“It’s a 100th birthday party so big that the celebration is starting a year in advance.
The Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa will honor four jazz visionaries all born in the same year — 1917 — with tributes by some of the world’s leading jazz musicians. The centennial celebration will be held from Oct. 7 to 9.
Anniversaries seem to be the theme; the center is currently marking its 30th year.
Those being remembered for leaving an indelible mark on the jazz scene are Dizzy Gillespie, who died in 1993; Ella Fitzgerald, who died in 1996; Mongo Santamaria, who died in 2003; and Thelonious Monk, who died in 1982.“
