The Founders' Circle at the L.A. Music Center

The Founders' Circle at the L.A. Music Center photographed by Lisa Kato Fitchett.

"The restrooms in the Founders' Circle are practically reason enough to pony up the $30,000 donation to get in." - a female patron overheard at the L.A. Music Center. Pictured here: The Founders' Circle, a private club for donors who support the Los Angeles Opera. The Founders' Circle serves a pre-performance dinner, and h'ors doevres, cappuccino, and desert during intermissions. Oh yes, and there's nary a queue for the restrooms. Reservations are required. The club is located within the Dorothy Chandler Pavillion on the South end of the Music Center Plaza on North Grand Avenue. --The Daily Fitchett, 3/10/11.

The 6th Annual Celebrate Dance Festival in L.A.

The Alex Theatre in Glendale, California photographed by Lisa Kato Fitchett.

Glendale, California - The dance community of Los Angeles packed the Alex Theatre on North Brand Boulevard for the sixth annual "Celebrate Dance", a varied program of over half a dozen preeminent dance companies representing some of today's most exciting talents in contemporary, jazz, ballet, and modern dance.

The Regina Klenjoski Dance Company oozed, pulsed, undulated, bounced, glided and sailed through the air in their fearlessly athletic and original "Emoticons", under the sure artistic direction of choreographer Regina Klenjoski. "Everybody Knows" - a pas de deux from San Diego based Malashock Dance company - showcased lyrical pairings, shapes and vignettes, making virtuoso lifts, partnering, inversions, and gravity defying leaps look easy under the mature direction of John Malashock, another veteran choreographer.

BARE Dance Company turned the stereotype of serious modern dance on its head with "Unoccupied", a light-hearted, fun piece demonstrating expressive capability, musicality, and a very connected delivery while never losing its sense of humor. "Tethered" (from Wayward Glances), a beautiful, athletic and thoroughly modern pas de deux by choreographer Michael Mizerany was made postmodern by being set to Henry Purcell's baroque era opera Dido and Aeneus. Terri Best Dance almost bent the passage of time with its unexpected slow shifts in tempo, deftly controlled timing, muscular suspension, well-honed choreography, and refined delivery in "Threshold". 

While it is almost unfair to pick a stand-out performance from such a collective display of creative talents, special mention must go to Monat Dance for showing strong classical lines and elegant, ballet-based modern choreography in "Beyond the Edge". Never confusing technique with artistry, the company danced with the musicality of Ailey, the refreshing modernism of the Joffrey, and with perfectly synchronized, artistic details of heads, arms and hands moving as one, the unique and total togetherness of London's Royal Ballet corps. 

Finally, this reviewer must point to the achievement of choreographer Jamel Gaines and Creative Outlook Dance Theatre of Brooklyn in its Los Angeles Premiere of "Prize", a piece exploring identity, race, political dissidence, war, and peace. Impeccably performed by a quintet of powerful dancers (Amber Hill, Epiphany Davis, Cara Maldonado, De-on Sass, Victor Reddick) and set entirely to the rising and falling tones and cadences of President Barack Obama's speech excerpts, the company showcased phenomenally strong, talented dancers articulating a decisive artistic statement without the obvious polemicism that could have cheapened the performance. Stunning, exceptional performances by the outstanding soloists and universal appeal reminded this reviewer of Alvin Ailey Dance Company at its very best.

The attendees comprised a Who's Who of the Los Angeles and Southland dance community, including choreographers Deborah Rosen, Sophie Monat, Terri Best, Michael Mizerany, John Malashock, Macarena Gandarillas, Mike Esperanza, and Regina Klenjoski; costume designers Denise Lichter, Tina Haatainen, Lilia Lopez, Bradley Lock, Liz Pelster, and Sue Julien; soloists Blythe Barton, Bradley R. Lundberg, Johnny Zhong, Anh Dillon, Joey Thao, Christine Marshall, Nicholas Strasburg, and Dana Vultaggio; award-winning lighting designer Eileen Cooley; and members of the major dance and fine arts press.

Celebrate Dance 2011 was a smashing success, with its strong and varied program, mature artistic statements, and outstanding young talents performing before a packed theater. Executive Producer Jamie Nichols (the founding force behind Pasadena-based Fast Feet dance company, honored at the 19th Annual Lester Horton Dance Awards with the Furthering The Visibility of Dance Award, among many other prizes and recognition) is the marketing director, fundraiser, press contact and sole producer for Celebrate Dance. Ms. Nichols currently teaches Contemporary Jazz at Live Arts Los Angeles and Movement for Actors at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Hollywood, California. Thank you for your contributions, Ms. Nichols. We can't wait to see what's in store for "Celebrate Dance 2012".

