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Man with the Golden Glove

Fans Vote Ex-Dodger Wes Parker to Rawlings’ All-Time Defensive Team

Wes Parker's trusty mitt fits him as well today as it did 35 years ago when he earned his sixth Gold Glove at first base for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Wes Parker’s trusty mitt fits him as well today as it did 35 years ago when he earned his sixth Gold Glove at first base for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Photo by Rich Schmitt, Staff Photographer

Former Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Wes Parker has been voted by fans to the all-time Rawlings Gold Glove team as one of major league baseball’s best nine fielders of the last half century and the 35-year Pacific Palisades resident is still on Cloud Nine. “I was so excited upon hearing the news that I was walking on air,” said Parker, who won six gold gloves with the Dodgers from 1964-72. “They [Rawlings] called me the Friday before the announcement and swore me to secrecy. For me, this is the equivalent of the Hall of Fame.” A panel of 70 experts trimmed the initial list of Gold Glove winners (over 250 since the award’s inception in 1957) down to a ballot of 50 players that included 18 outfielders, five catchers, three pitchers and 24 infielders (six at each position). Nearly one million votes were cast online, by mail and in person at sporting goods stores. Results of the Internet poll were released last Wednesday morning, with Parker collecting 53 percent of the votes at first base to finish ahead of Don Mattingly, Keith Hernandez, Vic Power, J.T. Snow and Bill White. “When I first saw who I was up against I figured Mattingly and Hernandez were my main competition since they played in New York,” Parker said. “Overall, I think the committee did a phenomenal job narrowing the candidates and the fans really did their homework when it came to the voting.” Joining Parker on the all-time team were Greg Maddux (pitcher); Johnny Bench (catcher); Joe Morgan (second base); Ozzie Smith (shortstop); Brooks Robinson (third base); and outfielders Willie Mays, Roberto Clemente and Ken Griffey, Jr. “From an individual standpoint, this means everything to me,” Parker admitted. “There’s no feeling that compares with winning the World Series but that’s a team achievement. This is an acknowledgement of my individual skills and it wraps up my career in a nice blue ribbon.” Robinson, who won a record-tying 16 Gold Gloves, received 61 percent of the vote–the highest percentage for any position. Bench was second with 59 percent, followed by Smith (56 percent) and Parker. “The only one that might have been different was Johnny Bench,” Parker replied when asked if he was surprised by the poll results. “Not that Johnny doesn’t deserve it, I just thought a lot of younger fans would choose [Ivan] Rodriguez because he’s still playing.” Parker’s .996 career fielding average set a major league record (since tied) and he teamed with Jim Lefebvre, Maury Wills and Jim Gilliam in 1965 and 1966 to form the only all-switch-hitting regular infield in major league history. Legendary Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda wasn’t surprised when Parker made the all-time team. “I voted for him,” Lasorda said. “Wes was one of the best.” Just before his final season with the Dodgers, Parker moved from Century City to his current home near Will Rogers State Historic Park–within three miles of where he grew up in Brentwood. This spring, donning his No. 28 jersey and Dodgers cap, Parker threw the ceremonial first pitch to California First Lady Maria Shriver in March to open the Palisades Pony Baseball Association season at the Field of Dreams, prompting PPBA Commissioner Bob Benton to ask, “Who could catch our First Lady any better than a six-time Gold Glover?” Introduced to the sport by his dad at the age of seven, Parker estimates that over the next 10 years he fielded 100,000 ground balls from his younger brother Lyn in their front yard. All of that practice served him well on the West Los Angeles Little League fields and later at Claremont College. Parker transferred to USC his senior year to complete his education, then traveled to Europe to ponder his future. “I remember I decided on a rainy day in Paris that I wanted to play for the Dodgers,” Parker recalled. “So I flew back, looked up their number in the phone book and asked for [ex-Dodgers skipper] Charlie Dressen, who I knew from my American Legion ball in high school. Of course, this is three years before the draft. So he put me on a winter team, the scouts liked what they saw, and three months later I was signed to a no-bonus minor league contract.” After one season in the minor leagues Parker was invited to Dodgers spring training in Vero Beach, Florida, and made the team. He played all three outfield positions and backed up first base as a rookie. Parker won the starting job in 1965 and, thanks in part to his dependability at the bag, the Dodgers won the National League pennant and beat the Minnesota Twins in the World Series. What made Parker so formidable at first base were his mastery of the fundamentals, cat-like reflexes and the confidence he had in his defensive ability. As a left-hander, he had better range and a better angle to throw