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Pressure from close allies is mounting on Israel following a nearly three-month blockade of supplies into Gaza. Even the United States has voiced concerns over the hunger crisis.

Jazz returns to the Athenaeum for our annual series of winter concerts in the Joan & Irwin Jacobs Music Room (at 1008 Wall Street in La Jolla). This series features both Athenaeum favorites and debuts by internationally acclaimed artists. Seating is limited so order soon! Visit: https://www.ljathenaeum.org/jazz Athenaeum Music & Arts Library on Instagram and Facebook

The winter series opens on Sunday, January 26, with the return of celebrated Venezuelan pianist-composer-arranger Edward Simon, joined by his longtime trio members bassist Reuben Rogers (also known for his work with Charles Lloyd) and drummer Adam Cruz (also known for his work with Danilo Pérez). Simon’s last Athenaeum performance as a leader was with his project Femeninas: Songs of Latin American Women, which featured vocalist Magos Herrera. He returns to the library to celebrate the release of a new trio album, Latin American Songbook, vol. 2, which has a special focus on the Afro-Caribbean musical traditions of his native Venezuela. Simon is well known to Athenaeum audiences from his high-energy performance last summer with guitarist-vocalist Camila Meza and past appearances with the SFJAZZ Collective and the Steel House trio with Scott Colley and Brian Blade. JazzTimes commented, “[Simon] may be the most complete creative artist … among many important jazz pianists from the Caribbean and South America.” DownBeat commented, “One of the strongest pianists of his generation, with intuitive empathy and drum-like ingenuity, Simon solos compositionally with passionate elegance.” Visit: https://www.ljathenaeum.org/events/jazz-25-0126 Athenaeum Music & Arts Library on Instagram and Facebook

The series continues Friday, March 7, with a San Diego debut by Allison, Cardenas & Nash, a collective trio of top New York City–based artists bassist Ben Allison, guitarist Steve Cardenas, and saxophonist Ted Nash. The trio weave musical conversations that are full of subtlety and surprise. They have released four albums including their latest, Tell the Birds I Said Hello: The Music of Herbie Nichols, which features previously unknown music by Nichols, an underpraised pianist-composer often compared to Thelonious Monk. The trio is modeled after reedist-composer Jimmy Giuffre’s drummer-less groups of the 1950s and 60s. As jazz was becoming more expressionistic and at times bombastic, musicians like Giuffre were going in the opposite direction. They were envisioning quieter music that maintained elements of blues and folk, while also embracing the emerging qualities of free playing. JazzTimes recognized Allison as, “a visionary composer, adventurous improviser, and strong organizational force on the New York City jazz scene.” Nash is a Grammy-winning artist known for his long tenure with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. DownBeat called him “one of the most together saxophonists of his generation.” Visit: https://www.ljathenaeum.org/events/jazz-25-0307 Athenaeum Music & Arts Library on Instagram and Facebook

Next up, on Wednesday, March 12, is a return visit by the remarkable Sullivan Fortner Trio, featuring Fortner on piano, Tyrone Allen on bass, and Kayvon Gordon on drums. New Orleans–native Sullivan Fortner has gained wide recognition as one of the most accomplished jazz musicians of his generation. His accolades include the 2015 Cole Porter Fellowship, the Leonore Annenberg Arts Fellowship, the 2016 Lincoln Center Award for Emerging Artists and, in 2020, the Shifting Foundation Grant for artistic career development. A Grammy Award–winner, he has earned recognition in multiple DownBeat Critics Polls, winning first place as both Rising Star Pianist and Rising Star Jazz Artist. His broad range of musical associations includes artists such as Roy Hargrove, Stefon Harris, Cecile McLorin Salvant, Ambrose Akinmusire, and Wynton Marsalis. The New York Times wrote, “Fortner’s fundamentals as a player could hardly be stronger, and his instincts as a composer and bandleader are almost startlingly mature ... he is an artist with his own distinct style.” Pulling elements from different eras, he finds connections among different musical styles that are at once deeply soulful and wildly inventive. Visit: https://www.ljathenaeum.org/events/jazz-25-0312 Athenaeum Music & Arts Library on Instagram and Facebook

