Jazz

JOYCE RUDOLPH Spanish guitar, Gypsy violin and tango accordion create a lively blend of music that has touches of classic flamenco, Latin and jazz. Trio Norte will perform this exciting sound during a concert presented by the Glendale Community Concert Assn., at 2:30 p.m. Sunday at Glendale High School. Season tickets are $45, $12 for those younger than 18. A ticket to the Glendale concerts allows free admission to community concerts in other areas.

Some 82-year-olds settle into their rocking chairs and sing the blues about their aches and pains. But Linda Hopkins prefers to rock the house while singing blues favorites twice a month at Revo Art and Jazz Café in Glendale. The veteran actress has made a career of cabaret singing and in December Revo owner Henry Kazarian invited her to start a talent night on the second and fourth Sundays of the month. "I'm trying to build up and get young artists known," Hopkins said. "And get people here looking for good talent."

The Kiwanis Club of Glendale is coordinating talent for its third annual Glendale Jazz Festival on June 28 at Glendale Community College, 1500 N. Verdugo Road. Nineteen bands are scheduled to perform on six stages under the theme "A World of Jazz." The festival is from noon to 11 p.m. A rich mixture of well-balanced jazz sounds is planned from smooth and blues, straight-ahead and Latin, traditional Dixieland and popular 1940s and 1950s swing bands, organizers said.

It may have been hot outside Saturday night, but inside Glendale’s Luna Playhouse it was an evening as cool as the smooth jazz Phyllis Chang and her band was playing. Chang, a singer-songwriter native to Los Angeles, kept her audience from worrying too much about the heat as she serenaded them with a mix of jazz and pop classics, as well as a few of her own original tunes. “My music is very personal,” Chang said. “I try to write things that are beautiful and from my heart.

First-time filmmakers Doug McIntyre and his wife, Penny Peyser, have put together, apart from a few technical flaws, a rousing documentary about jazzman Jack Sheldon that is funny, sad and entertaining, and one that will hold your interest for the entire hour-and-a-half running time. McIntyre and Peyser have strung together old photos, Super-8 film and modern video techniques to bring ?Trying to Get Good: The Jazz Odyssey of Jack Sheldon? together, and the result is a real hoot for the audience.

Jeff Tully Ruben Douglas wasn't given an opportunity to play in the NBA. But through hard work and perseverance, the former Bellarmine-Jefferson High standout is hoping to prove he belongs among the basketball elite in the league. This summer, Douglas has landed a spot on the with the Utah Jazz's summer pro league team, and he has put on some impressive performances. His best outing came July 20, when Douglas helped lead the Jazz to a 72-70 victory against the Chicago Bulls.

In keeping with the purpose of the Brand Library, a place to find materials related to art and music, officials believed a two-week jazz series would be a cool fit. The idea for the series grew out of a meeting with jazz portrait photographer Bob Barry, who had all the connections for putting together panel discussions, film screenings and a jazz concert. The series, featuring an exhibition of his work, kicks off Saturday and continues through Feb. 19. Planning the two-week event are Alyssa Resnick, senior library supervisor, and Cathy Billings, art librarian and gallery manager.

Frank Macchia, an orchestrator for the film industry, had forgotten when the Grammy nominations were to be announced, so he got the surprise of his life when a friend called to give him the good news. The Burbank resident is up for his first Grammy for “Black is the Color of My True Love’s Hair” on his CD “Emotions,” which was nominated for Best Instrumental Arrangement. “I was flabbergasted to find out I had made it,” said Macchia, 49, a former Glendale resident.

Selflessness is not a quality one often associates with artists. After all, creative people have their personal visions and usually spend their careers trying to get other people to help them realize those aspirations. Jazz guitarist John Pisano, known as a musician's musician, is universally regarded as an empathetic player. That collaborative gene has served the Los Angeles jazz community well. The weekly Guitar Night he's hosted will mark its 15th anniversary this Tuesday at Lucy's 51 in Toluca Lake.