to second to start a double play. “My attitude was that if you hit the ball to me, you’re going down,” he said. “I’m going to take a hit away from you. And if you don’t like it, hit it to someone else.” Parker, 67, played his entire career under manager Walter Alston but it was Lasorda, then the Dodgers’ AAA Pacific Coast League manager with the Spokane Indians, who changed Parker’s mental approach to hitting during spring training in 1970. “I asked him if we were winning 2-1 in Cincinnati and Joe Morgan was at the plate with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning with a chance to go to the World Series, who would he want the ball hit to,” Lasorda recalled. “And Wes answered, ‘Me.'” “Then I said, what if we’re down 2-1 with two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth at Dodger Stadium and the winner goes to the World Series, who would you want at bat. Wes asked ‘Who’s pitching?’ And I said ‘That’s your problem right there.’ It was simply a matter of getting him to believe he could hit just as well as he could field.” Parker took Lasorda’s advice to heart and, on May 7, 1970, tripled in the 10th inning to complete the cycle (a single, double, triple and home run in one game), making him the only Dodgers player to achieve that feat since the franchise relocated from Brooklyn in 1958. He led the league with 47 doubles that season and posted a career-best .319 batting average and 111 runs batted in. Though he became a capable hitter, Parker is known best for his work with the glove and someone who witnessed it up close was pitcher Al Downing, a teammate in 1971 and 1972. “Wes didn’t get a lot of publicity because he wasn’t a home run hitter, but he was an outstanding fielder,” Downing said when contacted at his residence in Valencia. “I always felt confident that he’d make the play. He had good hands, great anticipation and always plugged the gap really well. No doubt he doesn’t get the recognition he deserves.” Parker believes his best defensive play came in a regular season game at Dodger Stadium in 1970 against the St. Louis Cardinals and he can still describe it in vivid detail: “I was holding the pitcher on first base and Lou Brock [a left-handed hitter] was up with one out and a 3-2 count. I was playing behind the runner because I knew he was no threat to steal. As our pitcher delivered the ball I moved back and over to my right to better cover the hole and sure enough Brock hit a hard two-hopper exactly where I was moving. It caught me on an in-between hop and with no time to adjust I went through the motion of catching it on the run and throwing to [shortstop] Maury Wills at second without even knowing yet that I had caught it. We ended up turning a double play and the fans applauded politely, not realizing how good a play it was. “I turned to [second baseman] Jimmy Lefebvre and said ‘That’s the best play I’ve ever made.’ He had a look on his face of complete awe because he knew I was right. It was the kind of play only a high professional would recognize for its difficulty.” Parker retired after nine seasons and therefore could not be considered for the Hall of Fame since induction requires a minimum of 10 major league seasons. “I wasn’t upset about not making the Hall of Fame because I wasn’t even eligible,” Parker said. “And even if I had been, the truth is that I didn’t hit enough and as good as my fielding was it didn’t make up for that. So for me, this is my Hall of Fame.” Still, Parker has no regrets about retiring at the peak of his game, only a week after his 33rd birthday. “I called it quits for three reasons,” he said. “First, because we weren’t winning. Second because all of my friends were gone–I think 23 out of 24 players who were on the team my rookie year were no longer with the Dodgers. And last because I never wanted to experience the game with declining skills. I didn’t want to cheat myself or the fans out of my best performance.” After a year away from the game Parker resumed his career in Japan, batting .301 with 14 home runs and earning another Gold Glove (called a Silver Glove in Japan) before retiring for good. Parker’s life after baseball began as an actor in television and commercials in the 1970s and ’80s. Still a bachelor, he enjoys playing golf and bridge and has remained involved with the Dodgers organization. He is an avid collector of sports memorabilia and even teaches a class about seasonal sports at the Braille Institute in Los Angeles. “Wes was a good friend of a lot of the players because he stood up for his own principles,” said Downing, who was invited to speak to one of Parker’s classes. “He may not be in the Hall of Fame but what’s more important is that he’s a Hall of Fame person.” Parker understands that fame can be fleeting and thus is enjoying the media attention surrounding his latest honor. Since the all-time Gold Glove team was announced, the lone Dodgers representative (not counting Maddux last year) has given nine radio and TV interviews and fielded questions on an Internet chat room as deftly as he used to snare hard line drives in his prime. “The best part about this is not feeling the need to prove myself anymore,” he said. “I can just be who I am.” Parker will be recognized for his all-time Gold Glove selection next April at Dodger Stadium.

