By Sergio Berrueta & Jesus Figueroa
East Los Angeles College’s Music Department brings back its First Friday Jazz Concert starting on Oct. 4 with the Patrice Rushen Trio.
Patrice Rushen is a composer, songwriter and vocalist that has been around since 1974.
Rushen has immersed herself in the genres of disco, R&B and funk, but is mostly famous for her hit song “Forget Me Nots” which hit the Billboard Charts in 1982.
Rushen has sprung off into jazz performing alongside jazz vibraphonist Stefon Harris and his trio and famed Grammy-nominated smooth jazz keyboardist Philippe Saisse.
Rushen’s new trio hopes to bring a mixture of jazz styles and flavors to a new generation of music lovers.
ELAC Theatre Arts Department brings the U.S. premiere of “They Don’t Pay? We Won’t Pay!” by Dario Fo, translated by John Laskin and Michael Aquilante, with the first performance Oct. 11.
The comedic play is originally in Italian and has been in theaters before, but not this English translation. The comedy centers around a woman who protests the rising cost of everyday life by doing spontaneous acts to show her discontent.
ELAC will host evening performances Oct. 11, 12, 18 and 19, matinee performances on Oct. 13 and 20 and an understudy performance on Oct. 19.
John Valadez will be signing books and leading a tour of his “Santa Ana Condition: John Valadez” exhibit at the Vincent Price Art Museum on Oct 12.
The event starts at 1 p.m. with a book signing for the catalog of the national touring exhibit “Santa Ana Condition,” on sale at the VPAM now and during the event.
Actor, art collector and art advocate, Cheech Marin, joins Valadez for a book signing of his latest art book “Chicanitas: Small Paintings from the Cheech Marin Collection,” sold on site.
Valadez will lead a special walkthrough tour of his exhibit located in the Large Gallery of the VPAM at 2 p.m.
The walkthrough will include a discussion by the artist on his work, his life and career.
Admission and events at the VPAM are free and open to the community.
“Santa Ana Condition: John Valadez” is on display through Dec. 7.