On Saturday evening, August 15, 2009, half-way through the free concert in the amphitheater at Farnsworth Park in Altadena, a plethora of plaques and commendations were bestowed upon John. Every summer, the Sheriff’s Support Group of Altadena (SSGA), sponsors a series of free concerts sampling a wide variety of musical genres. Saturday night featured smooth-jazz guitarist Brian Hughes, and tho his style is a tad more contemporary than the music John played and the artists he managed, it was fitting nonetheless and we were delighted to be there. Brian even surprised us with a lovely nod to Wes Montgomery in the second half. [Many thanks to photographer Leroy Hamilton for sharing these pictures. Click on each image to enlarge and view in a separate window.] We knew, of course, that the SSGA was going to honor John, and I suspected that he might get a proclamation from a local politician’s office, but neither of us were prepared for the number of awards that he received. First was the SSGA certificate of Special Recognition presented by the group’s president, Robert Klomberg, in recognition of John’s “achievements in the music world of Jazz, as a performer, Manager, and Produce of the greatest names in Jazz, and as an Altadena resident…” Then Bob turned the mic over to Capt. Roosevelt Blow who gave John a Certificate of Appreciation from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Dept, signed by Leroy Baca, in tribute to John’s “dedication, unprecedented professional accomplishments, and lifetime commitment to music.” Next came an award from the NAACP, presented by Charles Pulliam, III. We are very familiar with the annual NAACP Image Awards, but this was a Certificate of Merit and so is quite special. In the presentation, they acknowledged that John’s history was just 3 years shy of theirs as the organization is commemorating its centennial, and in an accompanying letter, Branch President Barbara Bigby spoke of how John “paved the way and set the standard for those who enter unchartered territory.”   Capt. Blow also did the honors on behalf of the California Senate, presenting a Certificate of Recognition for John’s “Lifetime of Music” signed by Carol Liu. Then came a beautiful hand-crafted County of Los Angeles Commendation (click here to see the special detail – a bass depicted to the right of John’s name) from Supervisor Michael Antonovich, “In recognition of dedicated service to the affairs of the community and for the civic pride demonstrated by numerous contributions for the benefit of all citizens of Los Angeles County.” And last, but certainly not least, Congressman Adam B. Schiff sent not only a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition, but also a flag that once flew over the Capitol Building.
	John never seeks the spotlight, and Saturday night was no exception. In his acceptance speech he deftly turned the spotlight on his friends. Eight households from our own little block turned out in force (with their children!) as well as many friends from the greater neighborhood at large. As much as he appreciated the official commendations, nothing touched John’s heart as much as this show of love from our friends who are as close to us as family and who embody the true meaning of community. Thank you Neil and Brenda; Bill; Joe and Jen; Robert and Sue; Richard, Jan, Jessica, and Christopher; Wayne, Cheryl, and Emily; Tom and Judy; Phil, Susan, and Robin; Byron and Regina; Laronda; William and Erin. Also our friends from Fox’s, Diana, Ron, and Spree; friends from across town, Valerie, Kit, Lynn and Mary; and…. (I am bound to have forgotten someone, if so my apologies.)
	Events like this require a lot of behind-the-scenes work, and had we known all the participants before-hand, John would have been able to thank them at the time. Now, after-the-fact, we want to at least acknowledge as many a we can, publicly via the Internet, and extend our heartfelt thanks for all that they did. Capt. Roosevelt Blow who spearheaded this effort, Robert Klomburg, President of the SSGA, the group that sponsors this annual series of free concerts in Farnsworth Park, and Angelica Calleros of Parks and Recreation. Also: Carolyn Seitz of the Sheriff’s Community Advisory Committee; Jamie Bissner, member of SSGA and the Altadena Town Council; all the members of the Altadena Sheriff’s Station including Lieutenant Sheila Sanchez, Sergeant Marsha Williams, Sergeant Dan Bartlett, and Deputy Sammy Estrada; Sussy Nemer and Rita Hadjimonukian in Supervisor Antonovich’s office; William Syms in Congressman Schiff’s office; and District Director Tahra Goraya in Carol Liu’s office. WE THANK YOU, ONE AND ALL.

update: this has been cross-posted at DevraDoWrite.com with a few additional photos.

