Los Angeles Jazz Society Tribute and Awards to Be Held Later This Month

Los Angeles Jazz Society's annual Jazz Tribute Concert and Awards are a celebration of jazz and its talented musicians who have made this extraordinary music their life's passion. This year's edition, hosted by KJAZZ's Rhonda Hamilton, will feature over 90 minutes of musical tributes, honoring the likes of Rickey Minor, Ledisi, and Bill Holman at the Montalban Theatre in Hollywood on Saturday, October 29, 2022, beginning at 7:30pm. For more information, please visit https://lajazz.org/annual-events/annual-jazz-tribute-awards-concert, and concert tickets are available at https://themontalban.ticketspice.com/lajs.

This year, the Jazz Tribute Honoree is the Emmy Award winning bassist, composer, producer and music director, Rickey Minor, who will be saluted for his outstanding career not only as a performer, but also as music director for the Tonight Show, Kennedy Center Honors, and American Idol, as well as individual artists including Whitney Houston, Ray Charles, Alicia Keys, and Beyonce to name a few. Minor will perform with his band along with special guests.

One of the most in demand and successful contemporary jazz and R&B artists today, Ledisi, will perform with her trio after receiving the Jazz Vocalist Award this year. Since arriving on the scene in the late 1990s, she's garnered three Soul Train Music awards, an NAACP Theatre Award, and six NAACP Image Award nominations, as well as winning Grammy in 2021 for Best Traditional R&B Performance.

A special tribute by the CSUN Jazz "A" Band will salute Lifetime Achievement Award recipient arranger/conductor Bill Holman on his 50+ year career. The three-time Grammy Award winner has arranged for legendary artists such as Thelonious Monk and The 5thDimension.

Saul Levine and Stephanie Levine, on behalf of KJAZZ, will accept the Leonard Feather Communicator Award. The legendary station will be honored for unilaterally broadcasting great jazz, along with its support for jazz musicians and the community. The Shelly Manne Memorial New Talent Award, presented annually by the legendary drummer's widow, Florence Butterfield, will be presented to two very talented young artists-trombonist Luciano Soriano and saxophonist Jack Lieberman-who will also perform with their quartet.

Joining us will also be the renowned actress/dancer/producer Debbie Allen (Grey's Anatomy/SWAT), music producer Gregg Field, award winning drummers Jeff Hamilton (Clayton Hamilton Jazz Orchestra) and Stix Hooper (founding member of The Crusaders), as well as trombonist Ira Nepus plus additional special guests TBA.

The annual Tribute is the main fundraiser of the year that supports the Jazz Society's operations and jazz education programs which benefit thousands of young people in LAUSD schools annually. Each February, Jazz in Schools provides free jazz education concerts in elementary schools for 25,000 students, and the Bill Green Mentorship Program provides free training in advanced musical techniques from professional musicians both individually and in group workshops for young aspiring jazz musicians. Our Jeff Clayton Memorial New Note Award presents commissions to young jazz composers to create new works to be premiered at a jazz festival.

Sponsorship, tribute ads, and VIP Reception/Orchestra tickets are available thru the LAJS office at 818-994-4661 or info@lajazz.org.

THE VENUE

The Montalbán, Hollywood's classic theatre reborn for a new era of screened entertainment and performing arts, is one of the few remaining mid-sized and fully equipped proscenium venues in Los Angeles. It features orchestra, mezzanine, loge, and balcony seating, and is known for its excellent sight-lines and acoustics. For the next 70 years, it was bought and sold several times by notables such as Howard Hughes, CBS Radio, Huntington Hartford, and James Doolittle (who outbid Cary Grant). In the 1980s, UCLA took over until the Ricardo Montalbán Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, bought the building in 1999.

Designed by Myron Hunt (whose work includes the Rose Bowl, Caltech, Mount Wilson Observatory, and Ambassador Hotel), it opened in 1927 as the Wilkes Brothers Vine Street Theatre. The gorgeous Beaux-Arts building was the first legitimate live Broadway-style theater in Hollywood.

Humanitarian and Emmy Award-winning actor Ricardo Montalbán's vision was to create a presence in Hollywood that provided inspiration and employment for young Latinos as well as other underrepresented people throughout the community.

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