George Benson and Eden Alpert to Be Honored at Jazz Foundation of America Benefit in Los Angeles

George Benson has spent seven decades making the guitar sing, and on November 1, some remarkable musicians will gather in Los Angeles to celebrate him. The Jazz Foundation of America will honor the 10-time Grammy winner alongside philanthropist and Vibrato Grill Jazz managing partner Eden Alpert during an intimate evening of performances, storytelling and support for musicians facing difficult circumstances.

The event takes place Sunday, November 1, at Vibrato Grill Jazz, with performances by Wyclef Jean, Isaiah Sharkey, Aloe Blacc, Carmen Lundy and the Titans of Jazz. Rolling Stones drummer Steve Jordan will serve as artistic director.

Benson will receive the Tommy LiPuma Award, recognizing his extraordinary recording career, while Alpert will be presented with the Quincy Jones Love and Peace Humanitarian Award for her longstanding commitment to supporting musicians.

The combination of honorees reflects two important parts of the music community: the artists who create the recordings we love and the people who help ensure musicians can continue working and living with dignity.

Benson’s career offers an extraordinary example of the first.

A guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and recording artist, Benson has spent more than 70 years moving comfortably between jazz, soul, R&B and pop.

His playing combines technical sophistication with an unmistakable melodic personality, and his ability to make complex music accessible has introduced generations of listeners to jazz.

He’s also one of those rare musicians whose instrumental voice is immediately recognizable. A few notes of Benson’s guitar can communicate as much personality as an entire verse of singing.

His career has earned him 10 Grammy Awards, recognition as an NEA Jazz Master and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

But his greatest achievement may be the way his music has travelled between audiences who don’t necessarily share the same musical tastes.

Jazz enthusiasts admire his improvisational abilities, while pop and R&B listeners have embraced the warmth and accessibility of his recordings.

For Jordan, that combination makes Benson an ideal recipient of the Tommy LiPuma Award.

“George’s music has spanned genres and ultimately transcended all categories, earning him generations of fans around the world and establishing him as one of the most recognizable and celebrated artists in American music,” Jordan says.

“No one embodies the merging of sophisticated pop and soulful swing like George Benson, and there is no more fitting recipient of the Tommy LiPuma Award.”

The award carries particular significance because of LiPuma’s own place in recording history. The acclaimed producer worked with artists across jazz and popular music, including Benson, helping bring sophisticated musicianship to audiences far beyond traditional jazz circles.

Honoring Benson in his name creates a connection between two figures whose work helped shape the relationship between jazz and mainstream popular music.

The evening’s second honoree, Eden Alpert, represents another side of that musical relationship.

As an entrepreneur, philanthropist and managing partner of Vibrato Grill Jazz, Alpert has helped provide opportunities for both established and emerging musicians in Los Angeles.

Her work has also made the venue an important home for Jazz Foundation of America fundraising events over the past decade.

The Quincy Jones Love and Peace Humanitarian Award recognizes that commitment, carrying the name of the legendary producer, composer and arranger who served as a longtime champion and honorary founder of the organization.

JFA Executive Director Joe Petrucelli says Alpert’s support has had a lasting impact on the city’s live music community.

“Through her philanthropic work and leadership, Eden has provided opportunities for veteran and emerging musicians alike while contributing to the vitality of the live music community in Los Angeles,” he says.

“She has also provided a homebase for JFA in L.A. by hosting benefit events for us at Vibrato over the past decade.”

That kind of commitment is particularly valuable in jazz, where the spaces that allow musicians to perform regularly are an essential part of the art form’s survival.

A venue can become a gathering place, a source of employment and an environment where experienced performers share their knowledge with younger musicians.

Alpert’s work at Vibrato has helped sustain those opportunities while giving the Jazz Foundation a place to bring its supporters together.

The November 1 event will feature a lineup that reflects the extraordinary range of music the organization works to preserve.

Wyclef Jean, the three-time Grammy Award-winning musician and co-founder of the Fugees, will bring his experience as a singer, rapper, guitarist, songwriter and producer.

Jean’s career has crossed hip-hop, reggae, soul and popular music, making him a fitting participant in an evening celebrating artists who refuse to be confined to one genre.

Guitarist Isaiah Sharkey will also perform. A Grammy-winning musician, singer, songwriter and producer, Sharkey has worked with artists including Patti LaBelle, John Mayer, Coldplay and Paul Simon.

His playing draws from jazz, R&B, soul and contemporary popular music, continuing the kind of stylistic exchange that has been central to Benson’s career.

