Top Row: Tiffany Owens and Luis Villegas – Bottom Row: Allan Rich & Jud Friedman and Lynette Williams
With all the tension dividing the nation right now, a good dose of lighthearted unity is sorely needed. Clazzical Notes has just the ticket, a virtual dose of tuneful togetherness streaming at 5 p.m. Sept. 13 when the Pasadena-based organization presents a free program titled, Heads Up, The Time Is Now.
Founded in 2004 by Jerri Price-Gaines, originally under the aegis of the Pasadena Symphony, Clazzical Notes mounts concerts designed to “foster community understanding across diverse cultures, genres and generations,” according to the website. That mission seems particularly timely.
So next week, Clazzical Notes hosts its first virtual performance since the pandemic began. A multi-generational, multi-racial program featuring an eclectic assortment of accomplished musicians, vocalists and songwriters will perform songs from a diverse array of genres. The goal is to alleviate the sorrow, anxiety and weariness many are feeling due to Covid-19. Each artist will perform a set of songs intended to lift the mood and strengthen the spirit of all listeners. An added plus? Performing online may expose the local group to a worldwide audience.
Host Tiffany Owens has strong ties to the Pasadena area, having served as the chair of and representative for two mayors on the City of Pasadena Arts and Culture Commission. She’s a classically trained actor, veteran educator, event producer and arts advocate, in addition to working as a professional development trainer at Inner-City Arts.
Owens will guide viewers through five acts that include the top-notch songwriting team of Jud Friedman and Allan Rich, whose hits for Whitney Houston (“Run to You”) and Kenny Loggins (“For the First Time”) earned them nominations for major awards. They’ve also written tunes for Barbra Streisand, Tina Turner, James Ingram, Ray Charles and many others The Grammy Museum honored their work with a special night in 2016.
“We have always tried to write songs from the heart, which move and touch people and connect them with the full spectrum of human emotions,” says Friedman. “Particularly in a time like this, when we have largely become digital avatars and there is so much anger and turmoil in the world, the human touch seems more important than ever.”
Rich adds, “We are delighted to be a part of Heads Up, The Time is Now presented by Classical Notes and hope that our time talking about and performing our songs will provide the same kind of comfort and joy to others that writing songs has always brought to us.”
Also on the bill is prolific jazz bassist and music producer Ryan Cross, who has recorded with A-list artists including Stevie Wonder, Beyoncé and John Legend. Adding R&B flavor is vocalist Teresa James, who received a 2019 Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Blues release and has performed live with Randy Newman and Levon Helm.
Latinx culture is represented by first-generation Mexican-American guitarist Luis Villegas, who adds his Spanish guitar stylings to the lineup, a talent that won him a Grammy nomination for Best New Age Album of 1999 and has enabled him to perform with top artists from Janet Jackson to Placido Domingo. Particularly intriguing are his flamenco covers of heavy metal songs performed as part of the Heavy Mellow band. He’s currently using pandemic downtime to write and record a new CD entirely by himself at his home studio in Los Angeles.
The concert will close with a performance by keyboardist Lynette Williams, who spent two years touring the world as part of Black Eyed Peas’ member Will.i.am’s All Girl Band. She has also toured with Childish Gambino, CeeLo Green and Chaka Khan, among many others.
To register and receive a free link to watch the show, visit clazzicalnotes.org.
