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Kurt Elling Celebrates Weather Report with Special Guest, Peter Erskine, & The Yellowjackets
Friday, February 14, 2025 | 8PM
Soka Performing Arts Center at Soka University of America
Presented
partnership with BluePort Jazz
Kurt Elling with Peter Erskine & Yellowjackets
Featured Performers
Kurt Elling singer/songwriter
Joey Calderazzo piano, keyboards
Essiet Okon Essiet bass
Mike Moreno guitar
Peter Erskine drums
Yellowjackets
Russell Ferrante piano, synthesizers
Bob Mintzer woodwinds, electronic wind instruments
Will Kennedy drums
Dane Alderson bass
This concert is presented in partnership with BluePort Jazz
In partnership with KCRW
KURT ELLING singer/songwriter
Kurt Elling is a two-time GRAMMY® Award winner who is renowned for a signature, rich sound and an inventive and individualized body of work. With a one-of-a kind brand of contemporary beat lyricism and vocalese-writing ingenuity, the Chicago-based musician has extended the parameters of vocal jazz and enlarged its vocabulary. The New York Times called Kurt Elling “the standout male jazz vocalist of our time.” The Guardian (UK) pronounced him “a kind of Sinatra with superpowers.” Over a twenty-five year career of touring and recording, Elling has won three Prix du Jazz Vocal (France), two German Echo Awards, two Dutch Edison Awards, and has been nominated for a GRAMMY® Award sixteen times. He has had a 14-year run atop the DownBeat Critics and Readers polls, and has won twelve Jazz Journalists Awards for “Male Vocalist of the Year”.
Elling’s work with other leading figures in the jazz world has included important collaborations with Branford Marsalis, Danilo Perez, Fred Hersch, Charlie Hunter and Stefon Harris. He has also performed as a featured soloist with many of the world’s leading large ensembles, including the NY Philharmonic, The BBC Concert Symphony, The Count Basie Orchestra, The WDR Big Band and Orchestra, The Clayton-Hamilton Orchestra, and The Village Vanguard Orchestra.
In addition to his work as a lyricist and composer for his own ensembles, Kurt Elling has co-created multidisciplinary performances for Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theater and The City of Chicago. Jazz At Lincoln Center saw the world premier of The Big Blind, an entirely new jazz musical Elling is co-writing with collaborator Phil Galdston (“Save The Best For Last”). National Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky declared that, “In Kurt Elling’s art, the voice of jazz gives new spiritual presence to the ancient, sweet and powerful
Kurt Elling with Peter Erskine & Yellowjackets
bond between poetry and music.”
Elling has toured the world in a variety of contexts, including UNESCO-sponsored “International Jazz Day” performances in Havana, Cuba, in St. Petersburg, Russia, in Melbourne, Australia and in Washington DC. He has twice performed at the White House, including a performance
PETER ERSKINE drums
Peter Erskine has played the drums since the age of four and is known for his versatility and love of working in different musical contexts. He appears on over 700 albums and film scores, and has won two GRAMMY® Awards, plus an Honorary Doctorate from the Berklee School of Music (1992).
Fifty albums have been released under his own name or as coleader. He has played with the Stan Kenton and Maynard Ferguson Big Bands, Weather Report, Steps Ahead, Joni Mitchell, Steely Dan, Diana Krall, Kenny Wheeler, Mary Chapin Carpenter, The Brecker Brothers, The Yellowjackets, Pat Metheny and Gary Burton, John Scofield, et al, and has appeared as a soloist with the London, Los Angeles, Chicago, Frankfurt Radio, Scottish Chamber, Ensemble Intercontemporain, Royal Opera House, BBC Symphony, Oslo and Berlin Philharmonic Orchestras. Peter premièred the double percussion concerto Fractured Lines, composed by Mark-Anthony
in collaboration with the late Marvin Hamlisch and the National Symphony Orchestra for President Obama’s first State Dinner. He has served as Artist-In-Residence at the Monterey and Singapore Jazz Festivals. As a music industry leader, Elling spent six years serving as a Trustee and two years as Vice Chairman of The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.