Spikers Take Aim at City Title

(L-R) Laura Goldsmith, Alex Lunder and Jennifer Donohue will key Palisades' attack in its quest to regain the City title.
(L-R) Laura Goldsmith, Alex Lunder and Jennifer Donohue will key Palisades’ attack in its quest to regain the City title.
Photo by Rich Schmitt, Staff Photographer

The Palisades High girls volleyball team has plenty to play for this season: keeping intact one of the program’s proudest records. The Dolphins have never gone more than three seasons without winning a City title and to keep that streak alive Palisades must take home the trophy this fall. “There’s a lot of pressure on us,” says senior setter Jenna McCallister, who doesn’t want to graduate without a City title. “We look up at all those banners in the gym and realize the tradition and we want to add to that.” The Dolphins won the last of their 22 City titles in 2003but appear to have all the pieces in place to hang another banner on the wall come November. Pali’s starting lineup consists of returners–five seniors and a junior. By contrast, City finalists Taft and San Pedro each lost several key players to graduation. “We have to be careful to focus on all of our games, one at a time,” senior hitter/blocker Teal Johnson said. “That [2003] team was in the same spot we are and they won City so now it’s our turn to keep that legacy going.” Chris Forrest, who coached boys varsity in the spring, has put his team through demanding practices in preparation for the season-opening Gahr tournament next Friday. “If they play their best, no one should beat them,” Forrest said of his team. “If everyone stays healthy and plays together we should be fine.” Forrest described defending champion Taft as “always a threat” and named Grant, Granada Hills, Birmingham and Western League rival Venice as other viable contenders. Jennifer Donohue, a senior opposite hitter, called the drills Pali runs in practice “challenging but fun.” “We really have to concentrate on technique,” she said. “During the school year we bonded and formed this trust that is unbreakable.” Johnson agreed that team chemistry is the best it has been. “Everybody’s really close,” she said. “This is my favorite team–and that includes the club teams I’ve been on.” McCallister believes communication between coach and players has improved this year. “Chris is a real encourager,” McCallister said. “He focuses on stuff we’re not doing well and shows us how to correct it.” The other starters are hitter/blocker Alex Lunder, defensive specialist Rachael Ehrlich and outside hitter Laura Goldsmith. According to Lunder, playing San Pedro in their first nonleague match could give the Dolphins a leg up should the teams meet again in the City playoffs. “When we played them in the semifinals last year, their crowd was really loud and when we got behind we never quite got back into it,” Lunder said. “This year we’ll have an even better chance and that pre-season game will help us.” Rounding out the varsity team will be junior outside hitter Chelsea Scharf, sophomore opposite hitter Bonnie Wirth, sophomore libero Tait Johnson, junior middle blocker Kelsey Keil, junior setter Samantha Jaffe and senior opposite hitter Christine Kappeyne. “I think the girls’ defense is better and they are connecting better on the court than they were last year,” Forrest said. “We’ll have a much more creative offense.” Michelle Kauffman will coach the junior varsity squad, led by sophomore setter Lauren Gustafson.

Freshman Boosts Tennis Hopes

Kathryn Cullen prepares to serve during tryouts Monday at the Palisades Recreation Center
Kathryn Cullen prepares to serve during tryouts Monday at the Palisades Recreation Center
Photo by Rich Schmitt, Staff Photographer

She’s only a ninth grader, but on the tennis court Samantha Kogan plays with the poise and confidence of an older, more experienced player. When the season opens, she may just be playing No. 2 singles for Palisades High. “Our No. 2 singles player from last year is not playing due to eligibility issues,” Head Coach Bud Kling said after 23 players showed up Monday at the Palisades Recreation Center for tryouts. “So that moves Samantha up the singles ladder.” Playing No. 1 will be senior Katy Nikolova, the defending City Individuals singles champion. Audrey Ashraf, Kathryn Cullen and Genna Rochlin may trade off the remaining singles spots, although Ashraf could also partner with incoming sophomore Phoebe Driscoll (a transfer from Vermont) at No. 1 doubles. “I’m hoping to play singles but I’ll play doubles if that’s where the team needs me,” Ashraf said. Cullen, Rochlin, Erika Lee and Yasmin Ghiasi are the four seniors returning from last year’s City championship team. “We have two great young players coming in so if we work hard we can pull it off,” said of the Dolphins chances of winning City again. “Our biggest competitor in league is Venice and overall its Taft and Granada Hills.” Lee played with junior Rose Schlaff for most of last season and reached the finals of the City Individuals tournament with Ashraf. “I like playing doubles,” Lee said. “It’s a lot more intense and it spices things up a bit.” Juniors Anne Doyle (a transfer from Marymount), Amy Gore, Marina Sterngold and Stephanie Taft will play for positioning while sophomore Liz Silvers and freshmen Kate Takakjian and Malina Loehrer will challenge returning JVs Yuliana Baskina and Debbie Shamsian for varsity spots. “We have good potential,” Kling said. “We’re solid in doubles and we’ll have three or four girls competing for that No. 3 spot.” Sean Passan, a new social studies teacher at PaliHi, moved to town from Connecticut two weeks ago and will coach the JVs. “I’m looking forward to it,” he said. “This is a great program and a great opportunity for me.” Palisades opens the season against El Segundo next Friday and Marymount on September 11. The Dolphins play Beverly Hills, Mira Costa and Malibu in the second annual Bay Area Classic Sept. 14-19. “Our No. 1 goal is to win league,” Kling said. “It would also be nice to have a winning record going into our first [league] match at Fairfax.”

