Pierce Street series to showcase vibraphonist Chapman, Hillcrest High jazz band

Chapman will appear along with Pierce Street Jazz band members Henry “the Skipper” Franklin, bass, Theo Saunders, piano, and with guest drummer Benjamin Ring. The performance will take place at 7 p.m. at Troesh Conference Center, Zapara School of Business. A pre-show at 6 p.m. will feature the talents of the Hillcrest High School Jazz Band under Kristen Matthews. Admission is free.

Chapman’s multifaceted talents also include skill with the xylophone, marimba, and glockenspiel. He is a prolific content creator on social media, amassing a follower base of 1.4 million on YouTube with nearly 1.5 billion views, 246,000 followers on Instagram, and more than 580,000 followers on TikTok. He performs in the studios and on the stages of Los Angeles and has appeared around the world including on stages in China, Singapore, Spain and Germany.

Ring will serve as guest drummer for Pierce Street Jazz on May 15. Ring began his career serving as one of the youngest players of orchestral percussion in the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra. By age 11, he had developed an interest in jazz percussion and joined the Berkeley Jazzschool’s Advanced Middle School Jazz Ensemble. His award-winning career throughout his youth led to a Bachelor of Music from the University of Southern California and later a full scholarship with the graduate program at UCLA’s Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz Performance which he completed in 2023. His experience includes ensemble performance with the famed Wayne Shorter, Gerald Clayton and other luminaries, as well as work with Herbie Hancock, Billy Childs and others. His debut album, “With Every Step” was released in July 2024.

Franklin coordinates artist appearances for Pierce Street Jazz. A Riverside area resident, he 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. 

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.

Established in 2022, Hillcrest High School Jazz Band has performed a variety of music throughout the Riverside community including a pre-show act for Pierce Street Jazz last year. Hillcrest is part of the Alvord Unified School District.

The Pierce Street Jazz series at La Sierra University is presented by the Office of the President and the Zapara School of Business.

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