How to Buy

We are currently in the proccess of adding new merchandise to our website, which should be appearing here soon. To purchase t-shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts, bottle openers, posters and more, visit our box office inside the SFJAZZ Center located on 201 Franklin Street (at Fell St).

SFJAZZ CDs & DVDs

Each season, SFJAZZ produces a deluxe, limited edition CD set of live performance recordings of the SFJAZZ Collective’s repertoire for that year.

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Gift Cards

Redeemable for concert tickets, merchandise or membership, an SFJAZZ Gift Card is a fast and flexible way to share the world of jazz with those you love.

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In addition to its award-winning big band, The SFJAZZ High School All-Stars presents its 6-piece Combo, directed by renowned saxophonist and educator Dann Zinn. Comprised of the "best of the best" Bay Area high school students, this small ensemble focuses on playing original compositions and arrangements, along with the dynamic works by the SFJAZZ Collective.

Combo member benefits include:

  • unique clinics and workshops from world famous jazz musicians such as the SFJAZZ Collective members
  • dedicated college audition recording sessions
  • performance opportunities that include a spot in the SFJAZZ Fall Festival
  • free tickets to select SFJAZZ concerts

2012-2013 Combo Members:

Elena Pinderhughes, flute, Berkeley, Berkeley High School
Howard Dietz, alto sax, Morgan Hill, Valley Christian High School
Sam Klein-Markman, guitar, Berkeley, Berkeley High School
Michael Orenstein, piano, Berkeley, Berkeley High School
Logan Kane, bass, Pleasanton, Amador Valley High School
Marcelo Bourque-Perez, drums, Berkeley, Berkeley High School

 

Bio & Achievements

Directed by esteemed educator and performer Paul Contos, the SFJAZZ High School All-Stars Orchestra comprises 24 of the finest young Bay Area jazz musicians, selected annually by competitive audition. The ensemble has appeared at the San Francisco Jazz Festival, SFJAZZ Spring Season, Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Essentially Ellington Competition, Monterey Next Generation Jazz Festival, the Jazz Education Network Conference, and at concerts in top professional jazz clubs, festivals, museums, and community arts centers throughout California. Ensemble members enjoy regular workshops, master classes and mentoring sessions with leading artists, such as members of the SFJAZZ Collective, Terence Blanchard, Yusef Lateef, and Vijay Iyer.

The rewards are evident in their "dynamite" (JazzTimes) performances, which give “testimony to the continuing persistence of the creative spirit” (Los Angeles Times). "These kids are amazing," wrote the San Jose Mercury News, "jazz has a future!"

2012-2013 Orchestra Members:

Saxophones

Howard Dietz, alto, Morgan Hill, Valley Christian High School
Eric Nakanishi, alto, Pleasant Hill, Northgate High School
Michael Blasky, tenor, San Rafael, Marin Academy
Kshimon Stevenson, tenor, Novato, Marin School of the Arts
Nico Scolieri, baritone, San Francisco, SF School of the Arts

Trumpets

Jason Seavey, Greenbrae, Redwood High School
Daniel Bereket, San Carlos, Carlmont High School
Alan Osmundson, Walnut Creek, Las Lomas High School
Arbel Efraty, San Francisco , Lowell High School
Bryan Louie, Salinas, Stevenson School

Trombones

Matthew Blankinship, Albany, Albany High School
Hanne Williams-Baron, San Francisco, SF School of the Arts
Ruben Sandoval, Daly City, SF School of the Arts
Jasim Perales, Oakland, Oakland School of the Arts
Robbie Henderson, Brentwood, Liberty High School

Piano

Matt Wong, San Francisco, San Francisco University High School

Guitar

Sam Klein-Markman, Berkeley, Berkeley High School

Bass

Logan Kane, Pleasanton, Amador Valley High School
Kanoa Mendenhall, Pacific Grove, Valley Christian High School

Percussion

Zev Shearn-Nance, drums, Tiburon, Redwood High School
Benjamin Ring, drums, Piedmont, Piedmont High School
Ahkeel Mestayer, percussion, San Francisco, SF School of the Arts

Auxiliary:

Voice/Flute: Elena Pinderhughes, Berkeley, Berkeley High School

Alternates:

Alto Saxophones/Clarinet: Anthony Ferrara, Matthew Stubbs (clarinet)
Tenor Saxophones: Hugo Shiboski, Cole Jordan
Flute: Maureen Sides
Trumpet: Callista Wells, Ben Cohen-Stillman
Piano: Jackson Clawson, Joey Grimes
Hammond B3: Kevin Coelho
Guitar: Dalton Yoder
Drums: Carson Messer, Cy Grimsich, Rohan Punamia, Alijah Rubin

Mentorship program (alpha order):

Sasha Berliner, vibes
Alex Farrell, bass
Laetitia Galeazzi, trumpet
Ele-Salif Howell, drums
Joseph Sabados, trumpet
Espen Scheuer, alto sax
Marcus Veal, trumpet
Jason Zucker, piano

Jazz & The American Spirit

Jazz & The American Spirit is designed to help 8th grade students understand the resiliency of the American spirit and how that spirit was reflected in the evolution of jazz.

The one-week residency project is divided into five one-hour sessions. The program is lead by guest artists in jazz and improvisational theater. Students explore the American Revolution, the Civil War, The Great Depression, WWII, and the Civil Rights Era through a series of hands-on jazz-focused, standards-based interactive exercises.

Students create music, learn to improvise, generate stories, learn about musical forms, participate in improv storytelling, create art, respond to poetry, and perform solos. The final day consists of a performance that highlights what students have learned throughout the residency.

The one-week program can be implemented in either 8th grade Social Studies or Language Arts classrooms.

Sessions Overview:

Day 1: The American Revolution/Visual Arts/Call & Response
Day 2: The Civil War & Reconstruction/Creating Songs
Day 3: The Great Depression & WWII/Mood & Musical Interactions
Day 4: The Civil Rights Era/Poetic Expressions
Day 5: World Music/ A Celebration of Jazz

The Oral Tradition: Storytelling, Drums & Dance

Oral Tradition: Storytelling, Drums & Dance is designed to help 7th grade students understand the oral tradition as a means to transmit African history and culture and how this is reflected in the evolution of jazz.

Students explore and experience stories that are told by drums, by dancers and through voice. They learn about social, cultural and musical depictions of rhythm and make connections between the past and their daily life experiences.

The four-week project is divided into weekly ninety-minute sessions. The program is led by guest artists in jazz. The goal is to actively engage students in participatory performance-based storytelling, musical, and dance experiences.

Sessions Overview:

Day One: Introduction to Jazz/Reader’s Theater Performance
Day Two: Introduction to Drumming, Jazz, & Slavery/Drum Making Activity
Day Three: Listening & Creating Jazz/Dance Activity
Day Four: Performance

Blues & Poetry

Our flagship 6th grade Blues & Poetry program, created in collaboration with Youth Speaks Inc, connects academic learning and jazz in the language arts classroom, exploring the artistic parallels between linguistic, spatial and musical expression. It combines interactive musical experiences, opportunities to develop literacy skills, and hands-on technology learning. In this one week artists-in-residence program, students engage in dynamic, creative, and collaborative experiences with professional artists as they're immersed in the vibrant world of jazz.

The residency consists of five ninety-minute classroom sessions. The program is led by two SFJAZZ Teacher/Artists and one poetry specialist from Youth Speaks. The final day of the residency features a performance by the students and an SFJAZZ quartet.

Sessions Overview:

• Interactive Lecture/Demonstation: The first 45-minutes of Sessions 1-3 feature an interactive musical learning experience, consisting of a lecture, questions and hand-on learning activities.

• Collaborative Learning Stations: During the second component of each session, students participate in multifaceted learning stations, which include Digital Music, Poetry and Music & Poetry Performance Techniques. The class is divided into three groups. Each day, the groups rotate to one of the three stations and participate in the designed learning activity.

• Performance, Student Showcase Day. The final session culminates in a performance by the full SFJAZZ in the Middle quartet. The group performs selected blues and jazz standards of different tempos and styles. Students then hear their own work from the Digital Music stations before performing their poems, with the SFJAZZ in the Middle quartet.

Booking Info

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