The pages of Strollin’: A Jazz Life Through John Levy’s Personal Lens were printed right on scheule for a September 1st release. Every page in color on beautiful 80lb glossy white stock. Then the printer sent the pages off to the bindery, one of their vendors, and the results were disasterous.


First they called the printer and said they did not recommend the OTA-bind, a method allows the book to lay open. They would do it a different way but the results would be similar. They’d send a sample first. And I was left wondering why the bindery bid on the job knowing the specs from the outset: 270 pages landscape (11 x 8.5) that were supposed to have been OTA-bind.


The bindery did send a sample – I got one and so did the printing company. Both samples simply fell apart as soon as we started flipping through the pages. “Oh, we were in a hurry,” the bindery said. “Probably didn’t use enough glue. We’ll do another sample.” They sent that sample to the printer, not to me, and the printer told me that the second sample was no better than the first.


What to do? The answer is not yet clear and I am waiting to hear from the printer about my options. I will be adjusting our target release date accordingly. If we’re lucky, we might have some copies for Christmas gifting.

Evolution is at the very core of the creative process, so it is no surprise that a lot of changes were made to our original plans. The first and most fundamental change was the title. The original title, “At the Feet of a Jazz Master” was inspired by John’s NEA Jazz Master status combined with a very cool photo by Leroy Hamilton of John’s feet clad in red Converse All-Star sneakers. The photos were to be selected from Leroy’s pictures taken during the 2004 NEA Jazz Master events and the text would consist of anecdotes, opinions, and reminiscenses.


After reviewing a sample section, John said it didn’t feel right. (He actually said it felt like a cross between a lament for “the good old days” and an obituary.) Then he mused about the possibility of using photos that he shot throughout the years. And so a new concept emerged. The use of the word Strollin’ refers both to the walk down memory lane and to a tune by that title that he recorded in 1949 with the original George Shearing Quintet.


We went through his pictures and, after selecting a few hundred, I set to work scanning the images. The majority of the photos that made the cut were taken by John, some were shot by me, and a few were contributed by others. In addition, we included a special 10-page NEA Jazz Master section with more than 20 of Leroy’s photos. The text includes a mixture of John’s thoughts and general information, and the new cover photo (click here) is one of Leroy’s, shot in John’s home/office in June, 2005.

April 2007
Having not yet selected a format for this photos-with-essays book, the first step was simply to catalog Leroy’s photos, and while doing so to note any that we especially liked along with any thoughts or ideas a picture might evoke. The result so far is the master list, sequentially numbered within specific events. The events, in chronological sequence, are:
• Nancy Wilson’s recording session in Los Angeles
• John Levy Does Tavis Smiley Radio Show December 15, 2005
• John Levy interviewed on Thursday by Kati Grey for article in Newsday During IAJE in
• NEA Jazz Masters Group Photos (Friday)
• NEA Jazz Masters Luncheon
• John Levy interviewed By Jaron Eames for local cable v show
• NEA Jazz Masters Cocktail Reception
• NEA Jazz Masters Concert & Awards Show – Backstage Pre-Show
• NEA Jazz Masters Concert & Awards Show
• Vocal Legacy rehearsal Saturday morning
• NEA Jazz Masters Panel on Saturday afternoon
• Book Signing at MCG Jazz booth on Saturday Afternoon
• Vocal Legacy Showcase on Saturday evening
• Nancy Wilson’s recording session in NYC Sunday/Monday
Of course, chronological sequencing will not make much sense for the book, so for a first outline, we’ll group the pictures into five sections:
1. all the NEA Jazz Masters activities
2. all the Nancy Wilson recording shots
3. all the Vocal Legacy rehearsal and showcase shots
4. John Levy doing interviews
5. And “other” – which for the moment holds pictures of the book signing
I suspect that this means of grouping shots will not hold up for long. So far, we are envisioning the book as a series of photos, many of which evoke memories, stories, and even opinions about the music and the business. When John and I first started looking through Leroy’s pictures, we jotted down some thoughts to test out the idea. For example:
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