A Palisadian Paint Job

Modern California Impressionist artist Dana Torrey, working on his mural at Gladstone's.
Modern California Impressionist artist Dana Torrey, working on his mural at Gladstone’s.

When Palisadian Dana Torrey submitted a painting of the Pacific Palisades coastline to Gladstone’s as a possible menu cover design, he believed that diners might enjoy his artwork briefly before perusing the restaurant’s fare. However, managers at Gladstone’s had loftier plans for his beautiful landscape painting, and when they decided to remodel the back room they asked him if he could expand his menu design into a mural. Soon, Torrey was diligently working on a plan for such a large-scale painting, which now covers the upper portion of the north and south walls in the back room at Gladstone’s. He began with his original painting, altered the vertical image to a horizontal and expanded its magnitude before creating giant sketches that would serve as his guide for the final painting. ‘I had pretty much the whole thing planned out before I started,’ Torrey said. ‘The real work started before the painting, not during the process itself.’ Still, despite his thorough preparation, painting was no easy task. To avoid any discord with customers, Torrey began painting at night, when the restaurant was closed. He started with his sketch, wash and blocking, but it quickly became apparent that nighttime did not provide enough good light, which was crucial for the realization of his vision. ‘I told them that I just couldn’t work at night. I need the daylight to see how it’s going to look,’ Torrey said. Since Gladstone’s wished to keep the back room open for business, Torrey’s only option was to paint, carefully, around patrons. Fortunately, Torrey had chosen acrylic paint as his medium, so diners would not have to deal with any pungent smells during their meal. Still, Torrey’s biggest obstacle was not the customers, but rather the height of the mural, which is located about 12 feet from the floor on the upper walls, and extends another eight to 10 feet, just below the ceiling. The only way to paint it was from a ladder. ‘I would climb the ladder 200 times a day and that was my limit,’ Torrey said. ‘After that I was done, physically done.’ That many climbs kept Torrey painting between two and four hours daily, over a course of several weeks. Midway through completion, a buildup of floor wax began to form on the bottom of the ladder, unbeknownst to Torrey. Then one afternoon, while perched on one of the highest rungs, the ladder began to slip. Torrey had just enough time to scream, ‘Get out of the way!’ to his two daughters, who were on the floor below him, before he and his ladder came crashing to the ground, breaking a chair and a table in the process. Torrey landed between two rungs, on his feet, brush and palette still in hand. ‘The thing just shot out from under me,’ Torrey said. ‘Nothing else happened, but it scared the heck out of me.’ The following week Torrey purchased non-skid padding for the floor and ropes to secure the ladder to the wall before continuing his work on the mural. ‘For the next week I was pretty nervous,’ he said. Still, painting at Gladstone’s was a job Torrey thoroughly enjoyed, especially his commute. ‘It was the first time I’ve had a job where I could drive five minutes and be at work,’ Torrey said. ‘I appreciated that a lot.’ Torrey began his career at the University of Vermont Teaching Hospital, where he worked with cadavers, creating medical illustrations. In 1982, he moved to Los Angeles to broaden his creative skills, and began studying commercial art at Art Center in Pasadena. He soon landed a job as a cityscape backdrop painter for Hollywood movie studios. He also worked as an art director for several feature films, painted the King Kong exhibit mural at Universal tours and animated a video game based on ‘The Simpsons.’ Tired of illustrating and painting the ideas of others, Torrey took the next step in his career, choosing to pursue his own creative interests. Soon he was painting stunning landscapes and portraits all around Los Angeles. He even painted two angels for the ‘A Community of Angels’ project several years ago. One was displayed at LAX and the other at City Hall. He painted former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan’s official portrait, but the city lost it after Riordan left office. ‘If anyone knows where it is, let me know,’ said Torrey, whose other portrait of Riordan is on display at the Richard Riordan Central Library downtown. He also has paintings on display at the Getty House, the mayor’s official residence. ‘Now I’m doing what I want, but I do miss the artist camaraderie of a film set where all these artists were working together,’ Torrey said. This time around, though, at Gladstone’s, Torrey had the good fortune to work with two budding artists, his daughters Jes, 8 and Liz, 5 who not only kept him company, but helped him paint. Liz assisted with the wash, and Jes with the blocking. Their likenesses appear in the mural, on the south wall, sitting on a park bench overlooking the ocean, alongside the likeness of their grandfather, Richard Riordan, owner of Gladstone’s restaurant. Torrey’s favorite part of the painting, in addition to his family member’s images, are the personal items he painted near them, including bicycles and helmets the same colors as his daughters’ favorites. ‘As long as the paintings last,’ Torrey said, ‘they have a memory of their childhood.’ The rest of the mural features a beautiful panorama of Pacific Palisades. To create his realistic landscape, Torrey visited and photographed the coastline frequently, focusing on the dramatic interplay of light, shadow and haze on an environment that is constantly changing. ‘Impressionism is about going to the place and painting the feeling of that place,’ said Torrey, whose mural certainly captures the essence of the region.

