Arts & Culture

Central Ave Jazz Kickoff Recognizes Little Tokyo's Place in History

By Ed Fuentes — 08:56 AM

This weekend, jazz aficionados pay homage to the days when Central Avenue was a mandatory stop on the national jazz circuit. From 1900 to 1950, the Dunbar Hotel housed A-list musicians playing local spots like Club Alabam, the DownBeat, Ivie’s Chicken Shack, the Last Word, and the Memo Club.

Only the more zealous historian will know Little Tokyo's place in jazz, back when it was briefly renamed "Bronzeville." This Thursday evening, history and music come together as the Japanese American National Museum plays host to the opening of the 2008 Central Ave Jazz Festival. — Continued Inside...

Downtown Film Festival Announces August Lineup

By Eric Richardson — Yesterday, 12:04 PM
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The Downtown Film Festival, coming to Broadway and the Arts District in August, has announced its programming lineup. The festival claims to feature more than 200 films over its five days. It opens at the Orpheum on August 13th with IFC’s “In Search of a Midnight Kiss,” by director Alex Holdridge. It closes with the documentary "Flow," from director Irena...

GP Scenes: The Real Tuesday Weld, Lal Meri

By Eric Richardson — Saturday

Friday night saw The Real Tuesday Weld and Lal Meri on the watercourt for Grand Performances, in a show that KCRW's Chris Douridas told you to come out and enjoy. A comfortably full crowd was on hand to enjoy a night of music, with fans of both bands mixing with those who simply stopped in to check out the scene.

60-Foot Tall History Marker Dedicated in Little Tokyo

By Ed Fuentes — Friday
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The 60-foot tall Moreton Bay Fig tree, known as the Aoyama Tree, was dedicated as a Historic-Cultural Monument on Thursday in Little Tokyo. It was planted in 1920 at the gates of the Koyasan Buddhist Temple and has survived the changing face of Little Tokyo. Now its legacy as a gathering place for local Japanese-Americans is official.

Friday: The Real Tuesday Weld and Lal Meri at Grand Performances

By Eric Richardson — July 17, 2008

The 2008 season of Grand Performances is in full gear, a month and a half into a schedule that runs into October. On Friday evening KCRW sponsors a show featuring UK band The Real Tuesday Weld and L.A.-based Lal Meri. While the schedule lists KCRW Music Director Nic Harcourt as host, a last minute change has put the night in the hands of Nic's predecessor...

Today: Audition for Cornerstone's Play on Traction

By Ed Fuentes — July 14, 2008
7 Comments

Cornerstone Theater Company is holding a second day of auditions Monday, July 14th, looking for locals to take part in @traction, its upcoming play about, and performed on, Traction Avenue. Audition times are 2:30 - 4:30pm and 6:30 - 9:30pm. A first block of auditions was held on Sunday during the Joel Bloom Memorial Arts District Block Party. Theater group...

Around the July Art Walk: The Business of Art

By Ed Fuentes — July 12, 2008
8 Comments

The July Downtown Art Walk saw continued growth, with more people on the streets of the Historic Core. While there's no official count, the crowds were estimated to be the largest ever for Downtown Art Walk. Councilman José Huizar explored Gallery Row after welcoming Phyllis Stein Art to his district and to Downtown. The champion for the Bringing Back Broadway...

Art Walk Preview for July, 2008

By Ed Fuentes — July 09, 2008
2 Comments

The Downtown Art Walk is upon us once again. It's July, and the walk will be a summer affair that brings the event its longest day of the year, by one minute. Sunset on June 12 was at 8:06pm and the July 10th sunset will be at 8:07pm. It will be 72 degrees when the sun fades away and dip to 69 degrees at 11pm. For those new to Downtown, Main Street is the split...

Free Shows Mark the Summer of 2008

By Ed Fuentes — July 08, 2008
2 Comments

Chuck Grub, 80, and his girlfriend of fifteen years, Trinidad Ventura (who proudly states she is 100) are regulars at Pershing Square's Summer Lunchtime series. "It's every Tuesday and Thursday, ya know," said Grub, a retired Technicolor cameraman. Last Thursday, he caught my eye with the way his hand bounced to the beat coming from the Undercover Girls, an...

Chinatown's Central Plaza Swings Into the Night

By Ed Fuentes — June 30, 2008
4 Comments

With a big band playing hits from the 40s, scheduled after the traditional Dragon, The 70th Anniversary Celebration of "New Chinatown" had the substance of history and tradition, along with a nod to L.A.s noir era Visitors, dignitaries, Downtown locals and Chinatown residents filled Central Plaza to watch restored neon be lit, dance to swing music, wear 40s...