After The Storm, Part 3

Snow covered tree in the day's fading light, photographed by Lisa Kato Fitchett.

Snow covered tree in the fading light of day, from a series of snowy landscape photographs taken the day after a snow storm blanketed Oakhurst, California.

See Related Posts:

• After The Storm (Part 1)
• After The Storm, Part 2

--The Daily Fitchett, 3/13/11.

After The Storm, Part 2

Snowy Tree Tops. Photograph by Lisa Kato Fitchett.

We saw the late afternoon sun glinting off of snowy tree tops, and behind it, the cobalt blue sky trying to peek through lavender clouds. Subject: Travel, Photography, Oakhurst, California.

See Related Post:

• After The Storm (Part 1)
• After The Storm, Part 3

More Related Posts: Oakhurst, California.

--The Daily Fitchett, 3/12/11.

Midlife Crisis at the Long Beach Aquarium

Long Beach, California - Coming up in April, the members of the Adult Garage Band 101 rock camp, a.k.a. "Midlife Crisis" will rock the Aquarium of the Pacific on April 1st, 2011, from 6:00pm to 9:00pm. Midlife Crisis members are: Randy Berler (vocals and guitar), John Tailor (bass), Gregory Hex (vocals and guitar), Jim Crenshaw (guitar), Linda Thompson (drums), Barbara Jackson (vocals, keyboards, mandolin), Bob Warpehoski (vocals, keyboards), and Mike Grady(guitar). Adult Garage Band 101 is a class available to adult students of Long Beach School of Music, South Bay School of Music (Redondo Beach), and Peninsula School of Music in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA. Click on the picture here to see a bigger image of the poster and to get gig details.

Related Post: Restricted: No One Under 30 Allowed Midlife Crisis rehearses for their upcoming gig.

--The Daily Fitchett, 3/11/11.

After The Storm

Snow Storm Blankets Oakhurst, CA.  Photograph by Lisa Kato Fitchett.

On the day of a huge snowstorm, we drove in to Oakhurst, California. What you see here is the wintry scene that we witnessed as we hiked around on the following day.

--The Daily Fitchett, 3/10/11.

Cornish Game Hens

Cornish Game Hen, Rosemary, Lemon & Garlic. The Daily Fitchett.

The new big hit at our house is Cornish game hens, pictured below with rosemary garnish, potatoes au gratin, and mixed green salad with dried cranberries, chopped walnuts, and sliced pear. See the pinkness in the juice in the photo above? That's what I couldn't see when it was still in the baking pan. This one had to go back in the oven. In order to avoid this problem, make sure to check the internal temperature of the meat with a meat thermometer, and to use a large enough baking pan so as not to crowd the hens. If they are too close together, it will take significantly longer to cook. Another mistake that you can see in this photo was the raw rosemary garnish. Mark tossed the rosemary garnish back in the oven at the last minute to toast it for tenderness, better texture and flavor.  Once that was done, it was a phenomenal meal. Thanks to MoonAndBack on AllRecpies.com for posting the original recipe.

Essential Equipment:

• Large Baking Pan
• Large Rack that can fit inside the baking pan, and accommodate 4 Cornish game hens with space in between each (hens should not touch, nor be too crowded)
• Meat Thermometer

Ingredients:
4 Cornish game hens
1 lemon
8 sprigs rosemary
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 dozen cloves garlic, peeled
1/3 Cup white cooking wine
1 Cup low-sodiu chicken broth

Cornish Game Hens with Rosemary & Potatoes au Gratin.

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Rub hens with 1 Tablespoon of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Stuff a lemon wedge and sprig of rosemary into the cavity of each hen; Tie the legs together with string. Arrange on a rack placed inside a large, heavy roasting pan, and arrange garlic cloves around the hens. Roast for 25 minutes.
3. In a Pyrex cup, mix together wine, chicken broth, and 2 Tablespoons of olive oil; pour over hens. Continue roasting, and baste with pan juices and additional chicken broth/olive oil mixture every 15 minutes. It can be difficult to tell if the juices "run clear", so continue roasting hens and use a meat thermometer to make sure the internal temperature of the hens reaches 155 degrees Fahrenheit. Each instance of basting reduces the temperature in the oven and adds on to the total cooking time, but it is oh-so worth it.
4. Transfer hens to a platter, pouring any cavity juices into the roasting pan. Tent hens with aluminum foil to keep warm. Transfer pan juices, garlic cloves to a medium saucepan, add the rest of the chicken broth and olive oil, and boil on medium high until liquids reduce to a sauce consistency, about 6 minutes. Cut hens in half lengthwise, spoon sauce and garlic over the hens, and garnish with rosemary. 

