Two main characteristics that will define this generation of musicians are undoubtedly survival and resilience. Just as many in the Los Angeles area had made their pandemic recoveries over the last few years, historic wildfires have brought catastrophe to the doorstep of many Angelenos once again.
As of this writing, the Pacific Palisades and Eaton Fires have leveled some 40,000 acres. They are among the most destructive fires in California history. Among the 180,000 forced evacuees are many members of the jazz community — revered artists like bassists Stanley Clarke and John Clayton, as well as a broad array of others in the industry. State and city officials are stretching infrastructures to accommodate an overwhelming battery of needs, but community involvement inside and outside of Los Angeles will be needed to facilitate years-long recovery efforts.
I moved to Los Angeles from Philadelphia with my wife and cats at the close of last year, just over two weeks ago. As a broadcaster and musician, I hit the ground and began making my way around area venues — just as I had done exactly five years ago, when we moved to the east coast. Within the first few days of 2025, we hit the Dolby Theater for Gregory Porter’s New Year’s Eve concert; enjoyed a genre-defying set from Keyon Harrold at a chic new spot called Verse; and caught an electrifying performance by pianist Billy Childs, with a quartet that included guitarist Andrew Renfroe, at the venerable Baked Potato.
Three of the musicians that I had also vowed to look up were pianist Eric Reed, saxophonist Steve Lehman and drummer Roy McCurdy. As a longtime admirer of their work, I had previously corresponded with each of them over the last few years. I had no idea that raging wildfires would be the catalyst for our immediate reconnections.

The Eaton fire that raged in Altadena, California claimed Lehman’s home. He moved from Brooklyn, NY to Los Angeles with his wife and two children in 2016. “We said ‘OK, Los Angeles is a place where my wife can function for her job, my kids can be happy,’” he reflects. “I said, ‘I can make this work.’”
In addition to being a touring and recording artist, Lehman accepted a professorship at CalArts, so the move seemed like a good way to foster community. “I knew a handful of people but not many,” Lehman says. “We were in Los Feliz until we moved to Altadena about three years ago. It’s hard to really put into words how special the Altadena community is, with all the hardship that we’re enduring right now. There are many Black jazz musicians who were living there, and historically, Black home ownership in Altadena was high. Bobby Bradford, Bennie Maupin, Patrice Rushen, Roy McCurdy and John Clayton were all there. As an East Coast person, Altadena feels like the East Coast suburb of a city out west. The diversity and emphasis on arts really made me feel very comfortable.”
Some fellow parents established a GoFundMe campaign on behalf of Lehman’s family. It’s on track to surpass its goal, having raised more than $120,000. It joins a host of similar efforts to help the families of multireedist Bennie Maupin, bassist John Clayton, trumpeter Bobby Bradford, and saxophonist Hailey Niswanger, among others.
McCurdy, one of the artists Lehman named, is a drummer whose signature beat has helped propel Cannonball Adderley, Nancy Wilson, Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald and Sonny Rollins, as well as the Art Farmer-Benny Golson Jazztet. A native of Rochester and then New York City, McCurdy first arrived in California in the 1970s, part of a wave of migration that included peers like Joe Zawinul, Herbie Hancock and Walter Booker.

“We started out living in West Los Angeles,” McCurdy recalls, “and we had friends, the Zawinuls, that kept saying, ‘You have to move out here.’ So, we moved to Pasadena for several years. Eventually, my wife and I found the exact house we were looking for in Altadena, so that’s where we settled, and we’ve been there since the early 1980s.”
Last week, as the Eaton Fire raged in Altadena, McCurdy and his wife were forced to evacuate. The blaze scorched their neighborhood; thankfully, it missed his home. “Our house is still standing,” he says. “Several houses were lost [in the neighborhood] and the fire got about five houses away from us.” Friends and family have helped the McCurdys to relocate until their neighborhood is safe enough to inhabit.
Shortly after hearing of the fire’s devastation on the Altadena community, Eric Reed decided to get involved. Reed made his mark as a leading pianist on the global scene, and has kept Los Angeles close. He first became an Angeleno at age 11, when his family relocated from Philadelphia. He was mentored at The World Stage in Leimert Park, a venue for workshops and concerts co-founded by drummer Billy Higgins. After many years in New York as a first-call pianist, and a four-year tenure at the University of Tennessee, Reed decided to return home.
“I decided that I was ready to be in Los Angeles again — and Los Angeles post-pandemic is very, very different. It really took a lot out of people.” Reed says. Since his return, he has held a workshop residency at the World Stage, welcoming musicians of all abilities. In recent days he has helped organize a benefit concert on Jan. 27. (My wife, Dara Starr Tucker, is among the artists participating.)
“When I asked Dwight Tribble if we could have a night to benefit the cats affected by these fires, he never hesitated, and it was a ‘yes’ right away,” Reed says. “Handling the logistics has been all-consuming, but musicians have already stepped up asking if they can participate. They want to be involved because they know the money is going to folks who really need it. Most of the jazz scene that we know here were cats who were living in Altadena.”
AccuWeather has released estimates for wildfire damage to Los Angeles totaling $250 to $275 billion dollars. Having moved to New York in January of 2020, I witnessed firsthand the crippling and eerie effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on one of the world’s largest musical communities. Healing and recovery came by way of creativity, a supportive community, the exchange of knowledge, and the passage of time.
As a newcomer then, making connections and forming relationships was challenging as we were navigating a public health crisis. Today, I can say that I am in touch daily with new and old friends and associates across this city, and I believe that when the embers die, there will be some bright moments ahead.
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