Pierce Street Jazz returns with saxophonist Zilber, PSJ band

Zilber will perform Thursday, April 24 at 7 p.m. Admission is free, providing an opportunity for both students and the community to experience live jazz performed by top-tier professional artists.

Showcasing Pierce Street Jazz, Zilber will perform in collaboration with PSJ band members Henry “the Skipper” Franklin on bass, Theo Saunders on piano, and Yayo Morales on drums.

Canadian-born Michael Zilber has showcased his prestigious talents in cities across the U.S., including Boston, New York, and San Francisco. The National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters describes him as “one of the best players and composers around anywhere. Period!” Zilber has collaborated with esteemed jazz artists, including drummer Mike Clark, with whom he worked on their most recent album, “Mike Drop.”

In addition to his performance talents, Zilber has toured, performed, and recorded with jazz masters such as Mike Clark, Steve Smith, and John Stowell. With over 13 albums in his official repertoire, his work showcases his expertise in jazz. He currently resides in Los Angeles, where he is immersing himself in the city's present jazz scene, while splitting his time between L.A., San Francisco, and New York.

Saunders, who is also a composer, has performed in many of the world’s most prestigious 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 theatre, radio and multimedia production.

Morales, a native of Bolivia, earned a diploma from the Escuela de Música Creativa in Madrid, Spain, and also received a European professional music diploma in Belgium, his bio states. He plays a wide range of styles including Latin jazz, Brazilian jazz, and Flamenco and has toured around the world with such notable artists as Rita Marley, La Calle Caliente, Benn Clatworthy, Steve Cotter, and many others. He has taught at various schools and was invited in 2013 by the Bolivian Department of Education to design and implement a new drum program at the National Conservatoire of Music.

A Riverside area resident, Franklin has held a career as a professional musician since 1959 and has performed on stage and in the studio with many greats 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.

In February 2023, Franklin was awarded Outstanding Jazz Album-Instrumental for the 2023 NAACP Image Awards along with producers Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Adrian Younge. 

Pierce Street Jazz is supported by the La Sierra University Office of the President and the Zapara School of Business.

This event will kick off La Sierra University’s alumni weekend, followed by an art installation exhibit that involved more than 400 community volunteers. The reception for the installation, titled “Article 24,” will take place at the Zapara School of Business rotunda from 5 to 6:30 p.m. This unique, large-scale exhibit features 16,553 spoons cut from cardboard food packaging, such as cereal boxes, each suspended from netting hanging across the business school rotunda. It is designed to create awareness of food insecurity challenges facing elementary school-aged children in Riverside.

La Sierra University is located at 4500 Riverwalk Parkway, Riverside. For information contact pr@lasierra.edu or call 951-785-2016.