Cart2022-23 SEASON RESIDENT ARTISTIC DIRECTORS
Every two years, SFJAZZ selects a new group of forward-thinking musicians to participate in the program where they are invited to present new and unique works at SFJAZZ.
Notable world premieres have included pianist Moran's pairing of jazz and live skateboarding, guitarist Bill Frisell's adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson's The Kentucky Derby is Decadent and Depraved featuring actor Tim Robbins, drummer Harland's Voyager band paired with live video gamers, and an extensively revised presentation of trumpeter Terence Blanchard's fully-staged opera Champion: An Opera in Jazz.
“This is truly not a stage, it’s a playground. We have so much fun up here.”—Dianne Reeves (former Resident Artistic Director)
Season 1–Season 2 (2013-14)
Regina Carter
Bill Frisell
Jason Moran
John Santos
Miguel Zenón
Season 3–Season 4 (2014–16)
Esperanza Spalding
Eric Harland
Terence Blanchard
Zakir Hussain
Season 5–Season 6 (2016-18)
Christian McBride
Mary Stallings
Rosanne Cash
Vijay Iyer
Season 7–Season 8 (2018–19)
Chucho Valdés
Dianne Reeves
Joe Lovano
Laurie Anderson
Marcus Shelby
Past SFJAZZ Resident Artistic Directors include Bill Frisell, Jason Moran, Miguel Zenón, Regina Carter, John Santos, Esperanza Spalding, Zakir Hussain, Christian McBride, Vijay Iyer, Chucho Valdés, Terence Blanchard, Rosanne Cash and more.
AMBROSE AKINMUSIRE | FEB 3-5, Feb 9
The most distinctive trumpeter of our era, Oakland-reared Akinmusire plays with a dark-hued and gleaming tone. He merges straight ahead jazz with rappers and string quartets, “throwing out all the cliches to arrive at a fresh conception” (San Jose Mercury News). A Blue Note recording artist, Akinmusire pushes fearlessly forward – and is sought out by such legends as Jack DeJohnette and Kendrick Lamar.
View ConcertsAMBROSE AKINMUSIRE | FEB 3-5, Feb 9
The most distinctive trumpeter of our era, Oakland-reared Akinmusire plays with a dark-hued and gleaming tone. He merges straight ahead jazz with rappers and string quartets, “throwing out all the cliches to arrive at a fresh conception” (San Jose Mercury News). A Blue Note recording artist, Akinmusire pushes fearlessly forward – and is sought out by such legends as Jack DeJohnette and Kendrick Lamar.
View ConcertsTERRI LYNE CARRINGTON | FEB 23-26
One of the great living drumset masters, Carrington has transcended her prodigious beginnings to become a highly respected bandleader, an in-demand producer, an invaluable collaborator, a three-time GRAMMY Award winner, and a 2021 NEA Jazz Master. She is a veteran of work with Herbie Hancock, Esperanza Spalding, Wayne Shorter, and Geri Allen, is the founder and Artistic Director of the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice.
View ConcertsTERRI LYNE CARRINGTON | FEB 23-26
One of the great living drumset masters, Carrington has transcended her prodigious beginnings to become a highly respected bandleader, an in-demand producer, an invaluable collaborator, a three-time GRAMMY Award winner, and a 2021 NEA Jazz Master. She is a veteran of work with Herbie Hancock, Esperanza Spalding, Wayne Shorter, and Geri Allen, is the founder and Artistic Director of the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice.
View ConcertsANAT COHEN | MAR 9-12
With three GRAMMY nominations, ten consecutive DownBeat Critics Poll Best Clarinetist awards, and twelve consecutive Clarinetist of the Year awards from the Jazz Journalists Association, Anat Cohen is easily the instrument’s greatest living virtuoso. Her music has encompassed everything from 1920s jazz to Brazilian choro, Argentine tango, Afro-Cuban jazz, and classical music, and her current project is her stylistically omnivorous Tentet. She is a member of the all-star supergroup ARTEMIS.
View ConcertsANAT COHEN | MAR 9-12
With three GRAMMY nominations, ten consecutive DownBeat Critics Poll Best Clarinetist awards, and twelve consecutive Clarinetist of the Year awards from the Jazz Journalists Association, Anat Cohen is easily the instrument’s greatest living virtuoso. Her music has encompassed everything from 1920s jazz to Brazilian choro, Argentine tango, Afro-Cuban jazz, and classical music, and her current project is her stylistically omnivorous Tentet. She is a member of the all-star supergroup ARTEMIS.
View ConcertsCHRIS POTTER | APR 20-23
“One of the most studied (and copied) saxophonists on the planet” (DownBeat), Chris Potter is a boundary-breaking composer, improvisor, and bandleader who moves deftly from acoustic post-bop and funk to global fusion and the fringes of experimentalism. He has collaborated with Pat Metheny, Dave Holland, Zakir Hussain, and Herbie Hancock, and returns as the SFJAZZ Collective Music Director for the second year.
View ConcertsCHRIS POTTER | APR 20-23
“One of the most studied (and copied) saxophonists on the planet” (DownBeat), Chris Potter is a boundary-breaking composer, improvisor, and bandleader who moves deftly from acoustic post-bop and funk to global fusion and the fringes of experimentalism. He has collaborated with Pat Metheny, Dave Holland, Zakir Hussain, and Herbie Hancock, and returns as the SFJAZZ Collective Music Director for the second year.
View ConcertsSOWETO KINCH | MAY 18-21
The London-born saxophonist and rapper stands at the vanguard of explosive British jazz scene, firmly established as a leader at the intersection of jazz and hip-hop. Winner of the Rising Star award from the BBC Jazz Awards and the White Foundation World Saxophone Competition prize from the Montreux Jazz Festival, Kinch has released seven albums including his 2019 album 'The Black Peril'.
View ConcertsSOWETO KINCH | MAY 18-21
The London-born saxophonist and rapper stands at the vanguard of explosive British jazz scene, firmly established as a leader at the intersection of jazz and hip-hop. Winner of the Rising Star award from the BBC Jazz Awards and the White Foundation World Saxophone Competition prize from the Montreux Jazz Festival, Kinch has released seven albums including his 2019 album 'The Black Peril'.
View Concerts