Lauren Marnel Shores
Executive Content Editor
For its final concert of 2018, the Santa Barbara Jazz Society (SBJS) will be hosting an annual holiday party and jam session on Dec. 9 at SOhO Restaurant & Music Club. This event provides local jazz enthusiasts with the perfect opportunity to start their holiday season off right with a slice of American musical culture.
Doors open to the event at 12:30 p.m., with the holiday party lasting from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., and at only $10 a ticket, the festivity is open to individuals of all ages. Attendees are welcome to sit back and enjoy the show, but all those enthusiastic enough are encouraged to join the show itself. Participants need only their own instruments and voices to join the open jazz session, accompanied by the jazz club’s own house band as back up.
The band consists of Debbie Denke on piano, Kim Collins on bass, and Janes Antunez on drums. Comprised of all local jazz artists, the trio is sure to bring a dynamic presence to SOhO’s warm music venue.
The holiday party and jam session comes as part of SBJS’s mission as a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving world jazz. As Natalie Wilson, President of the Santa Barbara Jazz Society explained, “keeping jazz alive in SB is important because jazz music is only one of a very few truly American indigenous art forms.”
In further support of local jazz, SBJS will also be giving away its yearly music scholarship during the holiday party. Wilson explained that this scholarship, which has benefited student organizations in the local Santa Barbara area since 2002, is “given to sublimate the budged allowed for the jazz music programs in the high schools which are often cut.”
This year, SBJS will be presenting the Santa Barbara High School Jazz Ensemble with a $1,000 check from the Jazz Society’s Scholarship Fund during the holiday party event.
As further incentive to attend this holiday party, the venue itself is bound to deliver an open atmosphere with its trendy, city club environment and locally sourced dinner menu. Named after the neighborhood in lower Manhattan, SOhO brings New York ambiance to downtown Santa Barbara, transporting its guests on a city escapade for the night to indulge in a rich, musical experience.
The holiday party will conclude SBJS’s concert series of 2018, celebrating yet another year of monthly Sunday jam sessions at SOhO. Moving into the new year, this wraps up the organization’s 23rd year of connecting local jazz artists and enthusiasts in the community, as well as providing a greater platform for individuals to appreciate this rich genre of music.
When asked her hopes for SBJS going into the new year, Wilson stated, “I hope that we can continue to offer the world class music events that we have been able to present to local jazz fans.”
With the 2018 year drawing to a close, readers won’t want to miss out on Santa Barbara Jazz Society’s annual holiday party. The event promises warm entertainment during this chilly winter season, all while supporting local talent.
“If you are a jazz lover, I encourage you to attend some of our concerts,” Wilson urged TBL readers. “We offer top notch jazz music at a very nominal cost AND you don’t have to travel to LA or SF. to enjoy it!”
Tickets to the show can be purchased ahead of time on SOhO’s website for only $10. Jazz enthusiasts can catch future concerts put on by the Santa Barbara Jazz Society once a month at SOhO in downtown Santa Barbara. Additionally, SBJS has a Facebook page and newsletter where subscribers can receive bimonthly updates about upcoming events.