Theme & Variations

Continuing a long tradition of “the best thematic programming” (The New York Times) , SFJAZZ presents four seasons within a season this Spring: the “Discovery Series,” a four night exploration of new and exciting emerging sounds at the Forum at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA); the “Jazz Masters” series, spotlighting four legendary musicians (also at YBCA Forum); an all day “Jazz + Silent Film Festival” with live music accompanying classic films from the early days of the Silver Screen; and our celebrated “Sacred Space” concerts.

Celebrating the masters

SFJAZZ honors jazz’s rich history this spring, by presenting four distinctive artists that truly deserve the title “Jazz Master.”

Saxman James Moody has done it all. Over sixty years, Moody has dipped into bebop, hard bop, rock, soul, and beyond, all with inimitable grace and passion. His signature tune, “Moody’s Mood for Love,” is a masterpiece of improvisation, and he has continued to stretch his talent, working with such diverse artists as Dizzy Gillespie, Elvis Presley, Manhattan Transfer, and many more. The New York Times praise of Moody, who performs exclusively for SFJAZZ Members on April 24, is definitive: “As a musical explorer, performer, collaborator, and composer [Moody] has made an indelible contribution to the rise of American music as the dominant musical force of the twentieth century.”

Mose Allison (4/25) is a true American original. Rooted in the boogie-woogie and Delta blues rhythms of his native Mississippi, his songwriting style (“Young Man Blues,” “Parchman Farm,” “Your Mind is on Vacation”) favors wry humor and tuneful melodies delivered in a laid-back vocal style that has all the allure of a porch-side storytelling session. He has inspired countless songwriters, most notably Ray Davies of the Kinks and Pete Townsend of The Who, and his songs have endured as timeless classics—as has the man himself, with the New Yorker dubbing him “nothing less than a National Treasure.”

With an incomparable voice that legendary producer Quincy Jones compared to “honey at dusk,” Ernestine Anderson (4/26) is a song interpreter of the highest order. “Able to pierce the emotional core of a lyric” (Washington Post), the multi-Grammy-nominated Anderson has been hard at work ever since her performance at the first Monterey Jazz Festival in 1958. Through a number of comebacks, in the ’70s and ’90s, one thing has remained the same: Anderson is a thrilling performer who casts a spell over audiences with a blues-drenched voice and a matchless delivery born from over a half-century on the bandstand.

The final Jazz Master, saxophonist Lee Konitz (4/27), celebrates his 80th birthday year with SFJAZZ. His tremendous career has been marked by an incessant exploratory drive: as “one of the architects of “cool” playing” (BBC), both as a featured soloist on Miles Davis’ Birth of the Cool sessions and work with Lennie Tristano, through flirtations with free jazz, and right through recent trio work with pianist Brad Mehldau and bassist Charlie Haden.  A tireless improviser, Konitz “is still able to…blow your mind” (The New York Times), carving out a style all his own that has influenced countless players, and continues to keep audiences on the edge of their seats through every twist and turn.

Jazz + Silent Film Festival

The one day Jazz + Silent Film Festival at the Castro Theatre features three timeless films and the return of San Francisco’s Club Foot Orchestra. Known for their groundbreaking work scoring and accompanying silent films, Club Foot was a major force on the San Francisco arts scene in the ’80s. For their 20th Anniversary, they celebrate by giving three phenomenal films a 21st- century update: the classic Buster Keaton comedy, Sherlock Jr., for a family-friendly matinee; and in the evening, two German-expressionist classics, the shadowy and mysterious The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (7PM) and landmark horror film, Nosferatu (9PM), a chilling take on the Dracula legend.

Sacred Space

The soaring vault of San Francisco’s Grace Cathedral hosts the visionary beauty of two “only-in-San-Francisco” concerts this Spring Season: the complete cycle of J.S. Bach’s Cello Suites over two nights; (5/22-23) and the return of the otherworldy Bulgarian women’s choir, Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares (5/28). Performed by Grammy-winning concert cellist Lynn Harrell, Bach’s six suites contain some of the most moving, beautiful music ever written. The Grammy-winning Bulgarian choir reprises its sold-out 2006 “Sacred Space” concert, transforming centuries-old traditional songs with modern arrangements and transcendent harmonies. NOTE: The “Le Mystère” concert, originally scheduled for Friday, January 25 at 8 p.m., has been rescheduled to Wednesday, May 28 at 7:30 p.m.