The Mandell Touch
What will be gone, mainly, this summer will be the distinctively Mandell touches that the fun-loving and pun-loving producer has introduced during his seven-year relationship.
There also will be a hole in Mr. Mandell’s city paycheck, shrunk by 33 percent.
Whether the changes will affect or damage the character of the series, the former fun associated with concert evenings remain to be determined.
Here is the new-look lineup for the free 7 o’clock shows in City Hall’s courtyard:
Thursday, July 19 — Katia Moraes and Sambaguru
Thursday, July 26 — Big Sandy and His Fly-Rite Boys
Thursday, Aug. 2 — The Jonathan Stout Orchestra plus Mora’s Modern Swingfest
Thursday, Aug. 16 — John Jorgenson Quintet
Thursday, Aug. 23 — Ricardo Lemyo and Makina Loka
Thinner by a bunch, the number of concert play dates has been nearly halved — down from 13 concerts last summer to 8.
Audience Reaction
This is a major setback for the 700 to 800 residents who, for the last four years, have counted on taking a seat in the breezy, rockin’ courtyard of City Hall every Thursday evening at 7, from mid-June to Labor Day.
The stripped-down model of what was known for years, more romantically, as the Summer Sunset Concert Series, begins a month later than the traditional opening, on Thursday, July 12.
Subtraction
Another missing staple this summer will be the Boulevard Music weekend concert at Vets Park in mid-July.
Staged as an accommodation for music-lovers who could not attend the Thursday night shows, the Boulevard Music weekend — named for the Sepulveda Boulevard business Mr. Mandell owns — typically showcased nearly two dozen acts.
Spreading the Funding
In explaining the sharp cutback, City Hall said it wanted to spend the money normally invested in the summer series on other citywide cultural attractions.
So far, they have only mentioned the one-day-a-year Art Walk in June.
New, first-time restrictions also were placed on the kinds of musical groups eligible to be invited.
Indoor Concerts
With all of June off for the first time in eight years, Mr. Mandell has plenty of time to prepare for the weekly concerts he hosts at Boulevard Music, Saturday nights at 8.
This week Gove Scrivenor, a guitarist described as “high-energy folk blues,” is the attraction, and next Saturday it is Steve Ferguson and Robby Longley with their flamenco, classical and jazz act. (Information:310.398.2583.)
Ferreting Out Information
Meantime, several questions were addressed to the producer:
Question: Given the changes to this year’s Music Festival, are you as enthused as you were in the past?
Mr. Mandell: “I am not going to comment on that.”
Question: What is your frame of mind entering a new season?
Mr. Mandell: “I am going to do the best job I possibly can.”
Question: With June off, what are you going to do?
Mr. Mandell: My son, who is a junior in high school, has a baseball showcase we will be doing because he wants to play baseball in college.
Question: With a new kind of schedule, do you think the crowds will be as large as last year?
Mr. Mandell: “I hope so. Time will tell.”
