JAZZ AT NAZ Festival Returns To The Soraya At CSUN

he Soraya's Jazz at Naz festival returns for a second year with five nights of the best of Jazz performances kicking off on February 2 with Christian McBride's "The Movement Revisited," celebrating heroes of the Civil Rights movement during Black History Month. Four more February performances follow-two in The Soraya's Great Hall, with its pristine acoustics, and two nights of performances in the intimate onstage Jazz Club.

Jazz at Naz tickets go on sale to the general public when The Soraya's 2022-23 Season launches on Thursday, September 22 with another quartet of Jazz legends-Joshua Redman, Brad Mehldau, Christian McBride and Brian Blade for "A MoodSwing Reunion."

Building upon the success of last year's Discover Jazz Virtual Pass - 3,0003 hours streamed! - The Soraya will once again expand the Jazz at Naz experience with livestreams of each concert and behind-the-scenes content via our virtual pass.

Accomplished jazz musician and educator Reggie Quinerly returns as host of The Soraya's Jazz at Naz virtual experience, a 13-camera operation, conducting candid interviews with the musicians, engaging in banter with The Soraya's Executive and Artistic Director Thor Steingraber, and shedding light on performances during each livestream.

"CSUN has been for decades an important training ground for jazz musicians," said Steingraber. "When The Soraya opened in 2011, the commitment to jazz in Northridge grew further. Now, with the addition of the jazz festival, we can safely say that Northridge is an epicenter for jazz in Southern California."

"The festival's 2022 premiere was an auspicious occasion with many highlights including memorable performances by Wynton Marsalis and Gregory Porter. Because this occurred just

as the Omicron variant was spiking, we offered the streaming version of the festival if audiences preferred to stay home. What we found instead is that in-person numbers and streaming numbers were both at an all-time high since the pandemic. This spoke volumes to the hunger for great jazz in Los Angeles."

Individual ticket Jazz at Naz ticket prices start at $36 for concerts on the Great Hall stage and $49 for Jazz Club. Jazz Pass and Membership tickets are available to all five concerts.

The Discover Jazz Virtual Pass is offered as an ad-on to any purchase for $10, or for $49 to attend the festival completely virtually.

For more information visit www.thesoraya.org or call the Ticket Office at (818) 677-3000. For ticket holds and interview requests, please contact The Soraya Communications Associate Marie Estrada, or PR Consultant Gary Murphy.

Jazz at Naz festival Performances

Thu, Feb 2 | 8PM | The Great Hall

Christian McBride's The Movement Revisited

A Musical Portrait of Four Icons

Powered by a relentless energy and boundless love of swing, eight-time Grammy Award winning bassist Christian McBride leads a Big Band and Gospel choir in an exuberant and powerful musical tribute to Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Jr., Muhammad Ali, and Barack Obama-heroes of the Civil Rights movement celebrated at The Soraya during Black History Month.

Sat, Feb 4 | 8PM | The Great Hall

Vince Giordano & The Nighthawks

I'd Rather Lead a Band

with Loudon Wainwright III

Travel back in time with Loudon Wainwright, Vince Giordano, and his band The Nighthawks with swinging arrangements highlighted by "muted horns, creamy winds, and lots of hi-hat," (Associated Press). Everything jives in this collaboration featuring 1920s-era songs about love, forgiveness, and "the consequences of a kiss."

Wed, Feb 8 | 8PM | Jazz Club Onstage Sessions

Melissa Aldana Quartet

Melodic and haunting, Melissa Aldana conjures stories of longing, connection, and rebirth through music anchored in jazz traditions and open experimentation. Experience for yourself why critics regularly claim Aldana might be "the world's next great tenor player" with a tone curiously capable of breaking free from tradition (Jazzwise). The first of our Jazz Club performances in the Jaz at Naz festival!

Fri, Feb 10 | 8PM | Jazz Club Onstage Sessions

Joel Ross 'Parables' Octet

The Parable of the Poet

Acclaimed vibraphonist and composer Joel Ross's playing erupts through lush arrangements like "consistent currents of electricity" (Downbeat) in our second Jazz Club performance. Join his octet onstage for an intimate experience through the seven movements of Ross's album The Parable of The Poet-described by many as an "absolute triumph."

Sat, Feb 11 | 8PM | Jazz Club Onstage Sessions

The Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra

Featuring Samara Joy

Hailing from the Bronx, fresh talent Samara Joy pairs with LA favorite the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra - now swinging for more than 36 years! Joy, a deeply emotive vocalist, exploded onto the scene in 2019 at the age of 21-often surprising audiences with the power she packs and her "lighter than air" and "understated, swingy rhythm," (Kevin Whitehead, NPR).

About Jazz Pass

Ticket passes to all five concerts are available and include a Bronze membership ($120 value) to The Soraya. Jazz Pass gives you access to the full 5-concert festival plus:

• 15% ticket discount

• Guaranteed table seating in our Jazz Club

• 25% off food in our Jazz Club

• Jazz Lounge access after each mainstage concert

• Jazz Lounge artist meet and greet

• Additional discounts toward purchasing our opening night concert on September 22 and The Charles Lloyd 85th Birthday Celebration on March 18.

For all ticket information visit www.thesoraya.org or call the Ticket Office at (818) 677-3000.