September 7
With trombonist, bassist and Jazz Mafia kingpin Adam Theis at the helm, the Shotgun Wedding Quintet’s deadly combination of hip-hop, acoustic jazz, sampling and deep soul has made waves across the jazz world. Featuring the irrepressible rapper Dublin, the SWQ is a group of five powerful musical personalities with the sound of a 10-piece band.
September 14
Flamekeeper of all that is fun and exciting about American Roots music, Izzy and the Kesstronics seamlessly blends a massive catalogue of 1950's Rock n' Roll, Classic Country, 1930's Swing, Surf and Bluegrass with their original material, creating a sound that is both distinctly new and unique, yet stylishly familiar.
September 21
Santa Cruz-born pianist and composer Richard Sears is at the forefront of the burgeoning young L.A. jazz scene, having recorded and performed with artists including Joshua Redman, Dave Binney, Robben Ford and Ambrose Akinmusire. His new CD, RICK, features original compositions that combine influences from rock and free jazz.
September 28
Led by the acclaimed young trumpeter Clifford Brown III, grandson of jazz trumpet legend Clifford Brown, The Brewing Co. is firmly rooted in the post-bop jazz of the 50’s and 60’s with branches reaching to today’s soul-jazz and nu-jazz movements. Don’t miss this intoxicating band that defines the concept of “cool and smooth.”
October 5
A creative catalyst on the Bay Area music scene for nearly two decades, bassist Seth Ford Young has collaborated with a dazzling cross section of musicians including Tom Waits, Sean Hayes, Mark Growden, Myles Boisen and John Vanderslice. Now based in Los Angleles, Seth has released his electrifying debut album, steeped in the Gypsy Jazz tradition.
October 12
The polyrhythmic heat and funk of Evie Ladin's clawhammer banjo, resonant voice, real stories and rhythmic dance have been heard from A Prairie Home Companion to Celtic Connections, Lincoln Center to Hardly Strictly Bluegrass. Ladin and her band Evil Diane in live performance is a demonstrative, delightfully gorgeous storm.
August 11
Combining elements of samba, hip-hop, funk,
heavy metal, dancehall & reggae, this 8 to 14
piece non-traditional bateria has quickly earned
a reputation as one of Oakland California's
most raucous and jubilant party bands. Utilizing everything
from sultry R&B covers to tongue-in-cheek punk
rock sing-alongs, the Loyds will whip the Union Square audience into a frenzy!
August 18
Lavay Smith is the matchless grande dame of the Bay Area swing scene. Her “lush vocal style recalling both Bessie Smith and Dinah Washington” (Los Angeles Times) mixed with air-tight jump blues, R&B, big band, and salsa grooves laid down by the Red Hot Skillet Lickers will make this a sizzling evening in Union Square!
August 25
Led by the magnetic Rupa Marya, Rupa & the April Fishes create an intoxicating blend of music that echoes with influences of French chanson, Argentinean tango, Gypsy swing, American folk, Latin cumbias, and even Indian ragas. Their raucous and inviting performances have earned them a wide following throughout the Bay Area and beyond.
June 16
Lavay Smith is the matchless grande dame of the Bay Area swing scene. Her “lush vocal style recalling both Bessie Smith and Dinah Washington”
(Los Angeles Times) mixed with air-tight jump blues, R&B, big band, and salsa grooves laid down by the Red Hot Skillet Lickers will make this a sizzling evening at Stanford!
June 23
With this swinging show, Stanford Jazz Workshop kicks off its 40th season! Beloved by SJW students as educators as well as maintaining careers as leading performers, the All-Stars present an afternoon of new arrangements of classic jazz, featuring saxophonists Patrick Wolff and Andrew Speight, trumpeter Erik Jekabson, pianist Joe Gilman,
bassist John Wiitala and drummer Hamir Atwal.
June 30
Trumpeter Erik Jekabson and vocalist extraordinaire Kenny Washington team up with a top-notch band to play classic New Orleans Jazz. Kenny is a New Orleans native and Erik spent four years in the Crescent City, so you can expect some soulful and swinging sounds as they play both standard traditional tunes and some lesser-known gems.
July 7
Headed by leading San Francisco-based saxophonist and composer Michael Zilber, Weather Wayne focuses on the music of saxophone legend Wayne Shorter, particularly the joyful, infectious pieces Shorter composed for Weather Report in the '70s and '80s. Zilber is joined by Bay Area jazz stars Matt Clark on keyboards, bassist Dan Feiszli, drummer John Mader and percussionist Markinho Brasil.
July 14
Led by the irrepressible master of the six-string tres, Heriberto “Tito” Gonzalez, Tito y su Son de Cuba is committed to Son Cubano, the traditional Cuban music form revitalized in recent years by the Buena Vista Social Club. Combining a percussion-heavy approach with Tito’s soulful voice and virtuoso tres playing, Tito Y Su Son de Cuba will have the Stanford audience dancing in the aisles.
July 21
San Francisco-based jazz-funk-soul quartet Times 4 presents a dynamic program of contemporary jazz and urban grooves. Drawing on a wide range of influences including jazz, soul, Latin, funk, hip-hop and rock, Times 4 weaves a musical tapestry that expresses their diverse roots in the San Francisco Bay Area.
July 28
This quartet is a more traditional "jazz" setting for the masterful Bay Area drummer, but what's guaranteed is a non-traditional evening of improvised music. Amendola’s quartet, featuring saxophonist Josh Smith, pianist Erik Deutsch and bassist John Shifflett, will be interpreting music from Scott’s recent record, Lift. Nothing is sacred with this band except the idea to keep the music deep and real.
August 4
Forró Brazuca plays the sensuous, upbeat sounds of northeastern Brazil like no other band on the West Coast. Inspired by the music of Luiz Gonzaga, Jackson do Pandeiro, Trio Virgulino and Dominguinhos, this San Francisco-based quartet of Brazilian forró masters performs Latin, folk and roots music at its festive, rollicking best!
August 11
Winner of the Gardel Prize, a Latin Grammy nominee and member of the Tango Hall of Fame, María Volonté is an Argentine singer-songwriter celebrated for the intense passion and beauty of her songs as well as her charisma and sensuality on stage. She has released 8 award-winning CDs and her latest, Portrait, is available on the Network/ Harmonia Mundi label.
August 18
Join guitar virtuoso Paul Mehling’s Le Jazz Hot Quartet of the Hot Club of San Francisco for a celebration of love songs and driving gypsy jazz made famous during the 1920s and ’30s by Django Reinhardt, Stéphane Grappelli, and their legendary Quintette du Hot Club de France. Magical guitar and fiddle solos take you on a ride down the Seine as Le Jazz Hot’s mix of sweet and sultry songs echo the historic “City of Light.”
