Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

PROFLIGATE / RMA NIGHT ORIGINS / BENEFIT CONCERT / COMMENT / SCOTT HEALY / EVENTS

Friday, September 22nd, 2017

9/22/17

I. PROFLIGATE SPENDING
I. RMA NIGHT ORIGINS
III. TAX BENEFIT CONCERT
IV, MEMBER COMMENT
V. TOMORROW! SCOTT HEALY ASMAC MASTERCLASS
VI. EVENTS

…Absolutely guaranteed anonymity – Former Musician’s Union officer

…The one voice of reason in a sea of insanity – Nashville ‘first call’
scoring musician
…Allows us to speak our minds without fear of reprisal – L.A. Symphonic musician

…Reporting issues the Musicians Union doesn’t dare to mention – National touring musician

================================

I. MEMBER COMMENTARY: Profligate Spending

At the 9/19 Local 47 Executive Board meeting the subject
of the Local’s purchasing of tickets for RMA Night was discussed.

The choice came down to buying 10 tickets for $150 each or to
purchase a “corporate table” for $3,500.

Bill Reichenbach (who identified himself as a Board member of
the RMA ) said, “Keep in mind the RMA is a players conference
with national contracts…supporting the RMA is not too much
of a sacrifice…they do so much.”.

Then Andy Malloy, said, “People will be there…
we need to show our support…when we look at payments
to attorney’s and how much the various entities bring in.”

Bill continued his pitch by telling the Board, “If you want
a presence as a group, you need a table.”

In the end, the Board (in a rare non-unanimous vote) approved
the expenditure of $3,500 ($2,000 over the 10 ticket price).
Reichenbach was asked to abstain.

Member Observer

[EC: So given the choice of a $1500 table for 10, or a
Corp Table for $3,400, our board naturally decided to
take the more expensive route, pissing away $2,000
more than they need to of all our dues money for
the elites.

This after funding a downtown concert with ALL our
dues to get a tax break that will benefit ONLY the elites.

It’s simply insult to injury, with the members being
played for fools and fleeced again and again. How much
will the members (YOU) take before you actually grow
a pair and speak up and stop allowing the Local to treat
with such disrespect???

This is no different than trump’s officials continuing to
use private jets, using our taxes for their whims. If
that pisses you off, this should really send you over
the edge.

BTB, Andy Malloy is a former RMA Board member,
and the Former president of the Professional
Musicians Guild, the illegal group created by
RMA members to steal the video game work
from the AFM because Tom Lee was President.

Members, for goodness sake speak up! This crowd
is stealing your dues, handing to the RMA and
you’re saying nothing!!

KEEP READING]

================================

II. RMA NIGHT ORIGINS

Do you know where RMA night came from?

Back when Bernie Fleischer was president of the Local
starting in 1985, the RMA was trying to solidify their
monopoly of recording. Bernie, however, didn’t kiss
the RMA ring and kept working for the benefit of all
members. They couldn’t have that, could they…

During the next Local 47 Election i1990, Fleischer
and his wife were defamed by a newsletter from
campaign consultant Behar of Pacific Media Group.
The Consultant was hired by those highest up in the
RMA at the time.

In that newsletter, Finale, Fleischer was accused
of, among others things,stealing money, falsifying
records, drug use in office,

Bernie sued 6 people for defamation of character
and libeling he and his wife.

Fleischer also sued  the AFM’s then-president Max
Herman and 22 other officers in 1991 for allegedly
libeling him and his wife during local 47’s 1990
election campaign
(Daily Variety, June 17, 1991).

Fleischer reached a settlement of $100,000 with
Herman, Recording Musicians Assn. former
president DENNIS DREITH, RMA board members
JOANN KANE and NEIL STUBENHAUS, former
campaign consultant Shed Behar, and former union health
fund manager Maria Cruz.

Did these people pay the decision themselves? OF COURSE
NOT! The RMA created the RMA night to pay off the decision
against their most important leaders at the time. Used the rank
and file RMA members money to bail them out. What? Sandy,
Stubenhaus or Dreith’s July checks couldn’t take the hit?

And RMA night continues to this day.

So if you’re going to the RMA night tomorrow, reflect on the
kind of conduct on the part of the RMA’s former (and some
present) leaders that led to it’s creation.

Doubt our word on this? Want to say WE LIE????
Read the Variety Article yourself:
http://tinyurl.com/y8eb7s65

THE COMMITTEE

==========================

III. DID YOU GO TO THE DOWNTOWN BENEFIT CONCERT
FEATURING RICKY MINOR?

The concert was to generate support for the tax credit legislation.
Who would benefit from the Tax Credit? Only the haves trying
to get some work back.

Who paid for it? Local 47. So once again the RMA elites use
the dues of ALL members (i.e. you and me) to help ONLY
the elites.

Think the RMA isn’t still running the Local? Think again.

=======================

IV. MEMBER COMMENTS

RE: RMA NIGHT

First the push a statement by Drieth

Now they have Local 47 pushing there RMA Night agenda.

Get additional 47 musicians who will never get a chance to earn
a living in recording to have them show support for a bill they
will never have an opportunity to effect their professional future..

RMALA will do anything to have it appear there are more then
80 people who even earn enough to show this will in affect
benefit hundreds of musicians lives in Los Angeles. When in
reality those select at the party are the only ones who could
afford to go.

===========================

V. TOMORROW! SCOTT HEALY ASMAC MASTERCLASS

If you are a composer or arranger, you definitely should be there!
This Master Class is by Scott Healy, pianist/composer. (www.bluedogmusic.com)
This stuff is VERY deep, very inspirational. The music and effects
he gets when orchestrating for his 14-piece jazz ensemble is completely
“wonderous.”

How does he do that? Come and find out!

Saturday, September 23, 2017 – 11am-2pm
“Writing Outside the Box Techniques for Expanding Jazz Composition”
@ The Evergreen Stage
4403 West Magnolia Blvd. 
Burbank CA 91505
$25 Members & Students / $40 Non-Members
The Sept. 23rd Master Class will explore some of the ways a composer
can extend the harmonic, rhythmic, orchestrational and emotional
language of large ensemble jazz writing. Topics will include linear
harmony, plastic meter, “off the grid” writing, controlled and notated
improvisation, spatial and box notation, layered counterpoint, and
techniques borrowed from 20th century classical composition. Musical
examples will include excerpts and full works from studio and live
recordings, with accompanying scores and analysis.

Los Angeles-based Scott Healy is a multitasking, Grammy-nominated
composer, recording artist, producer, bandleader, pianist and
multi-keyboardist. He is best-known for playing in the house band
for Conan O’Brien: first on Late Night in NYC, then moving out
to LA in 2009 for The Tonight Show, and now Conan on TBS,
where he holds down the keyboard chair in the Basic Cable
Band. His 2013 release, Hudson City Suite, by the 10-piece
Scott Healy Ensemble garnered worldwide praise, stellar online
and print reviews, national jazz radio airplay, and a 2014
Grammy nomination for Best Instrumental Composition.
www.scotthealy.com

===========================

VI. EVENTS
DEAN AND RICHARD
are now at Culver City Elks the first 
Friday of 
every month.
7:30pm-10:30pm,
11160 Washington Pl.
Culver City, 90232
310-839-8891
————————————-
LA WINDS JAZZ KATS 584
NO COVER, NO MINIMUM.
Every 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month at
Viva Cantina
7:30-10:00.
900 Riverside Drive, 
Burbank.

Free parking across the street at Pickwick Bowl.
Come hear your favorite charts played the way
they 
should 
be. 

We are in the back room called
the Trailside Room. 


Come on down.

Guaranteed to swing.

http://www.responsible47.com

——————————————————-

9/24/17

LOS ANGELES SYMPHONIC WINDS
will be featured on the LACMA radio
broadcast, live at 6 pm!

For more information see the LA Winds
website at www.lawinds.org

——————————————————-

9/24/17

THE PHIL NORMAN TENTET
at the Soka Jazz Festival
Soka Performing Art Center
1 University Drive
Aliso Viejo, CA. 92656

Sunday September 24th @ 3:00pm

www.soka.edu/pac/tickets/
17-18jazzfestival.aspx

PLAYING THE MUSIC OF JAZZ GREATS
Reminiscent of the West Coast jazz sounds
of the 50’s & 60’s

Stan Kenton, George Shearing, Miles Davis
Gerry Mulligan, Dave Brubeck,
Benny Golson, Dizzy
and other jazz giants

Performed by some of Los Angeles
finest musicians
(see below)

MUSICIANS
Christian Jacob – piano
Kevin Axt – bass
Dick Weller – drums
Brad Dutz – percussion/vibes
Larry Koonse- guitar
Carl Saunders- trumpet/flugel
Ron Stout – trumpet/flugel
Scott Whitfield – trombone
Rusty Higgins – alto & soprano sax/flute
Roger Neumann- baritone sax/bass clarinet
Phil Norman – tenor sax/clarinet

ARRANGERS

Bob Florence
Bill Holman
Christian Jacob
Roger Neumann
Kim Richmond
Jackson Stock
Francisco Torres
Scott Whitfield

———————————————-

10/1/17

Los Angeles Symphonic Winds
Oktoberfest Concert/Beer Tasting!
Sunday October 1, 2017 at 2:30 pm
Calabasas High School Performing Arts Education Center
22855 Mulholland Hwy, Calabasas, CA 91302
An exhilarating afternoon of works by Strauss,
Lehar and Orff plus a post concert Beer
Tasting Event.
Repertoire for Oktoberfest concert:
Bach/Schaeffer Passacaglia in c minor
Orff Carmina Burana excerpts
Strauss Der Rosenkavalier Suite
Henze Don Quixote
Mendelssohn Overture for Winds
Howard The Little German Band
————————————

10/4/17

FREE GLENDALE NOON CONCERTS

Violinist JACQUELINE SUZUKI
Pianist CHARLES FIERRO

will perform the Lekeu Violin Sonata &
the Debussy- Heifetz “Beau Soir”.
Thank you!

Artist Bios:
JACQUELINE SUZUKI, violin, is a longtime
member of the Long Beach and Santa Barbara
Symphonies. A native of San Francisco, she
began her earliest chamber music studies on
scholarship at the San Francisco Conservatory.
She has performance degrees from the
Mannes College of Music (BM), where she studied
with William Kroll, and the California Institute
of the Arts (MFA).

As a Los Angeles freelancer, she has performed
with many ensembles and in many genres, from r
ock, jazz, Latin and Arabic, to playing in the pit
for the Bolshoi Ballet and onstage with the Three
Tenors. She has recorded with diverse artists:
Snoop Dogg, Neil Sedaka, Leonard Cohen, Whitney
Houston, Bocelli, Lalo Schifrin, McCoy Tyner,
Placido Domingo and many others, and appears
on recordings by the Long Beach, Santa Barbara
and Pacific Symphonies. She has spent summers
at the Peter Britt, Oregon Coast, Carmel Bach
and Cabrillo Festivals and has performed in a
string quartet “in residence” on a raft trip
down the Green River in Utah. Tours have
taken her many times to Japan, Taiwan,
Mexico, Canada, Europe, the Middle East
and throughout the US. She initiated and
curates the Free Admission Glendale Noon
Concerts http://glendalenoonconcerts.blogspot.com
and also the
Edendale Up Close Concerts: http://edendaleupclose.blogspot.com

One of Southern California’s leading pianists,
Charles Fierro has made concert tours for the
National Endowment for the Arts and the California
Arts Council and has given more than 25 concerto
performances with orchestras.  He has appeared
twice at the National Gallery of Art and the
Dumbarton Oaks Foundation in Washington,
D.C.  In 1976 he played the American
Bicentennial Recital at the Palace of Fontainebleau
in France on the personal invitation of the
legendary musician, Nadia Boulanger.  He
has interpreted the music of Beethoven,
Schumann, Schoenberg and Liszt at the Ojai
Festivals and performed more than a dozen
times at the prestigious Monday Evening
Concerts in Los Angeles, presenting the
American premieres of important new works.

