Artistic Statement

Sandra Evans, Producer & Creator – West Coast Cool Jazz

I was born in Altadena near Los Angeles and grew up in the coastal community of Corona del Mar. Those early years immersed me in a world where music, place, and personal identity intertwined — shaping not only my love of jazz, but my understanding of California’s creative spirit.

I grew up hearing Count Basie and Sarah Vaughan at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Mose Allison at the Lighthouse in Hermosa Beach, Rahsaan Roland Kirk and Freddie Hubbard at the Hollywood Bowl, and Laurindo Almeida and Bud Shank performing at the Laguna Bowl. I also remember seeing Dave Brubeck and other great artists at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Fair — experiences that anchored jazz not only in sound, but across geography, culture, and memory. Among my idols was Leonard Feather, the noted jazz critic for the Los Angeles Times, along with other influential music writers.

As a teenager struggling to find where I fit in, jazz suited both my temperament and my moment in life. It was expressive, complex, unpredictable, and alive.

I still remember driving my banana-yellow VW Squareback along the coast, listening to Kenny Burrell and Wes Montgomery on the radio — coco mats under my feet, ocean air drifting through the open windows. The music wasn’t mere accompaniment; it became part of how I understood identity, creativity, and California itself.

One afternoon, visiting a friend at her home in Corona del Mar, we walked in to find the local mailman sitting cross-legged on the floor, playing Vince Guaraldi’s “Ginza Samba,” the piece made famous by Brazilian guitarist Bola Sete. Her parents were seated nearby, completely absorbed. We were all smitten listening in that sunlit room, and we realized we were living inside a unique cultural moment — where everyday life and art blurred effortlessly. My friend had cool parents, and we had a cool mailman.

That strange, beautiful intersection of the ordinary and the extraordinary left a lasting impression, and it continues to inform how I view creativity and storytelling today.

It is my greatest hope that this film will shine a light on the musicians — some whose careers were highly visible, and many others whose contributions were equally meaningful and inspired. It is my sincere wish that viewers of this film can experience some of the creativity, joy, and spirit embodied in the playing of the musicians and the vibrant cultural expression of those times.

And if we create a few more rabid jazz fans in the process, or inspire someone to pursue a career in the arts… well, that’s not a bad thing.