Cliff Todd

Cliff Todd Sings
a kate west favorite


Cliff Todd is a phenomenal local singer who just happens to do a spectacular Frank Sinatra and an uncanny Bobby Darin. He's sung just about everywhere, including local musicals, rave parties and karaoke bars, gaining him a pretty fabulous local cult following here in L.A., and rightly so! He's got the smooth mannerisms and suave moves of many of the famous Rat Packers and can dazzle crowds with even more fun impersonations. Remember, you saw him here first. If only we could go back in time and place him at the old Sands Hotel. Ah well, he'll just have to find another smashing way to take Vegas by storm. Be sure to keep an eye out.

Catch him on My Space: http://www.myspace.com/clifftodd and then compare for yourself (below). As always, Cliff does it his way, so come fly with him now, before he gets too booked up.


The Legends:
The Legendary Bobby Darin

The Old Guard:
The Rat Pack Live at the Sands

The Ultimate Rat Pack Collection: Live & Swingin (CD & DVD) Read more!

Fiddles and Violins

a kate west reflection






Not many people know this, but I used to play the violin. For almost two decades. I started as a child with the Suzuki method (or "Talent Education"), which is like an immersion technique, enabling children to learn by rote. The theory behind it is that if young children can acquire language skills so easily, they can do the same with musical languages and become proficient on a musical instrument. Critics say that brute memorization (also classic preparation for Spelling Bees) isn't really learning, it's just reciting. But I digress.

The real musical challenge came when I moved from Kentucky to California and had to find a new violin instructor. I don't know where my parents found him, but I started with a cranky old Russian master, Aaron Sten (founder of the California Youth Symphony and the Peninsula Symphony Orchestra). He's passed away now (February 27, 1994 at age 77), but back in the day he was a formidably impatient teacher. He taught passion and demanded perfection and gave me incredibly difficult pieces to try, all the while disparaging my previous training. Unfortunately, I wasn't made to be a virtuoso, but at least I learned about discipline, gained a deep respect for classical artistry and started to attend more symphonic concerts. To this day, I don't clap between movements. I also learned how to read music, which helped me in my singing.

So even though I'm sure my mother is still disappointed not to see me in Carnegie Hall, I feel like I experienced something profound and will never forget Mr. Sten. He was a great teacher, even when screaming at me, because it came from a place of true wisdom. Thank you, Maestro. Oh and in case you were wondering, a fiddle is a violin and a violin is a fiddle. The only difference is the location.

"Spontaneous joy in music, in performing or listening, comes naturally to the young, and it is a privilege to feel its spark". - Aaron Sten Read more!