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A wave of anticipation went through our jazz community at the prospect of Johnny Mandel, one of the premier composers, arrangers and band leaders playing today, bringing his seventeen-piece big band to  town. And indeed, the reality far exceeded any hopes or expectations the packed house at SOhO might have brought to the concert.  This [...]

By Mark McDonald The Yankee Wailers with Wally Holmes rocked SOhO Music Club Sunday March 30th with a kaleidoscope of musical interpretations and original numbers, including classic jazz and boogie woogie. The SB Jazz Society presented this group of well-seasoned musicians that included exceptional playing from professional sax and clarinet man, John Bainbridge, who played [...]

By Mark McDonald SB Jazz society celebrated the birthday of their late president, Kathryn Stockbridge, Sunday with the Kim Richmond 23 Piece Concert Orchestra at SOhO playing a tribute to Stan Kenton and weaving a wave of symphonic color and texture that brought the big sound of the Big Band era to the packed house. [...]

Review by Stanley Naftaly: Jazz Straight Ahead, KCSB-FM On Sunday, January 12th, One of the world’s most delightful and endearing jazz masters held forth for the Santa Barbara Jazz Society in front of a full-house at SOhO in downtown Santa Barbara. It took no more than 90 seconds for Barbara Morrison to charm the audience [...]

Peter and the Social Climbers By Stanley Naftaly On Sunday, November 3rd 2013 The Santa Barbara Jazz Society hosted Peter Clark and The Social Climbers at its roughly monthly concert at SOhO. It was another house-full of happy jazz enthusiasts enjoying an up-tempo afternoon of high quality straight-ahead jazz played by an ensemble of powerful, creative [...]

Sheila Jordan at SOhO By Stanley Naftaly Last Sunday afternoon, at the Jazz Society’s monthly concert, one of the two living  legends of jazz still performing (Sonny Rollins is the other), delivered a consummate two-set, seminar on the history of jazz. Sheila Jordan, at 84 years of age, showed why she’s always been one of [...]

Review: James Tormé "With a name like Tormé, it has to be good!" And it was…in fact it was fantastic! Such a treat to see and hear this heir to his father's seat as the foremost jazz singer of his time. If James keeps going, and I see no reason why he won't, he will [...]