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NN eewwss && NNootteess Building Community One Song at a Time

March 22, 2012 Week 6

MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR THESE UPCOMING EVENTS… THE INSIDE SCOOP… Here’s a little background information about Rick Krizman, the composer of “Remember Me” as well as March 25 3:00 Sectionals / Bass the producer of many of our published CDs. Read on to March 29 10:00 Solo Audition: learn a little about how he came to write “Remember Me” Baba Yetu as well as how he became involved with ACC! Sukla-Krsne In Rick’s own words…

APRIL 5 NO REHEARSAL I was raised in suburban Kansas City but left when I was April 12 10:00 Solo Audition: 17 to attend college on the east coast and never really Dry Your Tears looked back. Now every Christmas I visit my parents and Remember Me extended family in KC, and it was on a plane ride back to Los Angeles that I wrote most of "Remember Me". I QUOTE OF THE WEEK fleshed it out at the piano a few days later--it came very quickly. The "Road Home" CD was in planning stages, Without music to decorate it, Time is just a but I didn't consciously write it for the project. bunch of boring production deadlines or dates by which bills must be paid. Songs really have a life of their own and sometimes you can put too fine a point on what they're really about, but ~ I'll try.

When I got out of college I turned my back on a possible career in academia and became a musician and Angel City Chorale News & Notes is also available on our web site: songwriter. It was a tenuous path and I came close to www.angelcitychorale.org tipping off the edge many times. I became alienated from my family and from the mainstream of life. Later I found Editor: Gail Levy Lead Contributor: Deborah Bogen some mainstream success but as I grew a career as a Printed by: commercial composer I ultimately became alienated from PREMIER PRINT AND DESIGN my own muse and believe I was feeling a sense of Larry and Charlotte Lechlak chronic loss and "homelessness".

Newsletter items are due by NOON, Meanwhile, the more I learned about actual Tuesday. If you have ACC info, articles, or homelessness the more I realized the fine line that personal items (printed when space permits) separated me, and maybe all of us, from the people in to contribute to the newsletter, please send to Gail by e-mail: [email protected] the street. Perhaps the song is about falling off the path in a broader sense that embraces not only literal Note: The Angel City Chorale is not homelessness but also the sense of loss or alienation responsible for any misinformation in the personals.

March 22, 2012 Angel City Chorale News & Notes 2 that I believe we all suffer from at times. BIRTHDAYS Ultimately our recording of "The Road Home" was a time of recovery for me, and the times I spent sitting in front of the choir with my eyes We have lots of closed with the beautiful voices washing over people to sing to this me were profound moments of personal week whose birthdays are salvation. coming up before our next rehearsal!

I first heard the choir at an open mic night at Joyce Linder March 22 McCabe's. I was there to hear a friend's Mariann Santora March 22 teenage punk , (which was predictably Winifred Neisser March23 awful.) But afterwards the stage was adorned Pilar Kuhn March 25 with a couple dozen singers whose version of Chris Harrott March 26 Why Walk When You Can Fly touched me to Tom O’Neill March 26 the core. It was like hearing a bunch of best Lynn Jordan March 27 friends singing around a campfire. I was thrilled to find that a mediocre tenor/baritone such as * * * * me could join this heart felt ensemble and so I signed right up. (1996?)

I subsequently produced a recording with the choir, a Christmas recording, at Mt. Olive By Deborah Bogen church. We didn't release this, but some cuts This week’s AOTW is Nancy Felixson, Alto. appeared later on the Chanukah CD. I later In Nancy’s own words… produced the "Why Walk" album as well as "Gift of the Angels". I stopped singing with the choir I was born and raised in Los Angeles; I regularly after a few years but "grandfathered" attended Bellagio Road Elementary School, myself in for the DNC 2000 convention and the Emerson Jr. High School, University High Christmas gig at Disney Hall with the Mancini School and UC-Santa Cruz (class of '75). orchestra. I've also occasionally played There was always music in our home and my keyboards for the concerts. parents took us to the stage productions of

"Man of La Mancha" and "Fiddler on the Roof" * * * * so I developed a love for musical theater at a

SNACKS! young age.

SNACKS! Dad loved to sing along with all the soundtrack SNACK S! recordings, as well as with his favorite songs by

Frank Sinatra and Robert Goulet. My older sister listened to the Rock n' Roll Snack Team for March 29th crooners of the late '50s and early 60's like Gordon Glor Hiromi Lathrop Ricky Nelson, Dion, Brian Hyland ... and then, Grainne Ward Hui Lim of course, , and the Harry Eden Jackie Murphy Rolling Stones. She also played folk records by Heather Jaramillo Jane Hope and . In fact, in 1963 my Helen Iammarino folks took us to hear Joan Baez with special guest Bob Dylan in concert at the Hollywood March 22, 2012 Angel City Chorale News & Notes 3

Bowl. What a thrill for a 10-year old kid! continue to play almost 50 years later. In addition to guitar, I also play electric bass, My 2nd grade teacher taught an after-school ukulele, a bit of mandolin, old-time banjo, Autoharp class. The first songs I learned to play dulcimer, hammered dulcimer & jawharp. were "Lavender Blue" and "Tom Dooley". In 7th grade my music appreciation teacher was In the late '80's I played string bass and sang none other than ACC's own Carol Reich. I tenor in a bluegrass band. Over the decades, I remember Carol as very energetic and have been in old-time string bands & folk-rock- encouraging.... and I was a member of the bands, and have occasionally Madrigal group and Girl's Glee under her accompanied singer/songwriters at various direction. clubs.

