Pierce Street Jazz to host blues guitarist John Payne

  Arts+Culture   College of Arts & Sciences  

As a student of jazz guitar, John Payne was influenced by the likes of Wes Montgomery, Grant Green, and Kenny Burrell.

Blues guitarist John Payne with bassist Henry Franklin. Payne will headline Pierce Street Jazz on Aug. 10.
Blues guitarist John Payne with bassist Henry Franklin. Payne will headline Pierce Street Jazz on Aug. 10.
(Left to right) Theo Saunders, Henry Franklin, John Payne and Ramon Banda performing for Pierce Street Jazz.
(Left to right) Theo Saunders, Henry Franklin, John Payne and Ramon Banda performing for Pierce Street Jazz.

And as a youngster in West Texas, he was drawn to the region’s fiddle and guitar music and the western swing sounds of Hoyle Nix. Such inspirations helped propel his career as a musician and teacher.

On Wed., Aug. 10 at 7 p.m., Payne will bring his talents to La Sierra University’s Pierce Street Jazz series. He will be backed by Henry “the Skipper” Franklin on bass, Theo Saunders on piano, and Ramon Banda on drums.

Payne spent several years in El Paso, Texas, and for the past 29 years has been in Santa Barbara where he divides his time between playing and teaching. He has played with Randy Tico, Bob Ledner, Lorca Hart and many others.

Saunders, Banda and Franklin have all performed and recorded with many famed acts of the jazz and pop industries including Freddie Hubbard, David “Fathead” Newman, Barbara Morrison, Gladys Knight, Al Jarreau, Stevie Wonder, Milt Jackson, Hugh Masekala, Poncho Sanchez, Dizzie Gillespie, Tito Puente, Chick Corea and many others. 

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 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.

All three musicians are in high demand and involved in many projects. 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/.

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