6 San Diego Uptown News | January 7–20, 2011


NEWS


3737 Fifth Ave. Suite 201 San Diego, CA 92103 (619) 519-7775


PUBLISHER David Mannis


(619) 519-7775 x101


dmannis@sduptownnews.com EDITOR


Lauren Ventura


(619) 519-7775 x103 lauren@sduptownnews.com


ASSISTANT EDITOR Pat Sherman


(619) 519-7775 x102 pat@sduptownnews.com


REPORTERS & COLUMNISTS Charlene Baldridge Joel Berlin


Jeff Britton Elena Buckley


Patricia Morris Buckley Dani Dodge Lauren Duffy Michael Good Erin Goss “Dr. Ink”


Beatrice Kemp Brook Larios Scott Marks David Nelson


Geoffrey Keezer and his wife Susan Wulff met locally at a Mainly Mozart festival in 2000 and soon fell in love with each other— then with North Park. Recently nominated for a 2010 Grammy, Keezer will find out if he won on Feb. 13, but is just as excited about the nomination as he is his new al- bum, “Mill Creek Road,” to be released this month. (Photo by Lauren Ventura/SDUN)


Cynthia Robertson Dave Schwab Peggy Scott Ron Stern


Glenda Winders John Philip Wyllie


PHOTOGRAPHERS Paul Body


Michael D. Pawlenty


DIRECTOR OF SALES MARKETING


Mike Rosensteel (619) 519-7775 x108 miker@sduptownnews.com


SENIOR ADVERTISING CONSULTANT Sean Eshelman


(619) 519-7775 x105 sean@sduptownnews.com


ART DIRECTOR Louis Guzman


(619) 519-7775 x111 louis@sduptownnews.com


PRODUCTION ASSISTANT Becah Corbin


(619) 519-7775 x111 becahuptown@gmail.com


ACCOUNTING FROM PAGE 1 KEEZER


jazz leanings. He began playing piano at age 3, going on to attend Berklee School of Music for a year after high school, eventually join- ing Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. From there, his talents grew and he was nominated for a 2009 Grammy for Best Latin Jazz Album. Keezer said his collaboration with Donatel- li came about when


she cold-called him. Before he knew it, they were all eat- ing lunch together. “Then we got together at a piano


and Denise could sing just about anything, and she told me so, but not in an arrogant way. She sings like an Italian aunt singing you a lullaby; it’s very natural,” he said. Perhaps most serendipitous


was how Keezer and Wulff met. In what appears to be a match made in heaven, Keezer actually worked with his future wife in 2000, when he hired her to perform at a Mainly Mozart event. “It was a string


quartet plus piano and I needed a bass player,” Keezer re- called, smiling at Wulff.


“He was the


token jazz guy at the event,” Wulff chimed. Wulff, 37, is


no slouch either. She is in her 13th


The album, “Mill Creek Road,” can be pur- chased online soon at geoffreykeezer.com or directly at his upcoming concert at the Saville Theatre at San Diego City College Jan. 11. (Courtesy Geoffrey Keezer)


season at the San Di- ego Symphony and is a graduate of University of Southern California’s School of Music. But her musical trajectory is an- other story altogether.


“It’s kind of a fun-


ny story. I have two sisters and a brother and we actually grew up in a family band that became a variety show. We grew up performing since I was 8 years old. We would sing and dance and then we finally added instruments—we were called the ‘Wulff Pac,’” she said. “We would go around and perform every weekend in the Sacramento area.” Although the couple’s creative


output differs—one loves jazz, the other is classically trained—both agree that they love living in North Park and feel the locale inspires their work. Keezer said his new disc, “Mill Creek Road,” was directly influenced by his life in San Diego. “There is one song on ‘Mill


Creek Road’ called ‘Embabia,’ which is Spanish slang for some- one that’s spaced-out, or out-to- lunch. It’s a new song but the chord structure is based on the Eagle’s song, ‘Hotel California,” he said. “For some reason I hear that song every single day here in San Diego, so I wrote a jazz tune based on it.” The album was entirely mixed


and created in San Diego with the help of the Peter Sprague Band, who are featured predominantly on


the album.


Keezer said his latest venture is a departure from his 2009 album, “Aurea,” which was mainly infused with South American flavors. This time around, Keezer decided to compose music that directly reflect- ed his life experiences and travel throughout small towns in the U.S. Perhaps the most touching composition is, “Durga’s Hammer,” which Keezer dedicated to Wulff. “It’s about the Hindu goddess


Durga, who’s a lot like Susan. She built a lot of this stuff,” he said, gesturing to the couple’s backyard paradise, which includes a veg- etable and herb garden, a canopied outdoor living room and lush, non- edible plantings. “Durga had all the powers of the


male gods combined and more, so she’s like the supreme battle god- dess. Susan slays demons all day long, then comes home, straps on her tool belt, hangs some cabinets and puts up some drywall,” he said laughing. The album, “Mill Creek Road,”


see Keezer, page 20 (619) 519-7775 x112


accounting@sduptownnews.com OPINIONS/LETTERS


San Diego Uptown News encourages letters to the editor and guest editori- als. Please e-mail both to letters@ sduptownnews.com. Include phone number and address for verification.


We reserve the right to edit letters for brevity and accuracy. Letters and guest editorials do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher or staff.


SUBMISSIONS/NEWS TIPS


Press releases and story ideas are welcomed. Send press releases, tips, photos or story ideas to news@sdup- townnews.com. For breaking news and investigative story ideas contact the editor by phone or e-mail.


DISTRIBUTION San Diego Uptown News


is distributed free, biweekly, every other Friday. COPYRIGHT 2010. All rights are reserved. Printed in the United States of America.


Business Improvement Association


AUDIT PENDING


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28