Executive & Artistic Director
Thor Steingraber
________
Christian McBride, bass
& Ursa Major
Jazz Club
Fri Feb 7 | 8pm
Sat Feb 8 | 8pm
Run Time: about 1 hour and 50 minutes including a 20-minute intermission
________
Michael King | Savannah Harris | Nicole Glover | Ely Perlman
DownBeat Magazine: The Rapid Rise of The Soraya
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Program Note
It was not long into my tenure at The Soraya when I committed to creating an intimate setting for jazz. While a 1,700-seat auditorium works for some performances, the jazz club tradition is an important one that was missing at The Soraya.
Not only is an intimate setting ideal for smaller ensembles, it’s also the best way to experience the relationship between the musicians, especially improvising and passing around solos, sometimes executed with a subtle nod or raise of an eyebrow. All artists, newcomers and veterans alike, relish this experience, and audiences become part of the action at close proximity.
With the advent of The Soraya’s Jazz Club, we significantly expanded our jazz offerings, beginning in 2018, which eventually led to the inauguration of our festival, Jazz at Naz, now in its fourth year.
Each year we improve upon the club experience, adding a chef, a full bar, a custom-designed sound system, and more. Welcome.
Gratefully,
Thor Steingraber
Executive and Artistic Director,
Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts
Jazz at Naz
The annual Jazz at Naz festival has been recognized as one of the best winter jazz festivals on the West Coast as well as the jazz epicenter in Los Angeles. Jazz at Naz has showcased major debuts for emerging artists, such as five-time Grammy Award-winner Samara Joy, and created a home for the world’s jazz legends, such as John Pizzarelli, Branford Marsalis, Dianne Reeves, and Charles Lloyd. The festival has also turned the spotlight on influential crossover artists, such as Bobby and Taylor McFerrin, Diana Krall, Jon Batiste, Gregory Porter, Herb Alpert, and Lani Hall.
Returning after their sold-out debut last season, Pacific Jazz Orchestra opens the Jazz at Naz festival’s fourth season headlined by Eva Noblezada, a Grammy Award-winning and two-time Tony-nominated Broadway and West End star.
This season, The Soraya also welcomes saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin, as well as the return of Christian McBride to the onstage, intimate Jazz Club for two nights each.
Fresh from a monthlong celebration of the music of the great Duke Ellington, Kennedy Center Artistic Director for Jazz Jason Moran returns to The Soraya for the fourth time to continue the festivities honoring the Duke’s enduring legacy and his 125th birthday. In addition to entertaining from the piano, Moran will lead CSUN’s award-winning Jazz “A” big band to join him in furthering The Soraya’s ongoing commitment to music and arts education.
Also presented in the Great Hall during the Jazz at Naz festival will be Kurt Elling Celebrates Weather Report with Yellowjackets, and Chucho Valdés who brings Irakere back to life honoring its 50th anniversary with special guest Arturo Sandoval in a return engagement.
Christian McBride
Christian McBride is a nine-time Grammy Award-winning bassist, composer, and bandleader. He is the artistic director of the historic Newport Jazz Festival and the National Jazz Museum in Harlem, as well as artistic adviser for jazz programming at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center and the TD James Moody Jazz Festival. McBride is also a respected educator and advocate for youth, and he serves as artistic director of Jazz House Kids and the Jazz Aspen Snowmass Summer Sessions. In addition to artistic directing and consistent touring with his ensembles, he hosts NPR’s “Jazz Night in America” and “The Lowdown: Conversations With Christian” on SiriusXM.
Whether behind the bass or away from it, McBride is always part of the music. From jazz to R&B, and pop/rock and hip-hop/neo-soul to classical, he is a luminary with one hand always reaching for new heights, and the other extended in fellowship — and perhaps the hint of a challenge — inviting us to join him.
For this show, McBride is joined by four rising young master instrumentalists: saxophonist Nicole Glover, guitarist Ely Perlman, pianist Michael King, and drummer Savannah Harris.
Michael King
Virtuosic pianist Michael King, a Chicago native, began playing drums in his local church band at the age of 4. This fortuitously melodic schooling nurtured an undeniable affinity for the piano and organ, the very seat that he began to occupy, by ear, at age 14. King is an alumnus of Lincoln Park High School and the prestigious Oberlin Conservatory. He was selected to attend the Thelonious Monk Institute and The Ravinia Jazz Scholars program on merit scholarships.
King has performed with Bobby Watson, Kevin Eubanks, Dave Liebman, Gary Bartz, Billy Hart, Joel Frahm, Rufus Reid, and Antonio Hart, among others. Currently, you can catch King touring internationally with Dee Dee Bridgewater, Robin Eubanks, Theo Croker’s DVRK FUNK, Soul Understated, and Marcus Printup.
Savannah Harris
Savannah Harris is a New York City-based drummer, composer, and producer. Raised in Oakland, California, by musician parents, she gravitated toward the drums at age 2. Steeped in a jazz tradition, Harris views its connection to all forms of diasporic and folkloric music as central to her approach.
Harris has performed and recorded with indie and experimental artists Helado Negro, Georgia Anne Muldrow, KeiyaA, Nick Hakim, Kate Davis, Justin Allen, and Standing on the Corner. Her jazz recordings include releases from Peter Evans, María Grand, and Or Bareket. She’s performed with Geri Allen, Jason Moran, Ambrose Akinmusire, Terence Blanchard, Linda May Han Oh, Billy Childs, Immanuel Wilkins, Joel Ross, and Aaron Parks. Presently, she tours extensively with Christian McBride, Cécile McLorin Salvant, and Kenny Barron.
