Saving it for the end was Clifford Brown’s bebop piece “Daahoud” from the pianist’s latest recording, and more classical playing to garner a zealous standing ovation. Upon his return to the encore, Fortner asked the audience if they were going to see the new Michael Jackson movie. After getting mixed reactions he jumped into playing the King of Pop/Toto’s “Human Nature” and “The Man in The Mirror” with the audience clapping along. For more info go to: www.sullivanfortnermusic.com and cap.ucla.edu.
The inaugural Santa Monica International Jazz Festival, conceived and curated by Stanley Clarke, featured events at four different locations over nine days. The first concert was at DTLA’s Orpheum Theatre with Hiromi’s band Sonicwonder. The legendary bassist described the wizard-like keyboardist as encompassing technical expertise, along with emotional impact at its highest. With bassist Hadrien Feraud, drummer Gene Coye and trumpeter Adam O’Farrill,
Hiromi lived up to Clarke’s description and more. They began with easy-flowing and hard funk based contemporary tune “Wanted” that unveiled the bandleader and her cohort’s unbelievable talents to those unfamiliar with them. Following the opening tune was the high energy title track from their first album Sonicwonderland that overflowed with touches of influential keyboardists, Chick Corea, Joe Zawinul and Funkadelic/Parliament co-founder Bennie Worrell.
Progressing to the group’s second release Out There, they amazingly performed in its entirety the four-movement, multi-dimensional title suite. Among the segments were Hiromi’s thematic playing for “Takin’ Off,” offsetting grooves for “Strollin” featuring trumpet and piano, spiraling celestial styled “Orion” accented by bass and piano, and the hot-pulsing finale “The Quest” that was boldly garnished by all the players. It drew a frenzied standing ovation from the audience. For the encore, Hiromi solely played the reflective piece “Pendulum,” and with band explosive “XYZ,” both from her latest album.
Several days later, SMIJF presented SUNDAY ON THE PROMENADE, a free concert at Santa Monica’s popular shopping/dining open air street mall. Among the featured bands with Clarke sometimes accompanying were the Samohi Jazz Combo consisting of Santa Monica High School and Santa Monica College students, Los Angeles experimental jazz/world music guitarist/composer Varad Sahasrabudhe and emerging saxophonist Aidan Farrell.
Additionally featured, were explorative guitarists Duffy X Uhlmann, Grammy-nominated, bassist, producer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist Billy Mohler, and Brazilian/jazz/rock cross-pollinating INSTANT ALTER featuring Clarke’s daughter, vocalist Natasha Agrama Clarke and his saxophonist Emilio Modeste. Furthermore, pianist, multi-instrumentalist, impressionistic composer Elijah Fox, and Genevieve Artadi a singer, songwriter, musician, video producer who’s the lead vocalist of the electronic jazz-funk duo Knower played crowd-pleasing sets.
Several days later at the Broad Stage the theme was a TRIBUTE TO JOHN COLTRANE with Clarke serving as the emcee. Leading off the concert were meteoric saxophonists Lakecia Benjamin and Isaiah Collier bothdelivering beyond belief sets. Benjamin playing alto saxophone, also served as a rabble rouser. She vocally fired up the audience before diving into Coltrane’s free jazz opus “Liberia,” along with his timeless version of mainstream “My Favorite Things,” snippets of the spiritual “A Love Supreme,” while also launching into aggressive free-style jazz styled rapping.
Collier on tenor sax, contrarily spoke little and focused solely on Coltrane’s music. He began with the icon’s resonant ballad “Naima” that was dynamically played. Afterwards the bandleader segued into an explosive and raucous rendition of “Resolution” from A Love Supreme, featuring him and players masterfully stretching out to receive a standing ovation. Remarkably, they continued with Coltrane’s introspective, yet moving piece “Lonnie’s Lament.”