Here's another great link that I found regarding the proper way to cook these hens: How To Roast Cornish Game Hen on www.HowToCookMeat.com.

Cornish game hens are small, light, not too overpowering in flavor, and yet extremely tasty.  This dish goes well with red wine and French bread.  Serves 6-8.

--The Daily Fitchett, 3/9/11.

Cult of the Wrong Note: "Muscle Machine"

Last week we wrote about the new reissue scheduled for Mark's classic 90's rock/jazz/fusion album Cult of the Wrong Note. One of the songs off of that album is "Muscle Machine", a hard-driving funky uptempo tune with snarling guitar and a strong bass line. Muscle Machine is now available for preview on www.SoundCloud.com. The Cult of the Wrong Note are: Mark Fitchett: Guitar, Rick Hollander:Bass, Chuck Messana: Drums, Craig Roth: Keyboards.

Click here to listen.

Related Post:  Soon To Be Released: Mark Fitchett & The Cult of the Wrong Note

--The Daily Fitchett.

Herbie Hancock at Walt Disney Concert Hall

Walt Disney Concert Hall photographed at night by Lisa Kato Fitchett.

Los Angeles, CA - Herbie Hancock shared the stage with saxophone legend Wayne Shorter, bassist Dave Holland, and drummer Vinnie Coliauta for an almost sold-out concert Saturday night at Walt Disney Hall.

The focus of the evening was the sonic explorations of four masters, beyond the bounds of a predictable groove, melodic motif, and chord progression. Which is not to say these guys didn't groove. They grooved, but far outside the expected bounds of bar lines and predictable time signatures.  And not to say there were no melodies and no chord progressions.  The arrangements were solidly tonal but pushed the boundaries of audience expectations with their extended scope and development.

The first two pieces, more recently written by Wayne Shorter, took over an hour to perform, setting the mood for an evening of improvisatory wizadry with their stretched out openings, long development sections, and expanded recapitulations. The third piece, "Maiden Voyage" finally took us back to familiar territory.  But even there, the Maiden Voyage melody was deconstructed and transmogrified, put in unexpected places, rhythmically phased, playfully transposed into different keys and then transposed back again.  Wayne Shorter's "Visitor from Nowhere" was another broad sonic territory for the four virtuosi to traverse, ideas and inspiration unfurling and multiplying under their direction.

The encore was Herbie Hancock's classic "Cantaloupe Island",   which began as mysterious ruminations by Dave Holland on bass, eventually coalescing into fragments of that world-famous "Cantaloupe Island" bass line, but holding back on being completely recognizable until Wayne Shorter stepped in boldly with the first two notes of main melody.  Saturday evening's concert was a window for the audience to see what can happen when masters step in with invited friends to deconstruct their own and each other's pieces.  Herbie Hancock - transformed, transmogrified, and transcendent.

Related Posts: LA Times Blog "Culture Monster" - Jazz Review: Herbie Hancock at Walt Disney Concert Hall

--The Daily Fitchett, 3/7/2011.

Jam Session: Knypstra, Cser & Fitchett

Knypstra, Cser & Fitchett

Palos Verdes Estates, CA - A wonderful set of standards was performed at this impromptu jam session with bassist Ravi Knypstra, pianist Laszlo J. Cser, and Mark Fitchett. Professor Cser, formerly an instructor of jazz composition and big band arranging at Los Angeles City College, is very much an impeccable pianist with a sharp sense of musical humor.

--The Daily Fitchett.

Lion Dance

Related Post: Chinese New Year

I'm following up on my Chinese New Year post earlier this week with a little more about the Lion Dance. Thanks go to our friends Jenny Ru and Jeff Kind in Palos Verdes Estates for including us in this fabulous event, and kudos to the lion performers who danced through the crowd, negotiating stairs, party guests, doorways, and furniture while operating the lion's head, eyes, jaw, and limbs from inside the full two-man costume.

History of the lion dance: The story goes that once upon a time a monk had a dream in which there were many sorrows and evils plaguing the land. The monk prayed and asked the gods how he could prevent these evils from occurring. The gods told him that a lion would protect them and fight back the evils. The Chinese people had never see a lion before, but had heard stories that the lion was the king of all the other animals, so the monk combined all the lucky or magical animals he could think of and so made a lion.