Turnage, at the BBC Proms with Andrew Davis conducting, and has collaborated frequently with Sir Simon Rattle. He also premiered the Turnage opera Anna Nicole at the Royal Opera House in London. Turnage has composed a solo concerto for Peter titled Erskine, which received its world premiere in Bonn, Germany in 2013, with a US premiere at the Hollywood Bowl with the LA Philharmonic. Peter has been voted ‘Best Jazz Drummer of the Year’ ten times by the readers
of Modern Drummer magazine and was elected into the magazine’s Hall of Fame in 2017.
Peter graduated from the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan and studied at Indiana University under George Gaber. In 1972 Peter commenced his pro career playing with the Stan Kenton Orchestra. Four years later, he joined Maynard Ferguson before working with Jaco Pastorius in Weather Report and moving to Los Angeles. Peter recorded five albums with the band. He won his first GRAMMY® Award with their album 8.30. During this time in LA, he also worked with Freddie Hubbard, Joe Henderson, Chick Corea, Bobby Hutcherson, Joe Farrell and George Cables. Peter then moved to New York City where he worked for five years with such musicians as Michael Brecker, Mike Mainieri, Eddie Gomez and Eliane Elias in Steps Ahead, John Scofield, Bill Frisell and Marc Johnson in the legendary group Bass Desires, the John Abercrombie Trio plus Bob Mintzer’s Big Band.
Peter’s lived in LA since 1987 but has been travelling around the world all of that time, working with such artists as Diana Krall, Joni Mitchell, Vince Mendoza, Steely Dan, plus European musicians Jan Garbarek, Kenny Wheeler, Palle Danielsson, John Taylor, Kate Bush, Nguyen Lê, Rita Marcotulli, the Norrbotten Big Band in Sweden plus Sadao Watanabe in Japan. He won his second GRAMMY® Award as the drummer of the WDR big band in Köln along with Michael Brecker, Randy Brecker, Vince Mendoza and
others for the Some Skunk Funk album.
Meanwhile, Peter keeps busy in LA with such artists as Alan Pasqua, Bob Sheppard and Bob Mintzer as well as playing in studios. Films where Peter’s drumming can be heard include Memoirs of a Geisha, all three of the Austin Powers movies, The Secret Life of Pets, plus the title music of the Steven Spielberg/ John Williams collaboration, The Adventures of Tintin. He also played the drums on the Academy Awardwinning soundtrack for La La Land, and can be heard on the scores for The Orville, Let Them All Talk, Mank and Babylon.
Peter produces jazz recordings for his record label, Fuzzy Music, with 4 GRAMMY® nominations to its credit. Peter is also an active author with several books to his credit; titles include No Beethoven (Autobiography & Chronicle of Weather Report), Time Awareness for All Musicians, and his latest book (co-authored with Dave Black for Alfred Publishing), The Drummers’ Lifeline. He is also authoring a series of iOS Play-Along apps suitable for all instruments.
Peter is Professor of Practice and Director of Drumset Studies at the Thornton School of Music, University of Southern California. Peter plays Tama Drums, Zildjian Cymbals, Vic Firth Sticks, Remo Drum Heads, Meinl Percussion, and uses Shure Microphones and Zoom digital recording devices.
Peter will be inducted into the Percussive Arts Society’s Hall of Fame in November, 2022, during the Society’s annual PASIC conference in Indianapolis.
Elling’s work with other leading figures in the jazz world has included important collaborations with Branford Marsalis, Danilo Perez, Fred Hersch, Charlie Hunter and Stefon Harris. He has also performed as a featured soloist with many of the world’s leading large ensembles, including the NY Philharmonic, The BBC Concert Symphony, The Count Basie Orchestra, The WDR Big Band and Orchestra, The Clayton-Hamilton Orchestra, and The Village Vanguard Orchestra.
In addition to his work as a lyricist and composer for his own ensembles, Kurt Elling has co-created multi-disciplinary performances for Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theater and The City of Chicago. Jazz At Lincoln Center saw the world premier of The Big Blind, an entirely new jazz musical Elling is co-writing with collaborator Phil Galdston (“Save The Best For Last”). National Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky declared that, “In Kurt Elling’s art, the voice of jazz gives new spiritual presence to the ancient, sweet and powerful.
Concessions
Celebrate Romance with Champagne, Chocolate and Jazz this Valentine’s Day
Our mission is to Engage, Educate, and Elevate the Human Spirit
Soka Performing Arts Center strives to elevate humanity through transcendent experiences. Come experience our exquisite acoustics. Come to expand your understanding and appreciation of music. Come to forge community and emotional connections through the shared experience of live music.
