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The Armenians of California: Challenges and Achievements

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A tour of one of the 200 different ethnic groups who live & contribute to our California

While exploring Los Angeles one weekend during the summer, I stumbled upon the district of Little Armenia. The community intrigued me, so I dove deeper, traveled further and found a large, diverse Armenian culture in California.

The most moving tribute to Armenians is located in the park outside the Fresno Courthouse. Donated to the County of Fresno by the people of Armenian descent of the San Joaquin Valley, the statue was dedicated on August 11, 1970 and was created by sculptor Varaz Samuelian. The plaque reads:

“David of Sassoon is the legendary folk-hero of the Armenians who rid their land of foreign conquerors single-handedly. It is an epic based on historical events dating back to the seventh century A.D. Troubadours, poets and sculptors have immortalized him for it gives eloquent expression to man’s undying love of freedom and justice for all. This statue, by Varaz Samuelian of Fresno, represents a thousand Davids in a thousand lands where throughout all of history man has sought to sustain his freedom against overwhelming odds.”   [Read more…]

What Bob Marley Can Teach Us About Donald Trump

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If he were alive, the Honorable Robert Nesta “Bob” Marley, O.M. (Order of Merit), would have celebrated his 71st birthday on February 6. Even with the thirty-fifth anniversary of his tragic death from cancer last May, Bob remains the most recognizable ambassador of reggae music the world over.

Marley’s timeless appeal and continued relevance stems in no small part from the stirring political, racial, and social consciousness painstakingly infused in his songbook. From tracks like One Love to War (adopted from Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I’s historic speech before the United Nations General Assembly in 1963), Them Belly Full (But They Hungry), Get Up, Stand Up, Concrete Jungle – and many, many more of his songs – Bob Marley used the bully pulpit of international music stardom to disseminate the treasure of his accumulated moral wisdom.   [Read more…]

Remembering Ramon ‘Chunky’ Sanchez: Memorial Services, Corrido to Nuestro Héroe

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By Staff

Ramon “Chunky” Sanchez, whose music and voice chronicled the struggles and victories of the barrio, died a few days before his sixty-fifth birthday. A viewing, ceremony and celebration of life the weekend of November 4-6 are an opportunity for the extensive community of family and friends to pay their final respects.   [Read more…]

Black Uhuru Blesses San Diego’s Belly-Up Tavern

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When legendary reggae band Black Uhuru began playing the hypnotically addictive, haunting, head-bobbing, foot-stomping beat of their world-famous song, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, at the Belly Up Tavern in San Diego (on the night of September 1st), a jovial, overly-sauced patron screamed out: “Black Uhuru is the best reggae band alive!”

And, more than anything else, it was this proclamation that best summed up the feel good, get-on-your-feet-and-dance vibes then pulsing through the Belly Up’s joyful, equally exuberant, filled to capacity crowd – who chanted in unison, at the top of their lungs – the song’s famous refrain and its opening lyric: “Guess who’s coming to dinner, Natty Dreadlocks.”   [Read more…]

Humanizing the Maestro: Hershey Felder as Leonard Bernstein

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By Yuko Kurahashi

Hershey Felder’s Maestro (directed by Joel Zwick), one in a series of solo shows on famous composers, was staged at the San Diego Repertory Theatres’ Lyceum Stage from July 6-17, 2016. Capturing key moments in Leonard Bernstein’s life, Felder offers a truly memorable piece that humanizes the world-famous American conductor and composer. It gives voices to people who influenced Bernstein directly or indirectly, including his parents, George Gershwin, Aaron Copland, Demitri Mitropoulos, Serge Koussevitzky, and his wife of 27 years Felicia Cohn Montealegre.