If you look closely at any lion, you can see a red sash tied on its horn. It is told that the lion was disrespectful to the Jade Emperor. This of course caused the Jade Emperor to get very angry, so as a punishment he chopped off his horn (The source of his life) and the lion died. The Goddess of Mercy (Guan Yin) felt bad for him so she tied his horn back on with a red sash with golden leaves and chanted to he lion and he came back to life. And there - with a nod to Wikipedia for helping us out with the historical details - you have it.

Related Post: Chinese New Year

--The Daily Fitchett, 2/26/11.

Peggy Zask Gallery



Peggy Zask Gallery in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA



Candid photo of three South Bay area guitarists at Saturday night's wine tasting and art auction at Peggy Zask Gallery, 2/26/11, in the Golden Cove Center in Rancho Palos Verdes. Pictured below, from left to right: South Bay School of Music guitarist Tim Wingate, guitarist Mark Fitchett, and Alva's Music owner Matt Lincir.

Tim Wingate, Mark Fitchett, Matt Lincir

--The Daily Fitchett, 3/4/11.

"Long Haul Man" Preview From Mark's New Album

The third track off of Mark's upcoming Working Man album is here!

Click to listen: Long Haul Man, by Mark Fitchett

--The Daily Fitchett, 3/3/11.

Mark Fitchett & The Cult of the Wrong Note

Mark Fitchett's classic 90's Cult of the Wrong Note rock/jazz/fusion album is slated to be re-issued and released with new artwork by Gabe Kreiswirth. The album shows The Cult of the Wrong Note's trademark tight rhythm section, virtuosic soloing, strong songwriting and orchestration. The entire album (all tracks) are available for preview on SoundCloud.  Featuring Mark Fitchett: Guitar, Rick Hollander:Bass, Chuck Messana: Drums, Craig Roth: Keyboards. Check The Daily Fitchett for announcements about when and where this classic re-issue will become available.

Listen to Mark Fitchett and The Cult of the Wrong Note on SoundCloud: Click Here

--The Daily Fitchett, 3/2/11.

Restricted: No One Under 30 Allowed

Adult Garage Band 101, adult rock camp, Peninsula School of Music.

Adult Garage Band 101 - students ages 30 and up from Peninsula School of Music, South Bay, and Long Beach School of Music in rehearsal for their gig at the Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific. The band decided to call themselves "Midlife Crisis". 

Related Post: Midlife Crisis at Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific 

See full color band poster and upcoming performance details here.

--The Daily Fitchett, 3/1/11.

Kung Pao Chicken

Prep cooking for Szechuan Ma Po Tofu and Kung Pao Chicken

Emboldened by last week's success with Chinese cooking, I decided to try cooking two dishes at once - Szechuan Ma Po Tofu (with some tweaks) and Kung Pao Chicken. I needed Mark's help to stir fry the Kung Pao veggies while everything else was going on in order to not burn anything! Okay, so I'm not exactly a chef yet...

Here is my version of this original Kung Pao Chicken recipe which was submitted by Arlena on AllRecipes.com.

Ingredients:

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into chunks

1 whole yellow onion, coarsely chopped.
1 bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1 Cup slivered carrots
4 tablespoons white wine

Kung Pao Chicken, Szechuan Ma Po Tofu and Basmati

8 tablespoons soy sauce
6 tablespoons sesame oil, divided
4 tablespoons cornstarch, dissolved in 4 tablespoons water
2 ounces hot chili paste
2 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
4 teaspoons brown sugar
6 green onions, chopped
3 teaspoons crushed garlic
1 (8 ounce) can water chestnuts, rinsed and drained
8 ounces chopped peanuts

Directions:
To Make Marinade: Combine 2 Tablespoons wine, 2 Tablespoons soy sauce, 2 Tablespoons oil and 2 Tablespoons cornstarch/water mixture and mix together. Place chicken pieces in a glass dish or bowl and add marinade. Toss to coat. Cover dish and place in refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

To Make Sauce: In a small bowl combine 2 Tablespoons wine, 2 Tablespoons soy sauce, 2 Tablespoons oil, 2 Tablespoons cornstarch/water mixture, chili paste, vinegar and sugar. Mix together and add green onion, garlic, water chestnuts and peanuts. In a medium skillet, heat sauce slowly until aromatic.

Heat chicken on high in a large skillet until meat is white, then reduce heat. Meanwhile, heat sesame oil and soy sauce in a wok on high. Stir in bell pepper, onion, and carrots and stir fry until slightly limp. Add green onions and bean sprouts and continue stirring for 2 minutes. Add in the chicken with marinade and sauce, and simmer for 5 minutes.