It’s All about the Light

“Tilted Boat, Little People” photograph taken on the tidal bay at Provincetown’s East End by Neil Baker, who will speak about his new book, “The Quality of Light” at Village Books.

When Neil Baker was tossing around possible titles for his recently published book of photographic impressions of Provincetown, he thought, “Stop and Smell the Light.” “Too corny,’ his wife said. He agreed, but in choosing “The Quality of Light,” Baker kept his eye on the sunrises and sunsets that shape the light on this tiny spit of land at the tip of Cape Cod. Geography plays a large role in reflecting the light as the town is tucked between Cape Cod Bay and Massachusetts Bay. For almost 14 years Neil, his wife Gail and their daughter Maisy have rented a house on the beach in Provincetown, an excursion they initiated when friends introduced them to the resort town. Neil grew up in Newton, a suburb of Boston, and was familiar with East Coast beaches, the tufted sand dunes and long, shallow tides. “It’s a navigable place to be,” Neil says, explaining that when the family is there, not in Pacific Palisades, they get around on foot or by bicycle. “When you’re walking down the street early in the morning, not only are you seeing and feeling things, but you’re smelling things.” Baker’s large-format photos reflect this slowed pace that lends itself to quiet observation and attention to the subtle changes of the seasons. Observed from a distance, the photos could be watercolors, washed in an endless spectrum of gray and green, with the unexpected colors of manmade objects caught by the lens. Baker still uses the Nikon 8200 manually operated zoom he bought almost 40 years ago. He says that the zoom captures the detail he was looking for, but the size and weight of the lens outlived two Nikon camera bodies. ‘This lens enables me to look through the aperture and frame the picture in the way I want. When it’s printed, 4×6, and it represents what I want, I’m happy.’ Baker confesses to being a Luddite when it comes to technology. He owns a basic cell phone without the camera, so he eschews all electronic manipulation of photos as well. He has the film negatives scanned in high definition and put on a CD. ‘When I need a large print, I can do it. I’ve gone as large as 30×40 for posters of my prints, and some of these shots cry for large format.’ Although Baker has no immediate plans to continue his chronicle of Provincetown, he has begun to think about observing his own community more closely. ‘Life goes by pretty quickly,’ he says. ‘Even on my street Oracle Place, where there is a wonderful view and deer on the street. I’m now thinking about how wonderful it is to live here or in Santa Monica and I should take my bike and do the same thing I’ve done on our summer vacation.’ Baker studied economics in college, but says that he always wanted to work with his father, which is what he did, and ended up working in the same industry. He designs automated plants for factories that do electroplating. He moved to Los Angeles 20 years ago and relocated to Pacific Palisades in 1990, the year he and his wife, Gail Strickland’an actress with many Google listings’were married. ‘For years I have been taking pictures. The wall along the hallway to our master bedroom is lined with them,’ Baker says, adding that a gallery in Provincetown exhibited works from the current collection in mid-August. Now trying to catch up after a month away, Baker looks forward to next summer in Provincetown. ‘Where we live is a quiet, lovely, isolated place,’ he says. ‘It’s that calm I love.’ Baker will be talking about and signing ‘The Quality of Light’ on Thursday, September 6 at 7:30 p.m. at Village Books on Swarthmore.

‘The Boy Friend’: Everybody Comes Out a Winner

Polly (Meredith M. Sweeney) and Tony (Drew Fitzsimmons) “Could Be Happy Together.”