Back by popular demand! Have you always enjoyed telling stories? Ever considered storytelling in front of an audience? The Storytelling Institute, a free seven-week course presented by the Storytellers of San Diego, is open to everyone who would like to hone their skills in this ancient art form. The Institute culminates in an optional storytelling slot for each participant at the San Diego Storytelling Festival here at the Coronado Public Library on March 15, 2025. Registration is requested for the January 21 introductory session. All other sessions are walk-in, no registration. January 21: “What’s Your Story: Finding the Stories in Your Life” with Marilyn McPhie Our lives are filled with stories! In this workshop we’ll dive into our memories -- the people, the places, the triumphs, the disasters, the memorable moments -- and emerge with stories worth sharing in family gatherings, business settings, podcasts, memoirs, on social media, onstage, and more. Visit: https://coronado.librarycalendar.com/event/storytelling-institute-28124

The series concludes on Wednesday, March 19, with the local debut of the Avishai Cohen Quartet, featuring Cohen on trumpet, Yonathan Avishai on piano, Barak Mori on bass, and Ziv Ravitz on drums. Cohen is globally recognized as a player-composer open to multiple strains of jazz and active as a leader, co-leader, and sideman. Aside from the acclaimed work with his quartet, he has also recorded and toured as part of the Mark Turner Quartet, the SFJAZZ Collective, and the 3 Cohens Sextet—with his sister, clarinetist-saxophonist Anat, and brother, saxophonist Yuval. In 2024, Cohen released his newest album, Ashes to Gold (ECM Records), a deeply introspective and richly textured exploration of life’s transitions and renewal. The album showcases Cohen’s ability to blend lyrical beauty with technical brilliance, further solidifying his reputation as an innovator in contemporary jazz. Named as Artistic Director of the International Jerusalem Festival, Cohen has also been voted as a Rising Star on three consecutive occasions in the DownBeat Critics Poll. JazzTimes called him “one of the most creative trumpet players in jazz,” adding, “Like Miles Davis, he can make the trumpet a vehicle for uttering the most poignant human cries.” Visit: https://www.ljathenaeum.org/events/jazz-25-0319 Athenaeum Music & Arts Library on Instagram and Facebook

Learn how to prune roses on at the Harlow Rose Garden in front of the Library. Please bring sharp bypass pruners and gloves to participate in this hands-on workshop. This event is also an opportunity to get information about fertilizing roses, as well as dealing with pests and fungal diseases. This free event commences at 9 a.m. and is open to the public and led by Consulting Rosarian and Master Gardener, Rita Perwich, and Master Gardeners Maria Mata and Carvill Veech. The Master Gardener Tool Committee will be on-site starting at 8:30 a.m. to provide free cleaning and sharpening of one pair of pruners or loppers for each attendee of the workshop. Tools must be in good working condition to be cleaned and sharpened. Visit: https://coronado.librarycalendar.com/event/rose-pruning-workshop-32870

Join the Coronado Public Library and Warwick's Bookstore for an unforgettable evening with author Courtney Lund O'Neil, in conversation with Jacqueline Alnes, as she shares her gripping true crime memoir Postmortem. In the vein of I’ll Be Gone in the Dark, this compelling work revisits the chilling crimes of "Killer Clown" John Wayne Gacy, offering a unique perspective on the emotional aftershocks that his violence left behind. Praised as as “harrowing” and “unforgettable” in a starred review from Publishers Weekly, O'Neil’s skill in blending her mother’s memories with her own reflections, offers “profound new insights into an oft-told American horror story.” With thought-provoking layers of personal reflection, community impact, and the broader American psyche, Postmortem offers an intimate view of how one family's grief rippled outward, forever affecting their lives and countless others. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear the author share her poignant story and insights. Free open seating is first-come, first-served, subject to available space. Guaranteed Preferred Seating is available with pre-order of Postmortem through Warwick's Visit: https://coronado.librarycalendar.com/event/hold-jl-31161

The programs provide research opportunities, stipends and tuition discounts for students pursuing science education.