Varijashree Venugopal, Jeff Parker & More Join The Soraya's 2026-27 Jazz Lineup

The Soraya has announced that four artists will join the first  half of the 2026-27 Season—Varijashree Venugopal, Jeff Parker, Paul Bryan, and Scott  Amendola. Venugopal will join as special guest of Snarky Puppy on Sat, Oct 3 and Jeff Parker,  Paul Bryan, and Scott Amendola will join as the opening trio for The Bad Plus on Thu, Dec 3. 

Snarky Puppy (Sat, Oct 3) 

Since winning the first of five GRAMMY Awards in 2014, Snarky Puppy has become one of the  most in-demand ensembles of their generation, with bassist Michael League leading a collective  of 20 musicians who rotate through their ranks, in ever-changing fresh combinations.

A John Coltrane Celebration with Branford Marsalis and Diane Reeves (Thu, Oct 8) Branford Marsalis and Dianne Reeves pay tribute to John Coltrane with a new album set to  be released on Sep 18. In celebration of the jazz legend’s centennial, the two artists have  recorded Dedicated to You, an album that features the acclaimed saxophonist and his quartet  performing with the award-winning vocalist. Together they offer new renditions of the six  standards that appeared on the 1963 Impulse album John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman —

Coltrane’s only collaboration with a vocalist — as well as additional instrumental performances  of compositions from Coltrane’s canon, to create an exquisite homage. The album was  introduced in July with a trailer that can be watched, here. 

The Bad Plus Farewell Concert (Thu, Dec 3) 

After 26 years, The Bad Plus announced they will be no more after one final tour, and the band  is making just one stop in L.A. at The Soraya on Thu, Dec 3. Founding members Reid Anderson  (bass) and David King (drums) made the announcement in Jan 2026, telling fans, “We share this  news with heavy hearts, but also with great pride in what we have accomplished. It has been a  privilege to share our music with the world, and we leave behind a body of work that we could  not be more proud of.” This concert marks the close of jazz in the first half of the 2026-27 Season  and features a special opening guest trio led by Jeff Parker (guitar), Paul Bryan (bass), and Scott  Amendola (drums).  

About Snarky Puppy & Special Guest Varijashree Venugopal 

Snarky Puppy — The five-time GRAMMY®-winning collective, “has always been a band that  prioritizes the sound of the music,” says bandleader and bassist Michael League. Displaying a  wide array of influences including funk, rhythm & blues, hard rock, classic soul, modern gospel,  new tech, fusion and jazz, Snarky Puppy isn’t exactly a jazz band, it’s not a fusion band  and it’s definitely not a jam band. It’s probably best to take Nate Chinen of The New York Times’ advice, as stated in an online discussion about the group, to “take them for what they are, rather  than judge them for what they’re not.” 

In January 2025 the band collaborated once more with the Metropole Orkest– the Netherlands based hybrid ensemble renowned for fusing jazz, classical, and popular music on a symphonic  scale. Captured live over three nights (January 17–19, 2025) in Utrecht, the project reunites the  two groups a decade after their first joint effort, Sylva — an orchestral suite released in 2015 that  earned the GRAMMY for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album the following year. The result  of this collaboration - Somni - was released in November 2025 via GroundUP Music. 

Varijashree Venugopal — Varijashree is widely recognized as a child prodigy who  could identify 100 Carnatic ragas at the tender age of 18 months, who began performing Carnatic  concerts at the age of 4. She initially trained under her musician parents Vidwan H S Venugopal  and Vidhushi T V Rama, Vidhishi H Geetha, Vidhushi Vasantha Srinivasan, Vidwan D S Srivatsa,  and later under Ganakalanidhi Vidwan Salem P Sundaresan. Coming from a rich background of  an intricate classical form of music such as Carnatic music, Varijashree is one of the pioneering  artists in applying the techniques, fundamentals, and the sound & soul of Indian singing in the  global music context. In addition to being a singer, Venugoal is also a flautist, composer,  songwriter, and music educator. Her unique capabilities of using her voice as an instrument and  the blending of her singing with various music cultures using the Indian singing techniques, has  led her to being featured alongside and collaborating with few of the most notable musical  personalities in the world such as Bobby McFerrin, Michael League (Snarky Puppy), Victor  Wooten, Bèla Fleck, Hamilton de Holanda, Eddie Gomez, C4 trio, Trio Bobo, Anat Cohen, Jacob  Collier, Sandeep Chowta, Praveen D Rao, Ricky Kej, EYM trio, and more. She recently received a  Grammy® nomination for her work as a featured artist on British musician Jacob Collier’s “A Rock  Somewhere,” along with Anoushka Shankar.

