Jazz 1: Full Series
- Monty Alexander Trio
- Pat Metheny Dream Box Tour
- Diane Schuur at 70: An Evening of Songs and Stories
- Back at It! Remembering The Terry Gibbs Dream Band:
The West Coast Jazz Hour Big Band featuring Nick Mancini and Tawanda - Blue Note Records 85th Anniversary Tour
- Jane Monheit
- Yellowjackets
Monty Alexander Trio
Thurs. Sep. 28, 2023 at 8pm
“Audiences find Monty Alexander’s music instantly accessible, exciting and exhilarating, and they quickly warm to it and respond to it.” — Billboard
Nearly sixty years after moving to the United States from his hometown in Kingston, Jamaica, Grammy-nominated pianist Monty Alexander is a jazz legend, touring the world relentlessly with various projects, delighting a global audience with his vibrant personality and soulful musical messages.
A perennial favorite at the Montreux Jazz Festival where he has performed and headlined concerts 23 times since 1976, his spirited artistry is filled with endless melody-making, effervescent grooves, sophisticated voicings, and a romantic spirit. In every performance, Alexander applies his unique approach to a repertoire spanning a broad range of jazz and Jamaican folk songs, the American songbook, blues, gospel, bebop, calypso and reggae.
Because of his prolific performance career, his work with some of the foundational creators of jazz and popular music like Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Rollins, Tony Bennet and Frank Sinatra, and his more than 75 recordings as a leader and sideman, Monty is cited as the fifth greatest jazz pianist ever in the definitive book The Fifty Greatest Jazz Piano Players of All Time.
Pat Metheny Dream Box Tour
Fri. Oct. 27, 2023 at 8pm
Winner of 20 Grammy Awards, Pat Metheny is one of the brightest stars of jazz. With relentless versatility, a richly melodic voice, and a trademarked playing style, Pat Metheny reinvented the traditional jazz guitar sound for a new generation of players.
Through a career in which he has performed with artists as diverse as Ornette Coleman, Herbie Hancock, and David Bowie, Pat had remained a champion of emerging talents.
Diane Schuur at 70: An Evening of Songs and Stories
Thurs. Nov. 30, 2023 at 8pm
“Her voice is impressive in its size, range, and brightness. She uses her twirling vibrato as rhythmic punctuation. After drawing out a note, she dispenses that vibrato like the cherry on a sundae.” – The New York Times
Long regarded as one of contemporary jazz's leading vocalists, two-time Grammy winner Diane Schuur is as eclectic as she is brilliant. With a career spanning four illustrious decades, she sings the treasured standards from the Great American Songbook with intimate tenderness, pitch-perfect execution, and an assured sense of rhythm and phrasing.
Possessing a crystalline, three-and-a-half-octave vocal range, she traverses a straight-ahead brand of jazz in her trademark style—simultaneously romantic and mischievous, radiating warmth and soulful passion.
Schuur’s career includes two Grammy Awards for Best Jazz Vocal Performance: Timeless (1986) and Diane Schuur and The Count Basie Orchestra (1987). Schuur scored three additional Grammy nominations for subsequent albums Pure Schuur and Love Songs, as well as for the individual track “The Christmas Song.” Schuur’s music has explored almost every locale on the American musical landscape. They include the albums Heart To Heart with B.B. King and Swingin’ for Schuur with Maynard Ferguson, alongside assorted tracks with Stan Getz, Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Herbie Hancock, Alison Krauss, Vince Gill, Mark Knopfler, and Jose Feliciano, among countless others.
Back at It! Remembering The Terry Gibbs Dream Band:
The West Coast Jazz Hour Big Band
Featuring Nick Mancini and Tawanda
Fri. Jan. 12, 2024 at 8pm
The Terry Gibbs Dream Band created one of the most significant musical legacies in the history of jazz and big band music. Led by jazz legend and vibraphone master Terry Gibbs (who’s 98 years young), the band was named the “Best Band in the World” in DownBeat’s 1959 Critics’ Poll. Playing in Los Angeles in the late 50s and early 60s, the band’s roster was a Who’s Who of the greatest jazz musicians in history, showcasing dynamic large ensemble playing, infectious arrangements, brilliant solo playing and rhythm section.
The West Coast Jazz Hour Big Band—led by pianist Josh Nelson and drummer Kevin van den Elzen—pays homage to the rich jazz tradition and history of Los Angeles. This special concert and, true to the Dream Band legacy, includes the finest jazz musicians currently working in Los Angeles, including acclaimed vibraphone player, Nick Mancini and Sarah Vaughan Vocal Jazz competition winner, Tawanda.
Blue Note Records 85th Anniversary Tour starring the Blue Note Quintet
Featuring Gerald Clayton (piano), Joel Ross(vibraphone), Immanuel Wilkins (alto sax), Kendrick Scott (drums), and Matt Brewer (bass)
Fri. Feb. 9, 2024 at 8pm
Blue Note Records is celebrating their 85th Anniversary with a U.S. Tour starring The Blue Note Quintet– a group brought together to honor the label’s rich history and showcase the label’s current roster of eclectic musicians.
Six-time Grammy Award nominee Gerald Clayton leads the band as musical director and pianist. Rounding out the group are vibraphonist Joel Ross, saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins, drummer Kendrick Scott, and bassist Matt Brewer.
Jane Monheit
Fri. March 15, 2024 at 8pm
"A voice of phenomenal beauty.” —The New York Times
A vocalist with remarkable virtuosity and innate interpretive skills, Jane Monheit puts her unique touch on beloved jazz standards, classic torch songs, and contemporary pop.
The two-time Grammy-nominated jazz vocalist, with twelve studio albums as a leader, and countless recorded guest appearances, has collaborated with artists including Terence Blanchard, John Pizzarelli, and Michael Bublé. Touring nearly nonstop for more than twenty years, Jane continues to headline at every legendary jazz club on the planet, and is frequently seen in the spotlight on the stages of iconic venues such as Carnegie Hall and the Hollywood Bowl.
Yellowjackets
Fri. Apr. 19, 2024 at 8pm
"...a perfectly combustible electric-acoustic outfit whose smart, often challenging and unpredictable compositions draw from fusion, post-bop and contemporary jazz." — JazzTimes
Throughout their storied 43+year history, the Yellowjackets have recorded 25 albums, received 17 Grammy nominations–won 2–performed countless sold-out tours, and enjoyed worldwide critical acclaim and commercial success.
The Yellowjackets have gained and maintained prominence as one of jazz’s most influential and loved groups, possessing an extraordinarily high quality of musicianship that is the rival of many but a surprise to no one who knows and appreciates the band and their music.