UNTIL NEXT TIME,

THE COMMITTEE FOR A MORE RESPONSIBLE LOCAL 47

FRANK CAPP / GRANT MEMORIAL / MEMBER COMMENTS / EVENTS

Friday, September 15th, 2017

9/15/17

I. FRANK CAPP PASSES
II. MEMORIAL FOR MAURICE GRANT
III, MEMBER COMMENTS
IV. EVENTS

…Absolutely guaranteed anonymity – Former Musician’s Union officer

…The one voice of reason in a sea of insanity – Nashville ‘first call’
scoring musician
…Allows us to speak our minds without fear of reprisal – L.A. Symphonic musician

…Reporting issues the Musicians Union doesn’t dare to mention – National touring musician

==============================================

I. FRANK CAPP PASSES

Frank Capp, a flexible and consistently swinging drummer
who loved nothing more than driving a big band, has passed.

As leader of the Juggernaut (a group he co-led with Nat Pierce
starting in 1975, until the pianist’s death in 1992), he got to
push and inspire some of Los Angeles’ best.
Capp found his initial fame playing with Stan Kenton’s
Orchestra (1951). Two years later, he settled in Los
Angeles; became a busy studio musician; and played
with everyone from Ella Fitzgerald, Harry James, and
Charlie Barnet to Stan Getz, Art Pepper, and Dave Pell.

We will inform you if we hear of a service.

==========================

II. MEMORIAL FOR MAURICE GRANT

Recently we lost a dear colleague, cellist Maurice
Grant. The large turnout at his funeral was a
testament to his popularity and talent.

Maurice’s memorial will be on Monday evening,
September 25th at 6:30 at the
Congregational Church of the Chimes,
14115 W. Magnolia Blvd. in Sherman Oaks.

Participation, musical or otherwise, is welcome.
Please contact Elizabeth (Lissy) Wilson or
Armen Ksadjikian.

===========================

III. MEMBER COMMENTS

just like in 2008, i can still get a better sound than
Oboist ***** ******** by putting my hand over
the end of my Electrolux hose. and no longer being
a member of the RMA or local 47, i can say
this with impunity. what fun !

[EC: When posting a comment to the site, we recommend
keeping your commuent anonymous, otherwise you
can count on attacks by other members, RMA or Local 47
fans.

If we catch time it in we’ll make the comment anonymous
for you, otherwise you open yourself up to blather
like that below.]

———————————

But you still belong to 802 even though you live in
WA. And while we’re at it – a so-called cello/bass/
musical saw player (that’s how you’re listed)
commenting on an oboe player’s sound?? How
about Yo-Yo Ma can still get a better sound
than you by playing on his ocarina. Sorry you
had to leave the business and move to the WA
wilderness

[EC: Sounds like a typical self-important studio
musician comment, doesn’t it?]

===========================

IV. EVENTS
DEAN AND RICHARD
are now at Culver City Elks the first 
Friday of 
every month.
7:30pm-10:30pm,
11160 Washington Pl.
Culver City, 90232
310-839-8891
————————————-
LA WINDS JAZZ KATS 584
NO COVER, NO MINIMUM.
Every 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month at
Viva Cantina
7:30-10:00.
900 Riverside Drive, 
Burbank.

Free parking across the street at Pickwick Bowl.
Come hear your favorite charts played the way
they 
should 
be. 

We are in the back room called
the Trailside Room. 


Come on down.

Guaranteed to swing.

http://www.responsible47.com

——————————————————-

9/15/17

Small and Tall! September 15th
Friday, September 15th, 2017 / 8:00 pm
Pete Christlieb & Linda Small
with the Ray Ohls Trio

Ray Ohls on piano
Derick Polke on bass
Tim Malland on drums

Brother Don’s
4200 Kitsap Way
Bremerton, WA 98312
Reservations: (360) 377.8442
Directions.

——————————————————-

9/17/17

Concerts at the La Canada Presbyterian Ovations Series

SEPTEMBER 17, 2017 Messiaen in La Canada Press Release

On Sunday, September  17, 2017 at 2:00-3:00pm,
the La Canada Presbyterian Church Ovations Series will present the

CRESCENTA ENSEMBLE

in a performance of Olivier Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time, with pianist Susan Svrcek (Resident of La Crescenta), clarinetist James Sullivan, violinist Jacqueline Suzuki and cellist Lynn Angebranndt, at the Sanctuary at LCPC,  626 Foothill Blvd, La Canada, CA 91011.

There is a suggested donation of  $15.

Thank you!
Jacqueline Suzuki
818 249 5108

——————————————————-

9/20/17

Free Admission
GLENDALE NOON CONCERTS/

Wed SEPTEMBER 20, 2017 at 12:10-12:40 pm

Baroque Violinist ADRIANA ZOPPO &
Harpsichordist JEFFREY LAVNER

play Bach, Corelli & Scarlatti.

Thank you!
Jacqueline Suzuki
Curator, Glendale Noon Concerts
818-249-5108

——————————————————-

9/24/17

LOS ANGELES SYMPHONIC WINDS
will be featured on the LACMA radio
broadcast, live at 6 pm!

For more information see the LA Winds
website at www.lawinds.org

——————————————————-

9/24/17

Coming in September
to the Soka Jazz Festival
THE PHIL NORMAN TENTET
Soka Performing Art Center
1 University Drive
Aliso Viejo, CA. 92656

Sunday September 24th @ 3:00pm

www.soka.edu/pac/tickets/
17-18jazzfestival.aspx

PLAYING THE MUSIC OF JAZZ GREATS
Reminiscent of the West Coast jazz sounds
of the 50’s & 60’s

Stan Kenton, George Shearing, Miles Davis
Gerry Mulligan, Dave Brubeck,
Benny Golson, Dizzy
and other jazz giants

Performed by some of Los Angeles
finest musicians
(see below)

MUSICIANS
Christian Jacob – piano
Kevin Axt – bass
Dick Weller – drums
Brad Dutz – percussion/vibes
Larry Koonse- guitar
Carl Saunders- trumpet/flugel
Ron Stout – trumpet/flugel
Scott Whitfield – trombone
Rusty Higgins – alto & soprano sax/flute
Roger Neumann- baritone sax/bass clarinet
Phil Norman – tenor sax/clarinet

ARRANGERS

Bob Florence
Bill Holman
Christian Jacob
Roger Neumann
Kim Richmond
Jackson Stock
Francisco Torres
Scott Whitfield

———————————————-

10/1/17

Los Angeles Symphonic Winds
Oktoberfest Concert/Beer Tasting!

Sunday October 1, 2017 at 2:30 pm

Calabasas High School Performing Arts Education Center

22855 Mulholland Hwy, Calabasas, CA  91302
An exhilarating afternoon of works by Strauss,
Lehar and Orff plus a post concert Beer
Tasting Event.
Repertoire for Oktoberfest concert:

Bach/Schaeffer Passacaglia in c minor

Orff Carmina Burana excerpts

Strauss Der Rosenkavalier Suite

Henze Don Quixote

Mendelssohn Overture for Winds

Howard The Little German Band

————————————

UNTIL NEXT TIME,

THE COMMITTEE FOR A MORE RESPONSIBLE LOCAL 47

PARAMOUNT / LALO CONCERT / IRVINE PLAYERS / THROWBACK FRIDAY / EVENTS

Friday, September 8th, 2017

9/8/17

I. PARAMOUNT COMMENT
II. LALO SCHIFRIN CONCERT OCTOBER 7TH AT THE ALEX
III. FOR YOUR STUDENTS
IV. THROWBACK FRIDAY TO 2008 WITH A MEMBER COMMENT
V. EVENTS

…Absolutely guaranteed anonymity – Former Musician’s Union officer

…The one voice of reason in a sea of insanity – Nashville ‘first call’
scoring musician
…Allows us to speak our minds without fear of reprisal – L.A. Symphonic musician

…Reporting issues the Musicians Union doesn’t dare to mention – National touring musician

==============================================

I. PARAMOUNT COMMENT

Guys,

I am trying to book a large stage on OCT 1st – FOX booked,
Warners booked – waiting to hear on SONY

the reason why I am sending this is because I wanted you
to see that PARAMOUNT is really going to close down for
good – even though it has been not REALLY open anyway
– I am forwarding this to the AFM guys  – sick of this s***
man

=========================

II. LALO SCHIFRIN CONCERT OCTOBER 7TH AT THE ALEX

Here’s some info on an upcoming concert you might like.

COMPOSER CELEBRATION FOR LALO SCHIFRIN

ALEX THEATER, OCTOBER 7th, 2017

Hosted by Robert Townson
Conducted by Chris Walden

Tickets at: 818 243-ALAX(2539)
www.alextheatre.org.

VIP Reception, Silent Auction proceeds benefit the
professional musicians in crisis and music education
is Los Angeles.

=========================

 
III. FOR YOUR STUDENTS

Irvine Classical Players – Seraphim Symphony

Dear Students, Parents and Teachers

The Irvine Classical Players – Seraphim Symphony
is encouraging young talented musicians to
Auditioning for our 2017-2018 Season and the
2018 Italy Concert Tour.

We are pleased to offer a $100 Early Bird to
all students applying by Saturday, September 11, 2017.

Irvine Classical Players – Seraphim Symphony
Audition Information
In order to audition we kindly ask students to complete
the attached Audition Form, include the $35 audition
fee and mail to:

Irvine Classical Players
P O Box 4950
Irvine, Ca 92616
Applications are accepted for the following instruments:
Violin, Viola, Cello, Double Bass, Wood Winds and
Brass Instruments.

Audition:
For the audition we ask you to prepare a scale  and
a solo of your choice.

The Audition is held at:
Crean Lutheran High School
12500 Sand Canyon
Multipurpose Room 2nd Level
Irvine,

To learn more about our program please visit us at:
www.irvineclassicalplayers.com
Please foow us on Instagram and like us on Facebook.
Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions;
please email us at: info@irvineclassicalplayers
or call us at: 949.705.7539

Kindest Regards,

Irvine Classical Players

UPCOMING EVENTS
2018 ITALY CONCERT TOUR Cremona – Milan –
Venice –

================================

IV. THROWBACK FRIDAY TO 2008 WITH A MEMBER
COMMENT

This was sent to us by a member…

The audacity. Tom Lee blacklisting RMA members? What
about the blacklisting of Local 47  members? When you
send the link to AFL-CIO President John Sweeny, make
sure you tell him the whole truth and nothing but the truth,
like the link to resp Comm 47.

What? You think musicians should be held to a
higher standard? Great! Get rid of ***** ******** who
can’t even play the triangle.

Hey, the RMALA is talking about intimidation by the
AFM and Tom Lee! Any one here at 47 have any
stories like that?

Sorry for being so blunt. This afmwakeupcall blog
site is a joke. It’s scary too. They want to get rid of
us second class musicians, but make it okay for
tone-deaf lawyers to be an honorary member.

“The present lawsuits directed at the AFM are just
the tip of the iceberg – only a first strike.”

Aw, heck…here’s the whole thing…

http://tinyurl.com/yc6dnkpc

=========================

V. EVENTS
DEAN AND RICHARD
are now at Culver City Elks the first 
Friday of 
every month.
7:30pm-10:30pm,
11160 Washington Pl.
Culver City, 90232
310-839-8891
————————————-
LA WINDS JAZZ KATS 584
NO COVER, NO MINIMUM.
Every 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month at
Viva Cantina
7:30-10:00.
900 Riverside Drive, 
Burbank.

Free parking across the street at Pickwick Bowl.
Come hear your favorite charts played the way
they 
should 
be. 

We are in the back room called
the Trailside Room. 


Come on down.

Guaranteed to swing.

http://www.responsible47.com

—————————–

9/6/17

Free Admission GLENDALE NOON CONCERTS

Wed SEPTEMBER 6, 2017 at 12:10-12:40 pm

ARIOSO DUO: Flutist Cynthia Ellis & Harpist Michelle Temple
play Elgar, Nielsen, Mouquet and Damase.
Thank you!

