By BARRY BLITZER Palisadian-Post Columnist Last week the L.A. Times featured a piece by Steve Lopez, one of my favorite if verbose columnists. He wrote about a super-talented New Zealand jazz pianist and arranger, Alan Broadbent, who currently resides with his family in Santa Monica, the point of the story being that jazz is rapidly dying out in this country and something’s got to be done to save it. I hope you agree. Which is why I’m urging every living and breathing Palisadian jazz aficionado to hustle on down to The Jazz Bakery in Culver City this weekend to catch the inimitable pianist Denny Zeitlin, with bassist Buster Williams and drummer Matt Wilson. Well worth a visit. And as financial incentive, full time students 21 and younger (with student IDs) are admitted for half price. Even better, parking is plentiful and FREE. Call 271-9039 for performance times and ticket info. o o o Moving into 2005, the Da Camera Society of Mount St. Mary’s College is sponsoring a forthcoming day at the historic Egyptian Theater in Hollywood, featuring The Bennie Maupin Ensemble. If you’re unfamiliar with the name, the highly esteemed Maupin plays an array of woodwind instruments ranging from saxophones to bass clarinet. Following the concert, there’s a screening of restored shorts from the ’30s and ’40s consisting of jazz cartoons and studio performances by the late Cab Calloway (of ‘Minnie the Moocher’ fame) and Duke Ellington and Woody Herman. All this plus an artists’ reception in the courtyard of this colorful theater. The date is Sunday, January 9 at 2:15 p.m. and the number to call is (213) 477-2929 for ticket info. o o o Still another venue worthy of your attendance is the quasi-speakeasy in Santa Monica known as The VIC. The owner/manager Ray, offers a varied selection of notable jazz musicians and vocalists on Thursday evenings (resuming on January 6) starting at 8 p.m. Aside from upscale vittles and booze, there are after-hours jam sessions featuring some of lesser known local players, Incidentally, mention this column and you’ll receive the latest password for admittance. Don’t mention it and you’ll get in anyway. o o o Speaking of keeping jazz and jazz performers alive, there are numerous legendary musicians available on CDs, everybody including the keyboard genius Oscar Peterson and his trio with the late, great Ray Brown on bass and Herb Ellis on guitar. Don’t neglect Ella and her unforgettable Rodgers & Hart, Gershwin and Cole Porter songbooks. There’s also Chet Baker, Louis Armstrong, John Coltrane, George Shearing, Benny Goodman, Charlie Parker, Artie Shaw, Count Basie, Coleman Hawkins, Art Tatum, Dinah Washington, Antonio Carlos Jobim (the Brazilian Cole Porter) and they’re all mostly available at Borders, Barnes & Noble and Rhino. Sad to relate, I receive not a penny in commissions. Now hear this: If you’re too tapped out after the holidays to spring for recordings, tune in to the 24-hour jazz station, KKJZ FM at 88.1 on the dial. Let’s all band together and keep our favorite homegrown music alive and well… and least through the New Year.

Compiled by LAURA WITSENHAUSEN Associate Editor BENJAMIN PLATT, a student at the Adderley School in Pacific Palisades since the age of 3, is currently appearing in Tony Kushner’s musical ‘Caroline, or Change’ at the Ahmanson Theatre. He has been studying at the Adderley School in the Highlands for seven years. Benjamin, 11, is a sixth grader at Sinai Akiba Academy. He lives with his parents, Julie and Marc, and four siblings in Westwood. Platt plays Noah Gellman, a character roughly based on playwright Kushner as a boy, in the musical, which runs at the downtown theater through Sunday. He and Sy Adamowsky trade off sharing the role over the course of the run. ‘I can kind of relate to Noah,’ says Benjamin, ‘when he gets really mad at Caroline [the main character, played by Tonya Pinkins, who works as a maid for Noah’s family] and says things he doesn’t mean. I’m kind of impulsive like that, too.’ Benjamin likes the fact that the musical, set in 1963, is made up of pop, show tunes, R&B and ballads. ‘I love singing and acting,’ says Benjamin, ‘I like getting to be someone else and get away from reality for a few hours.’ ‘He is one of the most passionate, dedicated, selfless, gracious young actors I’ve ever come across,’ says Janet Adderley. ‘Early on, he had a huge facility for subtext. He really found his own inner voice and ability to connect with the emotions of a character’why he was doing what he was doing, and why words were not enough and he needed to break into song. He is a director’s dream and I just adore him. The sky’s the limit for him.’ Ben made his professional debut at The Hollywood Bowl as Winthrop Paroo in ‘The Music Man’ with Eric McCormack and Kristen Chenoweth and returned last summer as Young Patrick in ‘Mame’ with Michele Lee. He has appeared in two Reprise! productions, ‘Merrily We Roll Along’ (Frank, Jr.) and ‘Assassins’ (Billy) and appeared in ‘The Snow Queen’ (Alexander) at the Falcon Theatre. Ben will appear in the evening show at 7:30 p.m. Sunday for his final performance in L.A. and then go with the cast to San Francisco for a five-week run at the Curran Theatre. o o o NICOLE MARIE MELAS, a sophomore at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, was named a Sarah and James Bowdoin Scholar for being in the top 10 percent of her class the previous academic year. o o o JESSICA ESTHER SHULMAN, a junior at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, is studying with the Institute for the International Education of Students (IES) program in London this year. Jessica, a graduate of Santa Monica High School, is the daughter of Terri Miller and Andrew Marlowe of Pacific Palisades and Janis and Larry Shulman of Beverly Hills. o o o SAMUEL M. MILDER, the son of Michael Milder and Maureen McGee, is spending his junior year abroad through the Bates College Junior Year Abroad program. Samuel, a Spanish major at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, is studying through Hamilton College in Madrid, Spain for the fall semester, and through Brethren Colleges in Barcelona, Spain, for the winter semester. He is a 2002 graduate of Concord High School.