Aloe Blacc joins the program as well, bringing the soulful vocals and songwriting that have made him a recognizable presence in contemporary music, including his collaborations with Avicii.

Carmen Lundy, an NEA Jazz Master and Mellon Jazz Legacies Fellow, will contribute her distinctive voice and experience as a composer and arranger.

Lundy’s presence reinforces the evening’s connection to the jazz tradition, particularly its emphasis on musicians who have developed individual artistic identities across long careers.

The program will also feature the Titans of Jazz, bringing together veteran performers whose careers connect directly with some of the most important names in American music.

Bassist Henry “Skipper” Franklin has recorded and performed with Freddie Hubbard, Ornette Coleman, Count Basie and Stevie Wonder.

Drummer Roy McCurdy has worked with Sonny Rollins, Art Farmer, Benny Golson and Cannonball Adderley, contributing to recordings and performances that helped shape modern jazz.

Patrice Rushen, an NEA Jazz Master, pianist, singer, producer, songwriter and musical director, will also participate.

Rushen’s career has moved between jazz, R&B and popular music, demonstrating the creative possibilities that emerge when musicians bring their experience from one tradition into another.

With Jordan directing the evening, the performances will benefit from a musician who understands that kind of collaboration firsthand.

A Grammy-winning drummer and producer, Jordan has worked with Chuck Berry, Sonny Rollins, Eric Clapton, Beyoncé and Aretha Franklin, among many others.

He’s also a member of the Rolling Stones, giving him a particularly unusual perspective on the relationships between jazz, blues, rock and popular music.

His involvement helps connect the evening’s diverse performers through a shared musical history.

But the purpose of the gathering extends well beyond the stage.

Proceeds will support the Jazz Foundation of America’s work providing housing assistance, healthcare, disaster relief and employment opportunities to jazz, blues, roots and R&B musicians across the United States.

The organization currently provides assistance to more than 2,000 musicians nationwide, helping performers and their families navigate financial emergencies, illness, housing insecurity and other difficult circumstances.

For 37 years, the foundation has worked to support the people whose music has shaped American culture, often at moments when they can no longer earn a reliable living through performance.

In the past year alone, JFA assisted in more than 7,000 cases.

Its Musicians’ Emergency Fund helps individuals facing immediate financial challenges, while its social work services connect musicians with housing assistance, medical care and disaster relief.

The foundation also creates employment through its Jazz and Blues in the Schools and Gig Fund programs.

Those initiatives provide paid performance opportunities for hundreds of musicians every month while bringing free concerts to audiences at schools, hospitals, nursing homes, museums, libraries, parks and community centres.

The programs address two challenges at once: helping musicians earn a living and ensuring their music continues reaching new listeners.

It’s an approach that recognizes how much musical knowledge is passed from one generation to another through live performance.

Jazz, in particular, has always depended on that exchange.

Young musicians learn by listening, performing and spending time with artists whose experience can’t be fully captured in a textbook or recording.

Keeping veteran performers active helps preserve that tradition while giving audiences opportunities to hear musicians whose contributions have shaped the music they love.

The November 1 benefit will bring those ideas together through an evening of dinner, wine, live performances, tributes and a live auction.

Doors and check-in begin at 6 p.m., followed by dinner and wine at 7 p.m. The auction, tributes and performances begin at 8:30 p.m.

Tickets are priced at $1,000 and $2,500, with sponsorship packages beginning at $4,000. Seating is limited, and reservations must be confirmed in advance.

For those unable to attend, the Jazz Foundation is also accepting donations in support of its programs.

There’s a particularly fitting connection between Benson’s recognition and the work the evening will support.

His music has provided enjoyment, inspiration and artistic influence to listeners and musicians for generations. The Jazz Foundation’s work helps ensure that other artists have the stability and opportunities they need to continue making music.

A lifetime spent creating extraordinary recordings deserves celebration. So does a lifetime spent making sure musicians have somewhere to perform, someone to turn to in a crisis and a community willing to support them.

On November 1, the Jazz Foundation of America will honor both.

Event Details:

Jazz Foundation of America Benefit Honoring George Benson and Eden Alpert
Sunday, November 1, 2026
Vibrato Grill Jazz
2930 Beverly Glen Circle, Los Angeles, CA 90077

6 p.m. – Doors and check-in
7 p.m. – Dinner and wine
8:30 p.m. – Live auction, tributes and performances

Tickets: $1,000 and $2,500