UCLA to celebrate Jackie Robinson’s 100th birthday with jazz concert
In 1963, Jackie Robinson hosted a jazz concert in the backyard of his Connecticut home. The distinguished artists included Dizzy Gillespie and Dave Brubeck, and the event was a fundraiser for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, led by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
That was the first of a series of jazz concerts Robinson hosted before his death in 1972. Days after what would have been his 100th birthday, UCLA’s Royce Hall will host a jazz concert Feb. 5.
Trumpeter Arturo Sandoval, a 10-time Grammy winner, and guitarist and four-time World Series champion Bernie Williams are scheduled to highlight the evening’s performers.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and Robinson’s daughter Sharon are scheduled to appear, with net proceeds from the event split between Robinson’s estate and the Jackie Robinson Foundation.
Robinson, who attended UCLA, would have turned 100 on Jan. 31. The campus is slated to hold several additional events in Robinson’s honor that week, including a service project and a panel discussion on athletes, social justice and activism.
The Jackie Robinson Museum is scheduled to open in New York in December.
The Dodgers last year installed a statue of Robinson at Dodger Stadium. Robinson, who broke baseball’s color barrier with the 1947 Brooklyn Dodgers, is the only figure honored with a statue at the Stadium.
Follow Bill Shaikin on Twitter @BillShaikin
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