A LITTLE VINO AND ALL THAT JAZZ ANNUAL EVENT RETURNS AS A SOUND IDEA.Byline: ERIC LEACH Staff Writer SIMI VALLEY Simi Valley (sē`mē, sĭm`ē), city (1990 pop. 100,217), Ventura co., SW Calif. in an oil, fruit, and farm region; laid out 1887, inc. 1969. -- There were 500 guests and people were still arriving at the first Vino Jazz Festival Noun 1. jazz festival - a festival that features performances by jazz artists festival, fete - an organized series of acts and performances (usually in one place); "a drama festival" at the Lost Canyons Golf Club in 2003 when a major brush fire broke out in the hills north of Simi Valley. ``We called it the hottest event in Ventura County,'' said Ray Cruz, who helped organize the event as executive director of the Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center. ``The hills were on fire. The Police Department and Fire Department were there, and we had to close down at 7 p.m., but people were still trying to get in.'' The festival, which raises money for the city-owned Cultural Arts Center, was held the next year at the Hummingbird hummingbird, common name for members of the family Trochilidae, small, strictly New World birds, related to the swifts, and found chiefly in the mountains of South America. Hummingbirds vary in size from a 2 1-4-in. Nest Ranch, and more than 1,000 people attended. But Cruz said he canceled plans in 2005 to hold the festival again at the beautiful hillside Hillside may refer to: Places
 Editing of this page by unregistered or newly registered users is currently disabled due to vandalism. .
Now, organizers are hoping for the best Vino Jazz Festival ever at the new Simi Valley Town Center Simi Valley Town Center is a shopping center located in Simi Valley, California. The mall opened in 2005 with Macy's and Robinsons-May as anchor stores. The Robinsons-May store was converted into a Macy's Men and Home Store on September 9, 2006. later this month. ``This year it's going to be perfect,'' said City Councilwoman Barbra Williamson, the event's chairwoman. ``It's one of the best social events you could go to. Everybody turns out to this event, all walks of life. It's really going to be a nice evening.'' Ticket prices range from $25 for ``responsible wine-tasting,'' to $50 for ``unlimited responsible wine-tasting,'' to $75 for wine-tasting and dinner, to $125 for a VIP package that includes preferred seating and a special reception. Seven jazz groups will perform on three stages, including singer Barbara Morrison Barbara Morrison is an American singer of jazz music. Born in Ypsilanti, Michigan and raised in Romulus, Michigan, Barbara Morrison recorded her first appearance for radio in Detroit at the age of 10. Well known in the Los Angeles area for her duo and trio dates Ms. , the instrumental Latin group Festivo, Bob Couto and the North L.A. Jazz Ensemble, and Danny Carrera's Salsa Jazz Band. Some of these performers have been giving free concerts at the Town Center on Tuesday and Thursday evenings approaching the Vino Jazz Festival. Nancy Youngblood, a Simi Valley resident who attended the first two festivals, said she wouldn't miss the community gathering. ``Anybody would enjoy going. It's just great fun for a great cause,'' Youngblood said. ``There's lots of wine, lots of music, great food and fun people,'' she said. And despite last year's cancellation, enthusiasm is high this year, Cruz said. ``This year we're back with a lot of energy. It's going to be really nice, an absolute blast,'' Cruz said. ``The festival brings people from different walks of life, and this is related to the different types of jazz we are presenting at the program -- African jazz African Jazz may refer to:
Cruz, who is an actor, vocalist and plays the trumpet trumpet, brass wind musical instrument of part cylindrical, part conical bore, in the shape of a flattened loop and having three piston valves to regulate the pitch. , said one of his main goals is to support the Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center's programs for children. ``Ultimately, getting children involved in the arts will help in their schools, with their grades, their social skills and make them better citizens,'' he said. The center also has a new program for people who are deaf. They'll be able to come the center and ``feel the music,'' with the words presented through sign language, Cruz said. eric.leach(at)dailynews.com (805) 583-7602 IF YOU GO The Vino Jazz Festival, 4-9 p.m. Sept. 16, will be held at the Simi Valley Town Center. For more information, go to www.vinojazz.com or www.simivalleytc.com, or call Ray Cruz at (805) 583-7905. CAPTION(S): 4 photos, box Photo: (1 -- color) Bob Couto performs with the North L.A. Jazz Ensemble during a concert at the Simi Valley Town Center in Simi Valley on Thursday. The North L.A. Jazz Ensemble will perform at the Vino Jazz Festival on Sept. 16 in a fundraiser for the Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center at the center court of the Simi Valley Town Center. (2 -- 4 -- color) Lance Rickman, left, plays a tenor sax solo with the North L.A. Jazz Ensemble during a concert at the Simi Valley Town Center in Simi Valley on Thursday. The North L.A. Jazz Ensemble will perform at the Vino Jazz Festival on Sept. 16 in a fundraiser for the Simi Valley Cultural Arts Center at the center court of the Simi Valley Town Center. At top, Bob Couto, right, directs the North L.A. Jazz Ensemble. Michael Fleming Michael Valentine Fleming (1913 - 1 October 1940) was the son of Valentine Fleming and brother of Ian Fleming and Peter Fleming. He married Letitia Blanche Borthwick, daughter of Hon. Malcolm Algernon Borthwick and Blanche Buckland Gorrie, on 28 July 1934. , center, performs with the trumpet section of the ensemble.Michael Owen
Box: IF YOU GO (see text) |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion