Add some pizzaz to your weekend, with some jazz. This Saturday May 25th, the Allan Wasserman Jazz Ensemble will be performing at Pinocchio’s Pizza at 1449 N. Lake Ave, for a night of pizzaz with jazz and pizzas.

Allan Wasserman is more widely known as an actor, appearing on several TV series’ like Curb Your Enthusiasm and The Sopranos as well as Broadway Productions and movies.

A musician since he was a young man, Wasserman had a rebirth of sorts “about 13 years ago at the age of 48, year 2000 was approaching and I felt like, ‘Well, I was the guy who used that horn, I don’t want to go to my grave not playing,’ so I started taking lessons again and went up this time with a vengeance,” he tells us.

Studying for 13 years with different teachers and professional musicians, Wasserman honed his chops more so when he “took a class at PCC called Latin Jazz Ensemble conducted by Bobby Rodriguez,” says Wasserman.

About four years ago, Wasserman put together a band and now play every month at Pinocchio’s where they have “anywhere from 10 to 16 people on the band stand, the ages has been as young as 13 and as old as 75, every kind of race, creed, color, religion is up on that band stand, men, women of every background, reunited under a tent of American Jazz that’s terrific. So I’m very proud of it,” says Wasserman.

When asked what genres of music he and his band plays, Wasserman says, “We mostly do straight-ahead jazz but that’s pretty much the genre of it. We’ve done some blues as well, we have done a little bit of rock and roll, but it’s more trio, old school straight-ahead jazz to put it into one sense.”

About the local music scene, Wasserman encourages everyone to support “local live music, whether it’s jazz, rock, folk, support the local people that play in your area.”

Of course, Wasserman also tells us to “definitely support live jazz.” Far from being biased though, the reason is simple.
“It’s not getting the same support it used to decades ago, but it’s an American art form that is just terrific and it plays so strong. You can listen to a jazz tune that was played 50-60 years ago and it’s still cutting edge. There’s not too many art forms like that,” says Wasserman.

So do your part this weekend, and support local talent. Bring your family, friends, and kids too if you have them, to Pinocchio’s Pizza for a sublime night of jazz. Cover charge is $4 cheap.

Mackenzie Phillips. Photo by Pasadena Recovery Center

Living the Hollywood dream is what many aspire to live, however, not everyone knows the nightmare behind it.

On Wednesday June 5, 11:30 am at the Pasadena Recovery Center, actress Mackenzie Phillips will talk about her own struggles with addiction and how she was able to survive.

Known for her roles in American Graffiti and as Julie Cooper on the sitcom One Day At A Time, Phillips will also be signing copies of her book High on Arrival.

This is the latest speaking event the Pasadena Recovery Center will host for its Speaker Series Events.

The Pasadena Recovery Center is a drug and alcohol treatment center located at 1811 North Raymond Ave., and the facility is open to anyone who needs treatment for their own struggles with addiction.

For those attending, please RSVP by June 1 by emailing event@pasadenarecoverycenter.com.

To learn more about Pasadena Recovery Center, visit http://www.pasadenarecoverycenter.com or call (866) 663-3030.

Today The Gamble House announced the launch of Blue Star Museums, a collaboration among the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, the Department of Defense, and more than 1,800 museums across America to offer free admission to all active duty military personnel and their families from Memorial Day through Labor Day 2013. Leadership support has been provided by MetLife Foundation through Blue Star Families. The complete list of participating museums is available at www.arts.gov/bluestarmuseums.

“The Gamble House is proud to salute our military personnel and their families again this year by offering the opportunity to experience architecture as a fine art,” explained Gamble House Director Ted Bosley.

“Blue Star Museums is a collaboration between the arts and military communities,” said NEA Acting Chairman Joan Shigekawa. “Our work with Blue Star Families and with more than 1,800 museums ensures that we can reach out to military families and thank them for their service and sacrifice.”