In 2019, Harris was awarded the Harlem Stage Emerging Artist Award, and she received her master’s in jazz performance from the Manhattan School of Music. She was featured twice in the January 2021 issue of Modern Drummer as both a featured artist and a contributing writer. In October 2021, Harris debuted her solo piece “With Inner Sound, Truth,” commissioned by Issue Project Room as a tribute to composer Ruth Anderson. Harris was also featured in Sixteen’s jazz edition, with portraits shot by photographer James Brodribb.
Nicole Glover
New York City-based saxophonist, bandleader, composer, and educator Nicole Glover has established herself as a rising star and a musician in great demand. Her most recent solo recording, Plays (Savant), featuring bassist Tyrone Allen, drummer Kayvon Gordon, and vibraphonist Steve Nelson, received 4.5 stars in DownBeat. Glover is also an integral member of the supergroup Artemis, led by pianist Renee Rosnes. In May 2023, the collective released their second recording, In Real Time, on Blue Note Records.
Growing up in Portland, Oregon, Glover was a student of the American Music Program, dedicated to priming students for a career in jazz. In 2009, she moved east to attend the jazz program at William Paterson University. There, she studied with pianists Harold Mabern and Mulgrew Miller, as well as tenor saxophonist Rich Perry.
Currently, Glover is a member of Ursa Major, a new quintet led by bassist Christian McBride, and she performs often with Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. She has worked with drummers Al Foster, Victor Lewis, and Kenny Washington, as well as Grammy Award-winning vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater, vocalist Buika, saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa, vibraphonist Joel Ross, and pianists Geoffrey Keezer, Luis Perdomo, and George Colligan, among others. Glover recently performed Mary Lou Williams’ Zodiac Suite with the Philadelphia Orchestra under the musical direction of pianist Aaron Diehl.
An experienced educator, Glover is on faculty at the Manhattan School of Music, and previously served on the faculty at Princeton University and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. She is a passionate teacher and has given many master classes and private lessons to aspiring musicians all over the globe.
Ely Perlman
Ely Perlman is a guitarist, composer, and producer hailing from Tel Aviv, Israel. A graduate of the Berklee College of Music, Perlman is a member of Christian McBride’s newest band. In addition to collaborating with other acclaimed artists, such as Shai Maestro and Ben Wendel, Perlman leads multiple musical projects, including a jazz quartet highlighting his compositional vision, and indie band SWIMS. He released “All We Got” in 2022, his first single as a singer-songwriter, and is currently working on his self-produced debut album.
Perlman received his early musical education at the esteemed Jazz Department of the Thelma Yellin High School of the Arts, graduating with honors, and at the Center for Jazz Studies at the Israel Conservatory of Music, Tel Aviv.
Twyla Tharp — 60th Anniversary Diamond Jubilee
One of America’s most enduring and lauded living dance-makers, Twyla Tharp celebrates her 60th anniversary with a coast-to-coast tour featuring her award-winning ballet set to Beethoven’s “Diabelli Variations.” She also brings us a new piece with music by Philip Glass. Tharp’s use of music to create works of startling originality and beauty defines this important milestone performance.
You Belong Here
This is your opportunity to belong to something special. Our 2024-25 Members enjoy exclusive experiences, such as the Member Appreciation Night for all Members, special events and artist meet-and-greets (Silver Members and above), private pre-performance artist salons (Silver Members and above), our festive holiday party, the annual Director’s Dinner in 2025 (Platinum Members), and more — as well as priority access to your preferred seats, your very own Members Only Seating Section, and exclusive savings when you select five or more performances. Most importantly, Member benefits are valid all season.
Beyond the benefits, Members drive our mission to present the highest caliber artists who captivate, inspire, and transport our audiences. Here, Members are part of a growing community of arts lovers connected by the joy of shared human experience. Here, Members belong.
About Us
The Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts is an award-winning, 1,700-seat theater that opened in 2011 and was designed by HGA Architects and Engineers. In 2017, a transformative gift by Younes and Soraya Nazarian dubbed the venue The Soraya (formerly the Valley Performing Arts Center). A vibrant performance program has served to establish The Soraya as the intellectual and cultural heart of the San Fernando Valley and its 1.8 million residents, and further establish The Soraya as one of the top arts companies in Southern California.
The Soraya’s 2024-25 Season boldly advances the immersive sound of big orchestras; the free flow of jazz; an array of dance; and a cultural bounty drawn from the well of world traditions. The Soraya continues its vigorous commitment to innovating, excelling, and amplifying access by offering a wide variety of performances that reflect LA’s many distinctive communities and featuring new and original work from the Los Angeles region as well as artists from around the world.
Located on the vibrant campus of the California State University, Northridge, The Soraya and the Mike Curb College of Arts, Media, and Communication share an integral link that enhances student opportunities in the arts and performing arts. This partnership fosters academic opportunity and artistic excellence, elevating the talents of CSUN’s students.
A $5 million contribution from record producer and former California Lieutenant Governor Mike Curb was pivotal in ensuring The Soraya was completed and opened in 2011. For his founding support and in acknowledgment of the integral relationship between the Mike Curb College and The Soraya, Curb is recognized as one of The Soraya’s Cornerstone Benefactors. The relationship between The Soraya and the Mike Curb College continues to grow, with robust offerings for students through master classes, student tickets, concerts of student ensembles, and students appearing alongside renowned artists, such as Wynton Marsalis, Aida Cuevas, and Martha Graham Dance Company.