Pierce Streets series to showcase veteran saxophonist, high school band

Saxophonist Doug Webb will perform for Pierce Street Jazz on Wed., April 12 at La Sierra University’s Troesh Conference Center, backed by band members Henry “the Skipper” Franklin on bass, Theo Saunders, on piano, and Marvin “Smitty” Smith on drums. The series performance will begin at 7 p.m. with a pre-show performance at 6:30 p.m. by the Hillcrest High School Jazz Band. Admission is free. The performance will also be livestreamed on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/piercestreetjazz/ .

Webb has performed on numerous soundtracks for movies and television shows including “X-Men Wolverine,” “Die Hard 4,” “Soul Food,” “Mystic River,” and “Law and Order,” with solos on tracks for “Million Dollar Baby” and “Gran Torino.” He has played with a range of famous acts including Freddie Hubbard, Stanley Clarke, Quincy Jones, Rod Stewart, Bonnie Raitt, Carly Simon and Pancho Sanchez and appears on hundreds of recordings. His band performances include Dennis Miller’s house band, the Jimmy Cleveland orchestra and 15 years with Doc Severinsen’s big band. Webb holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Berklee College of Music.

The 29-member Hillcrest High School band, under director Kristen Matthews, will perform in the atrium of the Zapara School of Business where the Troesh center is located. Riverside’s Hillcrest High is part of the Alvord Unified School District.

“This such an amazing opportunity for our students,” Matthews said. “They get a real-world experience performing at a gig, and they get to hear a professional musician perform live. We feel so lucky to be part of this event. It really will be the highlight of the students’ year in jazz band.”

The Pierce Street series showcases professional artists and began in 2009 as a free-admission summer community series through the efforts of Franklin and the university’s Summer Program with assistance from former La Sierra University Provost Warren Trenchard. It later expanded to offer performances throughout the year and is currently made possible through a collaboration with the Zapara School of Business.

Information is available at 951-785-2016, by email at pr@lasierra.edu , and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/piercestreetjazz/ . La Sierra University is located at 4500 Riverwalk Parkway, Riverside.