Sometime last winter harpist Michelle Gott, 20, was walking through the hallway at Juilliard, where she’s a third-year student, when she was stopped by an oversized, colorful poster announcing the summer program at the Henry Mancini Institute. “I noticed ‘jazz,’ ‘studio training’ and ‘scholarships,’ and all that really appealed to me,” says Gott, who has been playing her golden instrument since she was 4-1/2. For the classically trained Gott, HMI promised to stretch her versatility, as she says. She auditioned and was accepted as one of the 84 very accomplished musicians selected from 600 applicants from around the world to participate in the four-week summer education program held at UCLA. “I needed something more challenging on a day-to-day basis, and this is giving me more training in improvisation and sight reading.” Indeed, in rehearsal for HMI’s chamber orchestra concert two weeks ago, Gott was plucking, sawing and jabbing away as if in heated dialogue with her instrument. Different from other summer music programs, HMI is open to college and post-college-aged musicians, and focuses on versatility regardless of students’ backgrounds. Instrumentalists and composers receive hands-on training with professionals in a range of musical expressions’jazz, improvisation, contemporary and film music in large and small ensembles. “HMI crosses all musical boundaries,” Ginny Mancini, Henry’s widow, told the Palisadian-Post. “In order to be a full-fledged musician today, you have to be versatile to make it in this industry. All these students have mastered their instruments, they’re all very good, but that doesn’t translate into a successful career in music.” HMI was founded in 1997 by composer and conductor Jack Elliott in honor of his friend Henry Mancini’one of the most successful composers in television and film, as well as a popular pianist and conductor. Ginny recalls that her husband, who passed away in 1994, never wanted anyone to do anything using his name. “But then after he died, Jack approached me about starting the institute. I had been involved with Jack on other projects, such as the jazz philharmonic orchestra; he always had something going in new music. I called together some music people like Quincy Jones, Elmer Bernstein, Jerry Goldsmith and Patrick Williams and we sat in my living room to talk about it. They all thought it was a brilliant idea.” Over the past nine years 476 alumni from over 41 states and 27 countries have graduated from the summer education program, and many are hired regularly in ensembles throughout Los Angeles and the U.S. In 2000, HMI established a community outreach component that provides school partnerships, after-school artist-in-residence programs and free community HMI alumni concerts. The summer program musicians are treated to four weeks of all-expense-paid study with guest artists, composers and conductors. A number of Palisadians participate as master teachers, including conductors David Newman, film composer, and Vince Mendoza, jazz composer and conductor of the Metropole Orchestra of the Netherlands. French horn player Richard Todd, currently the principal horn with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. also participates. The students are selected to make up the HMI orchestra, and in addition certain students are chosen to play in the big band, jazz strings bands and in the HMI chamber orchestra. Free concerts are arranged throughout the month, with the culminating concerts featuring a Latin music motif on Friday, August 12, at the California Plaza downtown, and the Mancini Musicale featuring Bobby McFerrin and the HMI Orchestra on Saturday, August 13 at Royce Hall. “This program is really a roller coaster of music, with a limited set of rehearsals, similar to professional experience,” says Mendoza, who is the chamber orchestra conductor. “I think that this is a time for personal discovery. The students are responsible for preparing the concert in a very short period of time. “I quickly appreciated the amount of the conviction of these students the first moment I met with them,” Mendoza continues. “I asked them who wanted to be a musician, and they all raised their hands and their pencils went flying. Since that first meeting the read-throughs have been getting better and better, and better.” Because of the Mancini legacy, jazz and film composition have always been the core part of the program, says Executive Director Dan Carlin, music director, editor, music supervisor and soundtrack producer. The opening concert with the HMI orchestra, conducted by HMI artistic director Patrick Williams, featured Henry Mancini’s theme from “Mr. Lucky” and Duke Ellington’s “Grand Slam Jam,” but also debuted HMI student composer Matthew Janszen’s “Release.” Janszen’s story is different from most musicians, because he did not major in music in college. “At Purdue, there was no school of music,” says Janszen, who got his degree in acoustical engineering. “I stared writing music, and because there was no competition, the school band and ensemble played my work. So I learned by doing.” Janszen’s schedule at HMI is a bit different from the instrumentalists because he has private lessons in conducting, group lessons and master classes. “My assignments are all about experimentation. I wrote a string octet, which we recorded, and another assignment was to produce a Christmas song. You learn how to conduct your own session, deal with the composer and get it published. I can also write anything I want; it’s open to experiment with anything.” Janszen, who will attend the University of Kansas to study theater sound design, has refined his ambitions. “I want to write the understory and soundtracks for live theater,” he says. “This summer has been great.” Tickets ($50; $20 for students) for the culminating concert honoring Bobby McFerrin performing with the HMI Orchestra at Royce Hall are available by calling 825-2101.

