Bob Reynolds takes Performing Arts Center Stage
Jazz musician Bob Reynolds, best known for his work with the critically acclaimed jazz fusion group Snarky Puppy, performed an intimate set in the Music Hall at Santa Monica College on March 6, 2026, backed by his quartet featuring drummer Christian Euman, bassist Janek Gwizdala, and award-winning pianist Ruslan Sirota.
Reynolds’ performance was the first concert in an ongoing three-part spring concert series presented by the SMC Music Department. Curated by Jazz Ensemble director F. Keith Fiddmont, the Friday Night Jazz Series is a concert program featuring three performances by internationally celebrated jazz musicians.
This marked the second time in Fiddmont’s tenure as curator that he has booked an artist he had never talked to, he revealed during his short pre-show speech and in talks after the show. “I was familiar with him, but I’ve never talked to him. So I just contacted him on Facebook,” Fiddmont said.
This year also marks the 20-year anniversary of Fiddmont serving as director of the Friday Night Jazz Series, after taking over the role from former jazz history director Alvin Lyles in 2006.
Reynolds’ set included the title track from his latest release, “Eddie Told Me So.” Other highlights from the set include “Crush,” which featured the use of reverb and delay effects, and a bonus composition originally written for his 2019 release with Snarky Puppy, “Chrysalis.”
Reynolds’ performance was well-received by audience members, who gave a standing ovation at the end of the show. One mother-daughter duo, Cheryl Rathner and Harmony Rousseau, said they had never heard a song from Reynolds prior to attending.
While talking about the setlist, Reynolds noted how the room in which the band performs in and its instrumentation may influence song choices.
“Like, for instance, having a grand piano...A lot of times, this band, we play at the Baked Potato…that club, they don’t have a piano there. They have a Fender Rhodes.”
“When we have a piano, that opens up a different kind of box of opportunities of stuff that we can get into—so that might inform the repertoire choices,” he said.
Reynolds joined Snarky Puppy in 2014 before recording their album “We Like it Here.” He has since won three Grammys alongside the band for their albums “Culcha Vulcha,” “Empire Central” and “Live at the Royal Albert Hall.”
A graduate of Berklee College of Music, Reynolds formed his quartet in 2000. Additionally, he played in John Mayer’s band for five years, and has worked with a multitude of prominent artists including Michael Bublé, Jonas Brothers, the 1975 and Usher.
Apart from his stint in Snarky Puppy as well as his solo endeavors, he is a faculty instructor at the Thornton School of Music. When asked about the importance of being a jazz educator, he said he owed it to the local jazz scene of Jacksonville, Fla. “I was excited by what was going on around me, and I was inspired and I was so fortunate to learn from people like peers, people older than me and college students and college professors.”
“So, I just feel like it’s a privilege to be able to, then, be the one kind of passing that along, or sharing insights that I’ve been able to absorb over the years with younger generations,” Reynolds said.
The Friday Night Jazz Series will host two more concerts at the SMC Performing Arts Center throughout the spring season. The next concert features New York-based jazz drummer Carl Allen, followed by the international jazz pianist and composer Theo Saunders. The two performances will take place at 7 p.m. on April 3 and May 1 at the Music Hall.