Michael Davis
Susan Waterfall and Allan Pollack.
Nancy Waterfall, at 96, said: “there are only two things important in life, love and music.” This is the story of a masterfully curated snapshot in time, of a house in the desert and how one family’s musical passion and pedigree has connected generations.
I met Susan Waterfall (Nancy’s daughter) and Allan Pollack in their adorable cottage behind their Berkeley Hills home they bought in 1983. The cottage—built with reclaimed wood and found stained glass windows—was itself a gem, with a nearby, equally charming music studio. Susan, a classical pianist and music historian, and her husband Allan (a jazz musician, composer and conductor), who taught at UC Berkeley for 35 years, raised a son in Berkeley, but now spend much of their time in Mendocino at their “soulful” 1909 farmhouse Susan bought 50years ago for $28K. The lush and “fecund” (as Susan describes it) farm, set amongst the redwoods, with moss covered land on the Norcal coast, could not be more of a polar opposite to the hot, dry, Palm Springs home Susan was to inherit from her mother.
Susan says before she met Allan, she “hippied out in the 1970s” and wanted nothing to do with her parents’ lifestyle. Back in the day—as a college student—she loved the old date farms and grapefruit trees, the desert landscape and commitment to fun in the Coachella Valley, but had no love for the “worshipment of wealth.” Susan pursued her music career, moved to Mendocino and was happy maintaining the property, hauling wood for the wood-burning stove and carving her own path as an independent woman and artist. Later in life, Susan met Allan, although, ironically, they had both attended New Trier High School in the Chicago Area. Susan was a few years older than Allan, and he described her as a “knockout.” His high school self would not have believed that he would wind up marrying Susan Waterfall.
Nancy, the matriarch, was a jazz singer. Her son-in-law Allan says “she had the best ear of the family, but she came from a generation when being a musician was not a respectable job for a woman.” Nancy cherished appearances and created the perfect home in the desert, a refuge from bitterly cold winters on the North Shore of Chicago, where she and her husband Frank “Warpy” Waterfall, a midwest manager for Hewlett Packard—himself a jazz musician —raised their two daughters. Frank and Nancy embraced the desert lifestyle. Frank was active in the desert community and, in particular, the Betty Ford Clinic. He led legendary meetings called “Jazz Without Booze.” Frank passed away in 1999. Nancy loved her home, was a pillar of the community, and volunteered at the Eisenhower Medical Center.
Meanwhile, Susan was busy and not terribly interested in her mother’s social pursuits and “fussy tastes.” In fact, although she enjoyed sporadic visits to the desert, Susan couldn’t quite grok the look and feel of the house—dubbed the Waterfall House—that her parents had bought in Eldorado Country Club in 1972. Susan says her mom loved English Gardens and really didn’t like cacti. Nancy worshiped Leonore Anneberg, Nancy Reagan and Betty Ford’s style, and slavishly imitated the interior design of the era. Susan recently wrote for the Indian Wells Historical Society about the Waterfall House:
“Over the years, Mother would enlist the talents of two interior designers, first Ewing Pegee and then Edward Killam, who created the Billy Haines/Hollywood Regency look of her mid-century modern home. The glamour, luxury and fantasy of Hollywood complemented the austerity of the mid-century modern exterior. Mother’s impressive collection of Chippendale furniture was supplemented with extensive chinoiserie, quilted floral chintz, Herndon china, and Steuben glass. Mother conformed, down to the smallest detail, to the tastes of the iconic women of her time and place.”
Susan says her mom even dressed and entertained like the powerful wives of scions of Hollywood, business and political milieus, including the designer clothes, bouffant coiffure, big sunglasses and countless facelifts.
Susan, an intellectually committed, rebellious daughter, did not understand the mix of mid-century modern architecture and the fastidious and downright dainty interior design; it simply did not compute. At the time Susan felt it was tasteless. Even later, it was certainly not her or Allan’s scene. Nancy was persnickety about keeping the home perfectly tidy and never a cushion out of place. When I toured the Waterfall House, I was fascinated by the ornate upholstery and attention to detail, including a 1960 Revco Automatic Ice Maker in the built-in bar. Susan and Allan said it was “like a museum, you couldn’t even put a suitcase down on the floor, you could never have a good time.” I witnessed the shrine-like quality and loved the odd mix of styles. It was definitely an intact piece of Indian Wells history.
Both Susan and Allan were artistically successful. When suddenly Susan became pregnant at the age of 43, they were surprised. Motherhood had meant little to Nancy, but Susan knew Allan would be a great father. Sitting and talking in their Berkeley garden, it was clear that their mutual professional and artistic respect enhanced their marriage. They raised their son, Julian, in Berkeley and spent most weekends in Mendocino. Julian “J3PO” Pollack is a pianist/keyboardist and jazz, classical and hip hop producer. Composing, performing, teaching, and later raising a child, Susan and Allan found time to start the Mendocino Music Festival in 1986, described on the festival website as “A magical blend of fine music by outstanding performers in one of the most enchanting sites in Northern California. Evenings include orchestra concerts, Big Band, chamber music ensembles, dance, blues, jazz, world, folk, bluegrass and popular contemporary music. Daytime concerts include lectures/recitals at the Piano Series, a performance by participants in the Emerging Artists Program, and small concerts in intimate venues throughout the historic town of Mendocino.”
The 2022 season wrapped this July, and thousands gathered to enjoy the festival. The couple shared the feeling that “nothing else has the profundity of music” and know intimately that “one truly has to want to do it or die.”
Nancy died in 2017, at the age of 96, in her bed at her Eldorado Country Club home where she lived for the last fifty years of her life. Susan and Allan thought about selling the property. They were told it would be razed to build a larger home. Something changed, Covid hit, and although they spent much of their time hunkered down in Mendocino in 2020 and 2021, they loved the desert hideaway and the rich history of the Palm Springs area. Susan speaks about a post-mortem bonding experience with her mother—enjoying the pool, the fringed vintage golf cart, and desert life—and finally coming to terms with her mother’s legacy. Ironically, after her mom died, Susan says that “every day that passed we loved it more.” They aren't sure if it was an antidote to the foggy and wet environment of the Mendocino and Bay areas or a reaction to Nancy’s passing, but now they embrace the desert and love the house. For Susan, it is a way of loving her mother in retrospect.
Susan and Allan have changed very little in the house; they added a gorgeous jacuzzi abutting the mountainside, and are planning to build a shower. Allan laughed as he described the difficult process to get permits; the rules of the club, and the high cost of the renovation. He says they never want to take on a reconstruction project again in the Waterfall House. With their son, Julian, two hours away and a grandchild on the way, Susan and Allan look forward to spending half their time in the Palm Springs area, keeping the house intact.
Susan bought a piano shortly after her mom died—a way perhaps to reclaim the space—and she and Allan have given a few private concerts in the Waterfall House. These desert salons, small, intimate gatherings—given Covid—in the Waterfall House living room, looking out over the pool, garden and mountainside, were deeply meaningful to them. They plan to cultivate a music community in the desert, connecting people once again through music. The Mendocino Festival will continue to fill their lives in semi-retirement, and they plan to split their time between Mendocino and Palm Springs. It is full circle. Julian loves the house, and soon his child will get to enjoy the music and spirit of the family legacy, honoring their great-grandma, and her mantra about love and music in her beloved house.
