Sea of Sound

A decade’s worth of smooth grooves were celebrated during the Ocean Institute’s 10 Years of Jazz bonanza, a sold-out, two-night event that lit up O.C.’s coast with palatable pleasures and live tunes aplenty—and netted $180,000 for the nonprofit org. While the first evening certainly delivered with wine, appetizers and a concert performance, night two’s seaside soirée was a musical muse. Guests enjoyed an elegant earful from renowned trumpeter Rick Braun, pianist David Benoit and sultry saxophonist Mindi Abair, alongside a four-course dinner prepared by resort chefs like Andres Jimenez of The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel and Rob Wilson of the Montage Laguna Beach. Not to worry; all that was paired with wine from Pear Valley Vineyards, and silent and live auctions, but of course. Photos by Rick Chatillon