to most European countries, we in the United States invest a paltry amount of public funds in the arts. Usually the big concert halls, the symphony orchestras, the opera are dependent upon charitable contributions made by wealthy patrons. Public and non-profit organizations will team up with many of these same patrons to minimally fund hands-on arts programs--but those mostly are limited to children.

The times, they are a changin'. And a perfect storm's a brewin'. We are better understanding the value of the arts both to the individual--of any age--and the community. At the same time, performing arts centers like the Music Center--along with museums, historic sites, and live music performances in general--are on a long-term slide down, in terms of attendance. In this high-tech, user-generated, YouTube world of the 21st Century, it is not enough to bring in exciting young geniuses like Gustavo Dudamel, and expect the slide to reverse itself.

Performing arts centers are searching for a new, transformative model, and Active Arts at the Music Center is a leading scout on the search. Public Practice is one of its more innovative programs.

(Scroll down for two more posts on Active arts.)

-- RCH

Seeing

I seldom go directly

To the thing itself;

All mere fancy dancing.

Until Kay Ryan reminds me

To see the mother-daughter

Walking hand in hand to school.

-- RCH

"Tree Terrorists Attack Signal Hill"

Hyperbole ranks right up there with porn as something the Web needs less of. But I couldn't resist passing on a little hyperbole, myself.

Signal Hill Petroleum is offering a $2,500 reward for the arrest and conviction of "Tree Terrorists" who have sawn through or injected poison into about ten eucalyptus trees on the north slope of Signal Hill.

"We are sickened by these horrible acts of destruction and for the loss of these beautiful trees," said Craig Barto, SHP's president. The Signal Hill Tribune reported that the trees are 30 to 40 feet tall, and two could be more than 70 years old.

The largely undeveloped north slope, sprinkled with oil pumpers, has been basically open for hikers, joggers and people walking their dogs, according to one SHP official. The City of Signal Hill and the local Sierra Club have expressed interest in purchasing the 32-acre site for a natural preserve or a park.

The costly removal of the dying trees is necessary to protect hikers. A SHP official noted that "aside from the danger to human life, the trees add beauty to the hill and their root system prevent mudslides during heavy rainfall."

The Signal Hill Police is investigating. A common-sense lead would point to the new homes on the hilltop whose views may be compromised by the trees. City Planning staff, in the past, has noted that when view properties come up for sale, their owners are particularly insistent about tree removal or topping to enhance views and thus property values. The police would be wise to pursue this line of thinking in their investigations.

Here are a few more pictures. The damaged trees have been identified with a red ribbon.

http://bit.ly/90pewg

--- RCH