Family Matinee: Tammy L. Hall & Friends

About This Show

Pianist, bandleader and SFJAZZ Lead Teaching Artist Tammy Lynne Hall began playing the piano at age four in Dallas, Texas, where she was raised by two grandmothers, a grandfather and numerous aunts and uncles. Her earliest memories of the piano were of climbing onto the piano bench and picking out the notes to tunes she heard either on the radio, record player, or something the choir sang at church. As a mainstay in the Bay Area, Tammy has worked with a host of renowned artists across multiple genres, including Etta Jones, Kim Nalley, Holly Near, Linda Tillery, Denise Perrier, Tiffany Austin, Nicolas Bearde, Ernestine Anderson, Kenny Washington, the Montclair Women’s Big Band, Houston Person, David "Fathead" Newman, Regina Carter, Laurie Anderson, Marcus Shelby, Allison Miller and many others. Her pianistic touch evokes her deeply rooted gospel and blues foundations, and her education work has continued to shine a light on the power of Black music to heal a weary world.

For this edition of our Family Matinee program, we celebrate the music and adventurousness of Mary Lou Williams and Tania Maria. They were—and are—maestras of both hands at the piano, the left hand being just as agile and strong as the right. For jazz icon Mary Lou Williams, blues and Spirituals were the foundation, and for Brazilian pianist Tania Maria, mixing samba with just about anything provided new and inspired grooves. We joyfully explore a wide array of musical styles as we acknowledge two piano powerhouses in our final family matinee of the season!