ON the Beat | Jazz on the Beach and Off-Campus, and Ojai Calling

Jazz Sightings/Soundings Hit Town, Emma Lou Diemer Passes, and Ojai Looms

By Josef Woodard Fri Jun 07, 2024 | 08:20am

This edition of ON the Beat was originally emailed to subscribers on June 6, 2024. To receive Josef Woodard’s music newsletter in your inbox on Fridays, sign up at independent.com/newsletters.

Joscho Stephan and UCSB Jazz Combo | Photo: Josef Woodard

California Dreamt Django-Philia by the Sea

Of late, the bold and brave Santa Barbara Acoustic (SBA) series, featuring world-class acoustic guitarists in intimate settings, has gone to the beach, specifically at the Casa La Palma venue. It’s a compact space, smaller than the former SBA haunt of SOhO, but ideally located on Cabrillo Boulevard, a stone’s throw from the beach. And despite its somewhat corporate boardroom ambience, which can be modified, the Casa really should be home to musical doings more often.

Last week, the room sprang to life courtesy of guitar wizard du jour, Django Reinhardt–esque German player Joscho Stephan and his Gypsy Jazz Trio. (Apologies to those offended by the G-word, which has been likened to a racial slur akin to the N-word in some circles. They rebranded Sambo’s — can’t we call it Roma jazz?)

At times, it was a refreshing treat when the soloing spotlight was turned over to his mostly rhythm guitar partner Sven Jungbeck, whose playing is more graced by restraint and taste — and actual long notes — in contrast to Stephan’s sometimes overly gymnastic “look at me” virtuosity. But yes, Stephan’s silken flurries of notes, shameless song-quoting (from Django turf to the Beatles, Deep Purple’s water-related “Smoke on the Water,” and The Mamas & the Papas “California Dreaming”), and winking, crowd-pleasing tactics did inspire us to look at him and, more importantly, listen up.

The Santa Barbara Acoustic series has the happy problem of selling out its shows, partly thanks to the smaller venue, but is always worth keeping an ear out for — while crossing fingers for cancellations. Find info here. Among the hot tickets is a return of the Transatlantic Guitar Trio (September 22), with Stephan, Richard Smith, and the truly remarkable and deeply musical blind Nashvillian Rory Hoffman — alone, worth the price of admission.

Jazz In and Out of School

In school-related jazz news, it has been a banner and winning year for the San Marcos High School Jazz Ensemble, which won honors at the Dos Pueblos Jazz Festival and again at the Chicago Heritage Festival in April. As a valedictory celebration and award season topper, the SMHS jazz band made its debut appearance in the hallowed hall of the Lobero Theatre last week.

In this space which has hosted many of jazz’ greatest artists over the years, bandleader/teacher Michael Kiyoi led the sharp charges through a varied setlist, including Thelonious Monk’s “Well You Needn’t,” the Rufus/Stevie Wonder classic “Tell Me Something Good,” and the four-pack of charts performed in Chicago. On the Chicagoan list were the early jazz affinities of “Moten’s Swing,” a closing Latin-esque blast of “Madrid,” and a surprisingly deep and moving take on “My Foolish Heart,” with a mature-beyond-his-years melodic turn from alto saxophonist Eliel Pozos. Apparently, Pozos either didn’t get or chose to ignore the memo that a jazz musician isn’t supposed to become deeply embedded in genuine balladry until you’ve lived life for a spell.

A combo of young musicians from UCSB at Revolver | Photo: Josef Woodard

On my way home after the show, the sonic lure of jazz pulled me into the jazz-friendly zone of the Westside’s Revolver Pizza. There, a packed crowd was soaking up “Night in Tunisia” as laid out by a combo of young musicians from UCSB, who had performed the week before at the year-end UCSB Jazz Ensemble concert. Let it not be said that jazz, in the real sense, is lacking for fledgling and passionate spirits, in our town and beyond.

RIP Emma Lou Diemer: a Master’s Passing

Sad news from the Santa Barbara–based classical music realm: Emma Lou Diemer, eminent composer, organist, and pedagogue based in Santa Barbara, passed away on June 2, aged 96. Diemer’s large oeuvre of music leaves a potent legacy, as does her influence on generations of students, including her work leading the first electronic music wing of the UCSB Music Department, starting in the ‘70s. She studied at Yale and Eastman before heading west and taking root in Santa Barbara.

Among her recorded works (so far) is the inspiring, witty, and altogether affirmative 2013 album Going Away: Works for Violin, featuring violinist Philip Ficsor. Among the six pieces are the tellingly titled Violin Concerto movements “A Little Parlour Music (after Poulenc),” “Remembrance of Things Past,” and “Santa Barbara Rag,” “John Adams Light” (listen here). Evidence of Diemer’s buoyancy and sweep as a composer and grasp of music history are tucked into the folds of this body of work. Her music and spirit, on the larger scale, live on.

To-Doings:

Anyone with a taste — or an obsession — with classical music of the contemporary sort gets a spring in their step this time of year, thanks to the early June timing of the great, internationally renowned Ojai Music Festival (OMF) (see story here). For the next four days, from tonight (Thursday, June 6) through Sunday evening, the town is alive with musical energies and provocations, mostly at Libby Bowl and other smaller venues — including enticing 8 a.m. concerts at the Zalk Theater in Upper Ojai.

Last year’s model, with Rhiannon Giddens as music director, brought out a larger-than-usual crowd, including visitors who would otherwise have no interest in the OMF. The 78-year-old festival’s classical focus resumes business as usual (which is to say “unusual”) with a program designed and featuring important pianist Mitsuko Uchida as music director this year.

Have no fear: the modernist/contemporary aspect of the program, with special attention paid to the late great Kaija Saariaho, “row music” architect Arnold Schoenberg, living German composer Jörg Widmann and others, is balanced out with doses of Mozart (an Uchida specialty), Haydn, and other pre-modern repertoire.