Pacific Jazz Orchestra honors Quincy Jones October 18

Coming to Camarillo on October 18 is the joint effort of the Pacific Jazz Orchestra and the Ventura Music Festival. Together they’ll be sharing the stage of the Rancho Campana Performing Arts Center to honor the work of Quincy Jones.

Jones was a tour de force artist, GRAMMY® winner, and inspiration to Chris Walden, who in turn is the GRAMMY®-nominated bandleader and arranger of the Pacific Jazz Orchestra. This is the first of two performances this season given by Walden in memory of the man who supported him in launching the PJO. The second concert will be held be held in April, 2027, but each event can stand on its own.

In homage to Jones, the Pacific Jazz Orchestra has put together a broad-reaching program that fits with the varied discography he accumulated in his life. From Jones’ beginnings under the Hampton orchestra, the big band recordings such as The Quintessence (1962), and to his later work producing for Michael Jackson, the program captures Jones’s nimble approach.

Doing justice to Jones requires more than a single evening.

The October performance will feature vocalists Nayanna Holley and Adam “AeJaye” Jackson. Jackson will also return for the later performance in April 2027. Holley has been a long-standing member of NBC’s The Voice and has been credited on films including The Color Purple, Eternals, Encanto, Coming 2 America, and Mulan. She has been a vocal contractor on studio shows such as American Idol, The Late Late Showwith James Corden, and the Academy Awards.

The other half of the vocal harmony, Jackson, is an expressive singer marrying styles of blues and jazz. A Detroit native and nationally appearing vocalist, he has sung with Juan Gabriel, Toni Braxton, Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis Jr, Charo, Melissa Manchester, David Foster, Stevie Wonder, and Macklemore to name a few.

Walden will be weaving the two vocalists and Pacific Jazz Orchestra’s 19-piece big band into the tapestry of Jones’ bigger than life persona, layering and filling niches of sound to express what he meant to many, including the featured performers.

“When I relocated to Los Angeles, I did a show called the Valentino Awards which one year honored Quincy Jones,” said Jackson. “I had my sister come and sing along with me. We sang ‘Teach Me Tonight’, and from Joe Williams ‘Every Day I Have The Blues’. At the end of the performance, I was able to meet him. He embraced us both and he was really appreciate of our art as singers. There was a look of approval, that our voices were not just voices, but instruments,” said Jackson.

Beyond his music career , Jones was a philanthropist. Many of his causes saw people in their entirety, and build them up beyond the confines of their means. One of those ventures was his Listen Up Foundation, which built over 100 homes in South Africa and connected youth to STEM projects where they could create tangible skills.

Jackson connected with that same philosophy. His business Fullspectrumusic mentors youth and fights homelessness. It’s part of what makes the evening so special to him.

“We’re playing an era of him. A moment, out of all the other moments, that only we can play. Music doesn’t come out of the air, it comes out of the individual. So, in Camarillo, I will embrace this music, without fear,” said Jackson. “But if you asked me when I’m ready, I’ll say the 18th,” he continued jokingly.

Jackson recently performed with PJO at its October 10 fundraiser to deliver such classics as “September” by Earth Wind & Fire; and “Hold On, I’m Coming” by Isaac Hayes and David Porter. He also sang “What A Difference A Day Makes,” popularized by Dinah Washington; and the ballad “What A Wonderful World,” memorably recorded by Louis Armstrong.

The connection to Jones for many of these performers is emotional, including Walden, Jackson and the rest of the band. To capture what he meant to them is no small undertaking. Condensing the 91 year life of Jones into 90 minutes takes a brilliant effort to burn bright and brisk.

Tickets are available at Ventura Music Festival’s website. They start at $15.