Los Gatos Weekly-Times

'Hurricane Sam' Rudin blows into town June 23 to kick off Music in the Plaza.

Music in the Plaza begins season

By Shari Kaplan

The 1996 summer season of the weekly Music in the Plaza series begins June 23 at 5 p.m. in the Los Gatos Town Plaza with a piano concert by Bay Area musician "Hurricane Sam" Rudin. Ten more concerts will follow, culminating in a three-hour show at Oak Meadow Park during the Aug. 25 Lions Club Picnic.

Arts Commissioner Dale Chambers says the Arts Commission is very excited about this season because it marks the first time Music in the Plaza is self-sufficient. With the support of volunteers and donations from individuals and local businesses, the commission currently has gathered approximately $16,500 to earmark for Music in the Plaza.

"The idea is to bring music and culture to the town. The support from the community and the quality of the musicians is fantastic," says Chambers, who will emcee most of the shows.

Particular thanks are in order, he adds, to Community Services Director Regina Faulkner and Community Services Program Coordinator Barbara Coy-Bulicz for their organizational skills and staff hours. More than $9,000 in donations were brought in by Los Gatan John Tice, who is not an Arts Commission member but is a staunch fan of Music in the Plaza.

Although often seen and heard with his band "The Hotshots," Rudin will perform a solo acoustic set for Music in the Plaza, accompanied by his 75-year-old traveling companion--a honky-tonk upright piano whose front cover has been removed to reveal the tinkling hammers and strings. A piano player since his early boyhood in Philadelphia, the Oakland resident says his playing style reflects his propensity to "take a little bit out of everything."

"I like to go all over the map with my musical styles, and this type of event is the best way to get all sorts of people listening at the same time. Sometimes I don't even know what I'm going to pull out until I get up there [on stage] and check out the audience," says Rudin, adding that he also enjoys "shmoozing" with the audience between numbers.

The musical genres he plays the most, Rudin says, are blues, jazz, boogie, honky tonk and country. Some of his numbers are original compositions, while others are his own arrangements of other artists' works.

All Music in the Plaza concerts take place Sundays from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Town Plaza, with two exceptions: the noontime July 4 patriotic program at Los Gatos High School and the Aug. 25 final concert at Oak Meadow Park, which begins at 4 p.m. during the Lions Club Picnic.

Upcoming shows are folk/country/popular singer Cathy Carter on June 30; San Jose Wind Symphony on July 4; bluegrass/country/folk group Sidesaddle & Co. on July 7; eclectic "musical samurai" band Ronin on July 14; gospel-style Light and Power Production Co. on July 21; new age rock group Simon Said and a cappella singers The House Jacks on July 28; Mariachi Tapatio and ethnic folklorico dancers Los Lupenos on Aug. 4; jazz /fusion guitarist Jim Witzel on Aug. 11; new age and world-music group Soulstice on Aug. 18 and Rich Rinaldi & The Variety Band on Aug. 25.