Jazz and Love Songs & Ukulele Classes

Week of June 8, 2024

Pamela Polland is an award-winning singer/songwriter, with three albums on Columbia and Epic as well as two more independently released albums to her credit. Over the course of literally 50 years in the music business, this seasoned professional has performed and recorded with such luminaries as Bonnie Raitt, Kenny Loggins, Jackson Browne, Van Morrison, Ry Cooder, Taj Mahal, John Denver, Manhattan Transfer and a host of others. In 1970, Pamela joined the famed Mad Dogs & Englishmen Tour with Joe Cocker and Leon Russell, appearing on the resulting album as well as in the movie. Her songs have been recorded by the likes of Linda Ronstadt, Helen Reddy, The Byrds, Anita Carter, Vicki Carr, Nancy Ames and Bobby Bare. Pamela has also won numerous awards, including two coveted gold records. She also appeared in the Academy Award and Grammy Award winning film, 20 Feet from Stardom. After achieving status as a well-established vocal coach and jazz singer, Pamela then devoted herself to Hawaiian culture for nearly twenty years studying language, dance, and music with the pre-eminent teachers in each field. Pamela’s love of Hawaiian music and language and her rich history in contemporary music inevitably coalesced, inspiring her CD, Hawaiianized.

 

Ross Gualco was born and raised in Oakland, California, where he studied piano with renowned bay area jazz pianist Don Burke. He studied music at Cal State Hayward before touring as musical director of the show band “Sounds of Joy”. He has played with jazz and rock luminaries such as Tom Scott, Steve Miller, Joe Satriani, Michael Bublé, Clark Terry, John Handy and Tommy Smothers. He has been musical director for many well-known Bay Area artists and shows including Val Diamond and Teatro ZinZanni, and more recently the San Francisco Circus Cabaret.