Of course, I loved the Beatles ... even saw them From 1963 thru 1971 I attended Camp Hess on Ed Sullivan. My favorite was Paul ("the cute Kramer in Malibu. I always brought my guitar one"). with me and took guitar classes whenever they were offered. There was always "group singing" I listened a lot to in my early after meals. When I joined the staff as a teens. In the late '60's and early '70's (my counselor-in-training and then as a Junior "musically formative" years) I also listened to Counselor, my friends and I would jam for hours Joan Baez, Judy Collins, Laura Nyro, Linda after the campers were asleep. Ronstadt, Simon and Garfunkel, Cat Stevens, Buffalo Springfield, the Byrds, CSN&Y, the In my first year at college, I took a great class Who, Creedence Clearwater Revival, James called "The Anthology of American Folk Taylor, and . Music”, that changed my life. Because of that Living in Los Angeles, I had the great good class, I developed a love for early Country and fortune to see many of those artists in concert Old Timey and Bluegrass music. The first at such venues as the Greek Theatre, the assignment was to go the Music Library and and the Troubadour. listen to the "Anthology of American Music", a great collection of recorded music from 1926- In 1973 and 1974 I worked at the Hollywood 1932. This was my earliest exposure to Cajun Bowl as an usher. The greatest benefit of that and Zydeco music, as well as Shape-Note job was the opportunity to hear truly world-class Sacred Harp songs, the and the performers from many different genres such as: Cannon Jug-Stompers. , , , Elton John, Roger Miller, Marty Robbins, Merle In addition, I enrolled in other college courses Haggard, , Sly and the Family that could only have been offered at UC-Santa Stone, Jackson Browne, the , and Cruz in the early '70's: "Contemporary Musical the L.A. Philharmonic Orchestra. Subcultures in American Society" (basically a history of Rock and R&B) and "Women in I guess you could ascribe my interest in playing American Music" (my introduction to early guitar to sibling rivalry. When my sister started "feminist" recording artists Cris Williamson, taking guitar lessons in 1963, I asked my Margie Adam, Meg Christian).I also played in parents to buy a guitar for me, too. They were the Gamelan orchestra (music of Sunda, nice enough to indulge me in a guitar and Western Java) and had a chance to try my lessons.... and then they bought guitars and hand at the Saz (a Turkish instrument). started taking lessons, too. As it turned out, I was the only one who kept up with it.... and I Because I have worked at McCabe's Guitar March 22, 2012 Angel City Chorale News & Notes 4

Shop since 1978, I first learned about ACC in combinations. It was a great opportunity to be 1993 when Sue started the choir as a class at creative and work out musical arrangements in McCabe's. I can't remember for sure when I first small groups with songs that we selected. joined ACC, but I think it was around 1995. I love the camaraderie of ACC. Many of my I especially loved singing with Emily Sanders, closest friends over the past 15 years are Grainne Ward, Pam Patterson, Jane Emmer people I met here. Some of them have moved and Amy Rockefeller. A few of us formed a away or are no longer in the choir, but the group, "Happy Band", as an offshoot of the strong bonds of lasting friendship were forged featured acts. This group included former here. I also love the musical eclecticism and the members Julianne Arvizu, Sherry Scanza, fact that choir members are encouraged to Mitch Weiss, Steve Deitelbaum and me. participate in song selection. (Where else could a non-"Classically trained" self-described Shawn Deitelbaum joined when Julianne folksinger/guitarist fit in a choral group??) moved away. Shortly after, Sherry moved, too and for a while, we continued on as HB3. There have been opportunities to perform with In 2009 we reunited in Skokie, Il for a benefit ACC in places and at events I could hardly concert. Pam, Linda & Jamie, our respective imagine before becoming a member: The 2000 spouses, joined in as the extended Happy Democratic National Convention, the infamous Band. A good time was had by all. Thalians Dinner (honoring the Astronauts from Since then Happy Band per se has not the early Space program), the 25th Anniversary performed, but now and then Steve and Shawn of the 1984 Olympics, the 2007 Tour of Ireland, and my wife Pam and I sing at the annual among others. Beverly Glen Spring Fair, a great local event.

I was a member of the Public Relations and CD When not rehearsing with ACC or working at committees. In the early days, I played electric McCabe's, I enjoy camping at the California bass for some of the concerts. Since then, I State Parks with my lovely spouse and our two sometimes play acoustic guitar or other related hound-dogs. We love the weekends away from instruments, when called upon. Back in the home, relaxing in our cozy travel trailer near the days when we had non-choral "featured acts" beach and enjoying the star-lit skies at night. as part of the concerts, I played and/or sang with many ACC members in varying * * * *

PLEASE SUPPORT ST. ANDREW’S FUNDRAISERS!

March 31…4 PM Piano Concert (Galina is donating all proceeds to St. Andrew's)

April 21…8 AM - 2 PM Spring Fling at St. Andrew's!!

There will be vendors in Nolte Hall, a Richland School yard sale in the parking lot, a book sale, a bake sale by St. Andrew's (yum!), a basket raffle, a food truck…

ACCers, anyone interested in joining the vendors? Tables are a flat rate of $50….a great Opportunity to show off your treasures, and to sell! If you are interested, please contact Cathy at (310) 477-0257.

Would love to see all ACCers at St. Andrew's events - you're a part of us! Thanks.