Spring 2026 Events

Jazz Workshops with Ravi Coltrane and Terence Blanchard, Wednesday April 8 1:00-2:30 PM

1:00-2:30 PM, Room 1220 and 1222, Music Building, Free Admission • Sponsored by UCSB Arts and Lectures

Terence Blanchard has been a consistent artistic force for making powerful musical statements concerning painful American tragedies – past and present.  A true “Renaissance” man, Blanchard stands tall as one of jazz’s most-esteemed trumpeters and defies expectations by creating a spectrum of artistic pursuits.  Boundary-breaking and genre-defying, Blanchard is recognized globally as a dazzling soloist and a prolific composer for film, television, opera, Broadway, orchestras and for his own ensembles.  In fact, leading theater magazine TheaterMania recently cited Blanchard as “the most exciting American composer working in opera today.”

An eight-time Grammy Winner and twice Oscar-nominated film composer, Blanchard became only the second African-American composer to be nominated twice in the original score category at the 2022 Academy Awards, duplicating Quincy Jones’ feat from 1967’s In Cold Blood and 1985’s The Color Purple.  Blanchard’s work has placed him at the forefront of giving voice to human rights, civil rights, and racial injustice, including the 2016 album “Breathless,’’ an elegy for Eric Garner, who was killed by police and whose words, “I can’t breathe,” became a civil rights rallying cry.

Ravi Coltrane is a critically acclaimed Grammy™ nominated saxophonist, bandleader, and composer. In the course of a twenty plus year career, Mr. Coltrane has worked as a sideman to many, recorded noteworthy albums for himself and others and founded a prominent independent record label, RKM.

Born in Long Island, the second son of John Coltrane and Alice Coltrane, Ravi was named after Indian sitar legend Ravi Shankar. He was raised in Los Angeles where his family moved after his father’s death in 1967. His mother, Alice Coltrane, was a significant influence on Ravi and it was he who encouraged Alice to return to performance and the recording studio after a long absence. Subsequently, Ravi produced and played on Alice Coltrane’s powerful, 'Translinear Light', which was released in 2004.

Ravi has released six albums as a leader. His latest, 'Spirit Fiction', was released in June of 2012 for the Blue Note label. Additional credits include performances as well as recordings with Elvin Jones, Terence Blanchard, Kenny Baron, Steve Coleman, McCoy Tyner, Jack DeJohnette, Matt Garrison, Jeff 'Tain' Watts, Geri Allen, Joanne Brackeem, The Blue Note 7, among others. He is a co-leader of the Saxophone Summit with Joe Lovano and Dave Liebman.

Ravi lives in Brooklyn, NY and maintains a fast paced touring, recording, composing and performance schedule. He leads the effort to restore the John Coltrane Home in Dix Hills, Long Island (thecoltranehome.org) and presides over important reissues of his parent’s recordings.

Related Event: 
Terence Blanchard and Ravi Coltrane — Miles Davis and John Coltrane Centennial, Jan 27

Masterclass with the Emmet Cohen - Monday April 13, 2026

12:00 PM, Karl Geiringer Hall, Free Admission • Sponsored by UCSB Arts and Lectures

“One of the finest piano players to emerge in decades.” All About Jazz

“[A] piano virtuoso with a delicate touch, assured, swaggering swing feel and debonair flow.” The New York Times

Emmet Cohen is a multifaceted American jazz pianist, composer, and bandleader at the vanguard  of his generation’s advancement of the music and its related arts. Widely recognized for his  virtuosity, deep swing, and commitment to intergenerational continuity, Cohen has emerged as a  central figure in contemporary jazz—honoring its lineage while actively shaping its future.  

A recognized prodigy, Cohen began Suzuki-method piano instruction at age three and quickly  developed a musical voice marked by clarity, elegance, and intensity. His artistry has drawn  praise across the jazz world; All About Jazz observed that “[Cohen is] not just the poster man for  contemporary jazz… but a supremely gifted and impassioned artist of the highest order,” while  legendary saxophonist Benny Golson once remarked that Cohen “has a lot to say.”  

At the heart of Cohen’s work is the belief that jazz is fundamentally about communication and  connection—between musicians, audiences, and the generations that carry the music forward.  That philosophy found a defining expression during the 2020 lockdown, when Cohen created  

Live From Emmet’s Place, a weekly livestream series broadcast from his Harlem apartment.  Evoking the spirit of historic rent parties while employing sophisticated modern production, the  series quickly became a global gathering place for artists and listeners alike, setting a new  standard for live internet jazz performance. Across platforms, Emmet’s Place has garnered over  100 million views.  

What began as an intimate weekly broadcast has since evolved into a far-reaching creative  platform. Live From Emmet’s Place now continues from Power Station NYC, expanding its  scope while maintaining the immediacy and communal spirit that defined its origins. The series  has grown into an ongoing cultural ecosystem—one that reflects Cohen’s vision of jazz as a  living, participatory art form.

Related Event: 
The Emmet Cohen Quintet - Miles and Coltrane at 100, Sunday April 12

Masterclass with the Alan Kaplan - Wednesday, May 6, 2026

4:00-5:30 PM, Room 1222, Free Admission • Sponsored by the UCSB Jazz Ensemble

Alan Kaplan has long been one of the busiest studio and freelance trombonists around. Growing up in Los Angeles he began playing at the age of eight. He tried to prepare for a “real” job, majoring in engineering at LA Valley College, but by the age of nineteen he was on the road with Buddy Rich. He was the youngest trombonist ever to play lead with that band. The next few years found him playing with big band legends such as Harry James, Louis Bellson, Don Ellis, and Lionel Hampton.