Concluding the program was Tenor Madness, which included veteran musicians, Stanley Clarke-bass, Eric Reed-piano and Marvin “Smitty” Smith-drums, along with saxophonists Emilio Modeste, Aaron Shaw, Benjamin and Collier. Together they were a powerful force, who also shined individually through incredible solos for Coltrane/Mongo Santa Maria’s “Afro-Blue,” and recently departed Sonny Rollin’s bebop classic “Tenor Madness,” which included Coltrane on the original session in 1956.
The final SMIJF event was A DAY IN THE PARK at Santa Monica’s Tongva Park, across the street from its world-famous pier. Saxophonist Kamasi Washington, co-founder of the West Coast Get Down Movement and a noted contributor to top-selling records by Kendrick Lamar, Terence Martin and John Legend was chosen by Clarke to be the festival headliner. The saxophonist admitted that he almost didn’t believe it was the celebrated bassist when he first got the call. Right before performing he noted that he was honored and glad to be playing in LA, amongst friends and family.
With his dense assembly of musicians, the saxophonist paid homage to Coltrane through his “Out of This World,” a fast-paced “Giant Steps,” and Miles Davis with “Milestones,” and “’Round’ Midnight.” It was superbly adorned by Tatiana Tate’s trumpet playing, Patrice Quinn’s singing and Terance Martin’s saxophone, all to the crowd’s amazement. In Washington’s typical fashion, he showcased all the players, beginning with his father, reedist Rickey Washington on flute, all the way to DJ Battlecat.
In addition to the interpretations were Washington’s and other bandmember’s own cosmic jazz/funk tunes, which included the dreamy jazz waltz slow closer “Together” by trombonist/founding member Ryan Porter. Without saying exactly why, the bandleader celebrated him, asked for all the audience’s help and everyone to pray for him. Sadly, Porter was severely injured in a car crash weeks earlier and died a week after SMIJF (May 16, 2026).
Prior to Washington’s consortium was the much-anticipated Stanley Clarke & Friends segment, featuring the emceeing bassist and former Police drummer/old friend Stewart Copeland. Clarke’s regular band, made up of Cameron Graves- Keyboards, Colin Cook-guitar, Emilio Modeste-saxophone, Evan Garr-violin and Jeremiah Collier-drums powerfully served up his formidable mix of fusion and world music. Included were George Duke’s bossa/fusion “Brazilian Love Affair,” and a funk/fusion version of Charles Mingus’ “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat” with trumpeter Keyon Harrold and keyboardist/producer Kiefer (Shackelford).
As promised, Copeland sat-in on drums for the last half of the set with bassist Armand Sabal-Lecco also accompanying the regular band for a jam-like performance of Clarke’s 50-year-old fusion classic “School Days.” Not to be overlooked was the Police’s hit “Message in a Bottle” with the audience singing along in response.
Proceeding Clarke and Copeland was the Miles Electric Band, led by Davis’s nephew, drummer Vince Wilburn Jr. He featured an impressive roster of musicians, including bassist Daryl Jones, trumpeters Antione Roney and Harrold, keyboardist Greg Spero, and percussionist Myungo. They focused on the impactful trumpeter’s electric music from the late ‘60s through the ‘80s, with recorded spoken word bits from Davis mixed in. Highlighting their set was “In A Silent Way,” “Time After Time” by Cyndi Lauper, “Human Nature” by Micheal Jackson and Toto, “Footprints” by Wayne Shorter and “Jean Piere.”
Opening bands for SMIJF at the Park were electronic/funk group Knower featuring singer Genevieve Artadi and drummer Louis Cole, who mostly work as duo, but were backed by full instrumentation for this occasion. Promising keyboardist Sam Smylie got the whole thing going with his combo and Clarke sitting in for easy flowing and soothing grooving. Unquestionably, the festival is off to a great start and promises a groundswell of incredible artists to come. For more info go to: www.smjazzfest.com.
By mid 2026, anyone with some knowledge of jazz and/or music in general should be aware that this is the centennial for the births of luminaries, saxophonist John Coltrane (September 23, 1926-July 17, 1967) and trumpeter Miles Davis (May 26, 1926-September 28, 1991). Celebrations for the multi-generational impactful musicians who created unbelievable treasures together for five years (1955-1960) and apart many other years are happening all over.
