As the days grow longer and with summer approaching, Angelinos are constantly looking at ways to take advantage of our beautiful climate and natural beauty. One of the most spectacular places on the planet to experience this outdoor oasis is the Getty Center in Brentwood. Located high atop the Santa Monica mountains, The Getty is bringing back its popular music series, “Saturdays Off The 405” on May 19, with a concert by the Sup Pop Records dream pop act the Dum Dum Girls.
Fronted by a gifted songwriter named Dee Dee, whose voice is reminiscent of a young Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders, the Dum Dum Girls are a talented and original sounding all-female group. Their first record on Sub Pop was produced by noted producer Richard Gottehrer who had previously worked with Richard Hell And The Voidoids, Blondie, The Go-Gos, and The Raveonettes. DJs open and close the concert, which runs from 6 – 9 p.m. and is free and open to the public.
The Culver City Symphony Orchestra continues its performance schedule this Saturday May 12, with a program called “A Concert of Firsts”. Winners of the 2011 Parness Concerto Competition will be performing with the orchestra, including 12-year-old cellist, Nathan Le and 16-year-old cello player Leah Hansen.
General admission tickets are $15, with members of the Westchester Symphony Society getting in for $10, while tickets for patrons under the age of 18 will be $7. The 8 p.m. concert will take place at the recently renovated Veterans Memorial Auditorium on Overland Avenue in Culver City.
Until the Jazz Bakery finds its permanent home in downtown Culver City, jazz impresario Ruth Price will continue with her “Movable Feast” concerts, with a show upcoming on Saturday May 26, featuring master bassist John Pattitucci and his trio. Pattitucci made his name as part of pianist Chick Corea’s band, but also played with an eclectic roster of artists such as Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Stan Getz, Wynton Marsalis and Detroit funk group Was (Not Was). The concert will take place at the Musicians Institute concert center in Hollywood. More info on the show can be found at http://jazzbakery.org.
Yet another opportunity to take in music under the stars can be found at the spring/summer concert season at the Betfair Hollywood Park Race Track, where the unlikely combination of watching horse races and enjoying music among your peers comes together.
The first show of the season will be on Friday, May 11, with influential 80s band Devo making their appearance at the north end of the grandstand, while blues rap-rocker G. Love and Special Sauce take the stage the following Friday. The concerts begin after the last race finishes at 10:30 and admission is $10 prior to 8:30 p.m. and $20 after, with free general parking provided. More information on the Friday Night Live Concert Series can be found at http://www.betfairhollywoodpark.com/friday-night-live.
The Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra will present a unique performance combining music as accompaniment to two classic Harold Lloyd silent films on Sunday night May 20 as part of the UCLA Live Concert Series. Carl Davis will conduct the Orchestra for showings of “The Kid Brother” (1927) and “High and Dizzy” (1920) at the historic Royce Hall on the UCLA campus.
“High and Dizzy”, the second of Lloyd’s five famous “thrill” comedies, tells the story of Harold as a medical doctor who, after enjoying a few too many alcohol samples, encounters his patient sleepwalking on a skyscraper ledge. The 6:30 p.m. program will also feature a world premiere of a new score by Carl Davis, performed live by the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. Ticketing info and a full schedule of events can be found at http://www.uclalive.org/.