Soka Performing Arts Center is located on the beautiful hilltop campus of Soka University of America in Aliso Viejo. Our facility includes the 1,042seat Concert Hall featuring world-class acoustics designed by master acoustician Yasuhisa Toyota, designer of the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles and Suntory Hall in Tokyo, among many others. We also have an intimate 350-seat Black Box Theatre that allows for multiple seating configurations including club seating with bistro tables.
More than 750 performances have taken place since the center’s dedication on May 27, 2011. The 2024-25 season marks our thirteenth season presenting first-class programming in our world-class concert hall. We are continuing to expand our programming and outreach with the addition of a Children’s Concert Series and the only Great Pianists Series on the West Coast. From classical and jazz to world and contemporary music, the Soka Performing Arts Center has become a prized space for artists and audiences alike.
We are proud to be the home of the Pacific Symphony Chamber Orchestra. Our Sundays @ Soka Series with Pacific Symphony continues to be one of our most popular series year after year. Our presentations with other Orange County arts organizations have enabled us to reach further into our community to offer arts education and programming. Our partnership with the Philharmonic Society of Orange County includes our PSOC Series, which brings superlative artists to our stage. We also partner with PSOC for our Outreach Program, bringing over 7,000 school children to Soka Performing Arts Center to experience live performances with outstanding musicians.
With its world-class acoustics and first-class performances, Soka Performing Arts Center is quickly becoming one of the cultural jewels of Orange County.
OUR SUPPORTERS
DIRECTOR’S CIRCLE ($75,000+)
Dr. Kenneth & Sandra Tokita
Sam* & Lyndie Ersan
CONCERTMASTER ($10,000+)
Ms. Emi Maeda
STAGE CHAMPION ($5000+)
Yoshitomo & Takemi Daido
STAGE BENEFACTOR ($1000+)
Anonymous
OC Chinese Cultural Club
John and Sue Prange
Terumi Saito
Jochen Schumacher
Alex & Sandy Scott
Scott A Shuping
Anson and Marilyn Wong
PLATINUM CLEF ($500+)
Anonymous
Jeffrey Hendrix
Edward D. Jones
Jane A. Lynch
GOLD CLEF ($200+)
Judy Kaufman
Lorraine Leiser
Naomi Uchiyama
SILVER CLEF ($100+)
Renée Bodie
Sam Chang
Masako Inage
Debrah Jiang
Chiharu Nagai
Paul Porto
Thomas Prigorac
Jonia Suri
Joseph Whittaker
BRONZE CLEF ($25+)
Raquel Bruno
Kenneth Hanawa
Ryosuke Iga
Jeannette Pease
Joyce M Wrice
Taro Yamanashi
* Deceased
List current as of 09/26/2024
The Soka Performing Arts Center deeply appreciates the support of its sponsors and donors, and makes every effort to ensure accurate and appropriate recognition. Contact Renée Bodie, General Manager at (949) 480-4821 to make us aware of any error or omission in the foregoing list.
DONATE TO SOKA PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
Your support helps ensure Soka Performing Arts Center fulfills its purpose: to engage, educate, and elevate the human spirit. Your gift supports the programming of world-class performances, provides transformative educational outreach experiences, and opens the opportunity to build engagement with our community by sharing the joy of live music.
Our subscription and renewal program provides you with even more flexibility in our season packages*. With our enhanced program, you now have the power to curate your very own unique experience.
• 15% Discount for a 3 performance package
• 18% Discount for a 4 performance package
• 20% Discount for a 5+ performance package
*full details online at soka.edu/pac
OUR PARTNERS
• Blueport Jazz
• Philharmonic Society of Orange County
• Pacific Symphony
• Parnassus Society
SOKA PAC MANAGEMENT TEAM
Renée Bodie
General Manager & Artistic Director
John Morgan
Box Office Manager
Antoinette Rossman
House Manager/Assistant to the General Manager
Jaime Spataro
Marketing & Communications Manager
Steve Baker
Production Manager
Aadya Agrawal
Stage Manager
Jarmil Maupin
Internal Events Manager
Piano Tuners
Kathy Smith Lead Tuner
Ron Elliott
David Stoneman
David Vanderlip
Website soka.edu/pac
Soka Performing Arts Center resides on the beautiful campus of Soka University of America. We thank the SUA Board of Trustees and the SUA Leadership Council for all of their support.
