By Lookout Staff

September 10, 2014 – Whether it’s Latin, New Orleans or Modern Jazz, it’s often the notes they don’t play that will entertain music lovers during Santa Monica College’s (SMC) Fall Jazz Series.

Jazz rhythms – which have always fascinated enthusiasts for their syncopated beats that skip notes unexpectedly – will be the common theme during the series presented by the Music Department at The Edye.

The series will kick off on Friday, September 26 with Kenny Sara & The Sounds of New Orleans. The four-piece band will perform music ranging from New Orleans Jazz and straight ahead Jazz to New Orleans R&B and 70s and 80s funk, according to SMC officials.

The group has entertained fans from around the world weekly at Ralph Brennans Jazz Kitchen in Downtown Disney for more than a decade.

”Kenny Sara is the real New Orleans deal,” writes the OC Weekly’s Grace Le. ”Kenny has got a sound that will sweep you up and carry you right into the bayou.”

The series continues on Friday October 17 as world-renowned percussionist Richie Gajate-Garcia hits the stage with his ensemble of Latin Jazz masters and rising stars.

Garcia has recorded and performed with Diana Ross, Sting, Don Henley, Patti LaBelle, Phil Collins and Christopher Cross, and worked on film scores for "Maid in Manhattan," "I-Spy" and "The Mummy Returns."

"I constantly look for new sounds," he said in an interview with LP News. "And I'm not completely partial to any one instrument, which I feel adds color and appeal to my playing."

The series wraps up on Friday, November 14 when saxophonist Eric Person brings his trio from New York City a performance of music from “the cutting edge of the Modern jazz scene.”

Person has performed and recorded with jazz masters, including McCoy Tyner, Dave Holland, Chico Hamilton, John Hicks and the World Saxophone Quartet. He’s also worked with Vernon Reid, Ben Harper, Ofra Haza and Bootsy Collins.

"He has definitely joined Coltrane in having produced an enduring work that will stand as a hallmark of the genre," said Michael McDowell of Blitz Magazine.

All concerts will be held at The Edye at the Santa Monica College Performing Arts Center, located on Santa Monica Boulevard at 11th Street, with shows at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.. Tickets cost $10.

For tickets and more information, visit www.smc.edu/eventsinfo or call (310) 434-3005 or (310) 434-4323.