Jacqueline Suzuki
Curator, Glendale Noon Concerts
818-249-5108

—————————–

9/9/17

Kim Richmond, with the Mark Z. Stevens Trio, featuring Bill Cunliffe

Dear fellow L.A. Musicians,

I am definitely back…the summer saw me out of town quite a bit.
But I’m back in town, and back at the Desert Rose, one of my
favorite places to play jazz.

Please join me this Saturday, September 9. Bill Cunliffe,
one of my very favorite pianist, is heard mastering the
keyboard. Details below.

WHAT: Kim Richmond, with the Mark Z. Stevens Trio, featuring Bill Cunliffe

WHEN: Saturday, September 9, 7 – 11 (3 sets: 7, 8:30, 10PM)

WHERE: Desert Rose Restaurant, 1700 N. Hillhurst Avenue,
LOS FELIZ VILLAGE, Los Angeles, CA 90027

RESERVATIONS: not absolutely necessary but highly recommended
—to get seated in the inside part of the establishment where the
band is. (323) 666-1166

WHO: Kim Richmond, alto & soprano saxophones; Bill Cunliffe,
piano; Mark Z. Stevens, drums; Harvey Newmark, bass.
Possibly some guests sitting in.

FOOD: Excellent cuisine

PARKING: Valet parking available.

Hope to see you there.
All the best,x
KIM R
My website address is:
www.kimrichmond.com

—————————–

9/10/17

KELLAWAY/LANG at the Jazz Bakery

On Sun Sep 10 @ 7 PM, Roger Kellaway and I will be
performing a duo piano Jazz Bakery event at Zipper
Concert Hall, Colburn School of Music (details in the
links below…).

Roger and I have been dear friends and musical
compatriots for decades… and linked together on
so many of his projects. I’m very excited about
this unique evening Roger has designed…

It will be 2 pianos, bass and drums (with the
amazing talents of  Darek Oles and Peter Erskine!)

A jazz concert… with the centerpiece being a 30’
3-movement composition, “Many Moods of McCartney”
… with 10 songs of Paul’s, arranged and adapted by
Roger… (the occasion being the 50th Anniversary of
The Beatles… 😀 )

From my perspective, it’s a really unique, challenging
endeavor, and there will be individual moments for
us and other cool stuff…

Here are some links… and the Jazz Bakery website
offers an email “mailing list” to inform of all its events…

http://jazzbakery.org/events/roger-kellaway-mike-lang-many-moods-mccartney

http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/jb/3062816

https://www.facebook.com/events/1876128792714573/

http://www.glendalenoonconcerts.blogspot.com

——————————————————-

9/15/17

Small and Tall! September 15th
Friday, September 15th, 2017 / 8:00 pm
Pete Christlieb & Linda Small
with the Ray Ohls Trio

Ray Ohls on piano
Derick Polke on bass
Tim Malland on drums

Brother Don’s
4200 Kitsap Way
Bremerton, WA 98312
Reservations: (360) 377.8442
Directions.

——————————————————-

9/20/17

Free Admission
GLENDALE NOON CONCERTS/

Wed SEPTEMBER 20, 2017 at 12:10-12:40 pm

Baroque Violinist ADRIANA ZOPPO &
Harpsichordist JEFFREY LAVNER

play Bach, Corelli & Scarlatti.

Thank you!
Jacqueline Suzuki
Curator, Glendale Noon Concerts
818-249-5108

——————————————————-

9/24/17

LOS ANGELES SYMPHONIC WINDS
will be featured on the LACMA radio
broadcast, live at 6 pm!

For more information see the LA Winds website at
www.lawinds.org

——————————————————-

9/24/17

Coming in September
to the Soka Jazz Festival
THE PHIL NORMAN TENTET
Soka Performing Art Center
1 University Drive
Aliso Viejo, CA. 92656

Sunday September 24th @ 3:00pm

www.soka.edu/pac/tickets/
17-18jazzfestival.aspx

PLAYING THE MUSIC OF JAZZ GREATS
Reminiscent of the West Coast jazz sounds
of the 50’s & 60’s

Stan Kenton, George Shearing, Miles Davis
Gerry Mulligan, Dave Brubeck,
Benny Golson, Dizzy
and other jazz giants

Performed by some of Los Angeles
finest musicians
(see below)

MUSICIANS
Christian Jacob – piano
Kevin Axt – bass
Dick Weller – drums
Brad Dutz – percussion/vibes
Larry Koonse- guitar
Carl Saunders- trumpet/flugel
Ron Stout – trumpet/flugel
Scott Whitfield – trombone
Rusty Higgins – alto & soprano sax/flute
Roger Neumann- baritone sax/bass clarinet
Phil Norman – tenor sax/clarinet

ARRANGERS

Bob Florence
Bill Holman
Christian Jacob
Roger Neumann
Kim Richmond
Jackson Stock
Francisco Torres
Scott Whitfield

UNTIL NEXT TIME,

THE COMMITTEE FOR A MORE RESPONSIBLE LOCAL 47

ASMAC FIRST WEDNESDAY / EVENTS

Sunday, September 3rd, 2017

9/2/17

I. ASMAC FIRST WEDNESDAY’S
II. EVENTS

…Absolutely guaranteed anonymity – Former Musician’s Union officer

…The one voice of reason in a sea of insanity – Nashville ‘first call’
scoring musician
…Allows us to speak our minds without fear of reprisal – L.A. Symphonic musician

…Reporting issues the Musicians Union doesn’t dare to mention – National touring musician

==============================================

I. ASMAC FIRST WEDNESDAY’S PANEL
September 6, 2017

MANAGING YOUR OWN MUSIC PUBLISHING
Practical Help for Composers and Arrangers

The Evergreen Stage
4403 West Magnolia Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91505

Featuring
Jillian Ferguson
Abby North
Jeannie Pool
Greg Nestor
David Black

This panel will discuss issues facing composers and

arrangers related to publishing and how to make

their music available to a wider audience. Changes

in music publishing, recording, and distribution

over the last two decades have some composers

stymied, but some of the basic principles and

business models still hold true. We will offer

practical advice and solutions to address some of

the problems we currently face (including some

“work a-rounds”), and will cover topics such as

self-publishing, promotion, marketing, distribution,

and music licensing. We have plenty of ideas to share

regarding how creative musicians can monetize their

years of hard work in order to improve their income

stream, and promise to keep the complaints and

doomsday scenarios to a minimum.

===========================================

II. EVENTS
DEAN AND RICHARD
are now at Culver City Elks the first 
Friday of 
every month.
7:30pm-10:30pm,
11160 Washington Pl.
Culver City, 90232
310-839-8891
————————————-
LA WINDS JAZZ KATS 584
NO COVER, NO MINIMUM.
Every 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month at
Viva Cantina
7:30-10:00.
900 Riverside Drive, 
Burbank.

Free parking across the street at Pickwick Bowl.
Come hear your favorite charts played the way
they 
should 
be. 

We are in the back room called
the Trailside Room. 


Come on down.

Guaranteed to swing.

http://www.responsible47.com

—————————–

Free Admission GLENDALE NOON CONCERTS

Wed SEPTEMBER 6, 2017 at 12:10-12:40 pm

ARIOSO DUO: Flutist Cynthia Ellis & Harpist Michelle Temple
play Elgar, Nielsen, Mouquet and Damase.
Thank you!

Jacqueline Suzuki
Curator, Glendale Noon Concerts
818-249-5108

—————————–

9/10/17

ROGER KELLAWAY/MIKE LANGE at the Jazz Bakery!
On Sun Sep 10 @ 7 PM, Roger Kellaway and I will be performing a duo piano Jazz Bakery event at Zipper Concert Hall, Colburn School of Music (details in the links below…).

Roger and I have been dear friends and musical compatriots for decades… and linked together on so many of his projects. I’m very excited about this unique evening Roger has designed…

It will be 2 pianos, bass and drums (with the amazing talents of  Darek Oles and Peter Erskine!)

A jazz concert… with the centerpiece being a 30’ 3-movement composition, “Many Moods of McCartney” … with 10 songs of Paul’s, arranged and adapted by Roger… (the occasion being the 50th Anniversary of The Beatles… 😀 )

From my perspective, it’s a really unique, challenging endeavor, and there will be individual moments for us and other cool stuff…

Here are some links… and the Jazz Bakery website offers an email “mailing list” to inform of all its events…

http://jazzbakery.org/events/roger-kellaway-mike-lang-many-moods-mccartney

http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/jb/3062816

https://www.facebook.com/events/1876128792714573/

http://www.glendalenoonconcerts.blogspot.com

——————————————————-

9/24/17

LOS ANGELES SYMPHONIC WINDS
will be featured on the LACMA radio
broadcast, live at 6 pm!

For more information see the LA Winds website at
www.lawinds.org

——————————————————-

9/24/17

Coming in September
to the Soka Jazz Festival
THE PHIL NORMAN TENTET
Soka Performing Art Center
1 University Drive
Aliso Viejo, CA. 92656

Sunday September 24th @ 3:00pm

www.soka.edu/pac/tickets/
17-18jazzfestival.aspx

PLAYING THE MUSIC OF JAZZ GREATS
Reminiscent of the West Coast jazz sounds of the 50’s & 60’s

Stan Kenton, George Shearing, Miles Davis
Gerry Mulligan, Dave Brubeck,
Benny Golson, Dizzy
and other jazz giants

Performed by some of Los Angeles
finest musicians
(see below)

MUSICIANS
Christian Jacob – piano
Kevin Axt – bass
Dick Weller – drums
Brad Dutz – percussion/vibes
Larry Koonse- guitar
Carl Saunders- trumpet/flugel
Ron Stout – trumpet/flugel
Scott Whitfield – trombone
Rusty Higgins – alto & soprano sax/flute
Roger Neumann- baritone sax/bass clarinet
Phil Norman – tenor sax/clarinet

ARRANGERS

Bob Florence
Bill Holman
Christian Jacob
Roger Neumann
Kim Richmond
Jackson Stock
Francisco Torres
Scott Whitfield

UNTIL NEXT TIME,

THE COMMITTEE FOR A MORE RESPONSIBLE LOCAL 47

TWO COLLEAGUES LOST / PENSION / EVENTS

Friday, August 25th, 2017

8/25/17

I. TWO COLLEAGUES LOST
II. PENSION COMMENTS
III. EVENTS

…Absolutely guaranteed anonymity – Former Musician’s Union officer

…The one voice of reason in a sea of insanity – Nashville ‘first call’
scoring musician
…Allows us to speak our minds without fear of reprisal – L.A. Symphonic musician

…Reporting issues the Musicians Union doesn’t dare to mention – National touring musician

===========================================

I. TWO COLLEAGUES LOST: A TOUGH WEEK

Colleagues,

This week saw the loss of two dear friends and colleagues:

1) Dell Hake, Composer/Arranger

Dell spent his college years at Drake in his home state of Iowa .
After receiving two degrees in music,  he joined the NORAD
military band where he met young musicians from LA
who became his life long friends .

Working in the music industry in LA, Dell’s professional career
spanned 45 years as a composer/orchestrator for live
performances, commercials, television and films.

The list includes, Ice Follies. Ice Capades, Holiday on Ice
Europe and Disney on Ice; Music for theme parks in
Singapore and the Lake District in Italy; Commercials
for Don Piestrup (Piece a Cake) and Brian Banks
(Ear To Ear); A series of films for Mark Isham;
Simpson’s television series for 24 years with his
good friend, Alf Clausen and countless smaller projects.

Dell also enjoyed teaching  the Spud Murphy
“EIS Horizontal Composition” course on Skype
to students here and abroad.  He was a devoted
student of Spud’s and helped him write the
Advanced Course.

He was on the board of ASMAC (American
Society of Music Arrangers and Composers) for 10 years.
Dell was respected by his peers for his work ethic
and for being master of his craft which included a
broad range of musical styles from Brahms to the
Keystone Cops.

He will be remembered for his wit and wisdom,
easy manner and his gentle spirit.

2) Maurice Grants, 1960 – 2017 cellist – Passed away the day
of the eclipse from complications of colon cancer. Please keep
Lynn and his family in your thoughts.