At The Wallis Theatre in Beverly Hills, the three-year old Pacific Jazz Orchestra, conducted by its Founder and Artistic Director Chris Walden presented Miles & Trane at 100. The 40-person symphony/big band hybrid typically is enhanced by a well-known guest vocalist and a talented musician. However, for this concert there wasn’t a singer, and instead three players. They were poll-winning and hot viral pianist Emmet Cohen, top-flight and former Lincoln Center Orchestra lead trumpeter Sean Jones and PJO’s own versatile and fast emerging saxophonist Jacob Scesney.
Intermixing the immortal musicians’ enormous canons was a challenge and skillfully managed. Starting things was Davis’ Milestones that swirled adroitly with the large assembly. From the same era was the legendary trumpeter’s interpretation of “Someday My Prince Will Come.” It along with “Blue in Green” from Davis’ Kind of Blue were perfect for PJO with the starring players all lushly soloing. Also emotionally charged was an extended version of Ellington’s “In a Sentimental Mood” from the 1963 Duke Ellington & John Coltrane album that was tastefully embellished by Scesney and Cohen.
For a change of pace, “On Green Dolphin Street” was rendered as a quintet piece with drummer Jamie Tate and bassist Edwin Livingston supporting the principal players to wow the crowd. Another deviation was with the full group performing “Tutu” by Marcus Miller to represent Davis’ later years featuring Jones and guitarist Andrew Synowiec. Additionally, free jazz was integrated through abbreviated sections of Coltrane’s monumental A Love Supreme featuring frenzied playing from Scesney and the orchestra inserting resounding choruses and chanting.
“Seven Steps to Heaven” with swinging orchestration returned things to conventionality, with trumpet and sax soaring fantastically to draw a robust standing ovation. For the encore Walden played trumpet for “Stella By Starlight” with only Cohen to gently send the audience home. For more info go to: www.seanjonesmusic.com, www.emmetcohen.com and www.pacificjazz.org.
17 Grammy-winning Alicia Keys’ 13 Tony-nominated, three Tony-winning Hell’s Kitchen Broadway hit musical, made its much-anticipated Los Angeles debut at the Pantages Theatre. Keyes, whose life and music inspired the musical directed by Michael Greif, and book written by Kristoffer Diaz, attended the event and energized the audience. However, when the curtain went up for the first act, eyes and ears shifted to the stage.
It was designed to vaguely resemble New York’s gritty Hell’s Kitchen working-class neighborhood adjacent to the Broadway/Times Square area, and the building where Ali, Keys’ character amazingly played by Maya Drake and her mother Jersey intensely portrayed by Kennedy Caughell lived. Notably, they had a doorman, so they clearly weren’t desolate.
Still, through entertaining song and dance numbers the father-less family struggled to survive and Jersey was always working. When home she tried to keep her hormone-raging daughter on the “straight and narrow.” Of course, that didn’t work out too well and 17-year-old hooked up with a hot and sensitive older guy, as she and her mother fought vehemently. All the while, Ali was getting tutored musically by a wise and worldly neighbor, Miss Liza Jane and Ali’s father Davis tries to worm his way back into her life but remains unreliable.
In terms of dramatic tension, the plot doesn’t possess a lot of depth or insight but does have emotional highpoints. The spirited singing, acting and dancing amongst the teenage cast members was electrifying. Naturally, Keys’ hits such as “Girl on Fire,” “Fallin’,” “No One,” “If I Ain’t Got You,” “You Don’t Know My Name,” “Teenage Love Affair,” “Like You’ll Never See Me Again,” and “Empire State of Mind” were consistently powerful throughout the production. During the final moments, the appealing musical received a zealous standing ovation, with Keys coming onstage to thank the cast. For more info go to: https://www.aliciakeys.com and www.broadwayinhollywood.com.