Tarfest 2022 Recap

LAUNCH LA, with tremendous support from its sponsors and the local arts and business community, is proud to present the 19th annual TARFEST music and art festival. TARFEST traditionally takes place in the fall but fluctuating COVID conditions and prohibition of public gatherings at city and county sites convinced LAUNCH LA to pivot to a virtual festival. On Wednesday March 30 th , 2022 at 7pm, TARFEST will present a 55-minute video consisting of two non-profit contemporary dance companies along with seven musical acts comprised of over 40 musicians and vocalists representing the diversity and quality of performers today in Los Angeles.
The video can be will be available for viewing on the www.tarfest.com website.

Phil Jaurigui and his team at The Den Studios provide video and sound production, as well as editing of the TARFEST video. Phil is a longtime professional sound provider and producer with field expertise and knowledge of contemporary cultural trends. Versa-Style Next Generation (VSNG) is a non-profit dance ensemble of highly dedicated professional dancers from the LA area. VSNG represents the diversity and beautiful complexity of Los Angeles and is led by professional dancers Ernesto Galarza and Anthony Berry. Nine male and female dancers will perform ‘Take It Back’, a tribute to the ‘Golden Era’ of Hip Hop from the 80’s to early 2000’s. Mash Up Dance Company, a non-profit company dedicated to the movement of female bodies and feminist ideas, will present EMBODY I in body. This new piece seeks to concretize the true nature of inspiration by analyzing the qualities of who and what we are inspired by. Six women dancers explore how we exhibit and explore these elements through movement.

In addition to the two dance companies, featured musical performers include trombonist and conductor Paul Nelson and his Big Ol’ Band featuring 14 musicians and vocalist UNSPOKENVIEWS delivering their moving piece, Justice. Electronic composer, multi-instrumentalist and Korean-born composer George Sarah presents his ensemble that includes viola/violinist Morgan Lee Gerstmar, cellist Peter Jacobson, and Australian multi-instrumentalist Andrew Dalzeill. Japanese-American actor and singer-songwriter Aidan Laprete and his band, featuring bassist Will Easley and drummer Matthew Sukert, present electronic-pop music as Laprete. Sweet and smoky voiced Jazmen Safina performs with her recently formed all-female band of Aubrey Harris on bass, Dee Simone on drums and Olivia Jyemo on keys with inspiring effect. Warner Records guitar-playing, singer-songwriter John Robert delivers intimate stories of life culled from his Appalachian upbringing and observations from his new home, Los Angeles. NYC transplant Frank Anthony delivers insightful R&B that serves as the perfect soundtrack to twenty-something life in LA. Finally, TARFEST alumnus Jessica Childress shares her recent songwriting prowess as she presents an exciting brand of soulful stories from life with her skillful piano accompaniment.

The mission of LAUNCH LA and TARFEST is to provide paid performance opportunities to artists while presenting free, quality arts programming to the public. Our goal is always to bring people together to witness and celebrate diverse and free quality programming. With the guidance of the Department of Cultural Affairs and City Councilmembers Nithya Raman and Paul Koretz, a virtual presentation was imagined and executed with great benefits to the artists and the public. The artists received a performance stipend, a valuable performance opportunity, and a video and recording of their performance to advance their careers. In turn, the public can access and enjoy the discovery of these inspirational performances in the comfort and safety of their homes any time they wish.

“In the final stages of this long pandemic TARFEST hopes to provide meaningful opportunities to artists along with inspiration and enjoyment to our viewing public,” says LAUNCH LA and TARFEST Co-Founder and Director James Panozzo. “Years of experience and established relationships allowed for this special collaborative effort to occur for the benefit of all who miss music and dance.”

TARFEST 2022 is possible through grants from the City of Los Angeles, Department of Cultural Affairs, LA County Department of Arts and Culture, California Arts Council, The Japan Foundation, Los Angeles, Mid City West Neighborhood Council and Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council. TARFEST sponsors include Television City, The Grove, Beverly Connection, The Original Farmers Market, Los Angeles City Councilmembers Nithya Raman and Paul Koretz, Union Bank, Walter N. Marks, Inc., Park La Brea, and other businesses and individuals who believe in advancing creativity and free, innovative arts programming in Los Angeles. A special thanks for the support and participation of cultural partners LACMA and the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County for their long history of support. Please visit www.launchla.org and www.tarfest.com for more information about TARFEST & LAUNCH LA.

TARFEST and LAUNCH LA, provides important performance and exhibition opportunities to some of the region’s finest emerging artists, performers, and cultural innovators in the historic Miracle Mile District of Los Angeles and beyond. LAUNCH LA is a 501(3)(c) not-for-profit social enterprise that believes exposure to the arts enhances quality of life and strengthens community. Passionate about promoting all contemporary art forms and their hybrids, LAUNCH LA recognizes the need for exemplary productions that create important cultural happenings with the assistance of commercial partners, cultural institutions and like-minded individuals and organizations.

Paul Nelson’s Big Ol’ Band

Justice (feat. UNSPOKENVIEWS)

Composed, arranged and conducted by Paul Nelson

Vocals/Rap - UNSPOKENVIEWS

Alto Saxophone - Phillip Whack

Tenor Sax - Garrett Becker 

Baritone Sax - Caesar Martinez 

Trumpet - Scott Bell 

Trumpet - Joel Schnaper 

Trombone - Garrett Smith 

Trombone - Nick Crane 

Bass Trombone - Khristian Foreman 

Guitar - David Ellis 

Keyboard - Marco Apicella 

Bass - Logan Kane

Drums - Lauren Ellis

My original music features wonderful musicians from LA and music for big band, electronics and various singers and rappers. 

The music that I write is really a reflection of my experiences. I have recently collaborated with lyricists and rappers to assemble new music that draw on my observations of lopsided injustice of the US incarceration system, finding our place in the world and learning to overcome what is thrown at us in life that we cannot control. 

While not the most beautiful story, I spent ten days in jail in the state of Georgia while I was in college and learned a lot about myself and the US justice system in that time. This piece, titled 'Justice,' is my reflection on this experience and one I would like to share to increase awareness of the failures of our systems in place as well as the importance of mental health for each of us as individuals.