He was a world class cellist who worked on countless jobs of
all types for decades.

Friends and loved ones are welcome at the graveside service for
Maurice, which will be this coming Tuesday, August 29th, at 2
p.m., in the Morning Light section of Forest Lawn, Hollywood Hills.

The location is 6300 Forest Lawn Drive, Los Angeles CA 90068.
A memorial service will be held a a later date to be announced.

===========================================

II. PENSION COMMENTS

“[EC: Our dues pay the salaries of the trustees,

they have no right to refuse answering reasonable

questions of their employers (us).
“Why haven’t these people been fired?]”
??? Trustees don’t receive any compensation as trustees.

What are you smoking?

[EC: Well at least we know they’re getting paid what they’re

worth! Fire them and get someone who knows what they’re

doing!}

——————————————-

those trustees just took an all -expenses- payed trip to Nashville
for a week. some of my friends who play in clubs in N’ville saw
them drinking like fish and eating huge meals, slappin each
other on the back about how they’re gonna fuck us, and then
going back to their expensive hotel rooms.

the only good thing about Ray is his hair. Nice and thick…

——————————————–

So you didn’t actually witness this. But your friends on their
gigs could recognize the trustees by face, were nearby enough
to clearly overhear dinner conversation in a music club,
and were able to track the alcohol consumption.

And you know, I assume, that the union-side trustees
are also all participants in the Plan, and that what
happens to the Fund affects their retirement, too –
in a big way? Every one of the union trustees have
a big stake in the outcome of this mess.

———————————

mostly they recognized the president of their local
and figured out the other guys were at the table with
him because they were in town for the pension meeting.
these musicians also record all the time, have an
enormous stake in the Pension, and are completely
wise to the whole deal that Ray and the Boyz are
pulling.

they work in clubs at night for the music. i guess,
Anonymass, that you never played in a club; otherwise
you’d know that one of the fun things to do there is
watch assholes eat too much, and count the
countless rounds of drinks they consume,
wondering how they’ll ever get home being that
loaded …didn’t you vote for Dump?

———————————————-

You’re right; I’m a show player.
So, exactly what is the “whole deal that Ray and
the Boyz are pulling?” The pension fund is in trouble,
but your comment implies that there’s some sort of
conspiracy. To accomplish what, exactly?
——————————
Who the hell are these arrogant fools who decide
who the “top musicians” are in Local 47? I have
worked here over 40 years now and on any given
recording job I did back in the 80’s and early 90’s
I have never recorded with anyone who is not a
“top musician”.

The facts are that yes, the players in the “nifty fifty”
are great but there are also GREAT players who
aren’t a part of this RMA so called “elite group”.

The most ridiculous thing is that often a composer
will ask for your name to be included in the orchestra
only to have certain contractors say that he/she
was called but “unavailable”.

———————————-

The Canadian stock market did not follow the US
market in 2006. Since the Canadian pension invests
primarily in Canadian companies, their investment
performance correlates more with the Canadian
market than the US market. I pointed this out to
MPS but have not seen a response.
(more…)

MEMBER COMMENTARY / PENSION / BMI FILING / EVENTS

Thursday, August 17th, 2017

8/17/17

I. MEMBER COMMENTARY
II. AFM VS CANADIAN AFM PENSIONS
III. BMI FILING
IV. EVENTS

…Absolutely guaranteed anonymity – Former Musician’s Union officer

…The one voice of reason in a sea of insanity – Nashville ‘first call’
scoring musician
…Allows us to speak our minds without fear of reprisal – L.A. Symphonic musician

…Reporting issues the Musicians Union doesn’t dare to mention – National touring musician

===========================================

I. MEMBER COMMENTARY

Have you seen this?

The good old boys get together to promote what local 47
TOOK OVER AFTER an RMA Leader’s FAILED ATTEMPTS
YEARS AGO.

Now a certain leader of the RMA entering the picture again.
He is such a hypocrite in his comments as follows:

“If we can get the state to invest in those projects, we can be
competitive, and give composers access to the top musicians,”

RESPONSE: “TOP MUSICIANS”? What is a top musician?
News Flash: Not all excellent world class Los Angeles musicians
are RMA members. (the established RMALA line of doing business)

RMA provided Variety with a list of 2015 releases scored outside
the U.S., five of which were among the year’s 25 top-grossing films.
(“Avengers: Age of Ultron,” “The Martian,” “Mission: Impossible –
Rogue Nation,” “Mad Max: Fury Road” and “Kingsman:
The Secret Service”) that, had they been scored here, would
have generated wages and residuals totaling nearly $18 million
for the insiders.

RESPONSE: HAD THEY BEEN SCORED IN L.A. THE RMA LEADER
WOULD MAKE SURE THE $18 MILLION WOULD ONLY GO TO
THE SO-CALLED “TOP” MUSICIANS.

In any given year, according to Los Angeles RMA chapter
president Steve Dress, L.A. musicians earn an estimated
$10 million to $12 million in wages for movies, and passage
of this bill could bring in another $5 million annually.
“It would transform our community,” he says.

RESPONSE: FOR WHO? AND JUST HOW MANY DIFFERENT
INDIVIDUAL MUSICIANS WOULD BE HIRED??

It’s also in the indie arena where minority composers and
women composers are working more steadily, Acosta
points out. This could benefit them and promote diversity
in film music.

RESPONSE: Why doesn’t the RMA leader just say TOP
COMPOSERS. Yet he mentions minority composers and
woman composers making it a level field for composers
but not all musicians have the opportunity to be hired.

How about promoting DIVERSITY IN HIRING
PROFESSIONAL RECORDING MUSICIANS???

THE RAM LEADER, CONTRACTOR AND THE
BUNCH ARE JUST DROOLING TO GET THEIR
MITS ON THAT MONEY.

If the State of California passes this bill it
should include that not all the monies the State
of California receives can benefit only a
‘set group’ of musicians over and over again
controlled by the RMALA.

Disregard how many musicians wages received when
only ones hired are the protected RMALA gang each
time. Otherwise only a relative few musicians
would prosper. Game over, were back where we
started 30 years ago.

Musicians’ Union Backs Legislation to Return Scoring Jobs to L.A.

================================================

II. AFM VS CANADIAN AFM PENSIONS

Comparing the AFM’s Two Pension Funds:
Our AFM-EPF vs. Musicians’ Pension Fund of Canada

While researching the dramatic deterioration of our pension
fund, Musicians for Pension Security (MPS) continues to be
deeply troubled by how, compared to other pension funds
in our industry, ours is performing so poorly. Our trustees
cite declining demographics, unsatisfactory industry
dynamics and changing mortality tables. But a peer AFM
musicians’ pension fund, Musicians’ Pension Fund of
Canada (MPF Canada), is quite healthy, despite the fact
that it is subject to the exact same factors cited by
AFM-EPF trustees.

Just like our pension fund, MPF Canada contributions are
negotiated with employers by the AFM and written into
collective-bargaining agreements. So why are they over
100% funded (MPFC’s 2016 report), and we continue to
slide into deeper despair each year? Currently the AFM-
EPF is 69% funded.  (Annual Funding Notice) Is it possible
that the Canadian trustees are simply more competent
than our U.S. counterparts? The numbers speak for
themselves: MPF Canada’s investment performance is
far better than ours with 11.3% average returns over 5
years, vs. 6.9% for the AFM-EPF. In addition, MPF
Canada’s expenses are less than half of the AFM-EPF’s
with .62% of assets under management vs. 1.37%
for AFM-EPF. The Canadians are paying half as
much to generate twice the return of investment.
Looking back to a pivotal year for all funds, during the
financial crisis of 2008, the Canadians performed far
better than the AFM-EPF. Our plan lost 29.3% in the
single fiscal year ending March 31, 2009, while the
Canadian plan lost only 1.77% during the same period.

This raises the question – are there variables to explain
why MPF Canada has continually outperformed the
AFM-EPF, like benefit levels, mortality rates, retirement
age, demographics, or industry dynamics? In short, the
answer is no. The benefit multiplier* for MPF Canada
has been $3.25 since January ’11, while the benefit
multiplier of the AFM-EPF has been $1.00 since
January ’10. Additionally, demographics for the
Canadian plan face worse conditions: only 32% of
plan participants are active union members in
Canada, vs. 42% of AFM-EPF members in the
USA. Furthermore, employer contributions are
far less in the Canadian fund, and mortality rates
in Canada are less favorable financially to
beneficiaries because Canadians simply live longer than Americans.
It appears that the trustees’ judgment and experience
are significant determining factors between the two
funds. It’s clear that when compared to MPF Canada,
the AFM-EPF’s performance over the last decade has f
ailed. In fact, the Executive Director of MPF Canada
released a public statement distancing themselves
from the AFM-EPF’s performance (referring to
President Hair’s article in the May ’17 edition
International Musician), stating “this article is
not relevant to the Musicians’ Pension Fund of
Canada” (read Ms. Versteeg-Lytwyn’s full letter
here). The AFM really has two parallel pension
funds – one in the US, and the other in Canada.
They are operated similarly, face the same
declining demographics and other variables, but
still they produce completely different results.

Why? This is the question the AFM-EPF trustees
need to answer.

*In a defined pension plan the method for arriving
at guaranteed monthly benefits includes years of
service, average salary and a benefit multiplier.
The multiplier is applied to years of service and
the average salary to determine the size of the
benefit amount.

===========================================

III. BMI FILING

Dear BMI Member,

As you know, BMI has been engaged in ongoing
litigation with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)
over its interpretation of our consent decree. The
DOJ wanted to implement a 100% licensing model,
which BMI fought against in court last summer and
won. In a victory for the entire music industry, federal
Judge Louis Stanton ruled that BMI is free to continue
its longstanding practice of fractional licensing. The
DOJ appealed that decision, and as part of the ongoing
briefing process, today BMI filed its response.

You can read our brief here.

You’ll see that our brief focuses very specifically on the
language of BMI’s consent decree and whether or not
it allows for the practice of fractional licensing.  This is
because the language of our decree was the basis for
Judge Stanton’s favorable ruling and is our strongest
argument in this appeal.  We believe Judge Stanton
got it right, which is why we continue to vigorously
defend his position.

We expect the appeal process to continue into 2018
and we will, of course, keep you updated on next steps.

I realize that many of you may have questions about
100% vs fractional licensing and what this means for
all of you.  Please click here for an updated Q&A that
helps explain the issue and where we are in the process.

I’d also like to share the below statement that was
issued today to the press regarding BMI’s brief:

“BMI’s appeal argument is extremely simple in that it
comes down to the language of our decree.  As Judge
Stanton clearly stated, there is nothing in the BMI
decree that prevents us from engaging in the industry-
wide practice of fractional licensing.  What is not
simple, however, is the impact the DOJ’s interpretation
of our decree would have on the marketplace.  It would
stifle competition, hinder collaboration and unfairly benefit
music users at the expense of the American songwriter.
As always, we hope for the opportunity to sit down with
the new leadership of the DOJ to educate it about the
negative ripple effect its 100% licensing interpretation
would have on the entire music industry.”

Mike O’Neill
President & CEO
BMI

===========================================

IV. EVENTS
DEAN AND RICHARD
are now at Culver City Elks the first 
Friday of 
every month.
7:30pm-10:30pm,
11160 Washington Pl.
Culver City, 90232
310-839-8891
————————————-
LA WINDS JAZZ KATS 584
NO COVER, NO MINIMUM.
Every 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month at
Viva Cantina
7:30-10:00.
900 Riverside Drive, 
Burbank.

Free parking across the street at Pickwick Bowl.
Come hear your favorite charts played the way
they 
should 
be. 

We are in the back room called
the Trailside Room. 


Come on down.

