Every jazz act at Sierra Madre Playhouse traces back to one contact

Riding the 268 line on the LA Metro follows Sierra Madre Boulevard, which holds many of the city’s landmarks – from Sierra Madre Library, to Kersting Park, to the theatre marquee that’s been standing since 1924. That marquee and its classic block lettering cover the front of Sierra Madre Playhouse.

On any given night, what the Sierra Madre Playhouse hosts is a toss up. They’ve brought in many different acts, spanning many genres. However, every jazz act brought in in the last three years has had a unifying bond. They’ve been contacted and scheduled by Greg Porée.

Porée is the curator of Jazz at the Sierra Madre Playhouse. He’s also been a guitarist since the age of 15, which has branched into every aspect of his life. Now at age 80, and with a litany of experience, most of the connections he creates between artists and the playhouse are the result of a single call.

“From 1969 on, if those artists were not part of a self-contained group, I probably played for them or I played on their shows,” said Porée. “In terms of the finest musicians in Los Angeles, basically I know them all. So really the process was simply just calling my friends and saying, ‘hey, do you want to play at the playhouse,'” continued Porée.

‘In a small playhouse, it’s up close and personal music.’

As the Curator of Jazz at the playhouse, it falls to him to not only schedule shows but also make a consideration for atmosphere and how the show conveys. Porée spoke about how every artist that entered the jazz calendar offered something unique. How he accomplishes finding these acts comes not only from his tenure, but also his social life.

At his age he now has the freedom to get to see the Los Angeles jazz community in its entirety. Most evenings he’s busy spending time with his partner at different local spots, either as a regular or as a new arrival. It’s part of a very social and easy going nature that’s clear about him. Poree carries a smile that lights up the room, and makes an earnest attempt to be present at all the shows he brings in because they’re important to him.

He often opens the jazz shows with a quick word about the artist and what they bring to the table. When Brandon Coleman came to play in September, it was in part because of the way he interacts with the audience. It’s fresh and intimate. It was also because Coleman was excited to play at the playhouse.

The playhouse also inhabits that niche that really connects with artists, because the intimate 99-seat theatre allows them to connect with their audience. “Playing sometimes at big venues, you get out on stage and you’re in Europe. But in a small playhouse, it’s up close and personal music. If a musician’s a good performer, they love that,” said Porée.

“There’s a club near where I live called 1881. It’s like a dive. Really old school, small, noisy, and it was weird to me because a lot of the most famous and best jazz musicians love playing there,” said Porée. Everything about how Porée approaches building the jazz calendar is creating a specific “vibe” as he stated. It’s an experience that he wants both the artist and the audience to come away from with a special feeling.

Jazz as a genre is predicated on improvisation. Sometimes that improvisation comes entirely from the feeling of the moment. It’s part of why Porée takes so much care in selecting the artists he does.

“I look more for composers rather than people who are doing the great American jazz songbook. They have to be able to engage an audience. It doesn’t need to be straight up jazz, but people who employ jazz styles,” explained Porée. That selectiveness is also in part why Porée operates as the curator of jazz.

“I had a friend of mine, Matt Cook, a classical percussionist. We met some years ago, through the Pacific Opera Project. When he eventually became the artistic director of playhouse, his job was to bring in all the performing arts, but he wasn’t really connected to the jazz community. But he knew I was,” said Porée.

Porée’s social pedigree is so advanced that those connections have begun to extend outside the strict confines of the music scene. The people he’s had the opportunity to meet through music have been able to extend themselves into the roots of Los Angeles so much so that some even have roots leading into the other cultural scenes of the city. Porée spoke about his past with another musician, Ian Frazier, who he used to record with. They had been friends for a long time, Porée even playing at Frazier’s daughter’s wedding at the Cathedral at Saint Vibiana, a church near Little Tokyo.

“I’d heard about this restaurant, Redbird. I went there and I look around, I know this place. Sure enough it’s right off of Vibiana and the owner is Neil Frazier, Ian’s son,” said Porée. Knowing people is the other half of the job that being able to create an atmosphere he wants.

Porée comes as part of a larger whole. When the playhouse succeeds or puts on a good show, “it begins with the people. The people who are at the top of the Sierra Madre Playhouse, the board members, Matt Cook, it starts there,” said Porée.

Without the talented volunteers, the playhouse wouldn’t be nearly what it is. From the stage work, to ambience, to fundraising, the tiny theater has a larger dedicated staff that pull together exceptional shows. Shows such as Porée’s own band, which starts each seasonal calendar. With the new season, he’ll be playing soon, not just emceeing for the featured act of the night.

Assembly Bill 113

The playhouse’s fundraising picture also changed this month. On October 4, 2026, Assemblymember John Harabedian (D-Pasadena) presented a $2.5 million check from the State of California to Artistic and Executive Director Matt Cook and President David Gordon, on stage before a performance. It is the largest single investment in the venue’s history, far surpassing its previous record, a $450,000 multi-year general operating support grant from the Perenchio Foundation in 2024. Harabedian championed the request, and the money was allocated in the latest state budget bill, Assembly Bill 113.

The funds will pay for ADA-compliant accessibility improvements, modernize building systems including HVAC and plumbing, and renovate lobbies and public areas to support the playhouse’s recent programming expansions. Gordon and Cook said the investment “allows us to preserve an important historic building while transforming it into a more resilient, accessible resource the community can rely on for generations.”

Harabedian said the funding will ensure the playhouse “remains a place that local artists can call home.”

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