SUA BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Stephen S. Dunham, JD | CHAIR
Vice President and General Counsel Emeritus, Pennsylvania State University | Baltimore, Maryland
Tariq Hasan, PhD | VICE CHAIR
Chief Executive Officer, SGI-USA | New York, New York
Andrea Bartoli, PhD
President, Sant’Egidio Foundation for Peace and Dialogue | New York, New York
Matilda Buck
Benefactor | Los Angeles, California
Lawrence E. Carter, Sr, PhD, DD, DH, DRS
Dean, Professor of Religion, College Archivist and Curator, Morehouse College | Atlanta, Georgia
Andy Firoved
CEO, HOTB Software | Irvine, California
Jason Goulah, PhD
Professor of Bilingual-Bicultural Education and Director, Institute for Daisaku Ikeda Studies in Education, Director of Programs in Bilingual-Bicultural Education, World Language Education, and Value-Creating Education for Global Citizenship, College of Education, DePaul University | Chicago, Illinois
Clothilde V. Hewlett, JD
Commissioner of Department of Financial Protection and Innovation, State of California | San Francisco, California
Karen Lewis, PhD
Sondheimer Professor of International Finance and Co-Director, Weiss Center for International Financial Research, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Luis Nieves
Founder, Chairman Emeritus AUL Corp, Benefactor | Napa, California
Isabel Nuñez, PhD, MPhil, JD
Professor of Educational Studies, Dean of School of Education, Purdue University Fort Wayne | Fort Wayne, Indiana
Gene Marie O’Connell, RN, MS
Health Care Consultant, Associate Clinical Professor, University of California, San Francisco School of Nursing | Corte Madera, California
Adin Strauss
General Director, Soka Gakkai International-USA | Santa Monica, California
Yoshiki Tanigawa
Benefactor, Soka Gakkai | Tokyo, Japan
Gregg S. Wolpert
Co-president, The Stahl Organization | New York, New York
Edward M. Feasel, PhD
President, Soka University of America (ex-officio member) | Aliso Viejo, California
Soka Performing Arts Center resides on the beautiful campus of Soka University of America. We thank the SUA Board of Trustees and the SUA Leadership Council for all of their support.
SUA BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Stephen S. Dunham, JD | CHAIR
Vice President and General Counsel Emeritus, Pennsylvania State University | Baltimore, Maryland
Tariq Hasan, PhD | VICE CHAIR
Chief Executive Officer, SGI-USA | New York, New York
Andrea Bartoli, PhD
President, Sant’Egidio Foundation for Peace and Dialogue | New York, New York
Matilda Buck
Benefactor | Los Angeles, California
Lawrence E. Carter, Sr, PhD, DD, DH, DRS
Dean, Professor of Religion, College Archivist and Curator, Morehouse College | Atlanta, Georgia
Andy Firoved
CEO, HOTB Software | Irvine, California
Jason Goulah, PhD
Professor of Bilingual-Bicultural Education and Director, Institute for Daisaku Ikeda Studies in Education, Director of Programs in Bilingual-Bicultural Education, World Language Education, and Value-Creating Education for Global Citizenship, College of Education, DePaul University | Chicago, Illinois
Clothilde V. Hewlett, JD
Commissioner of Department of Financial Protection and Innovation, State of California | San Francisco, California
Karen Lewis, PhD
Sondheimer Professor of International Finance and Co-Director, Weiss Center for International Financial Research, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Luis Nieves
Founder, Chairman Emeritus AUL Corp, Benefactor | Napa, California
Isabel Nuñez, PhD, MPhil, JD
Professor of Educational Studies, Dean of School of Education, Purdue University Fort Wayne | Fort Wayne, Indiana
Gene Marie O’Connell, RN, MS
Health Care Consultant, Associate Clinical Professor, University of California, San Francisco School of Nursing | Corte Madera, California
Adin Strauss
General Director, Soka Gakkai International-USA | Santa Monica, California
Yoshiki Tanigawa
Benefactor, Soka Gakkai | Tokyo, Japan
Gregg S. Wolpert
Co-president, The Stahl Organization | New York, New York
Edward M. Feasel, PhD
President, Soka University of America (ex-officio member) | Aliso Viejo, California