Guaranteed to swing.

http://www.responsible47.com

———————————————

8/19/17

From Charlie Ferguson

This is to let you know that my sextet will be
performing at Bar Fedora in downtown Los Angeles
on Saturday, August 19, as part of Cathy Segal-Garcia’s
Saturday Night Jazz concert series. This venue (which
also hosts occasional concerts on Friday nights) has
recently celebrated their 100th concert since being
established in January 2016, and we are thrilled and
proud to be a part of it. This will be a fun program of
my arrangements of jazz standards and original
compositions. Details below:

Charlie Ferguson Sextet
performing live at
Bar Fedora (at Au Lac Restaurant)
710 W. 1st St. (corner of 1st and Hope,
across the street from Disney Hall)
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Saturday, August 19, 2017
7:30 – 11:00 PM (2 sets)
Tickets: $10-$30

Charlie Ferguson – piano
Gene Burkert – tenor and soprano sax
Ron Stout – trumpet and flugelhorn
Scott Whitfield – trombone
Chris Conner – bass
Bob Leatherbarrow – drums

——————————————–

8/19/17

AN EVENING WITH ALEX NESTER

Event to be held at the following time, date, and location:
Saturday, August 19, 2017 from 7:30 PM to 9:30 PM (PDT)

Sessions at the Loft
2465 Ventura Blvd
Camarillo, CA 91320

———————————————

8/22-29/17

RESERVE YOUR SEATS NOW
AUGUST 22nd, 25th, 27th, 29th
SEPTEMBER 9th, 11th, 12th
Each Evening at 7:30 pm
MALIBU COAST MUSIC
FESTIVAL 2017

Intimate Musical Soirees with
Old World Hospitality and Charm
Presenting Extraordinary Concert Artists
and Distinguished Speakers

Seven Evenings of World Class Music Making
Each Concert Featuring
Unique Programming & Artists

Tickets and reservations are available at
www.malibufriendsofmusic.org

RESERVE ONLINE
www.malibufriendsofmusic.org

PHONE RESERVATIONS:
(310) 589-0295

Featuring Festival Artists from
Across the Nation and the World
Performing Exceptional Works of
Antonin Dvorak, John Corigliano
W.A. Mozart, Antonio Vivaldi
Alberto Ginastera, Alfred Newman
Frederick Chopin, Astor Piazzolla,
Maria Newman, Scott Joplin,
Randy Newman, William Bolcom,
George Gershwin

FESTIVAL PROGRAMS

Tuesday, August 22nd at 7:30 pm
MONTGOMERY ARTS HOUSE FOR
MUSIC AND ARCHOTECTURE
MAHMA Great Room
“CHAMPAGNE GALA OPENING CONCERT”

Friday, August 25th at 7:30 pm
MONTGOMERY ARTS HOUSE FOR
MUSIC AND ARCHITECTURE
MAHMA Great Room
“FRIDAY FOLKLORE & ANCIENT ANTIPHONS”

Sunday, August 27th at 7:30 pm
MONTGOMERY ARTS HOUSE FOR
MUSIC AND ARCHITECTURE
MAHMA Great Room
“MARVELOUS MOZART, TANTALIZING
TANGO, AND A TRAVELING SALESWOMAN”

Tuesday, August 29th at 7:30 pm
MONTGOMERY ARTS HOUSE FOR
MUSIC AND ARCHITECTURE
MAHMA Great Room
“WONDERFUL AND WILDE”

Saturday, September 9th at 7:30 pm
MONTGOMERY ARTS HOUSE FOR
MUSIC AND ARCHITECTURE
MAHMA Great Room
“SONGS FOR SOLDIERS”

Monday, September 11 at 7:30 pm
MONTGOMERY ARTS HOUSE FOR
MUSIC AND ARCHITECTURE
MAHMA Great Room
“IN REMEMBRANCE”

Tuesday, September 12th at 7:30 pm
MONTGOMERY ARTS HOUSE FOR
MUSIC AND ARCHITECTURE
MAHMA Great Room
“FANTASTIC FESTIVAL FINALE”

MCMF 2017 Festival Artists:
Nicholas Goluses, classic guitarist
Miko Kominami, pianist
Eric Kutz, cellist
Paula Hochhaler, cellist
Hal Ott, flutist
Christina Borgioli, soprano
Nandani Maria Sinha, mezzo soprano
Diana Tash, mezzo soprano
Wendy Prober, pianist
Maria Newman, Composer-in-Residence
and violinist
Scott Hosfeld, Music Director/Conductor
and violist
Malibu Coast String Quartet
Members of the
Malibu Coast Silent Film Orchestra

For more information on the
Malibu Friends of Music
please visit: www.malibufriendsofmusic.org

———————————————

Wu Nation,

We will be appearing at Rusty’s Surf Ranch on Saturday,
August 26th 2017, starting at 10:00 pm and will play two
sets of your favorite Steely Dan tunes!  We want this to
be a fun evening for all, so please bring your friends
along and enjoy a great time with us.

The line up for this show will be:

Tony Egan: Lead Vocals
Leigh DeMarche: Vocals
Jodi Fodor: Vocals
Gil Ayan: Guitar
Steve Bias: Bass and Vocals
Roch Bordenave: Trombone
Jeff Dellisanti: Saxophones
Mark Harrison: Keyboards
Frank Villafranca: Saxophones
Kurt Walther: Drums

Rusty’s Surf Ranch
256 Santa Monica Pier
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 393-7437
http://www.rustyssurfranch.com/

We look forward to seeing you there!
The Doctor Wu Band
http://www.doctorwuband.com/
https://www.facebook.com/doctorwuband

—————————————————

8/27/17

SUNDAY’S LIVE with Susan Greenberg
and friends.

Hi. Please join us for a free chamber
music concert at

LACMA Sunday August 27, 2017 6 pm.
Put it in your calendars!  Susan

Sundays Live Concert Sunday August 27, 2017   6 pm  FREE
Los Angeles County Museum of Art  Bing Auditorium

Susan Greenberg, flute
Pasha Tseitlin, violin
Tim Richardson, viola
Judith Farmer, bassoon
Nic Gerpe, piano

Trio Sonata in b Minor for flute,
bassoon and piano…………….Jean-Baptist
Loeillet  (1680-1730)
Largo
Allegro
Adagio
Allegro con Spirto

Serenade in D Major, op. 141a for flute,
violin and viola……..Max Reger (1873-1916)
Vivace
Larghetto
Presto

Ghost Train for flute, bassoon and piano
……………Gernot Wolfgang  (1957-)

Sonata for flute, violin and piano
……Nino Rota (1911-1979)
Allegro Ma Non Troppo
Andante Sostenuto
Allegro

Concerto for 2 violins, flute, bassoon
and piano………………..
Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Allegro
Largo
Presto

—————————–

8/27/1

CENTERSTAGE OPERA
Café della Vita in West Hills hosts our next Musical
Dinner August 27th!
Opera, Broadway, jazz standards and soft rock sung
by CSO Artistic Directors Shira Renee Thomas,
Dylan F.Thomas and friends

Choose from 3 delicious entree choices:
grilled salmon
chicken marsala or
lasagna (meat or vegetarian).
The entire evening, including full-course
meal and entertainment, is just $55
which includes tax and tip (wine available
at additional charge).

Reservations are required & limited, so act now.

call 818-517-4102

Café della Vita
23759 Roscoe Blvd., West Hills

—————————–

9/6/17

Free Admission GLENDALE NOON CONCERTS

Wed SEPTEMBER 6, 2017 at 12:10-12:40 pm

ARIOSO DUO: Flutist Cynthia Ellis & Harpist Michelle Temple
play Elgar, Nielsen, Mouquet and Damase.
Thank you!

Jacqueline Suzuki
Curator, Glendale Noon Concerts
818-249-5108
http://www.glendalenoonconcerts.blogspot.com

UNTIL NEXT TIME,

THE COMMITTEE FOR A MORE RESPONSIBLE LOCAL 47

PENSION MYTHS / ASSESSMENT / MPS FUNDRAISER / EVENTS

Friday, August 11th, 2017

8/11/17

I.  PENSION MYTHS and FACTS
II. NEW PENSION FUND ASSESSMENT
III. MPS FUNDRAISER UPDATE
IV. EVENTS

…Absolutely guaranteed anonymity –

Former Musician’s Union officer

…The one voice of reason in a sea of insanity –

Nashville ‘first call’
scoring musician

…Allows us to speak our minds without fear of reprisal

– L.A. Symphonic musician
…Reporting issues the Musicians Union doesn’t dare to mention – National touring musician

===========================================

I. PENSION MYTHS AND FACTS

FACTS, NOT MYTHS
MPS responds to President Ray Hair’s July 2017 International
Musician article

Dear Plan Participants,
Ray Hair attempts to “bust the myths” related to our pension
fund’s crisis in this month’s International Musician, which
was copied verbatim from the AFM-EPF June newsletter
(that message can be found here and here). President
Hair’s message actually raises more questions than it
answers.

President Hair’s Myth #1:
The Fund is not critical and

declining so we’re “safe.”

MPS Question #1: Why the dramatic deterioration in the past
12 months? President Hair states that avoiding critical and
declining status this year doesn’t mean that our fund is
healthy. We agree with that. But he doesn’t address the
key issue.

The recent Annual Funding Notice shows the funded
percentage of our plan (view here) has declined from
81.6% to 69% in just one year. That is a decrease of
12.6 points, which is our largest decrease since the
financial crisis of 2008-9 (funded percentages since
2009 are 75%, 94.5%, 91.8%, 88.5%, 86.9%, 85.6%,
and 81.6%.). So while that percentage has been
trending down moderately, this past year it took a
dramatic fall. Why? President Hair does not say.

————-
President Hair’s Myth #2: 
The Keep Our Pension

Promises Act (KOPPA)
proposed by Senator Bernie Sanders is good
for participants.

MPS Question #2: Why is President Hair so
enamored with a law that numerous
Senators and Congressmen want repealed
or revised (read about MPRA)?

Mr. Hair asserts that he met with staffers of
Democratic senators in Washington, D.C., on
June 6, and discovered that with the current
Republican senate in place, KOPPA would likely
not be enacted into law. If this was news to Mr.
Hair and Mr. Gagliardi at their meeting, it certainly
isn’t to anyone else. MPS stated back in May that
it is unlikely this legislation would be passed in
today’s current political climate, but it could be
passed after the 2018 and 2020 elections. It also
shouldn’t stop our trustees from seeking
improvements to already existing laws, or lobby
for a new piece of legislation altogether that
would be better suited to the needs of all plan
participants.

Mr. Hair and our trustees only seem interested
in one piece of legislation: the Multiemployer
Pension Reform Act of 2014 (MPRA), which
allows the trustees of financially-troubled multi
employer pension plans to apply to the US
Treasury for reduced benefits to retirees and
their widows/widowers. Numerous senators
and congressmen on both sides of the aisle
have expressed extreme dissatisfaction with
MPRA. In fact, a number of them have stated
that they want it substantially revised, or repealed
altogether. Several Republican senators have
joined with Senator Rob Portman, R-Ohio, to
revise MPRA (Pension Accountability Act).

Portman’s proposal would disallow any benefit
cuts without a majority of the votes cast by the
plan participants. Despite these proposals for
substantial revision to MPRA, our trustees
have not engaged with these efforts, choosing
to enforce MPRA as written, allowing benefit
cuts over the objections of plan participants.
Regarding the possibility of our plan falling
into MPRA in the next year or two, President
Hair has clearly overlooked one very important
scenario – in the event that MPRA is revised to
benefit the plan participants after the 2018 or
2020 elections, those who already had cuts
enacted may very well be denied the new
favorable benefits of the revised law.

It has become clear over the past several months
that the trustees view MPRA as the only legislative
tool in their toolbox. A question MPS still wants
answered is whether the trustees used plan money
to help draft and lobby for the passage of MPRA in
2014. We asked the trustees this question in our
information request last month (read here), and
they refused to answer.

————————
President Hair’s Myth #3: The plan lost 40% in
investment returns when other plans lost 25%.

MPS Question #3: Why won’t the trustees answer
our questions regarding the losses of 2008-9?

Mr. Hair would like us to know that the plan lost 29%
in investment returns for the 12 months ending
March 31, 2009, not 40% as some have alleged.
There have been numerous conflicting communications
from the trustees on this subject. MPS formally
requested detailed information regarding the Fund’s
realized losses in 2008-09 (read items 6-8), but the
trustees refused to answer those questions.

