March 19 - April 2, 2016 www.SanTanSun.com
City gearing up to show off local artists’ musical prowess BY MARJORIE RICE
On April 2, stand on a sidewalk in downtown Chandler, close your eyes and you may think you’ve been transported to New Orleans’ French Quarter, with strains of jazz coming from every direction. On that spring Saturday, jazz performers will set up on the sidewalks in front of five downtown shops to entertain music fans as part of the 17th annual Chandler Jazz Festival, April 1 and April 2. Admission is free. The event kicks off Friday night, with a blues vibe on the new Main Stage in the Downtown Library Plaza, 178 E. Commonwealth Ave. It swings into the sidewalk jazz on Saturday, followed by a night of jazz on the Main Stage. Blues bands include the Levi Platero Band, Paul Cruize and the Blues Crew and headliners R.D. Olson Blues Band. Saturday night’s Main Stage action kicks off with the South Mountain Community College Latin Jazz Big Band, followed by the Gabriel Mark Hasselbach Quintet and winding up with headliners El Chicano. And that’s not all. In addition to the sidewalk music, blues and jazz entertainers will perform at the Ostrich Lounge, El Zocalo, Vintage 95 and the Original Chop Shop restaurants. Each night ends with a jam session at Vintage 95.
The Levi Platero Band opens the Chandler Jazz Festival on the Downtown Stage at 5 p.m. Friday, April 1. Submitted photo
The festival has been swinging downtown Chandler since 2000, and it’s grown to become Arizona’s largest free jazz event, with music, a beer and wine garden, vendors, food trucks and more.
Bart Salzman is artistic director and founder of the festival. He got the gig in 1992, when Rich Dlugas, then director of community services for Chandler, asked him to
put together a festival to draw people downtown. “Chandler had a Jazz Fest,” Salzman said, “But they had it in a park east of downtown and they wanted to bring it to the center of the city. My vision was to create a French Quarter feel with music everywhere. I made a couple of calls, and in a week we had $10,000 and sponsors, and we put on a festival in April 2000. In 17 years we’ve never missed a beat.” Salzman, himself a jazz trumpeter, runs the festival as a consultant for the City. “Each year we’ve attracted more famous performers and a bigger budget,” he said. “Typically we get 10,000 people over the two days, depending on the weather.” New this year is the permanent Main Stage, in the park next to the downtown library. That required a change in scheduling, Salzman said. “The stage has no shade, so we’re not able to put bands on the stage until 5 p.m. We used to have local bands during Saturday afternoon, so we now have a lot more stuff in restaurants and on sidewalks during the day on Saturday. “We want people to know that there’s a lot going on Saturday, starting at 2:30.” Music fans can wander through downtown, shopping, snacking and see JAZZ page 3
Student’s view of politics changes Community paramedics try to reduce emergency medical calls after attending Sanders’ rally BY SRIANTHI PERERA
Each year, Chandler Fire, Health & Medical Department responds to about 16,000 medical emergencies. In an effort to reduce the number of these calls, the department is adopting a preventive stance. The department’s Community Paramedicine program, in effect since 2014, has been quietly working with individuals who have complex medical issues. The idea is to help them better manage their diseases, and thereby reduce their dependency on 9-1-1 calls and emergency hospital visits. “It’s been a great outreach to our community,” said interim Fire Chief Tom Dwiggins. “We met with hundreds of people who’ve complex medical issues and we’ve been able to provide them the education
they need to create a healthier lifestyle for themselves.” Once paramedics have identified people who they feel will benefit with education and tools, they pass their information to the Community Paramedics team. In teams of two, two-person community paramedic crews, the Community Paramedics visit individuals with chronic conditions in a nonemergency situation in their homes. They help the patients to understand their disease better, help them navigate the healthcare system and adopt a regular routine with their medications. For example, in the case of diabetic patients, the paramedics would educate them on the benefits of diet and exercise, the importance of taking their medications on schedule and similar matters. see PARAMEDICS page 4
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Hamilton High School graduate and ASU journalism student Elisabeth Niman attended Bernie Sanders’ rally on March 15 in Phoenix. These are her thoughts. BY ELISABETH NIMAN
I am a first-time presidential election voter. I attended the Bernie Sanders’ campaign rally March 15 at the Phoenix Convention Center and it changed how I view politics. First-time voters have a rare opportunity. They can continue to vote in the future, educate themselves about politics and involve themselves in the democratic process, or they can become so jaded by poll results, election outcomes and the general state of society that they rarely bother to voice their opinion again. This election cycle, however, voting has become a priority—even if for the wrong reasons. Many people say they’re afraid a
A Very Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year from The Amy Jones Group!
see SANDERS page 17
F E AT U R E STO R I E S Two are named East Valley Heroes by UBS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IRS warns of new telephone scam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Youth golfer playing in LPGA event in Phoenix . . . . . . . . . . . . . Get a ‘Taste of the Islands’ at Chandler Art Walk . . . . . . . . . . . Frankie Ballard brings country-rock sound to UltraStar Amphitheater .
See WHY on page 18
fascist or socialist will take power and ruin the country. As a result, candidates and their campaigns try and sway your vote. The drawback to being an inexperienced voter is they are successful at this, and you, the voter, are not always sure why. I will use my recent experience as an example. My backstory: I had an average upbringing. I’m moderate on the political scale and had a modest education courtesy of Hamilton High School. We live in a decent part of Chandler, and I have two siblings—a sister and a dog. I have realistic expectations of life: paying off college debt until I’m 40, married with two kids by 35, a steady writing job interspersed with rogue freelance work. All in all, an exceptionally average life. I didn’t understand the obsessive draw politicians like Donald Trump or Bernie Sanders inspired until I attended Sanders’
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