Will Rogers once said, “Even if you’re on the right track, you get run over if you just sit there.” You get the feeling the Jubilee this past weekend had exactly the right tone and spirit that Will Rogers State Historic Park deserves: it’s back on the right track. In old photos of the Will Rogers ranch, there was always a horse in the shot. Rogers’ favorite animal was the horse, and his favorite horse was called Soapsuds. In the past few years, even the boarding of horses at the Park has been suspended. It’s been a sad absence. Saturday was different. There were 45-minute horseback rides, pony rides, horses doing tricks and even a farrier demonstrating the art of blacksmithing. At the riding arena, which is the dirt oval above the green lawn, special stands had been set up for the large crowd of spectators to view the various acts. Will Rogers impersonator Robert Basgall rode into the arena, welcomed the crowd and acted as emcee for the program. Ambassador to State Parks June Lockhart arrived riding in a horse-drawn wagon. “Our dream is that this place will become as beloved by you as it was by his family 75 years ago,” Lockhart said. “Next year the restoration of the ranch house will be complete and we’ll have a dedication then.” “We’re proud of what the state is doing here,” Will Rogers’ grandson Chuck Rogers said. “Grandpa would’ve wanted to see people use the park and enjoy it.” After introductions, Patty Mayer of Culver City, dressed in a black jacket, top hat and white gloves, rode into the arena on her 1,650-pound Dutch Warmblood horse, Exakt. She explained and demonstrated to the crowd the steps, the skips, the canter and the trot the horse is required to do for Olympic dressage. The skill of Exakt, the U.S. Freestyle Champ, became more evident once Mayer invited five children out into the arena to mimic the horse’s steps, including skipping two, flying change, and skipping two. Striding out like he was at the OK Corral was gun spinner Joey Dillon, dressed in a black cowboy outfit, his spurs jangling. He demonstrated the gun technique that the greats used in all the Western movies and television shows, including forward spins and backward spins with both right and left hands. Dillon explained that he learned to twirl play guns while watching Westerns with his dad. As a child, Dillon wanted to learn a particularly difficult skill, which involves throwing the gun from behind over the shoulder as it twirled. The problem was the possibility of hitting his head with the gun. “The neighbors were probably amused watching the small boy on the front lawn, dressed in flip-flops, shorts, with a helmet on his head, throwing a gun over his shoulder,” Dillon said. Riding a horse and stopping in front of the crowd, Ramon Becerra jumped off, gave an order, and the horse lay down. One spectator in a surprised voice said, “The horse did that just like a dog.” Becerra then called for his other horse to come into the arena. When that horse was next to him, he mounted it, then had it step carefully over the first horse, so there was a horse above the one lying on the ground. Eventually, he had both horses lie on the ground as he did roping tricks while standing on them. Felix Lopez of Whittier, who is considered one of the best ropers in the world, awed the crowd with his demonstration. He teaches team members of the Broken Horn Ropers, which is a culturally diverse and multi-generational group. They’ve been featured in the Rose Parade as well as other venues throughout Southern California. “Skills that are common on ranches throughout the middle of the United States are a novelty to city kids,” said Tom Mahar, the official roper for Will Rogers State Park. “There are two kinds of roping, there’s cattle roping and then there’s trick roping.” He explained that the rope is stiff, and keeping the loop in a circle is based on centrifugal force. As he easily moved the rope back and forth on either side, doing a “butterfly,” he said, “The rope gets kinks, so you’re basically getting the kink out; it goes back in and you get it out.” Practice steers had been set up on the lawn below the arena, and members of the Broken Horn Roping club were giving tips and showing people how to lasso the steers. In one case, a dad was trying to lasso his son. Mahar saw a 1921 Will Rogers movie, “The Roping Fool,” at the ranch house 25 years ago, and was so inspired that he took up roping. “Tricks take a long time to learn,” he said, smiling, and added, “Forever. To learn the butterfly or merry-go-round, just one trick, can take from six weeks to six months of practicing.” Visitors to the park got to admire the skill of numerous other roping artists, including Pat Puckett Riata, Cattle Cutting All-Stars and the Dave Thornbury Trick Roping Show. “Wish they had money to do this more often,” Mahar said. “They should have this every weekend.” He looked around at the large crowd on the lawn listening to the Drew Davis Band sing “All Right Now.” Across the lane, farrier Jon Childs demonstrated how blacksmiths heat metal and shape shoes over hot coals. He explained that modern-day blacksmiths use propane now instead of coal to heat the metal. Horses need