Londoners seeking distraction from the grim aftermath of World War II enthusiastically embraced Sandy Wilson’s frothy, infectiously entertaining show, ‘The Boy Friend,’ which ran for more than five years on the London stage. These days, some of us distract ourselves with heightened TV melodramas situated in hospitals or the haunts of the super-attenuated wannabe models. But there is a very lively audience for musical revivals: witness the recent success of ‘Anything Goes,’ ‘On Your Toes,’ and even ‘The Drowsy Chaperone,’ which revived a mythical old musical. These joyous musicals are guilelessly victorious in packing in audiences. Theatre Palisades made a wise choice by staging ‘The Boy Friend’ for this summer’s musical. While the limited cast lends itself well to the size and capability of Pierson Playhouse, each actor shoulders demanding performance expectations as singer, dancer and actor. ‘The Boy Friend,’ written in 1953, is a comical pastiche of the 1920’s shows’a golden age for Broadway musicals, many of which remain anchored in our memories through songs such as ‘When I’m Calling You’ from ‘Rose Marie,’ or ‘Tea For Two’ from ‘No, No, Nanette.’ Despite the wildest romantic plot possible, the set, costumes and score lure us into enjoying every bit of the ride. The situation is simple’lovely, fun-loving young ladies, eager young men; love abounds, but only after the disappointment and heartbreak of love thwarted. The scene is set in the south of France, simply and effectively designed by Gene Smith, who has created a score of sets for Theatre Palisades. Along with his talents, those of costume designer Joyce Gale Smith cannot be praised enough. The flappers dressed in a rainbow of pastel chemises, or flattering two-piece bathing attire evoke their privileged station in life. And the costumes for the dressy ball are spectacular, from the black- and-white satin suits for Pierrot and Pierette, to Marie Antoinette’s ensemble with headdress. The plot turns on Polly (Meredith M. Sweeney) and Tony (Drew Fitzsimmons), who find one another in the most preposterous circumstances. If being together were based on their singing and dancing alone, soulmates they’d be. They are aptly supported by a talented corps of girls and guys, with particular attention to Maisie (Sarah Mahoney), whose flirtatious seduction is irresistible, particularly to her sweetheart Bobby (Joshua Ziel). Their Charleston is, what the 1920s were all about. Speaking of seduction, for Lord Brockhurst (Bill Quade) hope burns eternal, and what a spin he takes with the fun-loving Dulcie (Amy Coles). The show, in three acts, moves along on the musical talents of pianist Anouich NeVart and her trio: Reed Phantom, saxophone and clarinet, and Dan Blum, drums. From the sing-along three-quarter time waltzes to the eight-count Charleston, this versatile orchestra maintains the upbeat pace this play deserves. Choreographer Victoria Miller matches talent with skill. Nicole Paolini (Nancy) and Allan Penales (Pierre) step out of their chorus roles into a tango that shows where their real passion lies. And Polly and Tony pay homage to Rogers and Astaire in tap shoes. ‘The Boy Friend’ continues Friday and Saturday nights at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. through October 14 at Pierson Playhouse, 941 Temescal Canyon Rd. For tickets ($16 to $22) contact (310) 454-1970.

Workshops Set for Grandparents and Books

Palisades Branch Library is seeking volunteers for the Grandparents and Books (GAB) program, which pairs adult volunteers with children to encourage the love of reading. Sharing stories with children can improve their reading skills, enrich their imaginations and help them develop a life-long love of reading. The program is intergenerational,’ says Gail Kim, the children’s librarian at the Palisades Branch. ‘It connects people of all different ages, shapes and sizes. ‘In this mobile society, many children don’t live near their biological grandparents,’ Kim continues. ‘And that’s the beauty of this program. We bring the generations together. There’s a historical connection. We also encourage our ‘grandparents’ to bring something in that’s outside of the book experience and share it with the children. Something that’s dear to them, just as a biological grandparent might do. It’s an opportunity to expose some of these children to something they might not have seen before.’ Almost daily, a library grandparent can be found reading aloud from a picture book, or telling stories with puppets. Sometimes, she or he might be listening to a child read and helping with pronunciation and vocabulary, and many times a special connection is made between a reader and child. To become a new GAB volunteer, participants (adults 21 and older) should be willing to make a six-month, two-hour (or more) per week commitment and attend three training sessions that will teach engaging read-aloud techniques and more. Two workshops are required at a specified branch, and the third workshop, which occurs only after completion of the first two, will be at the branch where the volunteer will be reading. The two-session training on the Westside will be Thursdays, October 4 and 11 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m at the Mar Vista Branch, 12006 Venice Blvd. The GAB program has become a model for other reading programs throughout the world and has a very high volunteer retention rate. Many participants have been involved since the program began in 1995. For more information contact Gail Kim at (310) 459-2754 or visit www.lapl.org/about/gab.html.