In the ensuing years, Kaplan’s studio career took off. His recording credits vary vastly from Marvin Gaye to Johnny Mathis to Madonna to Placido Domingo to Sarah Vaughan to Oingo Boingo to Whitney Houston to the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, Phil Collins, Pharell Williams, Celine Dion, Josh Groban, Michael Buble, Paul McCartney, Harry Styles, Bob Dylan, Bryan Adams, Nirvana, Neil Young, Harry Connick, Lady Gaga, and countless more.

Kaplan’s TV credits include such shows as Hawaii 5-0, Dynasty, Voyager, Star Trek, Home Front, Mash, Dallas, Simpsons, Fantasy Island and hundreds of others. He has been the featured trombone soloist on more than 1000 cartoons such as Tiny Toons, Animaniacs, Tazmania, Pinky and the Brain, 101 Dalmations, Timon and Pumbaa and many others. He is currently working on Family Guy, American Dad, Orville, Mickey Mouse Shorts,  Agents of Shield, Star Trek, Once Upon a Time, Pennyworth, Blood and Treasure, Stargirl, Picard, Crisis on Infinite Earths, Animaniacs reboot, and Looney Toons.

He was a regular member of the staff bands on the Merv Griffin, Joan Rivers, and Star Search Shows. Several times in the last few years, Alan has been in the orchestra on the Academy Awards. He also was in the band for the Jerry Lewis Telethon for over thirty years.

Throughout his career, Alan has performed and recorded with Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Harry Connick, Boz Scaggs, Cheap Trick, Tony Bennett, Tower of Power, Josh Groban, Michael Jackson, Celine Dionne, Madonna, The Who, Elton John, Spinal Tap, and many, many more.

His movie credits are perhaps most impressive of all, a list of some 1100 plus films including “Animal House”, “Airplane”, “Dances with Wolves”, “Out of Africa”, “Sleepless in Seattle”, “Beauty and the Beast”, “Hercules”, “Apollo 13”, “The Lion King”, “Con-Air”, “Batman and Robin”, “Silverado”, “Godzilla”, “Zorro”, “Planet of the Apes”, “Spiderman 1,2, and 3”, and “Men in Black 2”, “Pirates of the Carribean 1,2, and 3″,”Star Trek XI”,”The Incredibles 1 & 2″,”Up”, “Transformers 1&2″ ,”Mission Impossible 4″,” Star Trek”,” Rise of the Planet of the Apes”, “Inside Out”, “Tomorrowland”, and ” Ted”, “Ted 2”,  “Star Wars Rogue One”, “Spiderman 4”, “The Dark Tower”, “Jurassic World”, “Spiderman Homecoming”, “War for the Planet of the Apes”, “Coco”, “Ready Player One”, “The Greatest Showman”, “Lego Movie 2″, ” Ralph Destroys the Internet”, “Alita; Battle Angel”, “Frozen 2”, “Men in Black: International”,  “Spiderman: Far From Home”, “Soul”, “Onward”, “Bad Boys For Life”, “An American Pickle”, “Tranformers 7”, “Black Adam,” and “Disenchanted” to name just a few.

In January of 2002 Alan released his first solo album. It is a beautiful collection of standard ballads arranged for a thirty piece orchestra called Lonely Town. In August of 2012 He released a new CD called “Secrets of Hoyt’s Garage”. In 2017 Alan released three play-along albums for Music Minus One. “Ballads for Trombone with Orchestra”, “Standards for Trombone”, and “Mostly Mozart Arias”. Lastly, during the pandemic, Alan recorded and released “More Secrets of Hoyt’s Garage.”

Related Event: https://www.sohosb.com/events/community-jazz-jam-ucsb-jazz-ensemble
 

UCSB Jazz Combos at St. Michaels Church, Isla Vista - May 12 and 13, 7:30 PM

Our combos perform over the course of two nights at a welcoming venue in Isla Vista to end our busy Winter Quarter. Admission is free, but donations are welcomed!

Sponsored by St. Michael's University Church

View combo lineups here.

Tuesday May 12:

Combo 1: Spagnolo Como

Combo 2: Yong Combo

Wednesday, May 13:

Combo 1: Gunturi Combo

Combo 2: Nathan Combo

Event Details

• Date: Tuesday and Wednesday, May 12 and 13
• Time: 7:30 PM
• Venue: St. Michael's University Church, 6586 Picasso Road, Isla Vista, CA 93117
• Admission: Free • Donations welcomed!

The Matt Perko Quintet at St. Michaels Church, Isla Vista - Tuesday, May 26, 7:30 PM

Our premier jazz combo, under the stewardship of drummer Matt Perko, performs for the final time! Featuring pianist Megan Etzel and trombonist Sriram Ramamurthy with graduating band mates saxophonist Erik Beahrs, guitarist Will Luton, and bassist Liam Ronarch. 

Sponsored by St. Michael's University Church

Event Details

• Date: Tuesday, May 26
• Time: 7:30 PM
• Venue: St. Michael's University Church, 6586 Picasso Road, Isla Vista, CA 93117
• Admission: Free • Donations welcomed!

PS: The Kaulback Combo and Monkfish at Woodstock's Pizza, Isla Vista - Wednesday, June 3, 8:00 PM

Our VERY last performance of the school year, while saying goodbye to drummer Carter Kaulback and bassist Nico Sama. Paired with UCSB/IV band Monkfish, this will be a fun cap to the year and UCSB careers of these two outstanding musicians!

Sponsored by Woodstock's Pizza

See the combo lineup here

Event Details

• Date: Wednesday, June 3
• Time: 7:30 PM
• Venue: Woodtsock's Pizza, 928 Embarcadero del Norte, Isla Vista, CA 93117
• Admission: Free