Exploring the people, places & culture of greater LA
Every once in a while you come across an idea so good it’s hard to figure out why no one’s acted on it before. That’s how I felt hearing veteran jazz singer Roseanna Vitro’s new album “The Music of Randy Newman.” Working closely with veteran pianist and longtime collaborator Mark Soskin, Vitro infuses Newman’s songs with her soul-deep feel for blues and gospel. The results are revelatory, insistently raising the question of why no jazz singer has previously tackled a Randy Newman project.
Summer is the time of year when Hollywood releases many of its big budget movies. The weather heats up and so does the box office – at least that’s the idea. But what about the local theater scene?
This summer, theater lovers in Los Angeles have a lot to get excited about. One of the upcoming events that recently caught my attention is RADAR L.A., an international festival of contemporary theater produced by REDCAT in collaboration with Center Theatre Group and The Public Theater’s Under the Radar Festival (New York).
On Wednesday night I attended a screening of Captain Blood, the classic Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland film released in 1935 by Warner Bros. and directed by Michael Curtiz. This was the third of six motion pictures that make up the Los Angeles Conservancy’s annual program called Last Remaining Seats. Now in its 25th year, this unique event celebrates classic films and live entertainment in LA’s historic theaters.
It’s not often you have the opportunity to experience a live performance of Baroque music played on a period instrument, but that’s exactly what’s taking place this weekend at the Museum of Jurassic Technology. Seats are still available to hear Shirley Edith Hunt on a ca. 1720 bass viol.
Once again The Do LaB brings their creative energies to the southern California music and arts scene with Lightning in a Bottle 2011, the 10th evolution of their signature festival. The Los Angeles based company specializes in “creating experiences as art form” and has become a fixture at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival for the past seven years. While I unfortunately missed Coachella this year, I attended in 2009 and 2010 and The Do LaB installations were definitely a highlight of the festival experience.
This weekend, Red Bull will transform the streets of downtown LA into a drag strip for the Red Bull Soapbox Race. Approximately 40 teams of experienced racers and amateurs will compete in this non-motorized racing event, featuring outrageously designed, human-powered vehicles trying to beat the clock in a downhill competition.
I don’t spend much time playing video games, but when I first heard about L.A. Noire, a new title from Rockstar Games, my interest was piqued. Scheduled for release tomorrow in the US (20 May 2011 in Europe), L.A. Noire appears poised to set a new standard for realism, plot generated gaming and the use of a historically accurate setting.
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