to be reshod every six to eight weeks. Childs explained that farriers remove and replace the shoes on horses, blacksmiths make the shoes. Will Rogers impersonator Basgall, after emceeing the program at the riding arena, walked among the crowd, answering questions and playing the perfect host at his adopted home. He was a Fox television and kids club host in the San Jose area, when the Western Stage Repertory Company told him a year ahead of time that they’d like him to play Will Rogers in “Will Rogers Follies.” When he asked why they were asking him a year ahead of time, they explained, “You need to learn how to rope.” “It became addictive,” Basgall said. “I started roping seven days a week, seven hours a day. I lost 25 pounds learning to rope.” He explained that more than playing the part of Will Rogers, it’s learning the philosophy. “Everyone who’s done the role’it’s changed them and how they see life.” He said the beauty of Will Rogers was that his humor would cause a person in the audience sitting next to the other person to say, “You know he’s right about that.” As if to make Basgall’s point, he steers you to Rogers’ quote: “There’s no trick to being a humorist when you have the whole government working for you.” Basgall, after being smitten with the beauty of Will Rogers’ life and philosophy, started his own company, Wild West Performers. When he was contacted to work the Jubilee, he was ecstatic. “This was my goal: to come here and walk through these doors,” he said. “Then I could die today happy.” He donated his fee for the Jubilee back to the park, as well as the fee for some of the performers he had brought. As the nearly perfect day came to a close, Walter Gray with California State Parks, reflected, “It was a very mellow event, a perfect family audience,” he said. “It mirrors the kind of programs we’d like to see on a regular basis.”

By NATALIE NELSON Special to the Palisadian-Post It is almost impossible to imagine the scene of the tsunami that hit Southeast Asia last December 26. The chaos that unfolded was inconceivable, and the rebuilding projects are still in the beginning stages, seven months later. After learning about the orphans, the homeless and the unemployed people who were greatly affected by the tsunami, 8-year-old Jade Brenner-Katz knew that she needed to do her part. “I’m lucky to have a great life and I want to help kids who don’t have as much as I do,” Jade said. She wanted to send toys, stuffed animals and clothes to the children who had to go through this traumatic experience, hoping to bring a little light into their lives and let them know that she cared.’ Jade’s mother, Lauren Brenner-Katz, searched for ways in which Jade could get these items overseas and to those who lived in an area that needed a great amount of aid. Jade wanted to make sure that what she sent actually reached children in need rather than be lost in storage or barred from entering the country. As Lauren’s search continued for several months, she met Dr. Martina Fuchs, a pediatrician who had already traveled to Sri Lanka once to help the victims deal with their experience and with their health problems.’Lauren and Dr. Fuchs met through a Buddhist meeting, and Dr. Fuchs agreed to bring the collected items and personally hand them out to children in need. ‘ Jade wanted to collect as much as she could for Dr. Fuchs, so Lauren sent out notices through her homeschooling community. Dr. Fuchs took the 300 collected stuffed animals, toys and clothing from Jade, and packed them into five suitcases to take with her to Sri Lanka. But she was told she was allowed to bring only four suitcases, and would have to leave one behind, or put it into storage.’Dr. Fuchs was determined to get everything that Jade gave her through, and told the Singapore Airlines workers that she would not leave the United States without the extra luggage.’Her intention was so clear that they allowed her the extra bag, and she was able to bring every toy with her. Once Dr. Fuchs arrived in Sri Lanka, she joined with fellow unpaid volunteers from countries such as England, Australia and Germany to set up a children’s clinic within a week. As a doctor with a Ph.D. in pediatric psychiatry, Dr. Fuchs gathered children who needed medical attention or help dealing with their experience, and had them draw pictures of what they saw the day the tsunami hit.’Many children gathered and created their own interpretation of what occurred, and in return, Dr. Fuchs handed out the toys, clothes, and stuffed animals from Jade. Once she did this, Dr. Fuchs saw children smiling and playing for the first time since her arrival. She saw the effect that a young girl with a big idea had and the impact it created. Dr. Fuchs made sure that the pink Converse tennis shoes that Jade had so graciously given away with the pile of goods reached a young girl in great need. Jade wanted to adopt a child to whom she could send money and toys to every month, and Dr. Fuchs found a young girl for her: Nimasha Madhuwanthi. The 3-year-old, who lives with four siblings and her two parents, lost her home and most of her belongings in the tsunami. Now Jade is excited and focused on sending over toys and clothing to her “little sister.” Jade, her sister older Hana, and their mother have joined Dr. Fuchs’ organization, the Real Medicine Foundation.’Jade is the youngest member of the Real Medicine volunteer team, and also a junior volunteer at the animal rescue organization Bichons and Buddies. She continues using her creativity to raise money for Real Medicine. Cash donations can be made through the Real Medicine Foundation Web site: www.realmedicinefoundation.org

