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This was a really special three-part evening, held at the downtown Grammy Museum, a venue that added to the panache of the event. It was billed as \u201cLevitt Pavilions presents An Evening With Grammy Legends Jimmy Webb and Thelma Houston,\u201d but it was so much more than that.<\/p>\n
I had never heard of Levitt Pavilions before, but throughout the evening I was apprised of the fabulous work their nonprofit organization does, bringing music and entertainment to the masses. It\u2019s the only national network of outdoor performance venues with free programming, and each pavilion presents at least fifty concerts a year. Pretty momentous.<\/p>\n
We in Los Angeles are lucky to have two locations right here, one in Pasadena and the newest one, in MacArthur Park, which is downtown. I truly love organizations like this, who care about entertaining the people who may possibly not be able to afford to go to concerts otherwise. I really encourage you to go to their website and learn more because even the pre-concert speeches were interesting. There\u2019s a lot to learn about Levitt Pavilions.<\/p>\n
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<\/a>The cake depicting the MacArthur Park Levitt Pavilion: obviously, no one "left the cake out in the rain" this time!<\/p><\/div>\n
Anyway, back to the fete! It was interesting to see that all the guests dressed-up, which made the whole event feel really festive. First up was a lovely cocktail reception on the roof. Next, we headed into the museum to look around for a few minutes before being admitted to the Clive Davis Theater, which was the perfect size for an intimate evening of music. I sat near the back and didn\u2019t even crave my usual binoculars, (which I use to study every muscle movement and maybe even a wardrobe malfunction, like a goon.)<\/p>\n
I had heard of Jimmy Webb, and could tell you that he wrote the iconic MacArthur Park<\/em>, but that\u2019s about it. Turns out, he wrote so many famous songs, I can\u2019t even begin to list them! But much more than that, he was a charming, honest, amusing story-teller, to go along with his \u201cand then I wrote\u201d set, which was truly impressive. (Note: Mr. Webb never once said, \u201cAnd then I wrote\u2026\u201d; rather, it\u2019s how Mr. X and I admiringly describe presentations where songwriters have many credits to their names.)<\/p>\n Jimmy Webb and Thelma Houston. I took this picture from my seat near the back--that's how wonderfully intimate this space is!<\/p><\/div>\n As he went along, I kept thinking that he should have been a recording artist himself. He has a Leon Russell kind-of voice (at least I think that\u2019s who I was thinking of while listening to him) and it went great with his songs. He did a perfect-length set himself, and then brought on Thelma Houston, (who doesn\u2019t have a wrinkle, despite being in the biz for over three decades.)<\/p>\n As it told us in the informative program, Ms. Houston has the distinction of being the first solo female artist at Motown to win a Grammy for Best R&B Female Vocal Performance. Kudos to her. She sang her big disco hit, Don\u2019t Leave Me This Way<\/em>, to a track, and then Mr. Webb got back to his piano to back her up for the rest of her numbers, many of which he had produced. Most heart-warming to see was the gusto in his accompaniment. His love and admiration for her was super-apparent, and lovely to observe.<\/p>\n They finished the performance portion of the evening by dueting on MacArthur Park<\/em>, his famous song that was inspired by the Los Angeles park where the new Levitt Pavilion is located. Back when he composed it, it was a haven for druggies and the like, and his story of what each lyric means made me appreciate the song for the first time in my life. I actually almost shed a tear.<\/p>\n Nothing could beat the show, not even dessert, but it was fun to gather on the roof and adjoining lounge once again for some sweet treats. And every guest was invited to meet the stars. I, strangely for me, opted not to, because I was happy to leave with the memory of their show.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/a>