Photographs (from left): Broad Contemporary Art Museum (BCAM) east facade, installation of Urban Light, Chris Burden, and palm garden, Robert Irwin, January 2008, © 2008 Museum Associates/LACMA. Sketch of solar panels; North-South section through the BP Grand entrance highlighting the placement of solar panels on the roof, © Renzo Piano Building Workshop. LACMA east facade, © Museum Associates/LACMA.

     At the Los Angeles County of Museum of Art, this year marks the completion of the first phase of a ten-year project known as Transformation. Phase I of Transformation has added the new Broad Contemporary Art Museum (pictured above left), with 60,000 square feet of gallery space designed exclusively for the display of contemporary art, and the BP Grand Entrance (sketch above center). The BP Grand Entrance, linking the space between BCAM and the existing museum galleries (above right) is an 8,1000-square-foot open-air pavilion and orientation space which utilizes solar panels capable of generating more than 100,000 watts of electricity. The overall Transformation project will unify and expand the museum's campus, integrating the buildings and outdoor spaces into a coherent whole. You can read more about the Transformation and the music series at LACMA by visitng www.lacma.org.

* Transformation, Bing Theater, Mark Winkler and Ted and Pablo photographs courtesy of LACMA. Ark Sano photograph courtesy of Ark Sano, Luis Munoz photograph courtesy of Luis Munoz, and LA Harmonie Ensemble photographs courtesy of Ryan Zwahlen. Ryan Zwahlen photograph by Jake R. Jacobson. *

COLD DUCK

Past performances: June 29 - Monrovia, July 2 - San Dimas, July 3 - Placentia, July 4 - West Covina, July 9 - Ontario, July 10 - Bellflower, July 16 - El Monte, July 17 - Corona, July 23 - Glendale, July 24 - Montebello, July 25 - Rosemead, July 29 - Puente Hills/Rowland Heights, July 30 - Temple City, August 6 - Diamond Bar, August 13 - Riverside, August 14 - West Covina, August 17 - Glendora and August 28 - La Mirada

Upcoming performances: The performances for this summer are now over. See you next year!

     The eight-piece band Cold Duck has been entertaining Southern California audiences for more than 30 years. The group's history goes back to 1969 when band leader Jose Cuadra assembled the group of musicians under the name Cold Duck. The band quickly established a reputation as one of the top local dance bands, and the group won its first competiton in 1971 at an East Los Angeles College "Battle of the Bands." Unforseen circumstances led the band to take a hiatus from 1973 - 1977, but following that Cuadra revived the band as it exists today. The versatile R&B/dance band has a repertoire that includes everything from the top hits of the 1970s to songs with a Latin flair.

     Members of Cold Duck are founder Jose "Chepe" Cuadra (lead vocal/trumpet/percussion), Gene Chavez (trumpet/flugelhorn/vocals), Saul Chavez (vocals), Eddie Estrada (guitar/vocals), Ray Ortega (drums/vocals), Tony Mason (woodwinds/vocals), Gregory Smith (keyboards/vocals) and Jeffrey Way (trombone/vocals).

     The band has released two CDs and has an extensive list of Southern California appearances. In addition to the number of annual performances they make during the summer concert season, the band has appeared at Disneyland, Knotts Berry Farm, Magic Mountain, NBC, MGM and ABC studios, and other locations from San Diego to Santa Barbara. Individual band members also work with other well-known musicians in the Southern California area.

     Cuadra says the band's philosophy is to "give the people what they want to hear and have a good time delivering it!" If you'd like to learn more about Cold Duck, you can visit the band's website at www.coldduck.com.

* Photograph courtesy of Cold Duck. *

HOTEL CALIFORNIA

Past performances: July 16 - Chino Hills, July 20 - Dana Point, July 27 - Glendora, July 30 - Signal Hill, July 31 - Bellflower and August 3 - La Verne

Upcoming performances: The performances for this summer are now over. See you next year!

