Noted L.A. woodwind musician to perform at Troesh

Owens will perform for La Sierra University's Pierce Street Jazz series on Wednesday, Nov. 14 at 7 p.m. backed by Henry “the Skipper” Franklin on bass, Theo Saunders, piano, and Marvin “Smitty” Smith on drums. The performance will be held at La Sierra’s Troesh Conference Center in the Zapara School of Business.

Owens is a global jazz studies lecturer and jazz combo director at UCLA’s Herb Alpert School of Music. His wide-ranging professional musical skills encompass the tenor, alto, soprano and baritone saxophones, clarinet, flute, oboe, bassoon and English horn. He has performed, recorded and toured with a roster of A-list artists including the Clayton-Hamilton Orchestra, Miles Davis, Marvin Gaye, Dave Grusin, Eddie Harris, Gladys Knight, James Newton, the Buddy Rich Band, and Barbra Streisand, his bio states. He has performed on a Grammy-award-winning album featuring the music of Duke Ellington and toured the United States and Europe with his own band. 

Education is a central focus of Owens’ musical contributions. His efforts include co-founding a wind college and leading professional musicians in performances at Los Angeles elementary schools.

Owens studied at the University of San Diego and the famed Berklee College of Music in Boston. He also served in the U.S. military.

Franklin has organized the Pierce Street Jazz concerts at La Sierra University since their inception as a summer jazz series in 2009. He has recorded and produced more than 150 albums and compact discs including two gold releases. One of his latest albums through his label Skipper Productions is titled “Three More Sounds: High Voltage.” Released in 2015, it is a tribute to McCoy Tyner. Over the years Franklin has performed and recorded with many headline artists including Freddie Hubbard, Count Basie, Stevie Wonder, Sonny Rollins, Milt Jackson, and the legendary Hugh Masekela.

Saunders, who is also a composer, has performed in many of the world’s most prestigious jazz festivals and concert halls with distinguished artists including Freddie Hubbard, Carla Bley, David “Fathead” Newman, Gladys Knight, and many others. He has directed music for opera productions and international musical theatre. He also has numerous compositions to his credit as well as original scores for theater, radio and multimedia production.

Smith, a graduate of the Berklee College of Music, has recorded his own solo albums and has worked on over 300 albums with various artists. He has toured with Sting, Dave Holland, Sonny Rollins, Willie Nelson, Steve Coleman and worked many other famous acts. He is a former member of The New York Jazz Quartet, The Art Farmer/Benny Golson Jazztet and The Dave Holland Quartet, and is a former drummer for “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” where he was a band member for over 14 years. 

La Sierra University is located at 4500 Riverwalk Parkway, Riverside, Calif., 92505. For further information call 951-785-2148. A campus map is available at https://lasierra.edu/campus-map/.