Marlene Hajdu, Elise Michelle, and Carolyn Yarnell addressing the audience at the ASMAC FIRST WEDNESDAYS workshop highlighting women composers on May 4. (Photos courtesy Marlene Hajdu)
by Alison Freebairn-Smith
The ASMAC First Wednesdays event on May 4, “Celebrating Women Composers,” did just that. We moved through the evening listening to music from animation to orchestral music from Carnegie Hall to bebop re-imagined. Continue reading
Lemonade, the sixth studio album released by Beyoncé, dropped April 23 and made quite a sweet splash, debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard chart with 485,000 album sales and 115 million streams following its premiere on HBO. Continue reading
AFM Local 47 Overture archives
This Labor History Month we celebrate our connection to the greater labor movement
by Linda A. Rapka
From working together in unity with fellow labor unions, to rallying in solidarity with our sisters and brothers on picket lines and protests, AFM Local 47 has a long and rich history among and within the labor movement. To commemorate Labor History Month, we reflect on these ties by taking a journey back more than 70 years to the 1940s, when the Los Angeles musicians union was involved in a flurry of labor activity. Continue reading
On April 28, the unions of the AFL-CIO observe Workers Memorial Day to remember those who have suffered and died on the job and to renew the fight for safe jobs. This year we will come together to call for work in this country that is safe and healthy and pays fair wages.
We will celebrate the victories won by working people and commit to fighting until all workers have safe jobs and the freedom to form unions without the threat of retaliation. Continue reading
Let’s bring the nation’s Labor Beat back!
A message from Workers Independent News:
For decades, the “labor beat” has been steadily disappearing from mainstream media sources. A systematic, and some would argue, intentional reduction in the perceived importance of the working class has created an environment of dismissal and even disdain for workers, as they are blamed repeatedly for America’s fiscal woes. Continue reading
Every April, the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C. selects a jazz icon to feature on the annual Jazz Appreciation Month poster. This year’s poster honors performer, bandleader, and
composer “King” Benny Carter.
A Lifetime Member of Local 47, Benny Carter — known simply as “King” to his fellow musicians — was a largely self-taught artist who became one of founding fathers of big band swing music. Early in his career, Carter arranged and composed scores for Fletcher Henderson, Benny Goodman, Chick Webb, and McKinney’s Cotton Pickers, as well as for his own highly respected orchestras. Continue reading
John Clayton is a natural born multitasker. The multiple roles in which he excels – composer, arranger, conductor, producer, educator, and extraordinary bassist – garner him a number of challenging assignments and commissions. With a Grammy on his shelf and eight additional nominations, artists such as Diana Krall, Paul McCartney, Regina Carter, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Gladys Knight, Queen Latifah, and Charles Aznavour vie for a spot on his crowded calendar. His many musical pursuits include the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, which he founded along with his brother Jeff in 1986, and the Clayton Brothers quintet, which includes his son Gerald on piano. As a teacher, in addition to presenting individual clinics, workshops, and private students as schedule permits, he directs the educational components associated with the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival, Centrum Festival, and Vail Jazz Party. Continue reading
Kudos to all the talented artists involved in scoring these motion picture and TV shows AFM Local 47, Los Angeles in 2015!*
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Today is Women’s History Day, and we’re celebrating by watching the Los Angeles-scored, critically acclaimed documentary, HE NAMED ME MALALA. Continue reading
Local 47 President John Acosta with Life Member Homer Archibald “Slim” Tanner displaying proclamations from the City of Downey and U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein in honor of his 100th birthday, March 7, 2016. (Photos by Linda A. Rapka)
Today, Life Member Homer Archibald ‘Slim’ Tanner enjoyed the celebration of the century, literally — March 7, 2016 marks his 100th birthday!
Local 47 President John Acosta, along with Communications Director Linda Rapka, visited Slim at his home in Downey to present him with a birthday card, balloon, and a special gift: a Certificate of Recognition signed by Downey Mayor Alex Saab, Mayor Pro Tem Fernando Vasquez, and Councilmembers Sean Ashton, Roger C. Brossmer, and Luis H. Marquez, expressing their “sincerest best wishes on this very special occasion.” Continue reading