     For more than two decades, Hotel California - A Salute to the Eagles has been entertaining audiences in Southern California, across the country and around the world by faithfully reproducing the sounds of the Eagles. Their shows incorporate their own renowned vocal harmony as well as authentic instrumentation, including all specialty instruments, of the original group. Each concert is a showcase of Eagles megahits such as "Take it Easy," "Heartache Tonight" and (of course) "Hotel California," as well as selected titles from the solo works of Don Henley, Glen Frey and Joe Walsh.

     The five members of Hotel California - Dicky-Lee (vocals, mandolin, pedal steel, harmonica and lead, rhythm and slide acoustic and electric guitars), Wade (vocals, keyboards, acoustic guitars, percussion), Phil (drums and percussion), Scott (bass, vocals) and Steve (vocals, banjo, and lead, rhythm, acoustic, double neck and 12 string guitars) - are all multi-talented music industry professionals with extensive performance and recording backgrounds. From Phil, who signed his first recording contract when he was 17, to Dicky-Lee, who has shared the stage with Boston and Van Halen, the band recreates the classic sounds of a group whose music transcends the boundaries of rock, R&B and country.

     Hotel California performs at 150 - 200 events every year including charity benefits, fundraisers, outdoor concerts, special corporate functions, festivals and fairs and main stage shows, in addition to opening for prominent name acts across the county.

     The band invites you to join them on a trip down a dark desert highway and feel the cool wind in your hair as you check into the "Hotel California." For more information about the band, visit the Hotel California website at www.hotelcal.com. You can also vote for your favorite Eagles song for the Orange County Fair on the site.

* Photograph courtesy of Hotel California. *

WISEGUYS BIG BAND MACHINE

Past performances: June 25 - Buena Park, July 6 - Pico Rivera, July 16 - Orange, July 20 - Glendora, July 23 - Downey, July 31 - Cerritos, August 10 - Walnut, August 14 - Whittier, August 21 - Azusa, and September 11 - Montebello

Upcoming performances: The performances for this summer are now over. See you next year!

     From swing to swank, The Wiseguys Big Band Machine is an eighteen-piece ensemble dedicated to keeping big band/swing music alive. The band says that "If Frank Sinatra, Brian Setzer, Peggy Lee, Perez Prado, and Bobby Darin all worked together, you might get an idea of what the Wiseguys sound like." It's a sound they call "Big Band Vegas Swing."

     The Montebello-based group features two vocalists, soloists, a "screamin'" horns line of saxophone, trombone and trumpet players, and a "roarin'" rhythm section. Their repertoire includes the swinging vocal tunes of Frank Sinatra, Bobby Darin, and Peggy Lee, big band favorites from Glenn Miller, Perez Prado and Buddy Rich, and dance music from the 50s and 60s plus classic mambos and cumbias.

     The band was initially formed in 1989 by band leader Art Barajas, his friend Robert Villalobos (lead trumpet) and Robert's brother Frank (lead vocals), and the core members of the group have all been together since 1994. Most members of the band went to Montebello High School, and the band has received a great deal of support from the city, including a room borrowed for rehearsals. From the start, the band played everywhere they could. Today, their blend of music has made them a popular opening act for such diverse artists as War, Tierra, Maynard Ferguson, Pancho Sanchez, and others. They have been featured on shows such as Vista LA (KABC-7) and Pavilion (KPBS Los Angeles), and they have performed at venues from the House of Blues and The Derby to The Grove of Anaheim and BB King's Universal CityWalk.

     The band members still stay true to their roots, and they will tell you that one of their favorite annual shows is the one they play for Montebello senior citizens. You can read more about the Wiseguys Big Band Machine at either www.mtbwiseguys.org or www.myspace.com/mtbwiseguys.

* Photograph courtesy of the Wiseguys Big Band Machine. *

THE SUMMER OF LOVE SHOW/THE SOUTH BAY ROCKERS

Past performances: June 12 - Fullerton, June 22 - Santa Monica, June 26 - Lakewood, July 5 - Huntington Beach, July 10 - Fullerton, July 13 - Walnut, July 24 - Cerritos, July 26 - Alhambra, August 14 - Los Angeles (Downtown), August 16 - Alhambra, and August 30 - Hermosa Beach

Upcoming performances: The performances for this summer are now over. See you next year!