Column: All That Jazz

Peruvian Singer Noel Brings Salsoul to Stage

By BARRY BLITZER Post Columnist There was a sell-out crowd last Thursday evening at the Skirball Center, and no wonder, the attraction was Cecilia Noel & the Wild Clams. While not exactly a household name in the Palisades, Noel has been called the Latin Tina Turner and has arguably been compared to the legendary icon Janis Joplin. A native of Peru, vocalist Noel and her 16-piece band played a torrid selection of sambas, rumbas and mambos, some with familiar melodies like ‘El Cumbanchero,’ ‘Carlito’s Way’ and ‘Tu Condena.’ As she subsequently explained, they were all part of her interpretive Afro-Latino/Motor City creation known as ‘Salsoul.’ If you’re turned on to percussion–in this case the infectious rhythm of bongos, congas and timbales, as played by percussionists Ricky Rodriguez, Handark Lozano and Cesar Chavez’the Skirball was a dream come true. You couldn’t help but get up and dance, along with the hundreds of other spectators. For that matter, who could resist the three enticing young singers and dancers on stage in addition to the ear-splitting shouts and erotic gyrations of Cecilia No’l in person? Approaching the show’s finale, she joined in an up-tempo duet with her Australian husband, guitarist Colin Hay of ‘Men at Work’ fame (a mega-hit from the 80s). All of which brings up a negative comment: As entertaining and exciting as the show was, there was a dire need for a slow ballad or two that would give both the audience and performers time for a breather–or to coin a phrase: ‘Less is more.’ Still and all, we’re indebted to the Skirball for presenting Noel & The Wild Clams. Let’s hope they’ll be back next summer. There’s no excuse for missing them. Call (310) 440-4500 for pertinent info. Labor Day weekend is looming and what better way for jazz buffs to celebrate than by heading south for ‘The Sweet & Hot Music Festival’ at the LAX Marriott Hotel. Performing artists include ace trumpeter Jack Sheldon & his Concert Band and the fabulous if seldom-heard guitarist Howard Alden. Not to forget the singer/raconteur Ernie Andrews along with the ever-popular vocalist from years gone by, the legendary Herb Jeffries. For reservations call the Jazz Festival office (310) 461-5570. Finally, a sincere reminder to keep listening to jazz station KJAZZ, 88.1 on your FM dial. Also be advised that this is the first ‘All That Jazz’ column that didn’t mention The Jazz Bakery in Culver City. There’s nothing like will power.

Contemporary Clothing Store Opens on Sunset

Larissa Love is the owner of Margano, the latest clothing store to open in Pacific Palisades.
Larissa Love is the owner of Margano, the latest clothing store to open in Pacific Palisades.
Photo by Rich Schmitt, Staff Photographer

Margano, a contemporary clothing store offering moderate prices, opened last Saturday at 15228 Sunset Blvd., next to Philips French Cleaners. Owner Larissa Love, who also has a boutique shop on Montana and 11th Street in Santa Monica, will carry dresses, skirts, shirts, shoes and accessories. ‘I focus on basics,’ she said. Love has wanted to open a store in Pacific Palisades for a while”I love the people here,’ she said, ‘and the vibe of the community’–but was waiting for the right opportunity. When the owners of Philips, who are friends, decided to downsize, Love seized the opportunity. ‘It just came up that way,’ she said. ‘It was meant to be.’ Although the interior of the store is completely finished, Love is still waiting for furniture for a front sitting area, her first shipment of shoes and additional shipments of clothing. ‘I wanted to bring in good-quality clothes for good prices,’ said Love, who has priced the most expensive items in her stock at between $100 and $125. A basic yoga pant retails for $32, tank tops range in price from $12 to $20 and shoes will retail for $38 to $68. Love has chosen styles that accommodate mothers and daughters. Her long skirts might be more appealing to the older generation, while her mini-skirts are geared towards the younger crowd. In addition to clothes, she has a large selection of hair accessories, including jeweled bobby pins, clasps, and combs. She also plans to give students with ID cards a 10-percent discount. With so many high-end clothing stores in the Palisades, Love opted to go into a lower price range and give local shoppers more choices. ‘I didn’t want to compete with anyone,’ she said. ‘My neighbors should be happy because I’m not going head to head with any of them. I like everyone to be happy’I like a serene environment.’ In the 1990s, Love had a Palisades pet store, Bel-Air Pet 2 Pat, which was located just up the block, next to Kay ‘n’ Dave’s Cantina. She eventually closed the store because she was going to college at the same time and the demands were too high. In addition, she had a tough time parting with the pets. ‘Every time I sold a pet, I cried,’ she said. After graduating from the University of San Francisco with a degree in business and art history, Love went into fashion. She still loves animals and designs high-end pet beds, pet handbags/carriers and matching outfits. That are all made in the United States. Samples will be available at her store and available for order. Initially, Love and her mother or sister will be in Margano to welcome customers. ‘I like my clients to feel as if they belong to a family,’ said Love, who added that the response from women who have stopped in the store so far has been positive and that many are pleased with the affordability of her clothing. In addition, she will also offer a gift-wrapping business. Love plans to keep her shop on Montana, which leaves little free time for her personal life. ‘I’m an aunt of three and a mom of a Chihuahua,’ she observed. Margano is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Telephone: (310) 454-7021.

