Pierce Street Jazz to feature Grammy-winning trumpeter

Taylor will headline the event at La Sierra on Wed., July 13 at 7 p.m. and will be accompanied by Pierce Street Jazz regulars Henry "the Skipper" Franklin on bass, Theo Saunders on piano, and Ramon Banda on drums.

Taylor’s musical career began at age 10 in Bedford, Ohio when he started practicing the trumpet for his school’s band program. After noticing the young student’s talent, the school’s band instructor encouraged Taylor to join the jazz ensemble. His band instructor also took him to several jazz concerts where his passion grew for the genre, his website states.

He received his B.A. in jazz studies from Michigan State University, where he practiced and studied with prominent jazz musicians. Taylor went on to Rutgers University to receive his master’s degree. He has since performed and recorded with Billy Childs, Gary Novak, Bob Sheppard, and more. He has toured internationally with James Carter’s Quintet in Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Canada, and Austria.

Taylor has recorded with Gregory Porter on the albums “Water” and “Liquid Spirit.” In 2014, “Liquid Spirit” received a Grammy for best jazz vocal album. Taylor is currently on tour and will be performing in Ohio, New Jersey, Michigan, and California.

Franklin has organized the Pierce Street Jazz concerts at La Sierra University since their inception as a summer jazz series in 2009. His broad experience includes work with numerous top jazz and pop artists, and recordings on more than 150 albums and compact discs including gold releases, many of which he produced. Banda performed for 24 years with the Grammy award-winning Poncho Sanchez Latin Jazz Band. Saunders has numerous compositions to his credit and original scores for theatre, radio, and multimedia production. His extensive performance credits include work with Gladys Knight, David “Fathead” Newman, Barbara Morrison, and many others.

Franklin recently released his latest album titled “High Voltage,” and Saunders released a new album titled “Jazz Assemblage: Theo Saunders Sextet” which includes work by Franklin. Saunders also works with saxophonist Azar Lawrence.

Admission is free. Pierce Street Jazz will take place at the Troesh Conference Center, Zapara School of Business. For further information, call 951-785- 2148. La Sierra University is located at 4500 Riverwalk Parkway, Riverside. A campus map is available at https://lasierra.edu/campus-map/.