     The Summer of Love Show is a musical journey back to the era of the late 60s, Haight Ashbury and the Flower Power Days. From Moterey Pop '67 to Woodstock '69, the show brings alive the spirit and hits of artists such as Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Grace Slick, The Mamas and The Papas, Sly Stone and Sonny and Cher.

     In addition to The Summer of Love Show, the band has also been known as The Classic Rockers. The 5-member Classic Rockers originally began as the house band for a local classic rock radio station, and they appeared under that name in Fullerton and Lakewood this year. Terry Brent formed the Summer in Love in 2000 following the success of the Classic Rockers. He also leads the male members of the group in the four-person classic rock/60s-80s band pictured above, the South Bay Rockers. The groups appear reguarly in a variety of South Bay locations, and at festivals, summer concerts and other events.

     From coast to coast and from Canada to California, members of The Summer of Love Show have come from a variety of backgrounds to bring the nostalgia of the love generation to Southern California audiences. Band leader and drummer Brent was born and raised in Canada but ventured out west to advance his drumming career and eventually formed the group. Other members of the Summer of Love Show include Connie Early (lead and backup vocals), Ron Olsson (vocals, guitar and drums), Gerald Davis (vocals, guitar and harmonica), David Abercrobie (bass and vocals) and Julie Dolan (keyboards, vocals and percussion). Summer concertgoers may also recognize Julie Dolan as a member of another group appearing regularly at the summer concerts, the all-female classic rockers The UnderCoverGirls (June 22 - Santa Monica, July 9 - Buena Park, July 10 - Los Angeles (Downtown) and August 23 - Culver City).

     If you'd like to learn more about the band, you can visit www.thesummerofloveshow.com. Though their performances as The Classic Rockers and the South Bay Rockers have finished on the summer stages, you also can see more of the South Bay Rockers at www.southbayrockers.com.

* Photographs courtesy of the Summer of Love Show and the South Bay Rockers. *

SCOTT MARTIN LATIN SOUL BAND

Past performances: June 6 - Long Beach, June 7 - Huntington Beach, July 6 - Long Beach, July 31 - Fullerton, August 20 - Redondo Beach, August 23 - LACMA, September 11 - Los Angeles (Mid-Wilshire/Museum District), September 12 - Chino Hills, and September 13 - Brea

Upcoming performances: September 25 - Fullerton

     After thirteen years of playing with the Grammy Award-winning Poncho Sanchez Latin Jazz Band, Scott Martin formed his own group, the Scott Martin Latin Soul Band. The soulful Latin jazz music is a fusion of his soul jazz leanings with Latin jazz influences.

     While Scott was traveling, recording, composing and arranging with Poncho Sanchez's band, the group was nominated for three Grammy Awards and received one for Best Latin Jazz Performance, plus two Billboard Music Awards. In addition to being part of the Poncho Sanchez Latin Jazz Band, he has performed and recorded with artists such as Celia Cruz, Tito Puente, Ray Charles, Francisco Aguabella, Chick Corea, and The Temptations, and he currently performs with Jose Rizo's Jazz on the Latin Side All Stars as well (August 26 - Hollywood). Scott's many compositions have been featured not only on Sanchez's recordings but also on shows like "Sex and the City," "The Jimmy Kimmel Show" and "As The World Turns."

     Members of the Scott Martin Latin Soul Band pictured above (left to right) are Rick White (guitar, vocals), Don Littleton (percussion), Warren Ontiveros (drums, vocals), Scott Martin (saxophone, flute, vocals), Mark Massey (piano) and Ernie Nunez (bass). The group's first CD release was a collection of mostly original compositions penned by Scott and/or his collaborator, guitarist Rick White. The latest CD is a mixture of Latin and Soul that also features three generations of Martin family members. The "Martin Family Horns" include his father, Dave "Big Daddy" Martin, his brothers Stan and Andy, and his son, Tyler "The Kid" Martin.

     Scott and his band play a wide variety of venues both here and abroad, and they appear regularly at jazz festivals throughout the U.S. If you'd like to learn more about Scott and his band, you can visit www.scottmartinjazz.com or www.martinbrotherhorns.com.

* Photograph courtesy of Scott Martin. *

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