WHAT THE PRESS IS SAYING
"A series of weekly ... concerts that put fans at home in the heart of the SFJAZZ Center."
—SF CHRONICLE DATEBOOK
"Not only provide a way to uplift...musicians, but also give viewers across the country a taste of the show they were missing."
—SFGATE
"[SFJAZZ] streams high quality videos of some of its most memorable recent concerts. Also, there are opportunities to tip and support the artists you’re watching."
—KQED
“[SFJAZZ’s] technological advancement… paves the way toward an exciting future."
—WPR.ORG
"Pour yourself a generous glass of wine, dim the Alexa-connected smart lights, and make sure you did, indeed, unmute your computer’s audio after that last Zoom meeting. We could all use a melodious, early evening bout of self-care these days."
—SFIST
“Each stream has attracted up to 3,000 unique log-ins — more than four times Miner Auditorium’s 700-seat capacity.”
—SF CHRONICLE DATEBOOK
"Patrons still get to mingle with one another, as well as with SFJazz staff and board members, via the live chat. Even performers and participants — including music legends Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock, Snarky Puppy mastermind Michael League, and Pink Martini vocalists China Forbes and Timothy Nishimoto — have interacted with viewers to answer questions about musical gear, instrumental tunings, time signatures and stylistic influences.”
—SF CHRONICLE DATEBOOK
“There really is no substitute for the shared experience of a live performance, but online streaming concert series like SFJAZZʼs new Fridays at Five program aim to bring people together anyway.”
—SFGATE
“Viewers are able to talk to one another and drop emojis in a live chat room, where they are also encouraged to provide feedback and introduce themselves if they are new members.”
—SFGATE
“A $5 membership felt like an accessible gateway into a sector of the arts I may not have otherwise been able to engage in… If only for an hour, I had time to appreciate the music without any anxiety or interruption from the world around me.”
—SFGATE
“SFJAZZ has been rubbing fans the right way a lot lately, as it extends the tip jar commonly found in jazz clubs to the virtual environment… where artists interact with fans in chat rooms while they watch one of hundreds of performances recorded in the building since it opened in 2013.”
—FORBES
“SFJAZZ’s new Fridays at Five series, an online membership program launched amid the COVID-19 crisis to raise money for the organization.”
—ROLLING STONE
"Global audiences… digitally experience the organization’s live concert programming, while directly supporting the artists on stage."
—JAZZED MAGAZINE
“When all performances were shut down in March 2020, SFJAZZ started a digital series, Fridays at Five, now Fridays Live.”
—SF CLASSICAL VOICE
“Digital membership is $5 a month and allows access to future concerts… An online tip jar will be open during Friday's broadcast and proceeds will be split 50-50 between the Preservation Hall Foundation and SFJAZZ.”
—NOLA.COM
“Also entering the subscription field is SFJAZZ… the largest jazz presenter on the West Coast.”
SF BUSINESS TIMES
“Exclusive footage of some of the finest concerts staged at the SFJAZZ Center… Enjoy this series from the comfort of your own home, and you don’t even have to be in San Francisco or the Bay Area to do so.”
—SF ARTS PREVIEW
“[SFJAZZ] recently started bringing shows into homes with a new weekly line up of pre-filmed concerts to help put a pep in peoples’ steps amid these socially distant days.”
—SFIST
WHAT ARTISTS ARE SAYING
"It's the place to be!"
—HERBIE HANCOCK
“This SFJAZZ series is like medicine that benefits the entire country.”
—WAYNE SHORTER
"This concert series helps provide some support and finance to all of the musicians."
—ZAKIR HUSSAIN
“This is truly not a stage, it's a playground. We have so much fun up here."
—DIANNE REEVES
“The way they filmed us with all the different angles and shots — they were following the music, paying attention to what was happening, the way we expressed ourselves.”
—JOE LOVANO
WHAT SFJAZZ MEMBERS ARE SAYING
"Uncannily immersive... the best live TV music experience I have ever had on my couch."
—DAN L.
“[SFJAZZ’s] app is the next best thing to being there live.”
—KENT
"Standing ovation from my living room! SFJAZZ is the best membership I've ever had!”
—STEPH G.
"A great way to send gift memberships to friends, local or out of state, just to share the kindness and love in this climate!”
—SHOOK C.
“SFJAZZ is at the vanguard (no pun intended) of presenting & sharing contemporary music worldwide.”
—GLENN JUNKERT