PACIFIC JAZZ ORCHESTRA’S 2026 BENEFIT CONCERT

I recently had a very grown-up experience that was so lovely I felt like I was in a classy movie scene! It was like something out of High Society with Grace Kelly and Frank Sinatra! There were gorgeous surroundings, women in gowns, and beautiful music. The only thing missing was Louis Armstrong!

The occasion was this year’s Benefit Concert for, and by, Pacific Jazz Orchestra. It also served as the birthday soiree for its Artistic Director and Conductor, Chris Walden, who turned a youthful sixty-years-old that very day! Who else celebrates their birthday by so happily working?!

I’ve been a fan of Pacific Jazz Orchestra since I was lucky enough to see their wonderful holiday concert last year, so when I received an invitation to this gala, it went on my calendar…in pen! It was held under the stars at a historic private estate in Toluca Lake, which I was thrilled to finally be on the grounds of—I used to drive by the place a few decades ago, (because it was around the corner from an office I used to frequent,) and wonder what it looked like. And now it exceeded my expectations—it’s stunning!

We guests and performers were all lucky that the weather held up beautifully—the heatwave had literally just ended, and there was just a smattering of sprinkles early on. The organizers were kind enough to put pretty turquoise plastic covers on the seats, just in case. But you guys know how I am about my long straight tresses, which I just cannot allow to get wet at the beginning of an evening, so I wrapped a black pashmina around my head, and topped that with one of the plastic bags! I looked crazier than Edie Beale in Grey Gardens!!! (What is with me and all these old movie references today!?)

The evening featured a colorful buffet of charcuterie, cheeses, two types of mini-quiches, lots of veggies and dips, and a quartet of desserts. There were the obligatory chocolate chip cookies and brownies, plus two creative tiny tidbits—cheesecakes and apple pies, both the size of a thumbnail! I loved those bite-sized cuties!

But the highlight of the night was hearing the 40-piece hybrid big-band-and-string jazz orchestra. They were perfect by themselves, but their special guest performers made it all that much more special. There were singers JoJo, Veronica Swift, and Adam “AeJaye” Jackson, along with jazz pianist Emmet Cohen, and my favorite musician of the evening, violinist Anne Akiko Meyer, whose playing I found haunting.

But the highlight for many, (including my friend Marc who was jumping out of his skin over these two,) were American Idol’s Katharine McPhee accompanied on piano by her very famous-in-the-biz husband, prolific songwriter and music producer David Foster. There was a buzz about them all night. Referring to David, the very grateful Chris Walden said, “I would not be here if not for him!” And then one of my table-mates told me that David has helped a lot of people in the music business! I never knew that about him, but I love knowing of that kindness now. (My favorite image of him is playing piano while tennis stars Roger Federer, Grigor Dimitrov, and Tommy Haas—Foster’s son-in-law—tried to sing when they were in town for a tennis tourney years ago. What a crazy fun video that is! Do yourselves a favor and look for it.)

After the very juicy first half of the concert, David led a live auction, and then the assemblage danced to the whittled-down17-piece Big Band Ensemble section of the Pacific Jazz Orchestra. Being strictly a hip-hop girl, I could not partake of that activity, but I was just as happy to await our car in the pretty courtyard, which is also where each guest received a charming little bag of candy kisses for the road. That was such a sweet ending to the beautiful evening.

But before I end this article, I absolutely must laud everyone I encountered at this Pacific Jazz Orchestra Benefit Concert. Going in order, even the valet parkers were nice, then the trio who checked us in started a fun convo with me about former Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher, nonagenarian Sandy Koufax, (who is my fellow Brooklynite.) Then the on-top-of-things PR ladies directed each of us to have our picture taken, we signed birthday cards to Chris while the woman manning that area laughed at all of my bon mots, and the waiters and bartenders were as pleasant and accommodating as can be. There was even a Bob’s Big Boy-themed karaoke room, (!,) and the guys who ran it were lovely. (A private evening in there with your pals was even one of the auction items!) The caterers constantly replenished the buffet, and the guests were amiable. It turns-out that I had helped a fellow guest almost a decade ago, and he had seen me at many events but never wandered over to say hello again. But because of the convivial atmosphere at this one, he came right up to me and said he had seen me at a show just the night before! And then he and his new bride and my friend and I sat together! Like I said—lovely crowd.

And Happy Birthday to Chris Walden! It looked to be a great one for him.

To find-out about all of the Pacific Jazz Orchestra’s goings-on, just click here: www.pacificjazz.org.