Pacific Jazz Orchestra, Led by Acclaimed Composer/Arranger/Conductor Chris Walden, Announces 2024-25 Season

Pacific Jazz Orchestra, LA’s only resident 40-piece hybrid big band and string orchestra, announces an ambitious and adventurous 2024-25 season. Founded and led by esteemed seven-time GRAMMY^®-nominated composer/arranger/conductor Chris Walden, Pacific Jazz Orchestra, comprised of leading studio musicians, flexes its considerable musical muscle with a range of compelling programs showcasing straight-ahead jazz, swing, hip hop, R&B, Broadway, Brazilian jazz, bossa nova, pop, and more at five leading venues in Los Angeles, Orange County, Palm Springs, and Santa Barbara.

“Pacific Jazz Orchestra fills a unique role in LA’s bustling music scene,” says Walden. “There hasn’t been a bona fide professional jazz orchestra that combines a big band with a string orchestra based in LA in nearly 20 years. This instrumentation provides the ultimate in flexibility, enabling Pacific Jazz Orchestra to perform a vast array of musical styles.

He adds, “Since our musicians are true thoroughbreds who can play anything put in front of them, creating music for Pacific Jazz Orchestra is such a joy for me. This season, we will be stretching our musical boundaries with wide ranging programs designed to captivate people of all ages. Each show we present has a unique musical theme, offering a phenomenal cross section of music and artistry.”

Pacific Jazz Orchestra launches its 2024-25 season with two back-to-back nights of exceptional straight-ahead jazz, swing, and traditional big band jazz featuring jazz guitarist/vocalist John Pizzarelli – hailed for “reinvigorating the Great American Songbook and re-popularizing jazz” (Boston Globe) – and Sy Smith, “one of the hardest working women in soul music” (Plano Magazine). (Friday, September 6, Granada Theatre, Santa Barbara, CA; and Saturday, September 7, 2024, Barclay Irvine Theater, Irvine, CA)

Next up, Pacific Jazz Orchestra hosts Ivan Lins’ 80^th Birthday Celebration, showcasing the considerable talents of iconic Brazilian songwriter/vocalist/pianist who holds “legendary status both in Brazilian and American music circles” (Downbeat). Joining the guest of honor for the celebration are adult contemporary vocalist Jane Monheit, applauded for her “first-rate music” (NPR), and musical chameleon Lee Ritenour, famed for his “virtuosic guitar” chops (Jazziz) and fusion, post-bop, and Brazilian jazz stylings jazz. (Friday, January 17, McCallum Theater, Palm Desert, CA; and Saturday, January 19, 2025, Segerstrom Center for the Performing Arts, Costa Mesa, CA)

Shifting its considerable musical gears, Pacific Jazz Orchestra offers a dazzling Broadway Tribute with notable guests (Saturday, February 1, 2025, The Soraya, Northridge, CA)

Capping its season, Pacific Jazz Orchestra returns to The Wallis with a program of genre-bending musical styles. (Thursday, May 29, and Friday, May 30, 2025, Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, Beverly Hills, CA)

In addition to these four dynamic main-stage shows, Oscar^® and five-time GRAMMY^®-winner Christopher Cross joins Pacific Jazz Orchestra for its first-ever benefit concert, offering a rare opportunity to see the beloved artist in an intimate venue. The pop sensation and yacht rock pioneer, an Oscar and five-time GRAMMY®-winner with such enduring hits as “Sailing,” “Ride Like the Wind,” “Arthur’s Theme” “Alright,” and “Think of Laura,” has sold over 10 million albums. Co-headlining with Cross is Pacific Jazz Orchestra’s own saxophonist Jacob Scesney. The woodwind specialist has more than 50 chart-topping performance credits with world-renowned acts such as Maroon 5, The Jonas Brothers, Shawn Mendes, & John Legend. (Thursday, October 10, 2024, Vibrato Jazz Club, Los Angeles, CA)

Pacific Jazz Orchestra also launches a new intimate jazz showcase series at the Aster Club in Hollywood with four programs slated. They will feature a rotating quartet of the ensemble’s musicians joined by emerging and established artists. (Dates and artists TBA.)

Plans are in the works as well for a Pacific Jazz Orchestra hip hop extravaganza, featuring eminent artists in the field, curated by GRAMMY^®-winning hip hop producer/composer/musician Om’Mas Keith, known for his work with Frank Ocean, Jay-Z, Erykah Badu, and John Legend. Among numerous career highlights, Om’Mas partnered Shafiq Husayn and Taz Arnold to form the alternative hip-hop sensation Sa-Ra, described as “stylish, experimental, eccentric, and eclectic… a foundational inspiration for a new generation” (NTS radio). (Date and location TBA.)

Pacific Jazz Orchestra has garnered critical acclaim for thrilling performances that “entertain, inspire, and enrich” (Variety). Thanks to the generosity of The Herb Alpert Foundation (HAF), the Pacific Jazz Orchestra’s inaugural season was fully funded, and HAF continues to support the ensemble in its 2024-25 season. Additional support this season is provided by Gregory Annenberg Weingarten, GRoW @ Annenberg.

For tickets and information, visit www.pacificjazz.org.