Noted saxophonist, composer Teodross Avery to headline Pierce Street series

Avery will perform with Pierce Street’s Henry “the Skipper” Franklin on bass, Theo Saunders on piano, and Marvin “Smitty” Smith on drums. The performance will be held at 7 p.m. at Troesh Conference Center, Zapara School of Business.

Avery has performed and recorded with some of music’s biggest acts including Lauryn Hill, Matchbox Twenty, Aretha Franklin, Hank Jones, Ben Riley, Cyrus Chestnut, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Amy Winehouse, among others. His list of television and film soundtrack and performance credits include “Love Jones,” “Beauty Shop,” “Blackish,” “American Idol,” and “ Saturday Night Live.” 

Avery made a first appearance with the Pierce Jazz Series in 2018. He is an assistant professor of jazz studies and commercial music at Cal State Dominguez Hills. He holds a doctorate in jazz studies from the University of Southern California, a Master of Music degree from the prestigious Steinhardt School of Education, New York University, and received his undergraduate degree on scholarship from Berklee College of Music in Boston.

For more on Teodross Avery visit https://www.teodrossavery.com

Pierce Street Jazz, which showcases professional artists, 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.

A Los Angeles native and Inland Empire resident, Franklin has held a career as a professional musician since 1959 and has performed on stage and in the studio with many greats of the jazz industry from ‘60s star Masekela to Stevie Wonder, Al Jarreau, Freddie Hubbard, Count Basie and many others. He has played on and produced more than 150 recordings including gold releases, and appeared at venues around the U.S., South America, Europe and Asia. Southern California performance locales have included Riverside’s Historic Mission Inn where he played for 13 years. He recently appeared on the recording “Showers of Blessings,” a sextet performance released in February 2021.

Series information and concert livestreaming is available on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/piercestreetjazz/. La Sierra University is located at 4500 Riverwalk Parkway, Riverside.