Culver City is best known for being the location of the Helm’s Bakery as well as one of the top
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| Mayor D. Scott Malsin gave a warm welcome and spoke briefly of Culver City’s historic past |
Jazz clubs, The Jazz Bakery. It seems only natural then that the Culver City Redevelopment Agency came up with Speak Easy, a free jazz and spoken word event, which took place at the Culver Events Center located just behind Leaf Cuisine on Washington Blvd. on Saturday evening.
In the 1920’s, the Culver Events Center was where the original Speakeasy took place, providing the community of the prohibition era a place to go and freely express themselves. Owners Gordon and Jeanette Vosburg have restored the Culver Events Center providing a cozy place for all kinds of celebrations.
A large gathering of Culver City residents and their neighbors filled the main room of the center as an ambient glow flickered from the fire in the fireplace. Culver City’s Mayor D. Scott Malsin gave a warm welcome and spoke briefly of Culver City’s historic past. The Speak Easy featured a performance by Patrice Rushen, an award-winning jazz pianist and composer, and the hilarious antics of Sandra Tsing Loh, a writer and performer.
Patrice Rushen, an award-winning jazz pianist and composer, gave a spirited recital of jazz
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| Sandra Tsing Loh, a hilarious and animated performance. |
piano compositions including Miles Davis’ “All Blues” and her original piece “Ocean Song”. After her performance, Rushen said that the event gave the community “a few moments to be open and free… to gather and just feel something”.
To follow-up Rushen’s virtuosity at the piano was Sandra Tsing Loh, a hilarious and animated performance artist and writer. Tsing Loh read her hilarious essay on dating entitled “Cappuccino Man” and enlivened her audience by altering the locations within her story to places in Culver City such as Fresh Café, Blair Hills and Culver Crest. The result was an endless series of laughter and applause.
The event ended with a campy, improvised performance by Tsing Loh as well as audience participants including the Mayor and his wife Anne Malsin, and an animated young girl named Isabelle who definitely has a future in the world of theatre. The Speak Easy event was at times a bit too focused on the greatness of Culver City, but in the end the series will continue to offer the community a great way to come together and enjoy the magical combination of words and music.
For more information about future Speak Easy events taking place in Culver City, call (310)253-5716 or visit www.culvercity.org.
