Musician’s Market

  Photos by MICHAEL TOBEY

By Shana Dines
Daily Bruin Reporter

Going along with the tradition of the past almost eight years,
the Westwood Village Farmers’ Market is one of the more
eventful ways to spend every Thursday afternoon and evening. Today,
there is even more to do at the market than buy fruits and
vegetables.

In celebration of Civic Pride Day, 5th District Councilman Jack
Weiss will have a booth set up, in addition to a large stage
featuring the music of Orquesta Son Mayor, Chantz Powell and Terry
Adams.

The Farmers’ Market has always been an event designed to
revitalize the community of Westwood. Weiss will be handing out
literature about current local politics and issues. Plus,
constituents will have the chance to approach him with any
questions they may have.

“You can talk to him without having to go to City Hall,
without having to schedule an appointment, without having to be a
big donor. You can just go down there and tell him what your
concerns are,” said Aaron Shapiro, the market’s creator
and manager.

This form of connection between the locals and their
representative is important to Shapiro, which is why he has worked
especially hard to promote this week’s market. He hopes that
UCLA students will be inspired to take advantage of this
opportunity and raise matters that are pertinent to them.

  Photos by MICHAEL TOBEY

He sees a great need for change in the relationship between
Westwood Village and the UCLA community. The problem is especially
apparent when compared to Cal and its close relationship to
Berkeley and the Telegraph Avenue district, in particular. Shapiro
hopes that the Farmers’ Market will continue to aid in this
effort for community.

The concerts have been a major focus of the market in the past
five years.

“We decided that producing concerts and having more of a
festival market atmosphere and design would heighten the chances of
drawing the local people and bringing the students down and making
more of a community oriented market,” Shapiro said.

For today’s celebration, Terry Adams, formerly of the New
Rhythm and Blues Quartet, promises to draw in the older classic
rock fans. Chantz Powell, a 14-year-old jazz trumpeter, will add
the teenage dimension to the audience. Orquesta Son Mayor, which
plays a regular gig at the Conga Room, has a strong following of
early-20 to 30-somethings. With all of these groups together at the
same event, Shapiro is looking forward to a varied collection of
listeners.

  Photos by MICHAEL TOBEY

Every week, the market features its own house band, which plays
mostly jazz music. Once a month, a higher profile guest band is
showcased. Furthermore, there are quarterly events that feature
multiple bands on a bigger stage with a louder P.A. system. These
events coincide with Valentine’s Day, Halloween, Christmas
and, this year, late May. They also work to attract the most
attention and the biggest crowds.

Although most of the featured groups in the past have been
strictly jazz or ethnic bands, Shapiro is working on broadening the
span of interest by bringing in different styles in the future. He
also wants to lure in more of the UCLA community by featuring
student bands, including the winners of this year’s Spring
Sing contest. A Brazilian Samba band will perform at the market in
May, and a hip-hop orchestra will come in June.

Another specialty will be contestants from a turntable
“scratch-off.” This inclusion of dance music is
intended to help in diversifying the crowds at the market.

Over the years, the Farmers’ Market has found that with
consistency, success is in store. It has done very little to change
the format since its inception. The number of vendors has not
changed because of the space constraints that keep the market on
Weyburn Avenue, between Westwood Boulevard and Tiverton. Likewise,
there has been little change involving the content of the vendors.
Food has always been a stronghold of the market, with organic and
non-organic produce, fresh baked goods and prepared hot dishes to
go.

“I think it’s a great place for students to go out
and meet each other. UCLA is a big, big campus and the market is a
much smaller place,” Shapiro said. “You can sit down
and have a tamale or a crepe. Maybe there’s higher chance
that you’d run into someone that shares your interests at the
Farmers’ Market than just sitting on Bruin Walk.”