Executive Director, Maureen Kilkelly, informed us
that they would provide only the documents required
by law, and that they “… are not responding to
the remaining requests.* ”

MPS also asked the trustees for detailed information
regarding the performance of the alternative investment
portfolio. It’s clear that the trustees have revised their
investment strategy since 2014, and shifted to a more
aggressive investment mix. Currently, approximately
32% of plan assets are allocated to alternative
investments, including private equity. Our questions
regarding the private equity portfolio, including the
nature of the fees and investment returns, were not
answered by the trustees.

We also asked whether they received any legal
advice that the plan had a viable lawsuit against
any of its investment advisors for the poor performance
during not only in the 2008 financial crisis, but also
the past 10 years – a lost decade from an investment
point of view. The trustees refused to answer us on
this critical point as well.

——————————

President Hair’s Myth #4: The Fund office received
huge staff pay increases in 2009.

MPS Question #4: Why won’t the trustees answer
our questions about expenses?

President Hair indicates that plan participants
misunderstand why expenses seem to have gone
up abruptly in 2009, and continued to increase since.
It is precisely this reason that MPS asked
numerous questions regarding expenses
(see items 11-16). The trustees refused all
requests. We again ask that the trustees
respond fully to our information request so
we may understand exactly what went wrong
with our fund, and what can be done in the
future to repair it.

President Hair, who has been the AFM trustee
co-chair since 2010, isn’t busting any myths –
he is using carefully curated facts in order to
make his case. When asked questions that
are uncomfortable or inconvenient, AFM-EPF
refuses to answer.

This is not transparency.

President Hair focuses on “busting myths”
because he and the other trustees choose to
dodge the facts – over the past decade, our
fund has endured poor performance with an
average 3.2% return net of investment fees,
spent $250 million in fees, and left us with
serious questions about how our plan money
has been spent. One thing is obviously missing
when it comes to the communications from Mr.
Hair and the other trustees ­­­– what is the
trustees’ strategic long-term plan moving forward
to deal with the continual problems at the AFM-EPF?

President Hair, is the plan to fix the AFM-EPF
fund a myth as well?

Sincerely,
Musicians for Pension Security, Inc.
*Ms. Kilkelly included a disclaimer on her
email that prevents us from sharing it publicly.

[EC: Our dues pay the salaries of the trustees,
they have no right to refuse answering reasonable
questions of their employers (us).

Why haven’t these people been fired?]

===========================================

II. NEW PENSION FUND ASSESSMENT

This is as good an analysis as I’ve seen or our AFM

pension situation.

“The AFM Pension Crisis – A View from the Membership”.
Three months in preparation, this paper has received

endorsements from two of the leading authorities on

pension finance in the U.S.:

http://www.AFMPensionPerspectives.com

Here’s the intro:

We are long-time AFM members with an interest

and background in finance and math. Our only agenda

is to try to bring our pension fund back to a usable

state for all members, of all generations. We are

concerned that if the Fund continues in its

present course, those of you who are now fifty

may receive only a few years of a (possibly

reduced) pension. If you are forty-five or

younger you may receive nothing at all.

This is not inevitable and we think there

is a good chance our fund can be saved. To

do this, we think it’s important to understand

how pension funds work. If you are allergic

to numbers or finance, but have had a savings

account or taken out a loan, you will be able to

understand the basics of a pension plan. There

are many different versions of how we got into

this mess. In particular, we find the Trustees’

version inexplicably incomplete. Our version

has the advantage of being consistent with the

views of pension experts and unfolds naturally

as we explain how pensions work in Part 1.

Since our story differs from the Trustees version in
numerous ways, we realize it might be controversial.
To remove any doubt you may have that our comments
are within the mainstream of financial thought and not
some crazy theory, we invited the highly respected
pension authorities M. Barton Waring and Ronald J.
Ryan to review our work. Their complete comments
to us follow this introduction. We are grateful for
their time and efforts.

Talking about things without knowing much about
them is a good way to generate a lot of heat without
generating any illumination. We think there’s been
a lot of that going on and we hope this will help fix that.
Along the way, we also talk about ways to evaluate
pension fund investment performance, the serious
issue of our shrinking pension ’nest-egg’, and some
possible ways that we can all work together to fix
the fund.

Moving forward looks like it will require the efforts
of many members. If you are a member of an
orchestra committee or other influential group,
we hope you will try to do something to get your
colleagues to help bring our pension back to a
healthy status. We advise you not to wait for an
initiative from the AFM, which may or may not arrive.

You can fix a copy of this document in PDF
format or HTML, along with other pension
articles of interest on our website:
AFM Pension Perspectives.

While we wrote this for our colleagues in the
AFM, what you are about to read applies to
every defined-benefit plan in America, both public
and all favors of private. The magnitude of the problem
is currently measured in the trillions of dollars and
climbing. As a result, not only do we hope you find
this document useful, we hope you will share it. And
we hope you will share it not only with your fellow
AFM members, but with anyone who is a participant
in a defined-benefit pension plan.
In Solidarity,
Scott & Tom
NYC & LA
August 8, 2017

===========================================

III. MPS FUNDRAISER UPDATE
75% of our goal reached in 2 weeks!

Dear Plan Participants

The MPS fundraising campaign is off to a great start! Thanks to
the generosity of plan participants across the country, we have hit
the 75% mark of our total fundraising goal. As of today we need
less than $3,900 to reach our fundraising goal of $15,000.

Please help us by clicking here.

With these funds, we have already taken two huge steps toward
protecting our fund:
1    1. Actuarial, financial, and investment documents have
2    been purchased from the AFM-EPF.
3    2. The services of Tom Lowman, FSA, of the highly-accredited
4    actuarial firm Bolton Partners, Inc., have been retained to
5    analyze the plan documents and provide a clear independent
6    actuarial analysis of the AFM-EPF.

If this email was forwarded to you, and you are reading about
Musicians for Pension Security (MPS) for the first time, please

share it with all you know!

(more…)

LOCAL REACHES NEW LOW / MPS RESPONDS / HELP THE MPS / COMMENTS / EVENTS

Friday, August 4th, 2017

8/4/17

I. LOCAL REACHES NEW LOW AGAINST RANK AND FILE
II. MUSICIANS FOR PENSION SECURITY RESPOND

III. HELP THE MUSICIANS FOR PENSION SECURITY
IV. MEMBER COMMENTS
V. EVENTS

…Absolutely guaranteed anonymity – Former Musician’s Union officer

…The one voice of reason in a sea of insanity – Nashville ‘first call’
scoring musician
…Allows us to speak our minds without fear of reprisal – L.A. Symphonic musician

…Reporting issues the Musicians Union doesn’t dare to mention – National touring musician

===========================================

I. LOCAL REACHES NEW LOW AGAINST RANK AND FILE

We’ve received several reports that at a recent non-union
recording session, a recently fired high up employee was
found lurking in the bushes, taking pictures of members
entering the studio.

All those identified were charged $500 for trying to feed their
families, with no union work to be had.

BUT WAIT,

The Local decided to hold the $500 charge over their heads,
telling them that it will not be pressed UNLESS they are
caught again.

So, the Local is now targeting rank and file for trying to pay
their bills, unless you’re in the upper echelon of course, and
threatening them with further targeting.

If the Local spent half the time and effort they spend
on targeting rank and file members trying to create
world competitive contracts  much of the nonunion
work would be unnecessary.

As long as the RMA runs things, that won’t happen.

Many RMA members do the nonunion work at the same
rate as the rank and file, but because of their positions
never face the targeting.

Corruption is as corruption does.

===========================================

II. MUSICIANS FOR PENSION SECURITY RESPOND.

Musicians for Pension Security respond to the lawsuit
filed against the AFM-EPF trustees and Fund Administrator
Dear Plan Participants,

A class action lawsuit was recently filed against the trustees of the AFM-
EPF. The central allegation is that Fund trustees failed to properly oversee
the investment functions of our plan. In particular, it claims they directed
too much plan money into emerging market stocks, and as a result, the
investment returns were lower than if they were invested in US stocks.

Musicians for Pension Security did not file this lawsuit.

It was initiated by two AFM-EPF members who are not affiliated with
our organization. MPS applauds any effort to hold plan trustees
accountable for their performance and transparency failures.
However, the litigation process could take years to unfold, and
during this time the trustees will be deciding the fate of our plan.
In the next few years, they will determine if the plan will move into
critical and declining status, and whether or not to file an application
to the US Treasury for cuts to our pension benefits. We cannot
let the lawsuit distract us from the key task of protecting our
pension benefits.

MPS believes that the lawsuit, if successful, would only recover
approximately 1% of plan assets. In all likelihood our trustees
have an insurance policy insulating them from possible litigation,
and in general, these policies provide somewhere between
$20-$40 million of protection. After deducting attorneys’ fees,
we believe that at most only approximately $20 million could
be recovered. This equates to less than 1% of plan assets,
or about $400 per participant.

While holding AFM-EPF trustees accountable is laudable,
MPS remains focused on how plan participants can have a
greater influence right now. We have retained our own
independent actuary to provide a second opinion concerning
the finances of our fund. MPS will continue to engage with
policymakers in Washington to find solutions in plan
participants’ best interests. Through grassroots efforts,
we can unite and work together to protect the pension
benefits of all plan participants.

Sincerely,
Musicians for Pension Security
Adam Krauthamer
Marilyn Coyne
Jon Kantor
Anja Wood
Pete Donovan
Elise Frawley
Sylvia D’Avanzo and
Carol Zeavin

=========================================

III. HELP THE MUSICIANS FOR PENSION SECURITY

Dear Plan Participants,
Musicians For Pension Security, Inc. (MPS), is a nonprofit
group managed and supported by AFM union members
across the country who are deeply concerned with the
current state of our AFM-EPF Pension Plan. Our purpose
is to fully understand how our plan became so troubled,
and to hold our trustees and their advisers fully
accountable. Further, we demand more transparency
from our trustees and to seek solutions to our current
dilemma other than cutting our hard-earned pension
benefits.

MPS believes that without plan participants’ active
involvement, the trustees of AFM-EPF Plan will most
likely move to cut our pension benefits within the
next few years. Therefore, this year will be pivotal
in our fight for pension security, and we at MPS are
planning a number of initiatives to support YOU,
the plan participant.

To do this, we will need your financial support. We
ask that you join us and please donate! Your
contribution is critical in helping us work toward a
sustainable, long-term plan for pension security,
and enables us to continue fighting on behalf of
all AFM-EPF plan participants. Right now, we
have launched an important fundraising campaign,
and need to raise $15K by September.

Read more about that here.

To donate:
http://tinyurl.com/ybbeo3am

Please help spread the word!

=======================================

IV. MEMBER COMMENTS

Latest email blast from the RMALA gives a “thank you”
for Gordon Grayson’s “straight shooting” service and
wishes him the best in his future endeavors.

HE WAS FIRED FOR DOING THEIR DIRTY WORK….BADLY!
We are surprised that they would so openly flaunt
their connection with Gordon.

[EC: We’ve never recall the RMA thanking any mere employee
in a blast individually in public after leaving the local’s employ,
particularly if they were fired.
Not Barbara Markay, nor Serena Williams, nor Dave Schubach,
nor Hal Espinosa, nor Vince Trombetta, nor Doug Caine, nor
Amie Moore, nor Jeff Surga… We could be wrong, but we doubt it.

Now we know why.

We heard the same, the fired employee would target whomever
The RMA leadership wanted. Explains a lot really. We can’t help
but wonder if a local officer knew about it,… or helped direct it.

More on this soon.]

————

the name of the gentleman in charge of the Musicians for
Pension Security group is Adam Krauthamer, his phone
# is 215 280 5958, and he would like to hear from any
Local 47 pensioners who do NOT want their monthly
pension checks cut. glad i’m over 80 so they cannot
cut mine.

===========================================

V. EVENTS
DEAN AND RICHARD
are now at Culver City Elks the first 
Friday of 
every month.
7:30pm-10:30pm,
11160 Washington Pl.
Culver City, 90232
310-839-8891
————————————-
LA WINDS JAZZ KATS 584
NO COVER, NO MINIMUM.
Every 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month at
Viva Cantina
7:30-10:00.
900 Riverside Drive, 
Burbank.