Highlighting key events in Bernstein’s life, Hershey focuses on: Bernstein’s Jewish heritage, his encounters and relationships with world-renowned composers and conductors; his marriage to Felicia and homosexuality, his ambitions and successes as a composer, and failures as a composer. He ties these all together to his love of music and life   [Read more…]

Una Carta a José

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By Adrián Arancibia

A friend once said, the good ones always leave San Diego and never come back. They leave. They never come back. I’ve spent the better part of 20 years watching brilliant folks build something here. Build something. And move on. This year will be no different. This year will be especially sad for me.

Two folks I admire and love will be leaving. They’ll be moving to Seattle. Jade Power Sotomayor and José Fuste will be moving to Seattle. If you don’t know, they’ve created a following in San Diego. A following for bomba. Something I’ve found to be one of the few authentic music events here in San Diego.

But how does San Diego say thank you?   [Read more…]

Jazz Flautist Lori Bell Wows Them at the La Jolla Community Center

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Friday, May 27, Lori Bell had one of her long standing gigs at the La Jolla Community Center with Mike Garson, piano, and Ron Satterfield, guitar and vocals. Amiable and buoyant, Lori established good rapport with the packed audience. She’s the kind of person you wish you had for a classmate when you were going to school. The music was excellent with stellar performances from Ron Satterfield, a major talent, and Mike Garson, former pianist with David Bowie. That being said this review will be packed with anecdotes like the time Lori gave piano lessons to my granddaughter, Monique. She was so good with her and a wonderful teacher.   [Read more…]

Bob Dylan Turns 75: May Your Song Always Be Sung

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By Abby Zimet / CommonDreams

Bobby Zimmerman of Hibbing, Minnesota turned 75 on Tuesday. Unreal. America’s great troubadour is still on the road, heading for another joint – though, for those around in the bad old days, nothing can beat 1975’s dazzling Rolling Thunder Revue – and this week Bob Dylan also released his 37th studio album, “Fallen Angels.”   [Read more…]

A Jazzy San Diego Weekend: Two Worlds Merged Rather Than Collided

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Flute Fusion with Holly Hofmann and Beth Ross-Buckley; Jazz @ the Jacobs with Gregory Porter

A packed house at the Mingei Museum in Balboa Park was treated to a flute duo billed as Flute Fusion featuring Holly Hofmann, inveterate jazz flautist and promoter, along with Beth Ross-Buckley, classical flautist and promoter. Both Holly and Beth have been long time music presenters in San Diego. Holly started at the Horton Grand and had a memorable gig for many years at the San Diego Museum of Art. Beth started a chamber music group called Camarada in 1994. This night they joined forces.   [Read more…]

A Chat with Singer Janis Ian

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Appearing May 22nd at the Balboa Theater at a Benefit for the San Diego Human Dignity Foundation Lesbian Health Initiative

By Anne M. Haule

I had the most delightful chat with Janis Ian this morning.  Her warmth immediately calmed my nerves (in this my first celebrity interview). I felt as if I were chatting with a friend. She is upbeat, articulate, humorous and amazingly candid. She was generous with her time and forthright with her comments. She is a self-proclaimed optimist with a sparkle in her voice.

We began by talking about her 50+ year career – and what a versatile career it has been and continues to be. Janis has received 38 awards and honors for her music, her writing, her audiobooks, and her social activism.   [Read more…]

RIP Joe Marillo, San Diego’s Godfather of Jazz

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Joe Marillo passed away Saturday, March 26. Born in Niagara Falls, NY, 83 years ago, he moved to San Diego in 1974 from Las Vegas where he had played in show bands for 10 years. He started out playing saxophone in Atlantic City, NJ while swinging from a trapeze.

He was dedicated to bringing straight ahead, mainstream jazz to San Diego for almost 50 years both with his virtuoso playing and his skills as a presenter and impresario. He received the San Diego Music Awards Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003.

After moving here from Las Vegas, Joe immediately started playing and performing in San Diego clubs. I first saw and heard him at Chuck’s Steak House in La Jolla where Joe lived “in the ghetto” for his entire life.   [Read more…]

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