Not Coming to a Street Near You: Traffic Upgrades

Last week, the Los Angeles City Council approved a nearly $6-million package of left-turn arrows and traffic-signal upgrades that promises congestion relief at 361 intersections on the Westside. But despite local experiences of mind-numbing waits at jam-packed intersections, none in Pacific Palisades will benefit. Officials at the L.A. Department of Transportation (LADOT) blame the lack of change on the community’s Specific Plan, part of the municipal code that regulates commercial development in the Palisades’ four commercial zones. The Pacific Palisades Commercial Village and Neighborhoods Specific Plan does not collect fees to address the ‘cumulative impact’ of additional traffic created by new development, says Jay Kim, a senior transportation engineer at LADOT. And because money raised through the plans must be spent within the areas they cover–in this case, parts of West L.A., Brentwood, Venice, Westchester, Marina del Rey and Playa del Rey–LADOT is prohibited from making similar improvements in the Palisades. ‘We could have been part of the global West L.A. Specific Plan if only we had known,’ said George Wolfberg, president of the Santa Monica Canyon Civic Association (SMCCA), which frequently advocates for traffic improvements. LADOT’s Kim warns against expecting rapid progress if the Plan is changed. Relative to those areas on the Westside, development in the Palisades is less frequent and smaller-scale, which means that raising necessary funds could take a long time. ‘It might take 10 years before you have a sizeable balance,’ Kim says. ‘Every bit could help. But the expectation should not be that there’s going to be immediate change.’ Of course, improvements to Westside traffic infrastructure have not happened quickly. Most of the changes that LADOT will make involve replacing technology of the late 1980s and early 1990s. Beginning this fall, the LADOT improvements will include making the following specific upgrades: ‘ Controller Improvements. Currently, there is more traffic on the Westside than signals can process. New computers atop signals will send 25 percent more data to the city’s traffic engineers, allowing them to see traffic and change signal length in real time. Engineers expect intersections with the most lanes like Wilshire Boulevard and Veteran Avenue to see the most change. Also, these new controllers will recover automatically from power outages, unlike current ones which require that city crews reset each signal manually. ‘ Enhanced Adaptive Traffic Control Systems (ATCS): More lane sensors will be installed to ‘better monitor how many people are at an intersection and change the length of lights, accordingly,’ according to LADOT. ‘ Left-turn Arrows. Thirty-three designated left-turn arrows will be installed at 18 intersections. Engineers expect the largest improvements at these intersections. In West L.A., the streets with the most signal improvements include Sunset, Barrington, Bundy, Centinela, National and Olympic. Noticeably absent from the list is Wilshire Boulevard, where only a few changes are planned. According to LADOT Principal Transportation Engineer Sean Skehan, most of the signals along Wilshire were upgraded a ‘few years back.’ He said that by replacing the surrounding controllers, the department will be better able to manage traffic throughout the area. ‘There should be some improvement realized on Wilshire,’ Skehan said. Although Palisades’ streets won’t benefit directly from these upgrades, city officials insist that local residents who commute throughout the Westside will notice the changes. LADOT officials expect a three percent increase in traffic capacity overall on city roads as a result of the controller and lane improvements. They also predict bigger benefits from the left-turn changes at affected intersections. ‘That three percent increase in capacity translates into shorter queues,’ Skehan said. ‘It’s a small perceived benefit to the individual motorist, but a large benefit to commuters as a whole.’ City Councilman Bill Rosendahl co-wrote the motion that will bring traffic upgrades. The councilman, who ran for office with the pledge of lowering congestion in his Westside District 11, foresees benefits for his Palisades constituents. ‘This is a quick fix,’ he told the Palisadian-Post last week. ‘It helps the Palisades incrementally. It’s not a complete solution, but little things add up. If it saves people a couple minutes commuting time, it’s worth it.’ Changing the Specific Plan to collect development fees for traffic upgrades would require City Council action and community support. But even if the money were raised locally for LADOT traffic improvements, it wouldn’t affect some of the most congested intersections along State Route 1 or Pacific Coast Highway. That’s because the highway is owned and managed by the state’s–not the city’s–Department of Transporation (Caltrans). According to Caltrans Spokesperson Maria Raptis, the department has begun installing the latest technology along 40 miles of PCH. Raptis said, ‘124 intersections will have this technology that will tell us how many cars are at the intersections.’ Also, 19 new cameras at intersections along the highway, including ones as Sunset, Temescal and Chautauqua, will give the department live video of traffic conditions. Caltrans expects that work to be complete by summer 2008. —– To contact Staff Writer Max Taves, e-mail reporter@palipost.com or call (310) 454-1321 ext. 28.