Jazz and blues legend to lead Pierce Street series

On Wed., Feb. 18 Barbara Morrison will bring her talent to the stage as the opening act for a new year of Pierce Street Jazz concerts at La Sierra University. She will perform with a trio of top jazz musicians who have also played on the world’s stages -- bassist Henry “the Skipper” Franklin, pianist Theo Saunders and drummer Ramon Banda. The concert begins at 7 p.m. and will be held in the Troesh Conference Center of La Sierra’s Zapara School of Business.

A Michigan native, Morrison got her start at age 10 when she recorded a first radio appearance in Detroit. She moved to Los Angeles in 1973 at the age of 23 and throughout the years has been a mainstay of the L.A. jazz and blues music scene while performing around the United States, Western Europe, the Far East and Australia. Her major musical expeditions include a 33-city, all-star tribute tour around the U.S. which she co-headlined, honoring composer Harold Arlen.

While building her own musical legacy, she has worked with many famous acts including Ray Charles, Dizzy Gillespie, Jimmy Smith, Kenny Burrell, Gerald Wilson, Etta James, Nancy Wilson, Tony Bennett, Mel Tormé, the Clayton-Hamilton Orchestra, Doc Severinsen’s Big Band, and many more. Her special appearances include a 1995 televised tribute to jazz icon Ella Fitzgerald along with Tormé, Diane Reeves, Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan, Tony Bennett, Dionne Warwick, and Lou Rawls.

Morrison has been featured on more than 20 albums and has graced the stages of esteemed concert venues around the world including Carnegie Hall and the Sydney Opera House. She continues to perform in top jazz and blues festivals worldwide including those in Montreux, Switzerland; Nice, France; Monterey, Calif., and the Fringe Festival in Scotland.
She is also creator and director of the Barbara Morrison Performing Arts Center in Los Angeles which currently features a mix of jazz and blues, theatrical and comedy shows. The center also supports the Harmony Project, a musical education program for children. 

Morrison, the eldest of six siblings, cites her father in a February 2013 interview with “Shine On Hollywood Magazine” for providing her encouragement in the pursuit of her musical goals. She credits both her parents for their dedication to all their children, and attributes her fame to “tenacity and hard work, building contacts and making good friends,” she told the magazine.

Admission to Pierce Street Jazz is free. La Sierra University is located at 4500 Riverwalk Parkway, Riverside. For further information call 951-785-2148.