Dave Grusin, Charles Lloyd and Clarence Avant Feted at Jazz Foundation of America Benefit in L.A.
variety.comTodd Gilchrist editor Nestled into a cozy corner of a shopping center high in the Hollywood hills, Herb Alpert’s jazz club Vibrato Grill was the site of a coronation Sunday for not one but three musical luminaries.
The Jazz Foundation of America honored 10-time Grammy-winning composer and pianist Dave Grusin, saxophonist Charles Lloyd and trailblazing music executive Clarence Avant at a benefit to raise proceeds for jazz, blues and R&B musicians facing financial hardship due to unemployment, illness or old age.
Though host Quincy Jones was unable to attend due to unspecified health issues of his own, he and the JFA assembled a program of speakers and performers for an evening of celebration and song that the phrase “star-studded” barely does adequate justice.
After an introduction to the evening by orthopedic surgeon Dr. Daveed Frazier, charity auctioneer Vinny Zapien and music journalist Rona Elliot led the first of multiple rounds of auctions throughout the evening, where they offered framed photos of artists like Joni Mitchell and the late Tina Turner.
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