ADVERTISING Eve DeVeir, advertising manager, moved to Southern California on New Year’s Day 1998 from Susanville, a town northwest of Lake Tahoe. Prior to joining the Post, she worked at the Lassen County Times for 20 years, moving up from columnist to managing editor, and helping to start two associated newspapers. For 33 years, Grace Hiney has been the Post’s restaurant writer and account executive. An avid home cook, Grace names veal piccata as her all-time best dish. A 40-year resident of the Palisades, she was the entire advertising department when she began at the Post and her children were in nursery school; she now is the grandmother of five little ones, all 8 and under. Don Oswald, account executive, has been with the Post since 1983. He grew up in Connecticut and is an active volunteer at the Palisades-Malibu YMCA. A Pasadena resident, he enjoys his power boat excursions to Catalina Island for relaxation and fishing. Kendy Veazie joined the advertising department almost two years ago. A native of Tennessee, Kendy first lived in San Diego for four years before moving to Santa Monica just over a year ago. In addition to her busy sales position at the Post, she is musical manager to singer Tracy Niles, a native Palisadian who last year won female vocalist of the year at the L.A. Music Awards. Julie Stumpus is the newest account executive in the advertising department. She brings to the Post 14 years of experience in television ad sales. A native of Santa Barbara, Julie has lived in the Palisades for five years. Six years ago, she and her husband, Milton, lived and worked in Russia helping to launch that country’s first television network. EDITORIAL Managing Editor Bill Bruns was a freelance writer and an editor at Life magazine and TV Guide earlier in his career. He and his wife, Pam, have been Palisades residents for over 30 years. This month, Bill was honored with the Community Service Award by the Community Council for his many years of devotion to local youth sports programs. He has been managing editor of the Post since 1993. Libby Motika, senior editor, grew up in Brentwood and has been hovering around the Pacific Palisades most of her life. She has been heading the Post’s award-winning Lifestyle section for 11 years. Her enthusiasms run from poetry to art and architecture, with time reserved for her early morning bicycle rides. A certified master gardener, Libby shares her green thumb with children by volunteering in the garden at a Venice elementary school. When he’s not scrambling around town covering games, Steve Galluzzo, sports editor, is playing them’his favorites are soccer and tennis. He was born in New York but has lived most of his life in Southern California, graduating from Cal State Northridge with a degree in journalism. He enjoys what he does because it combines his passions: writing and sports. Laura Witsenhausen, associate editor, grew up in New Jersey and graduated from Brandeis University. She moved to Los Angeles 13 years ago and joined the Post in November 1999. A contributor to every section of the paper, Laura is editor of the Young Palisadians and Healthy Living pages. She and her husband, John Abruscato, live in West Los Angeles. Linda Renaud, news editor, joined the Post in September 2003. A Montreal native, Linda received her B.A. from the University of Montreal (Loyola College) and worked in television as an investigative reporter before moving to Los Angeles in 1986. She became a foreign correspondent for the Canadian press and wrote television reviews for The Hollywood Reporter. A Santa Monica Canyon resident, Linda also writes a real estate column for the Post and edits the monthly ‘Real Estate News & Views’ section. Alyson Sena, staff writer, grew up in Los Angeles and graduated from Marlborough. Her family moved to the Palisades in 1996, and she started as an intern at the Post in September 2001, after earning her B.A. in English from Brown University. Alyson is currently studying journalism in the certificate program at UCLA and working part-time as an assistant to a literary agent. Nancy Smith, staff writer, joined the paper in March 2001. A transplanted Midwesterner and former programming director at The Art Institute of Chicago, she moved with her husband and daughter to the Palisades six years ago. When away from the Post, Nancy chairs an ‘Art and Creative Writing’ docent tour at LACMA and is active in the Palisades Junior Women’s Club. A native New Yorker, Rich Schmitt, who became the Post’s staff photographer almost