a nonprofit presenter of jazz artistic and education programs

Each season, SFJAZZ presents a special concert just for members. These exclusive events feature rare performances by jazz legends in appearances that aren't available to the general public. Become a member today!

SFJAZZ is very proud to have presented these past
Members-Only Concerts
:

toshikoJacky Terrasson, solo piano
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Florence Gould Theatre, Legion of Honor

A sold-out return to the Festival for two-time Grammy nominee Terrasson

 

toshikoFred Hersch, solo piano
March 8, 2007
SF Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA), Wattis Theatre

Piano master Hersch revisited his acclaimed CD Fred Hersch Plays Monk in this sold-out Members-only program at SFMOMA. The event also featured a discussion on the intersection of Monk’s music and modern art.

 

toshikoLadysmith Black Mambazo
January 26, 2007
Herbst Theatre

“LSMB”are famed for “melding a tradition of Zulu harmony with imported gospel and soul” (The New York Times). LSMB are revered cultural and humanitarian ambassadors for their homeland, ”using their majestic voices, and nothing else [to produce] a full orchestra of sound” (San Francisco Chronicle).

 

toshikoToshiko Akiyoshi, solo
October 28, 2006
Florence Gould Theatre, Legion of Honor

Summing up her career, Akiyoshi has said, "I would hope that my work might have more substance and more quality, rather than quantity of notes. And I hope the notes I produce today are more selective than 20 years ago." — NEA Jazz Master, 2007

 

SFJAZZ Collective
April 14, 2006
Herbst Theatre

“Jazz concerts don't usually feel like sporting events, but Friday night's homecoming of the SFJAZZ Collective had the happy, celebratory feeling of a big game at the ballpark. One by one, the band's eight members walked onstage to a roar from the sold-out crowd at San Francisco's Herbst Theatre: "Bobby Hutcherson!" (Roar). "Nicholas Payton!" (Roar). "Joshua Redman!" (Roar). Back from a tour that included performances at Carnegie Hall in New York and the Barbican in London, the Collective was playing the first of three consecutive weekend concerts on home turf. It felt something like a Major League All-Star Game, and this is definitely an all-star band...” — Richard Scheinin, Mercury News, Monday, April 16, 2006


McCoy Tyner, Joshua Redman, Brian Blade, Reginald Veal
June 3, 2005
Palace of Fine Arts Theatre

“Tyner extended the deep mood, again playing ‘Naima.’ It was one of those performances that seem to stop time and leave you wondering: How did Tyner ever come up with this sound, all those years ago? There wasn't much time to ponder. ‘The Greeting’ and ‘Inner Glimpse’ followed, joyful explosions. Too bad this band can't go on the road.” — Richard Scheinin, San Jose Mercury News, Monday, June 6, 2005


SFJAZZ Collective
March 19 and 21, 2004
Palace of Fine Arts Theatre

a eureka moment...”
— Ben Ratliff, The New York Times,
April 5, 2004

“We know that they can play --- that's a given, considering the caliber of the musicians in this band, most of whom are jazz luminaries. What's special is the progressive repertoire that they have chosen to champion. Moreover, they have youth on their side, plus a resident eminence grise on board in vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson, 63, and an articulate, intelligent spokesman in artistic director-saxophonist Joshua Redman.” — Richard S. Ginell, Daily Variety, March 30, 2004


Marian McPartland
November 7, 2003
Herbst Theatre

A consummate pianist and composer who has been firmly ensconced in the jazz scene for over 65 years, Marian McPartland also boast one of the most far-reaching influences in the history of the music. McPartland, “can play anything with anybody. The maverick pianist is a growing, evolving artist. She has the rare ability to improve the listeners' mood with just one elegant chord.” (The Washington Post)


Herbie Hancock Quartet
March 28, 2003
Palace of Fine Arts Theatre

“At an SFJAZZ Concert Friday night in San Francisco, Hancock led a quartet that ranged from avant-garde chamber jazz to acoustic funk and the agitated, pulsing swing he pioneered with Miles Davis in the mid-'60s…The music kept growing, dissolving and re-emerging in new shapes during a nearly two-hour set -- a lesson for the audience about the sort of extraordinary dialogue that can happen among musicians who really listen to one another.”
— Richard Scheinin, San Jose Mercury News, April 1, 2003


Toots Thielmans, Oscar Castro-Neves, Kenny Werner
November 5, 2002
Palace of Fine Arts Theatre

“Whether Werner sticks exclusively to piano or adds the lush strings from his synthesizer as well, he provides the perfect complement to the always lyrical harmonica of the veteran Thielemans. Although Thielemans was 79…he has lost none of the daredevil spirit he has demonstrated in the past…” —All Music Guide