Pacific Jazz Orchestra Launches 2024-25 Season with Special Guests John Pizzarelli and Sy Smith

Pacific Jazz Orchestra, led by seven-time Grammy-nominated Artistic Director Chris Walden, launches its 2024-25 season with a program of exceptional straight-ahead jazz, swing, soul, and traditional big band sounds at two leading Southern California venues. The 40-piece hybrid big band and string orchestra features guest artists 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).

The ensemble swings by Santa Barbara’s historic Granada Theatre on Friday, September 6, 7:00 pm, then heads south to delight Orange County music lovers at the Irvine Barclay Theatre on Saturday, September 7, 2024, 8:00 pm.

“John Pizzarelli and Sy Smith, both iconic and distinctive artists who are deeply engaging, will be highlighted individually and will also share the stage together,” says Walden, an acclaimed composer and arranger who creates original arrangements for each of the ensemble’s unique shows. “The program also showcases the tremendous versatility of Pacific Jazz Orchestra and its incredible musicians.”

Walden adds, “We’re excited to return to The Granada Theatre with this new show, following the incredible reception we received for our performance there last spring. We are also thrilled to introduce audiences in Orange County to Pacific Jazz Orchestra.”

John Pizzarelli, one of the prime contemporary interpreters of the Great American Songbook, has expanded that repertoire by including the music of Paul McCartney, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Tom Waits, Antônio Carlos Jobim, and the Beatles. In addition to being a bandleader and solo performer, Pizzarelli has been a special guest on recordings for major pop names such as Natalie Cole, Kristin Chenoweth, Tom Wopat, Rickie Lee Jones, and Dave Van Ronk, as well as leading jazz artists such as Rosemary Clooney, Ruby Braff, Johnny Frigo, Buddy DeFranco, Harry Allen, and, of course, his father Bucky Pizzarelli. He won a Grammy Award in the Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album category as co-producer of James Taylor’s American Standard in 2021. A radio personality who got his start in the medium in 1984, Pizzarelli is co-host, alongside wife Jessica Molaskey, of Radio Deluxe with John Pizzarelli. He has performed on America’s most popular national television shows such as The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Conan, and Great Performances, as well as the talk shows of Jay Leno, David Letterman, Regis Philbin, and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Sy Smith has long been renowned as the “Queen of Underground Soul” for her edgy, progressive mix of funk, neo-soul and R&B. A heartfelt incisive storyteller, the singer/songwriter/producer helped cultivate LA’s nu-soul scene more than 10 years ago, a scene that now boasts some of the genre’s most progressive artists to date, including some who came directly from Smith’s own band line-ups, such as Thundercat and Kamasi Washington. With five albums to her credit, Smith has been heralded by critics around the globe for her lyrical dexterity and vocal whimsy, often colored with a distinctive rhythmic swing that’s all her own. Smith’s vocal range moves effortlessly from a gritty speakeasy alto all the way to a stratospheric soprano whistle register reminiscent of the late Minnie Riperton. Smith began her career as a backing vocalist for Whitney Houston, Sheila E., Meshell Ndegeocello, Chaka Khan, Usher, Macy Gray and The Rickey Minor Band. Most recently, she’s caught the ear of jazz aficionados as a featured guest with Grammy-winning trumpeter Chris Botti, with whom she engages a note-for-note in playful competition on stage and is also featured on his Grammy-nominated DVD “Live In Boston.”

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.

The Granada Theatre is located at 1214 State St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. For tickets ($42-$157) and information, visit www.granadasb.org or call 805-899-2222

The Irvine Barclay Theatre is located at 4242 Campus Dr, Irvine, CA 92697. For tickets ($44-$140) and information, visit www.thebarclay.org or call 949.854.4646.

For information about Pacific Jazz Orchestra, visit www.pacificjazz.org.

ABOUT PACIFIC JAZZ
Pacific Jazz Orchestra embraces and reflects the diverse and enthralling soundscape of Los Angeles, where the 40-piece ensemble was born, bred, and resides. The ultimate cross-over sensation, the nimble hybrid jazz big band and string orchestra comprised of powerhouse studio musicians deftly navigates musical styles ranging from jazz, Latin, hip hop, and R&B, to pop, musical theater, symphonic, and cinematic soundtracks.

Founded in 2022 by seven-time GRAMMY^®-nominated composer/arranger/conductor Chris Walden, Pacific Jazz Orchestra has garnered critical acclaim for thrilling performances that “entertain, inspire, and enrich” (Variety). As artistic director and conductor, Walden creates a melting pot of original music and unique arrangements for every show, each with a specific theme, distinctive jazz flair, and lush orchestrations.

The ensemble is also noted for its ambitious collaborations with a wide range of guest artists, among them acclaimed singer/songwriter Rufus Wainwright, singer/actress Katharine McPhee, GRAMMY^®-winning vocal group TAKE 6, and Tony Award-winner Aaron Tveit. Other projects have featured eminent violinist Caroline Campbell, celebrated saxophonist Ben Wendel, GRAMMY^®-winning artist Ledisi, R&B/soul singer Adam “AeJaye” Jackson, vocal stylist Sheléa, and veteran blues and funk singer Billy Valentine.

Pacific Jazz Orchestra presents an annual concert series at various Southern California venues and has toured to Japan with its 18-piece big band configuration. It is LA’s first resident jazz orchestra since 2006, when the Henry Mancini Institute closed its doors after an acclaimed ten-year run. A 501-(c)(3) non-profit organization, Pacific Jazz Orchestra is sponsored in part by the Herb Alpert Foundation. Its Advisory Board Members include David Foster, Quincy Jones, Monica Mancini, Alan Bergman, Rickey Minor, Harvey Mason Jr., and Ledisi.

ABOUT CHRIS WALDEN
Seven-time GRAMMY^®-nominated composer/arranger Chris Walden is the artistic director and conductor of Pacific Jazz Orchestra. Hailed as a “distinguished conductor” (Audio Media International) and “gifted and well-connected arranger-composer” (Santa Barbara Independent) who pens “exquisite string arrangements” (The Arts Desk), Walden “has built an illustrious career working behind the scenes with some of music's biggest names” (grammy.com).

He has scored more than 40 feature and TV films and written more than 1,500 orchestral and big band arrangements for such artists as John Legend, Michael Bublé, Aretha Franklin, Paul McCartney, SEAL, Stevie Wonder, Rihanna, Barbra Streisand, and Josh Groban. He has also collaborated as an arranger and bandleader with jazz artists Diana Krall, Herb Alpert, Michael Brecker, Arturo Sandoval, and the Count Basie Orchestra and served as the lead arranger for the Academy Awards, Kennedy Center Honors, American Idol, and even the Super Bowl, arranging Jennifer Hudson’s National Anthem performance. In addition to working closely with producers David Foster, Tommy LiPuma, and Phil Ramone, Walden’s credits include conducting the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, Holland’s Metropole Orkest, Boston Pops, Philadelphia Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony, and WDR Big Band Cologne, among others.

The German-born musician, who performs on trumpet and flugelhorn as well, composed music for German films and TV before emigrating to Los Angeles at the age of 29. Walden, who lives in Los Angeles, has served as trustee on the national board of the Recording Academy and past president of the American Society of Music Arrangers and Composers (ASMAC).