Jazz Up a Dinner in Pasadena

You can attend a full afternoon and evening of concerts at the Pasadena Jazz Festival at Ambassador Auditorium in Pasadena today and eat dinner without missing a beat.

A nine-member jazz band, the Swing Savant, will entertain free on an outdoor stage during an extended dinner intermission.

The free concert will come midway through the second of two paid concerts inside the auditorium featuring jazz trumpeter Arturo Sandoval, pianists Gene Harris and Eliane Elias, and vibraharpistr Milt Jackson.

The opening concert, at 2 p.m., will offer jazz with Cuban and Brazilian influences. Sandoval, a founder of the Cuban jazz group Irakere, will lead a seven-piece ensemble, and Brazilian pianist Elias will perform with drummer Pete Erskine and bassist Marc Johnson. Tickets are $19.50 to $22.50.

The evening concert will start at 5 p.m. with Harris and his quartet. After a dinner recess from 6 to 7:30, the concert will resume with Milt Jackson and the Legendary All-Stars. Joining Jackson, a founding member of the Modern Jazz Quartet, will be trumpeter Harry (Sweets) Edison and other noted jazz musicians. Tickets are $32 to $35.

The extended intermission will give concert-goers a chance to dine on gourmet dishes provided by Roxxi Restaurant, Parkway Grill, the Pasadena Baking Co. and others. Food will be available on the auditorium mall from 12:30 to 8:30 p.m. The intermission concert will be at the Fountain Plaza adjoining the auditorium.