Goes well with Riesling or beer.

吃个饱 !

...uhhh, hopefully that says "Bon appetit!" in Mandarin. If not, let me know.

--The Daily Fitchett, 2/28/11.

Chinese New Year

Related Post: Lion Dance

Disappointed that I didn't bring my video camera for this, but at least I had the camera. Here are my snapshots of the exciting lion dance at a Chinese New Year's Party, in Palos Verdes Estates, California.

The lion dance is a traditional Chinese dance in which two performers (the lion's "head" and "body") mimic a lion's movements in a vigorous, martial arts stylized dance.

There were lights in the eyes of these lions, the eyelids could be controlled in order to "blink", and jaws could be manipulated by the front dancer inside the lion.

The lion performers wowed everyone in the crowd, and the kids especially loved it.

Related Posts: Lion Dance

--The Daily Fitchett, 2/26/11.

The Story Behind "If It Ain't Broke"

Inspired by octogenarian couples who'd been together for over five decades, Canadian songwriter Mark Fitchett wrote If It Ain't Broke. Mark deeply admired his grandparents Joe and Dorothy, uncle Don and aunt Doreen, paternal grandparents Norton and Ann, great uncle Joe and aunt Tracy, and next door neighbors Howard and Francis. Here's the story behind the song:

"I just happened to be thinking about our neighbors Howard and Francis, who we used to see every day.  There were these little disagreements like she wanted the sawdust chips in the garden, and he didn't, but these were the little things that didn't matter.  Howard accepted his wife's wishes.  Everyone develops their own territory where they get to be "right", and the other person doesn't argue with that.  There are hundreds of unspoken agreements that develop between people over time.  The song is really about unconditional love and acceptance.

I don't really know if there are any quirks that my grandparents had, so I'm taking some artistic license in this song. The inspiration was more their attitude and togetherness after so many years. The message is: Get over these little things that bug you about the other person. Learn to live with it, don't get pissed off, and don't try to change the other person.

The song is not male or female oriented. The message is the same for either gender. Love the person for what they are, not for what you want them to be."

Related Article: "If It Ain't Broke" by Mark Fitchett

--The Daily Fitchett, 2/27/11.

"If It Ain't Broke" Preview From Mark's New Album

The second track off of Mark's upcoming Working Man album is here!

Click to listen: If It Ain't Broke, by Mark Fitchett

Mark Fitchett at the Palos Verdes Music Festival

If It Ain't Broke by Mark Fitchett

He leaves his socks
On the living room floor

Leaves the seat down
Every night he snores

She talks way too much
Or so he says

Makes them late
Every time they go someplace

Sometimes they will argue
Sometimes they will fight

But they always seem to
Somehow end up making things right

They’ve learned how to laugh
And love through it all

Admit when you’re wrong
And if you’re not
Apologize anyhow

And they say
If it ain’t broke
Why try to fix it now?

She might get on him
A little too much

Probably he don’t listen enough

But when push comes to shove
Before they say good night

They let it all go
Before they turn out the light

Sometimes she’s no angel
And he ain’t no saint

Sometimes love is perfect
And sometimes it ain’t

They’ve learned how to laugh
And love through it all

Admit when you’re wrong
And if you’re not, apologize anyhow

And they say
If it ain’t broke
Why try to fix it now?

They’ve both been together for so long now

You know things ain’t about to change

And when you ask them how they’ve managed to

Stay together for so long they’ll say

Learn how to laugh
And love through it all

Admit when you’re wrong
And if you’re not, apologize anyhow

If it ain’t broke, why try to fix it now?

If it ain’t broke, why try to fix it now?

If it ain’t broke, why try to fix it now?

If it ain’t broke, why try to fix it now?

Related Article:  Read The Story Behind "If It Ain't Broke" here.

--The Daily Fitchett, 2/26/11.

It Feels Like Pitch Black

Video excerpts of the 2010 dance performance It Feels Like Pitch Black, and documentary Sweet Spot: A Meeting of Two Worlds, with original modern dance music composed by Mark Fitchett, featuring The Regina Klenjoski Dance Company and the Tennessee Children's Dance Ensemble. Both It Feels Like Pitch Black and the accompanying documentary Sweet Spot: A Meeting of Two Worlds were executive produced by Eric Linthorst and Jennie Linthorst, with support from the Chapman Foundation. Watch Video...

Photo: Regina Klenjoski Dance Company Rehearsal

--The Daily Fitchett.