Community Jazz Jam, SOHO Restaurant and Music Club - Wednesday April 1, 7:00 PM - Sponsored by the UCSB Jazz Ensemble
Join a new jazz monthly community jam session featuring different bands in the first week of every month. Come hear the house band perform a few tunes while you sign up, enjoy food and drinks at Santa Barbara's premiere music, and then join the band for a tune or two.
Wednesday April 8, TBA
Wednesday May 6, TBA
Event Details
- Date: Wednesday April 1(first week of every month)
- Time: 7:00 PM (music starts), sign up to jam between 6:30 and 7:30, Jam starts at 7:20
- Venue: SOhO Restaurant and Music Club, 1221 State Street, Suite #205, Santa Barbara CA 93101
- Admission: Free • Donations for the band welcome!
Jazz Ensemble "Welcome Back" Social Event, Battle of the Jazz Combos, and Jam Session - Wednesday April 8, 4:00 - 7:00 PM - Room 1145
Hang out and meet your UCSB fellow UCSB Jazz community members. Pizza, chips, and drinks supplied. Jam with those you know and play with, and those you don't! Drums, amplifiers, piano, and music stands provided. Let's start the quarter with a fun hang! We will also be having each combo perform 2 tunes as a BATTLE of the Jazz Combos to decide who will be chosen to record later in the corner. Combos chosen will record at Santa Barbara's premiere recording studio, Santa Barbara Sound Design in the Spring Quarter.
Event Details
- Date: Wednesday April 8, 2026
- Time: 4:00-7:00 PM
- Venue: Room 1145, Music Building, UC Santa Barbara
- Admission: Free
UCSB Jazz Ensemble at SOhO - Sunday, April 12, 1:00 - 3:30 PM
The Santa Barbara Jazz Society hosts the UCSB Jazz Ensemble for an afternoon of big band jazz. Repertoire to include selections form both our Fall and Winter concerts, featuring our 20 plus member big band and the winners of our 2nd Biennial Vocal Jazz Solo Competition (Winter 2026). Repertoire to include selections from libraries of Bill Holman and Jim McNeely, Maria Schneider's "Choro Dancado", "Freedom Jazz Dance", Bob Mintzer's "Latin Dance", and much more.
Doors open at 12:15 PM. Parties of four or more should call SOhO at (805) 962-7776 to confirm a front room table reservation.
Event Details
- Date: Sunday April 12, 2026
- Time: 1:00-3:30 PM, Doors open at 12:15 PM
- Venue: SOhO Restaurant and Music Club, 1221 State Street, Suite 205, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 • 805-962-7776
- Admission: Free, with reservation
Masterclass with the Emmet Cohen Trio - Monday April 13, 2026
Time and Location TBA, 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
An all-star quintet led by pianist Emmet Cohen celebrates the centennial of jazz geniuses Miles Davis and John Coltrane. As a dedicated champion of the musical community, Cohen believes in jazz as a living, evolving conversation that unites people across time and place. Guided by the spirit of the infinite, Cohen continues the journey set forth by the architects of jazz – seeking deeper truths through sound. Join Cohen and his ensemble for a bold, reimagined experience of the music that forever changed the course of jazz.
Related Event:
The Emmet Cohen Quintet - Miles and Coltrane at 100, Sunday April 12
Masterclass with the Lucía - Thursday April 30, or Friday May 1, 2026
Time and Location TBA, Free Admission • Sponsored by UCSB Arts and Lectures
“A voice as lush and sumptuous as any singer on the scene.” San Francisco Classical Voice
“[Lucía] represents the global evolution of jazz, where cultures from all over the world can dance together in harmony.” Monterey Jazz Festival
23-year-old Mexican jazz vocalist Lucía makes her Santa Barbara debut with a luminous blend of tradition, innovation and personal storytelling. A winner of the prestigious Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition, Lucía bridges cultures and generations with her soulful interpretations of jazz standards like “What a Difference a Day Makes” and classics from the Latin American songbook. Her eponymous debut album, which features jazz greats Antonio Sánchez and Larry Grenadier, showcases her singular voice and deep musical roots. Expect an evening of expressive vocals, emotional range and genre-crossing artistry from one of jazz’s most compelling new voices.
Related Event:
Lucía, Vocal Jazz Sensation from Veracruz, Mexico - April 30
Jazz Combos Perform at the 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
Tuesday May 12:
Combo 1: TBA
Combo 2: TBA
Wednesday, May 13:
Combo 1: TBA
Combo 2: TBA
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!
"So Hard to Say Goodbye" - The UCSB Jazz Ensemble featuring our graduating students
The UCSB Jazz Ensemble presents a program of big band gems showcasing our graduating students including saxophonist Erik Beahrs (pictured), vocalist Julianne Varona, drummer Carter Kaulback, trumpeter and WIJ leader Selina Yong, bassist Liam Ronarch, and others.
We will also feature Los Angeles based guest artist Katisse Buckingham, a sought after tenor saxophonist and flutist, on the second half of the concert along with our graduating jazz community musicians.
Event Details
- Date: Wednesday May 20
- Time: 7:30 PM
- Venue: Lotte Lehmann Concert Hall, Music Building, UC Santa Barbara
- Admission: Free for UCSB Students with ID, price varies for others
UCSB Jazz Ensemble End of Year Celebration - Goleta Beach BBQ
Our final event of the 2025-2026 Academic Year. Join us in saying goodbye to our graduating students and celebrate a great year in UCSB Jazz!
Event Details
- Date: Thursday, May 21
- Time: 4:00 PM
- Venue: Goleta Beach Picnic Area
- Admission: Free
