Review: A Night Worth Regretting
Carl Anthony, Notorious Jazz
April 13, 2026

 

But the evening's emotional core came in the awards and tribute sets, curated by the peerless music director Clayton Cameron. The first was a revelation: a deep dive into the life of John Dolphin, the visionary who turned Central Avenue into a music destination a full decade before Motown did the same for Detroit. Actor and vocalist Stu James brought Dolphin's story to vivid life, followed by vocalist Darynn Dean, a talent you'll be reading about for years to come, who paid tribute to Billie Holiday, a Dolphin's of Hollywood regular, with arrangements so assured, so fully inhabited, that the ballroom went genuinely quiet. Her quartet, featuring saxophonists Nicole McCabe and Ricky Woodard and the incomparable Clayton Cameron on drums, was the kind of performance that lodges in your memory and refuses to leave.

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The evening's Nica Award was accepted on behalf of the ailing Dave Grusin by the renowned bassist Marcus Miller, who didn't just accept an award and sit down, he related a few of his memories of the man, then sat in with the band. And then saxophonist Tom Scott, joined by Ernie Watts, the luminous Regina Carter on violin, guitarist Grant Geissman, Edwin Livingston on bass, and Patrice Rushen at the piano, played through a selection of Grusin's work as Scott regaled us with stories and tidbits of information that reminded everyone in that room exactly why his music matters.

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When the Foundation's president, Edythe Bronston, showed the 20th Anniversary montage, about the 700 L.A. musicians that have been helped, from rent assistance to healthcare to groceries and gas money, there was a visible shift in the room. Auctioneer Kris Kloss facilitated a bidding war on two live auction items that the crowd vigorously took part in with laughter and applause, and paddles flew up for the Fund In Need so fast that it took two volunteers to track every donation.

 

As guests streamed out, picking up their auction wins and exchanging promises to see each other soon, the verdict was unanimous: What a night. Next year, don't miss it twice. And wherever you hear music, give the band a hand!