1946: Millie and Joey Baker

Millie and Joey Baker will celebrate their 59th wedding anniversary on October 21, 2005. Both were living on the West side of Los Angeles before they met. Millie Lubin and her mother Lena had moved from Memphis, Tennessee, when Millie was still in high school. Joey grew up in Pasadena, but had spent his summers in Venice, California, with an aunt. He went into the Navy and was stationed in San Diego. They met through B’nai B’rith youth organizations. She was president of the Santa Monica women’s chapter, he the men’s. It wasn’t love at first sight. “I wasn’t impressed,” Millie says. “He had on a monkey suit (a navy uniform) and I was wearing a leather jacket.” “I took a look at her in that jacket,” Joey says. “And wondered, ‘Where’s your motorcycle?'” As fate would have it, she didn’t have a car, so whenever the organization needed representatives at other chapters, he would give her a ride. As they got to know each other, things changed. Millie says, “When you open a box and go farther down you see a lot of good.” Millie invited Joey to her brother’s wedding in Lexington, Kentucky, so that he could meet her family. Airplane travel wasn’t the norm then, so Joey was set to drive her mom, his mom, her sister and a nephew to the wedding. He called Millie, who was already in Memphis and asked if she’d marry him. Millie handed the phone to her brother Dr. Milton Lubin and he told Joey that Millie would marry him. “The next thing I knew I was engaged,” Millie says. By the time the car arrived in Memphis, Joey’s and Millie’s wedding was all arranged. They would be married in Louisville on Monday, since all the relatives were already together for her brother’s Sunday wedding in Lexington. Millie admits she didn’t know Joey too well before they were married. Her brother asked, “Did he go to college?” She answered, “I don’t know.” Her sister asked, “Are you getting a ring?” She said truthfully, “I don’t know.” “When we were married, her uncles were taking bets,” says Joey. “They said it wouldn’t last a year.” Millie did get a ring. When Joey left the service, he had $2,000 and spent half of it on the ring. Even today Millie enthusiastically says, “It’s magnificent!” The 19 year-old Millie Lubin and the just 25-year-old Joey Baker were married on October 21, 1946. They took the other thousand dollars he had saved and went on a six-week driving honeymoon, visiting relatives and seeing sights like the Grand Canyon and Carlsbad Caverns. “When we got back,” Joey says, “we were broke.” Joey got some money from the GI Bill and bought a little property in Venice. It had two small houses on it. He had his office in the front of the house, and they lived in rooms in the back, including a bedroom, living room, kitchen and bath. He rented out a house in the back for $25 a month. On their little back porch, they kept their icebox, until Joey’s mother bought them a refrigerator. Joey, who had taken his realtor exam two weeks before he left the service, became so successful in real estate, he was known as the “The Broker of Venice.” They have three children. Norm worked as a lifeguard before he was thrown from a three-wheeler and became paralyzed on one side. Through grit and determination, he didn’t allow it to interfere with life. He also works in real estate. A daughter Jan is a professor at the Rhode Island School of Design, and another son Don is one of the largest commercial developers of real estate in Tucson. They have two grandchildren. The Bakers are reflective as they talk about how their marriage has thrived. Millie says, “It’s not that it wasn’t bumpy sometimes, but if you love each other you marry for good or bad.” “Just try,” Joey says. “Tell your wife ‘I love you’ and ‘Yes, dear’ and you’ll make it through.” Their children planned a 50th wedding anniversary celebration for them, including an exact replica of their original wedding cake. Joey was resplendent in a tux, with a red vest and red cummerbund. Millie surprised everyone when she came down the aisle in a long white wedding dress, the dress she didn’t have in 1946. “I went to Santa Monica and had the best time buying it,” she says. “All the young girls trying on gowns got a kick out of it; so did the rabbi when he saw me.” Joey thoughtfully says, “I guess we’ll celebrate when we get to our 60th.” Millie says, “We’ll make it.” “I’m still in love with her,” Joey says. Millie asks, “Good or bad?” “Good,” he replies. “I’d never met someone I’d rather be with.” Millie adds, “After you’ve lived a long time you start to realize the important things’being healthy, being together, sharing things. What are the main things? Life, family, friends, keeping a good name.”