About the Branford Marsalis Quartet 

Saxophonist Branford Marsalis is one of the most influential and revered figures in contemporary  music. The NEA Jazz maser, three-time GRAMMY Award winner, and Tony and Emmy Award  nominee is equally at home performing concertos with symphony orchestras and sitting in with  members of the Grateful Dead, but the core of his musical universe remains the Branford  Marsalis Quartet. After more than three decades of existence with minimal personnel changes,  this celebrated ensemble is revered for its uncompromising interpretation of kaleidoscopic range  of both original compositions and jazz and popular classics. After receiving Grammy nominations  on its last two albums, “Upward Spiral” and “The Secret Between the Shadow and the Soul,” the  Quartet made its Blue Note Records debut in 2025 with the release of Grammy-nominated  “Belonging,” a full album interpretation of Keith Jarrett’s 1974 ECM album of the same name. 

About Diane Reeves 

Five-time GRAMMY winner Diane Reeves is the world’s pre-eminent jazz vocalist. As a result of  her virtuosity, improvisational prowess and unique jazz and R&B stylings, Reeves received the  Grammy for “Best Jazz Vocal Performance” for three consecutive recordings — a GRAMMY first  in any vocal category. Reeves was featured in George Clooney’s award-winning film “Goodnight  at Good Luck,” for which she received a GRAMMY Award. Her most recent release, “Beautiful  Life,” features Gregory Porter, Robert Glasper, Lalah Hathaways and Esperanza Spaulding.  Produced by Terri Lyne Carrington, “Beautiful Life” also won a GRAMMY. Reeves has  received honorary doctorates from DePaul University, the Berklee College of Music, and The  Julliard School and, like Branford Marsalis, she was designated a Jazz Master by the National  Endowment for the Arts — the highest honor the United States bestows on jazz artists. Apart  from a duo recording with Romero Lubambo slated for early 2026, her collaboration with the  Branford Marsalis Quartet will be Reeves’ first album in twelve years. 

About The Bad Plus & Special Guest Trio 

The Bad Plus — The Bad Plus are the ultimate originals. A democratic unit with a clear vision and  a refusal to conform to convention. For the past two decades they have played with spirit and  adventure, made their own rules and done so with a bold sense of creativity and intent. Avoiding  easy categorization, The Bad Plus has won critical acclaim and a legion of fans worldwide with  their unique sound and flair for live performance. The band continues to push boundaries as  founding members Reid Anderson (bass) and Dave King (drums) embark on a new piano-less  incarnation of the band with Ben Monder(guitar) and Chris Speed (tenor saxophone) – instigating  a new wave of excitement and anticipation within the band that is re-energizing their sound and  inspiration. The Bad Plus has constantly searched to bridge genres and techniques while  exploring the infinite possibilities of exceptional musicians working in perfect sync. The Bad Plus  is currently in its 27th year and on its final worldwide tour. 

Jeff Parker, Paul Bryan, and Scott Amendola — A guitarist and composer with deep L.A.  roots, Jeff Parker was most recently featured on Flea's jazz record. Scott Amendola, a drummer  from the Bay Area, is known as a savvy bandleader and ambitious composer who has worked  closely with Charlie Hunter and Nels Cline. Paul Bryan, a GRAMMY®-winning bassist, composer  and producer, joins this trio as bassist. His creative and intuitive approach to recording as bassist  has added to the albums and concerts of a diverse range of artists over the years, including Aimee 

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