Free parking across the street at Pickwick Bowl.
Come hear your favorite charts played the way
they 
should 
be. 

We are in the back room called
the Trailside Room. 


Come on down.

Guaranteed to swing.

http://www.responsible47.com

—————————————-

8/6/16

Dearest Friends of Music and the Arts –

Please join us for a very special concert entitled,
“French Color: Debussy and Ravel”
Sunday, August 6, 2017 – 7:30 PM at
COLLIER HOUSE – Woodland Hills.

The program will celebrate two masters of
French musical impressionism, Claude Debussy
and Maurice Ravel.

Through solo piano, accompanied voice, and
ensemble pieces, you’ll experience the
mesmerizing color and precise musical
invention of these two great composers.

The Malibu Coast String Quartet
(Maria Newman & Rafael Rishik, violinists;
Scott Hosfeld, violist; and
Paula Hochhalter, cellist)

will join rising stars bass-baritone
Matthew Lewis, and pianist
Jiye Hayden, in an exquisite evening
of color and grace.

Doors open at 7:00 pm ~ Refreshments will be served
Concert begins at 7:30 pm

TICKETS: $25 Buy Now / $30 At The Door / Under 18 Free
Make Your Reservation ~ (818) 304 – 4020
PROGRAM: (approx. 1.5 hours)
Debussy  ~ Music for Solo Piano: Clair de Lune & Arabesque #1
Debussy ~ French Songs: Romance & Les Cloches
Ravel ~ French Songs: Sainte & Five Greek Songs
Ravel ~ String Quartet in F Major
Ravel ~ Piece en forme de Habanera
Faure ~ Apres un reve
Maria Newman ~ Le petit duel
QUESTIONS?
Please contact Collier House/Paula Hochhalter at (818) 304 – 4020

UNTIL NEXT TIME,

THE COMMITTEE FOR A MORE RESPONSIBLE LOCAL 47

MEETING MINUTES / AFM PENSION MISMANAGEMENT LAWSUIT / EVENTS

Wednesday, July 26th, 2017

7/28/17

I. MINUTES OF LAST MEETING (FIRST QUORUM IN 16 MONTHS)

II. LAWSUIT CLAIMS AFM PENSION MISMANAGEMENT

III. EVENTS

…Absolutely guaranteed anonymity – Former Musician’s Union officer

…The one voice of reason in a sea of insanity – Nashville ‘first call’
scoring musician
…Allows us to speak our minds without fear of reprisal – L.A. Symphonic musician

…Reporting issues the Musicians Union doesn’t dare to mention – National touring musician

===========================================

I. UNION MEETING MINUTES MONDAY,  JULY 24TH.

Union meeting Monday – July 24th

For the first time in 16 months the meeting reached a quorum.

Quorum was met at 7:41, surprising for a July meeting.
A vast majority (but not all) were invested either as board or
committee members.

President Acosta talked about building plans and
plans for the union.

The Strategic Planning Committee
John Acosta, President
Rick Baptist, VP
Gary Lasley, Secretary
Booker White, Rank and File Rep – Disney Copyist
David Wheatley, Rank and File Rep
Lydia Reichenbach, Rank and File Rep
Steve Dress, (Acosta listed him as Rank and File Rep,

not bothering to point out that he is also president of

the RMALA.)

Jefferson Kemper, Local 47 organizing coordinator

Their Priorities
DEVELOP EMPLOYMENT
-Generate union work oppor. /Increase Union Density

(composers, Contractors, Producers, Music -Coordinators

Agents

-Tax Credits for recording
-Improved contracts
-Interactive
-1-hour independent film Festival Call
-Benefits only jobs.
Employer Outreach and Education

PROVIDE MEMBERSHIP SERVICES AND BENEFITS
-Online Resources
-Contract Access
-Healthcare
-Pension
-Responsiveness / Efficiency
-Tech

ENGAGE AND EDUCATE MEMBERS
-Survey Memberships to join u
-Create reasons to join union
-New Building Launch
-Perf Space
-New Member Showcase

GETTING MEMBERS TO COME BACK
-New Member Training
-Masterclasses
-Establish Brand
-Foster Volunteerism
-Increase Responsiveness

BUILD / REBUILD ALLIANCES RELATIONSHIPS
-elected officials
-Labor Union
-Personal Outreach
-Educational Institutions
-Community
-Employers
-Alliance of Woman Film Composers
-Composers Caucus

BE POLITICALLY ACTIVE – LAWS PASSED
-Tax Credits
-National Right to work
-ACA / CHC affordable health care
-Musicians pol Action committee
-Encourage Activism
-Support Volunterism

CONTRIBUTE TO COMMUNITY
-Relief Fund
-Musicians Foundation
-Music ED
-Promote Member contributions
-Encourage Volunteerism
-Guidelines for Donating Musical Services.

PRIORITIZE PRIORITIES
-Craft a positive and dynamic Local 47
Mission Statement that aligns with priorities
-1,3, 5 year plan
-Establish Goals for each strategy
-Present it to the members
-Ratify Strategic Plan
-Form Committees to achieve goals.

Various questions from various people.

Members need to get word out to the public and decision makers.

RMA leaders took over meeting for 10 minutes,

until Pres. Acosta said “Thank you”
Their Leaders blew a lot of smoke talking about how
Tax incentives will a bring a lot of work back.
It’s the BACKEND! Everyone knows this.

Members Asked about benefit only projects – Charities,
to enable folks to play for those events. Only charities

mentioned. Pres. – Tough to allow, but need strict requirements.

Comm. Member – to reach a goal you have to know how
you’re going to get there.

Comm. Member – Plan is for the membership.
Need to support the leaders.

Chair makes motion to adopt the plan:
Plan is adopted  – that will do nothing to fix the situation
without taking on the backend.

PRESIDENT REPORT

Lots about the move to Burbank.
3220 Wiwona – are in the back
in two modular buildings.

In Phase I –  all offices, afm offices, rehearsal rooms – Sept 8th.
Building  – 5.5 million budget – says it’s all union labor.
Phase II – Exterior painting – Over 1 MILLION Budget for Phase II
Building cost 13 million.
So total spent is over 18 million. With the total sales of the
building coming to approx – 24 million.

That leaves about 4.5 million

Investment monies left over: $4.5 million left over.

When did the board decide to change the terms.

We were told it would be 10-12 million left over

for investment, now we hear it’s going to be 4.5

million.

[Recap: initial building was going to cost $10,000,000,

plus three businesses to cover the property taxes of

approx. $120,000. The sale was approved on these

terms.

Then, lost that building, wound up paying 13 million

for a building with NO businesses to cover property

taxes. Pig in a poke?]

We believe that money will be gone in less than 5 years,
UNLESS backend payments are reduced or illuminated.

SAG/AFTRA CREDIT UNION now combined with
Local 47 Credit Union.

Will be vending area / Musicians Lounge.
Will be an elevator.
3 big band rooms.

LA Phil, LA Opera, New West, Angelica, San Bernadino,
Pasadena Sym, nego., Dance at the music center, Riverside
ongoing, plus others.

Legal: Prevailed against Magic Castle,.. mostly. Lost on

shift changes

Instrumental Casting – Trashed that group. Discussed

nonunion

gig at Hollywood venue. Charges were filed.
Union protestors were almost arrested at (Instrumental

Casting) protest.

Wordless music, planned non-union job music to film –

filed charges. (More jobs lost to professional musicians

only trying to pay their bills)

Union screws the rank and file again who aren’t the

privileged.

Organizing: Discussed plans.

[EC: Why do these folks keep talking about TAX

Credits as though that will make any difference

at all except for the have’s.

We all know why, don’t we.]

OCTOBER 7th – Will honor Lalo Schifrin to raise

money for the music fund.

VP REPORT
-Oct 16th – golf tournament to benefit music fund.

I’m the chair.
-Going to Central Avenue Jazz Festival will be

honoring Clora Bryant on Saturday.
-Going to NY to nego, live TV contract.
-Went to Cabrillo Music Festival to see Peter

Pan. Dan Redfeld conducted.

Archive: is in storage – 74 Three drawer filing

cabinets of old contracts. Rehearsal rooms –

Talked to groups that rehearse – starting on

Sept 14th: 13 piano, 7 sets, 6 Timp, Will have

mikes and speakers. Can room be rented for

recitals? – Yes, to a degree.

SECRETARY:
General fund: 1st quarter
Revenue $1,643,291
Expenses $1,105,038
Over 500,000 in profit.

Overture is printed 4 times a year, but everyone

month electronically.

Can download app. For your phone.

Music Club
Rev 81,782
Exp. 1150.995
$69,215 dollars in the red

Final sale of building. 24,750,000
Cost of New building 13,431.98
Over $500,000 paid by Music Club

to settle bills.

$43,000 plus for legal
$175,000 lease back
$1,392,751 to renovations
$1,880 for utilities
$3,933 – accounting
$1,280 on elevator repair
$5,074 insurance
$6,464 dollars on office furniture.

Over 5 million put with Merrill Lynch.
$2,400.000 in fixed income
$2,100,000 equities

Investment policy:
First priority: Preserve principal
55% bonds-fixed income / 45% in stocks and mutual.

OLD BUSINESS

Member asked:
April 24 there was no quorum – was the resolution

passed? Was amended version Published?
[Yes]
Did Amended version go through the legislative

process?
A replacement amendment was published.
If so, you cannot amend an outstanding motion.
Parliamentarian: Process at meeting was followed

as per bylaws and Robert Rules of Order.’
[We don’t think they followed proper procedure,

hoping no one would press it.]

NEW BUSINESS

President Acosta Announced: Isabel Baskoff

passed, service Friday at 10 am.

Adjourned 9:30 PM

================================================

II. LAWSUIT CLAIMS MISMANAGEMENT OF MUSICIANS

UNION’S TROUBLED PENSION PLAN
David Robb  July 24, 2017 5:09pm – DEADLINE HOLLYWOOD

UPDATED with statement from the plan’s executive director:

The American Federation of Musicians’ beleaguered $2

billion pension plan, which had a $122 million shortfall

last year, has been hit with a class-action lawsuit that

claims its trustees have made a series of risky

investments that have endangered the pensions of

thousands of musicians. The suit, filed in the U.S.

District Court in Manhattan, seeks the appointment

of an independent fiduciary to administer the plan

and the management of its investments.

Like many multi-employer pension plans, the

AFM plan was hit hard by the recession and

market downturn of 2008. But the musicians’

plan was hit harder than most, losing 40% of

its value in 18 months. A lawsuit filed by musicians

Andrew Snitzer and Paul Livant in New York

District Court claims that the plan’s trustees

and investment committee tried to make up

for this staggering loss by investing in

questionable stocks.

REX/Shutterstock
“With the fund in critical status resulting from

bad investment decisions,” the 66-page suit

claims (read it here), “defendants chased

recovery of lost investment returns by repeatedly

gambling on the hope of high investment returns

from the highest risk asset classes, in breach of

their fiduciary duties under the Employee

Retirement Income Security Act. Defendants

failed to prudently invest hundreds of millions

of dollars of fund assets and monitor and manage

risk tolerance and exposure in the stressed financial

circumstances facing the fund.”

Maureen Kilkelly, executive director of the pension

plan, called the suit “entirely without merit,” saying

that the board of trustees and staff of the fund “have

always taken our fiduciary responsibilities very

seriously. Every step of the way, we have consulted

with respected and experienced investment experts

in the industry, closely reviewed investment options,

and always acted in the best interests of the fund’s

nearly 50,000 participants and beneficiaries.”

According to the lawsuit, “Defendants invested

approximately $243.5 million of the fund’s assets

over the period since 2010 in high-risk, high-cost

international emerging markets equities, gambling

on outsized growth in international emerging markets’

economies and coincident investment returns consistent

with returns in the previous decade. Defendants further

gambled on the investment managers they hired to

outguess the market and produce better returns for

their excessively high costs and fees. As the investment

lost market value, defendants chased recovery of the

lost returns with further fund assets. Defendants

knew, or should have known, this continuing and

increasingly risky gamble exposed the fund to

imprudent and excessive risk when the fund’s

returns were vital to recovery.”

