Trumpeter Ron Stout to headline Pierce Street Jazz holiday show

Stout will be joined by bassist and series talent organizer Henry ‘the Skipper’ Franklin, an NAACP Image Award winner; acclaimed musician and composer Theo Saunders on piano; and former “Tonight Show with Jay Leno” band member, Marvin ‘Smitty’ Smith on drums.

Pierce Street Jazz is free admission and will be held in Troesh Conference Center of the Zapara School of Business. Concerts are livestreamed on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/piercestreetjazz/

Pierce Street Jazz is presented by the Office of the President and the Zapara School of Business. 

Stout got his start as a teenage musician. Throughout his lengthy career he has worked with such famed acts as the Supremes, the Righteous Brothers, and The Temptations. He has served as a member of the Woody Herman Orchestra, Lee Brown’s Band of Renown, Frank Capp’s Juggernaut, and the Clayton/Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, among others. As a band member he has backed such top-tier artists as Tony Bennett, Rosemary Clooney, Roberta Flack, Arturo Sandoval, Stan Getz and others. 

Stout’s mother was a classical pianist, and his father a jazz tenor saxophonist, according to a bio. He began playing the coronet at age eight and joined the musician’s union at 15. A California native, he studied at Orange Coast College and Golden West College. He has taught music since 1978 and is listed as an associate faculty of jazz trumpet at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo.

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 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.

Smith, a former member of the “Tonight Show with Jay Leno” band, is known for his versatility across jazz styles and his work with jazz greats including Sonny Rollins and Art Farmer. Born in Illinois, Smith grew up surrounded by music and received training at a young age. After graduating from Berklee College of Music, Smith earned credibility as an accomplished drummer and composer. He has appeared on more than 200 albums and remains a prominent figure in the jazz world.

The Dec. 4 jazz performance immediately follows the university’s annual Christmas Tree Lighting festival which takes place outdoors at the university’s sculpture plaza between 5 – 7 p.m. Festival admission is free and open to the public.

La Sierra University is located at 4500 Riverwalk Parkway, Riverside. For further information contact [email protected] or call 951-785-2016.