Jazz series hops on Thursday bandwagon

BY STEVEN LIBOWITZ
DAILY SOUND ARTS EDITOR
Weekends are Friday through Sunday, but in Santa Barbara — where everything seems a little sunnier, a trifle warmer, and a lot more laid-back (and yes, these days, somewhat smokier, too) — the social scene gets going a day earlier.

After all, the Museum of Art’s monthly happy hour soiree takes place on Thursday, as does the City Park and Recreation Department’s Concerts in the Park series, a weekly free music event at Chase Palm Park during the summer months. And the Downtown Organization’s six-month old monthly art-and-wine-walk project, 1st Thursday, even made the day a part of its name.

Add another contestant to the mix.

The Courthouse Jazz Series – which kicks off today – aims to be the latest place for locals to gather to share a little culture, imbibe a few cocktails, listen to great music and, of course, mingle with other members of the community.

The initial concept for the series came from Andy Winchester, one of the owners of Elements Restaurant, which is perhaps not so coincidentally located across Anapamu Street from the Courthouse Sunken Gardens. He got together with Premiere Events, a relatively new enterprise formed by three staffers at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, and voila the series was born.

The series will feature a different jazz-based band performing from 5-8 p.m. each week, with all net proceeds earmarked for a different non-profit or community-based organization each week.

“We intentionally timed it to start as summer winds down,” explained Josh Murray, one of the principals of Premiere. “NIGHTS and Concerts in the Park are coming to a close as the summer winds down, but the weather holds in Santa Barbara at least until November.”

Some of Santa Barbara’s best weather, in fact, occurs in fall, a perfect time for outdoor events that focus on locals.

“The tourist traffic goes down after August,” he said. “We thought ‘Why not have something for the residents to enjoy?’ The summer is crazy busy anyway. There’s so much going on, and too much to do. Then fall comes and you hunker back down into your routines again, but there’s nothing to do. Now there is.”

The event is a true blend of a community meet-up and a typical high-class social gathering.

There will be three separate areas within the Courthouse lawn for each concert. The Sunken Garden itself will be set aside for people age 21 and over, with a single entrance on Anapamu St. Alcohol will be sold within the confines of the Garden. Most of the surrounding lawn spaces will be geared toward families, who are welcome to bring blankets and lawn chairs and their own food stuffs, although gourmet picnic baskets catered by Elements will be available for purchase. Admission to both of these areas is free.

Finally, the area directly above the Garden and across from Anacapa Street – where the stage will be set – is the VIP terrace, which will offer private seating.

For a $50 per person fee (or $500 for a 10-person table, which includes one bottle of liquor), patrons will enjoy their own bar and waitress service, plus a sumptuous buffet catered by Elements. Murray said the menu includes such items as crab, shrimp, smoked salmon, buffalo carpaccio, antelope, boar charcuterie, green salads, veggie salads, breads, deserts, cheese and fruits.

“There will be couches and ottomans for comfort, umbrella for shade,” Murray said. “It should be pretty glorious.”

As have so many fledgling new cultural operations, Courthouse Jazz also decided to partner up with local non-profits.

“We really wanted to make it community-based event as opposed just something people make money off of,” he said. “When you engage the non-profits, it serves twin-fold purposes. Not only does it highlight some really worthy causes, but it also helps spread the word because of their own networks. Each week it goes further and further into the community as they contact their own databases. It’s a real win-win.”

Murray said the non-profits are chosen from criteria that include whether they are pillars of the community that could either use a hand in elevating their profile or were very valuable within the area.

To that end, tonight’s beneficiary is the Santa Barbara Firefighters Alliance, a little-known association whose mission it is to maximize efficiency and safety for the local men and women who are among those battling the massive Zaca fire that has consumed hundreds of thousands of back country acres since it began July 4.

“It’s a critical time for firefighters in our area,” Winchester said in a statement. “This is an organization the community should be aware of and support.”

Other organizations that will serve as non-profit partners for the following weeks include Transition House, the Unity Shoppe and CASA. The organizers are also working on cobbling together several youth-oriented organizations to share one of the concerts.

“We still have one or two slots open, so we are still very approachable with any ideas,” Murray said.

Vega, a six-member jazz group from Oxnard, has been tapped for today’s kickoff concert. The band plays a mix of contemporary jazz, uptown grooves and Southern California soul, and cites Cannonball Adderly, Spyro Gyra, Gerald Albright, Brian McKnight and Stevie Wonder among its influences.

Next Thursday, the entertainment comes from Nils – a session guitarist for acts such as The Temptations and George Benson before his solo career hit the mark with "Pacific Coast Highway," which was a smooth jazz smash in 2005.

Future weeks will focus on various sub-genres of jazz, with Santa Barbara’s own post-bop trumpeter-crooner Nate Birkey handling the series’ closing night on Oct. 4.

Make that the probably closing night. If the weather holds up and attendance warrants, Murray said the series may be extended for several weeks before the Sunken Gardens goes into winter protection mode.

“The focus is the music, but it’s just part of the environment,” Murray said. “It’s not just a concert, it’s the overall ambience: your friends, good weather, a great location, drinks –and a good cause.”

For more information, visit www.courthousejazz.com