The suit claims that the trustees tried to recoup

losses by investing ever greater percentages of

the fund’s assets in risky emerging markets

equities. “Defendants knew the average pension

plan had 4.5% of total assets invested in emerging

markets equities,” it alleges. “Defendants approved

a policy to invest up to 5% of total Fund assets in

emerging markets equities, and then, following

negative returns, more than doubled the high

risk investment to 11%, only to again double-down

and increase the fund’s investment to an extra-

ordinary 15% of fund assets. Defendants’ process

of chasing recovery of lost returns with increasingly

risky asset allocations, in an attempt to meet or

beat the actuarial return assumption, was imprudent

and resulted in substantial injury to the fund. Like a

gambler chasing his losses, defendants did so

despite the high-risk nature of the asset class,

substantial and continuing declines in the market

value of the investment, increased uncertainty

concerning volatility and growth prospects in

emerging markets, substantial underperformance

by the managers, substantial underperformance

of the fund versus its peers, and the mounting

substantially negative impact of the investment

on the fund’s returns.”
In December, the trustees told participants that

the fund “has now been in critical status for six

years and is projected to remain so for the

foreseeable future…We currently have a plan

that incorporates reasonable measures available

under the law to address our situation. At this

time, we are reliant on the fund’s investment

performance and to a much lesser extent

employer contributions.”

In her statement to Deadline, the plan’s exec

director Kilkelly said the suit “is directed at

the performance of fund investments, but

there are many other causes of the fund’s

present financial predicament. Many

multiemployer pension plans across the

nation are struggling with a similar ‘perfect

storm’ of challenging factors.

These include the volume of Baby Boomers

taking retirement; more benefits being paid

out to retirees and beneficiaries than

contributions coming in from actives;

and significantly longer pay-outs because

participants are thankfully living longer.

Additionally, two major recessions since 2000,

the one in 2008-09 being of epic proportions

and causing the collapse of financial markets

worldwide, have profoundly impacted pension

plans across the nation.”

She said that she and the trustees and the

staff of the fund “have responded prudently

to all challenges and have consistently based

their decisions on the counsel of proven

investment advisors and actuaries. We will

vigorously contest this lawsuit, and expect

to prevail. Our focus will continue to be

on doing everything we can to preserve the

hard-earned benefits of our participants

and beneficiaries.”

FROM DEADLINE HOLLYWOOD

 
===========================================

III. EVENTS
DEAN AND RICHARD
are now at Culver City Elks the first 
Friday of 
every month.
7:30pm-10:30pm,
11160 Washington Pl.
Culver City, 90232
310-839-8891
————————————-
LA WINDS JAZZ KATS 584
NO COVER, NO MINIMUM.
Every 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month at
Viva Cantina
7:30-10:00.
900 Riverside Drive, 
Burbank.

Free parking across the street at Pickwick Bowl.
Come hear your favorite charts played the way
they 
should 
be. 

We are in the back room called
the Trailside Room. 


Come on down.

Guaranteed to swing.

http://www.responsible47.com

—————————————-

7/29/17

SESSIONS AT THE LOFT

ASHLEY BRODER AND FRIENDS

Event to be held at the following time, date, and location:
Saturday, July 29, 2017 from 7:30 PM to 9:30 PM (PDT)
Sessions at the Loft
2465 Ventura Blvd
Camarillo, CA 91320

———————————–

7/30/17

The BBB featuring Bernie Dresel
(Direct from Italy!)

THIS SUNDAY July 30 from  7:00pm-8:30pm
at Bogies in Westlake Village, CA
(right off the 101 at Lindero Canyon Road exit.)
Big Band Extravaganza!!!
32001 Agoura Road, Westlake Village, CA 91361
Call 818-889-2394 for ticket reservations!!
or Go to: http://www.bogies-bar.com/events/
and click on the RSVP tab for our July 30 show.
or cross your fingers and JUST SHOW UP!
$20 cover charge

Come join The BBB featuring Bernie Dresel,
(13 horns, upright bass, guitar, and plenty of

drums) swingin’ & rockin’ selections from our

brand new album, Live n’ Bernin’.

The club is gorgeous, the food is great, and

the sound system is perfect!  Come welcome

me & Vicky as we arrive back to Los Angeles

from our beautiful honeymoon in Italy!!

Our new album Live n’ Bernin’ will be

available for sale at this show.

(Also available online at CDBaby Amazon,

and ElusiveDisc; as well as downloads on

iTunes, CDBaby and Amazon).

—————————————-

8/2/17

PRESS RELEASE/Wed AUGUST 2, 2017 at

12:10-12:40 pm at the Free Admission
GLENDALE NOON CONCERTS/

Pianist NANCY FIERRO:
Music from the Belle Epoque.

Thank you!
Jacqueline Suzuki
Curator, Glendale Noon concerts
818 -249-5108
http://www.glendalenoonconcerts.blogspot.com

UNTIL NEXT TIME,

THE COMMITTEE FOR A MORE RESPONSIBLE LOCAL 47

WINNING FOR LOSING / PENSION ACCOUNTABILITY ROADBLOCK / EVENTS

Friday, July 21st, 2017

7/21/17

I. CAN’T WIN FOR LOSING

II. PENSION ACCOUNTABILITY ROADBLOCK

III. EVENTS

…Absolutely guaranteed anonymity – Former Musician’s Union officer

…The one voice of reason in a sea of insanity – Nashville ‘first call’
scoring musician
…Allows us to speak our minds without fear of reprisal – L.A. Symphonic musician

…Reporting issues the Musicians Union doesn’t dare to mention – National touring musician

===========================================

I. CAN’T WIN FOR LOSING

Instrumental Casting, a company owned by Contractor/Violinist

Jennifer Walton, who booked a non-union job for 68 musicians

at the Dolby theater a while back and didn’t hire union musicians

because she knew the Union would show up and target those union

musicians who played the job. She did it to protect them.

Now the AFM/Local 47 is going after her because union members

WEREN’T asked to play. It’s opposite day all over again. Sometimes

you truly cannot win for losing.

Here is a statement from Instrumental Casting:
Jennifer Walton recently contracted a 68 piece orchestra comprised

of non-union musicians, for a non-union client, at a non-union venue.

She knew the union would show up looking for union musicians

playing the gig in violation.  In her hiring emails, she alerted the

musicians that union reps would be present and insisted she’d

not allow any union musicians on the gig in order to protect them

from punishment.  At least one of the musicians she contacted

informed the AFM of her email in which she stated she would

not hire union musicians on this non-union gig.
AFM leafletted the rehearsal for her 68 piece orchestra gig and

also leafletted the patrons at the Dolby Theater where the

concert was held.  Jennifer filed a charge against the AFM

with the NLRB for selective enforcement, slander, and

harassment of the musicians and patrons.
AFM then filed a charge against Jennifer’s business,

Instrumental Casting, under which she contracted the

job, for unlawful discrimination against union players.

Their argument is that union players should decide

whether or not they will accept a non-union gig.

Jennifer Walton, of Instrumental Casting, offers

work for AFM, SAG, Fi-core, and non-union

musicians alike.

===========================================

II. PENSION ACCOUNTABILITY ROADBLOCK

We thank the Musicians for Pension Security for staying on this for us all!

MPS INFORMATION REQUEST TO THE AFM-EPF HITS ROADBLOCK

Dear Plan Participants,

You may have seen the latest AFM-EPF newsletter, stating, “Our trustees take seriously the commitment to more frequent, comprehensive communication” (June 2017, p.3). Last month, Musicians for Pension Security requested a series of documents. In addition, we asked specific questions concerning investments, expenses, lobbying costs and other subjects of vital importance. Not one of these requests
for information was honored.

In response, Executive Director Maureen Kilkelly simply referred MPS to the disclosure document inventory list on the AFM-EPF website. This list includes several years of actuarial and investment management information, and the copying cost to receive these documents. This information, as required by federal law, must be posted to their website. For our remaining requests, Ms. Kilkelly’s response speaks for itself, “We are not responding to the remaining requests.* ”

So what were the requests that the trustees refused to respond to?
•    We asked for the minutes of trustee meetings, as well as minutes of the investment and audit committees. It seems to us that trustees who wish to be transparent would make their minutes available, but they chose not to allow us access to those documents.
•    We also asked for specific information about the losses that occurred in 2007-09 during the financial crisis. How much of these losses were in high-yield bonds, as the trustees have claimed? How much were within the category of alternative investments? How much were corporate stocks? The trustees will not disclose that information.
•    With respect to the financial crisis, we asked whether the trustees considered taking legal action against those responsible for catastrophic investment losses. Tens of billions of dollars have been recovered by peer pension plans against wrongdoers in connection with financial crisis losses. Why didn’t the AFM seek compensation? Again, the trustees will not say.
•    MPS has reason to believe that several AFM-EPF trustees actively supported the Multiemployer Pension Reform Act, MPRA, a law that could give trustees the ability to cut our pension benefits, in 2013 and 2014 (NCCMP).  We asked trustees whether any of our plan money was used to help lobby for this law. In our view, plan money should be used for the exclusive benefit of plan participants, and any money spent on our behalf for lobbying purposes should be disclosed. The trustees, however, choose to remain silent on the subject.
•    Regarding spending, we asked about travel expenses, meeting expenses, and the cost of education for the trustees. After the AFM-EPF spent $250 million of plan money over the last decade on fees and expenses, coupled with extremely poor performance, this is an area of great concern. Transparency of spending during a financial crisis of this magnitude is critical. Our trustees would not share any information on this subject.
•    Trustees will not answer the simple question of whether the Department of Labor performed an expense audit on the plan in the past five years.

So while communications from our trustees may have become more frequent and comprehensive as of late, we anticipate that they will be in one of two categories : either divulging only what is required by federal law, or advancing their own point of view. It seems that trustees will not answer inconvenient or uncomfortable questions that would enable plan participants to seek transparency and accountability.

Sincerely,
Musicians for Pension Security, Inc.
www.musiciansforpensionsecurity.com

*Ms. Kilkelly included a disclaimer on her email that prevents us from sharing it publicly

[EC: There is obviously a lot that stinks here. There is obviously

dishonesty here. Our question is why haven’t the trustees and

particularly Ms. Kilkelly been fired? We’re being fleeced either

by incompetence or design.]

====================================

III. EVENTS
DEAN AND RICHARD
are now at Culver City Elks the first 
Friday of 
every month.
7:30pm-10:30pm,
11160 Washington Pl.
Culver City, 90232
310-839-8891
————————————-
LA WINDS JAZZ KATS 584
NO COVER, NO MINIMUM.
Every 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month at
Viva Cantina
7:30-10:00.
900 Riverside Drive, 
Burbank.

Free parking across the street at Pickwick Bowl.
Come hear your favorite charts played the way
they 
should 
be. 

We are in the back room called
the Trailside Room. 


Come on down.

Guaranteed to swing.

http://www.responsible47.com

—————————————-

7/29/17

SESSIONS AT THE LOFT

ASHLEY BRODER AND FRIENDS

Event to be held at the following time, date, and location:
Saturday, July 29, 2017 from 7:30 PM to 9:30 PM (PDT)
Sessions at the Loft
2465 Ventura Blvd
Camarillo, CA 91320

—————————————-

8/2/17

PRESS RELEASE/Wed AUGUST 2, 2017 at 12:10-12:40 pm at the Free Admission
GLENDALE NOON CONCERTS/ Pianist NANCY FIERRO: Music from the Belle Epoque.
Photo of pianist Nancy Fierro and a press release are attached.
Thank you!
Jacqueline Suzuki
Curator, Glendale Noon concerts
818 -249-5108
http://www.glendalenoonconcerts.blogspot.com

UNTIL NEXT TIME,

THE COMMITTEE FOR A MORE RESPONSIBLE LOCAL 47