“Blue Star Museums is something that service members and their families look forward to every year and we are thrilled with the continued growth of the program,” said Blue Star Families CEO Kathy Roth-Douquet. “Through this distinctive collaboration between Blue Star Families, the National Endowment for the Arts and more than 1,800 museums across the United States, service members and their families can connect with our national treasures with this unparalleled opportunity to visit some of the country’s finest museums for free.”

This year, more than 1,800 (and counting) museums in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and American Samoa are taking part in the initiative, including more than 450 new museums this year. Museums are welcome to join Blue Star Museums throughout the summer. The effort to recruit museums has involved partnerships with the American Association of Museums, the Association of Art Museum Directors, the Association of Children’s Museums, the American Association of State and Local History, and the Association of Science-Technology Centers. This year’s Blue Star Museums represent not just fine arts museums, but also science museums, history museums, nature centers, and 75 children’s museums. Among this year’s new participants are the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, California, Grand Traverse Lighthouse Museum in Northport, Michigan, the Totem Heritage Center in Ketchikan, Alaska, and the World Museum of Mining in Butte, Montana.

About Blue Star Museums

Blue Star Museums is a collaboration among the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, the Department of Defense, and more than 1,800 museums across America. The program runs from Memorial Day, May 27, 2013 through Labor Day, September 2, 2013.

The free admission program is available to any bearer of a Geneva Convention common access card (CAC), a DD Form 1173 ID card, or a DD Form 1173-1 ID card, which includes active duty U.S. military – Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, as well as members of the National Guard and Reserve, U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, NOAA Commissioned Corps – and up to five family members. Please see the chart of the acceptable IDs (PDF http://www.cac.mil/common-access-card/). Some special or limited-time museum exhibits may not be included in this free admission program. For questions on particular exhibits or museums, please contact the museum directly. To find out which museums are participating, visit www.arts.gov/bluestarmuseums. The site includes a list of participating museums and a map to help with visit planning.

Museums that wish to participate in Blue Star Museums may contact bluestarmuseums@arts.gov, or Wendy Clark at (202) 682-5451.

This is the latest NEA program to bring quality arts programs to the military, veterans, and their families. Other NEA programs for the military have included the NEA/Walter Reed Healing Arts Partnership; Great American Voices Military Base Tour; and Shakespeare in American Communities Military Base Tour.

Built in 1908, The Gamble House is the most complete and best-preserved example of the work of renowned Pasadena architects Charles and Henry Greene. The Gamble House is an internationally recognized National Historic Landmark in the style of the American Arts and Crafts movement. Owned by the City of Pasadena, the Gamble House is operated by the University of Southern California School of Architecture.

The Gamble House is open for public, docent-led, one-hour tours Thursday – Sunday, noon – 3 p.m., closed on national holidays. For more information, visit www.gamblehouse.org or call (626) 793-3334 ext. 16.

About Blue Star Families

Blue Star Families is a national, nonprofit network of military families from all ranks and services, including guard and reserve, dedicated to supporting, connecting and empowering military families. With our partners, Blue Star Families hosts a robust array of morale and empowerment programs, including Books on Bases, Blue Star Museums, Operation Honor Corp, Blue Star Careers and Operation Appreciation. Blue Star Families also works directly with the Department of Defense and senior members of local, State and Federal government to bring the most important military family issues to light. Working in concert with fellow nonprofits, community advocates, and public officials, Blue Star Families raises awareness of the challenges and strengths of military family life and works to make military life more sustainable. Our worldwide membership includes military spouses, children, parents, and friends, as well as service members, veterans and civilians. To learn more about Blue Star Families, visit http://www.bluestarfam.org.

About the National Endowment for the Arts

The National Endowment for the Arts was established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. To date, the NEA has awarded more than $4 billion to support artistic excellence, creativity, and innovation for the benefit of individuals and communities. The NEA extends its work through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector. To join the discussion on how art works, visit the NEA at arts.gov.