three years ago, earned his undergraduate degree at Hofstra University and a graduate degree in TV/film at NYU. He moved to Westwood in 1992. His freelance clients include UCLA, Pepperdine and the AFP wire service. ADMINISTRATION Roberta Donohue, publisher since 1987, was born and raised in the Palisades. Her 32 years at the Post include working in virtually every area of the paper, from reception to commercial printing. During the past year, she was proud to introduce the Post’s new digital press. Active in the Chamber of Commerce for over 20 years, Roberta served as president in 2000. Cheryel Kanan has been with the Post since 1984, and has been business manager for the past 15 years. She and her husband Dan are 41-year residents of the Palisades and raised five children here. They both spend as much time as possible with their five grandchildren. She is a past president of the Chamber, and has worn many hats at the Post. Handling Post subscriptions falls in the able hands of Sharon Reynolds, administrative assistant in charge of circulation since 1988. Reynolds has the distinction of driving 42 miles each way to work, with her husband, Jim, who is the production manager. The couple have two daughters, a son and five grandchildren. Jolene Knight, office assistant, does clerical work at the Post. A native of West L.A., she attended University High, Santa Monica City College and UCLA. Jolene was a Palisades resident for 22 years and currently lives in Marina del Rey. When away from the Post, she enjoys visiting with her son, Kevin, and grandson, James, and is an avid cook. Kathryn Sennett, a familiar face to customers as receptionist and classified ads representative, celebrated her one-year anniversary at the Post in September. She is a longtime Brentwood resident with a background in sales. When she’s not helping Palisadians place ads, she enjoys running, listening to music and tuning in to National Public Radio. GRAPHICS Graphics director Ed Lowe, a Palisadian since 1969, has been working at the Post for 20 years. Ed is a major player each year on the Chamber of Commerce’s Auto Show committee, handling all the graphics and advertising. His vintage car of choice is a ’68 Camaro streetrod. In addition to cars, Ed also loves the beach, surfing, hiking and Nordic Walking. Manfred Hofer, graphic artist at the Post for 22 years, grew up in Pacific Palisades and attended Santa Monica College. Active in theater, he starred in Theatre Palisades’ most recent production of ‘Inspecting Carol’ and was named the Santa Monica Theatre Guild’s ‘Best Character Actor’ for his role in ‘Sue’o.’ He is also once again playing guitar with The Leaving Trains. Tom Hofer, Manfred’s younger brother, grew up in the Palisades and has been a graphic artist with the Post for 15 years. A UCLA graduate, Tom is a hockey fan, poet and musician, and he rejoined Manfred in the band The Leaving Trains earlier this year. Musically, he also put out a solo CD, entitled ‘Clearinghouse,’ in 2002 and plans to release another next year. PRODUCTION Jim Reynolds has been at the Post since 1978, and as production manager he’s the one who makes sure all the printing jobs and the newspaper get out on time. Jim is a NASCAR nut, and has a collection of more than 800 NASCAR toys parked in his den. Shop Foreman Joe Hernandez loves the outdoors and he can think of no better vacation than hiking in the high country. A 26-year veteran at the Post, Joe not only runs the two-color Heidelberg press, but makes sure that all the machinery is working properly. Manuel Tavarez has put in 11 years at the Post and operates both the Heidelberg one-color press and the new digital press. A native of Zapotlanejo, a little town just outside of Guadalajara, Mexico, Manuel is a spirited supporter of Mexico’s soccer team. Keith McDaniel joined the Post three years ago as press operator and is responsible for coaxing the venerable Palisadian-Post press into printing the finest color it can. He lives in Pico Rivera with his wife Carol and daughters, Katie and Kayla. Tom Aguilar, pressroom assistant and driver, celebrated his two year anniversary at the Post in September. He lives in Venice with his wife, Cynthia, and kids Vito, Alyssa, Jessica and Joel. In his spare time he plays electric guitar and repairs amplifiers. Vito Aguilar, Tom Aguilar’s son, came to the Post in September to work as press assistant. In January, he will begin his second year at Santa Monica College where he studies fine art and hopes to major in digital media and animation.