Saxophonist Azar Lawrence to headline Troesh Center concert

Lawrence, known for his versatile technique with saxophone, will perform on Wed., Feb. 15 at 7 p.m. for Pierce Street Jazz and will be accompanied by regulars Henry “the Skipper” Franklin on bass, Theo Saunders on piano, and Ramon Banda on drums. Admission is free.

Lawrence’s musical career began at age 19 in Los Angeles where he performed with George Cables, Candy Finch, Larry Gales, and Woody Shaw. During this time, he also worked with groups such as Ike and Tina Turner, the Watts 103rd St. Band, and War, his bio states. He then worked several years each with the famed jazz ensembles of Elvin Jones and McCoy Tyner, which led him to eventually perform and record with jazz great Miles Davis.

During the 1980s, he transitioned from jazz to pop music and began working with groups such as Earth, Wind & Fire, Frank Zappa, Marvin Gaye, and Busta Rhymes. Since the early 2000s, he has returned to performing jazz with a sound that is described as having a “deep spirituality.”

Lawrence released several albums of his own before age 25. His most recent recordings are “Legacy and Music of John Coltrane,” “Speak the Word,” and “The Seeker.”

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.

Franklin’s most recent releases include the album “High Voltage.” Saunders’ most recent work includes the album titled “Jazz Assemblage: Theo Saunders Sextet” which includes work by Franklin.

Pierce Street Jazz admission is free. Troesh Conference Center is located in La Sierra’s 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/.