SFJAZZ Gala 2025 Honoring Don Was

Thank You to Everyone Who Attended This Year's Gala!

All-Star Gala Concert
Terence Blanchard • Don Was • Ambrose Akinmusire
Melissa Aldana • Gabrielle Cavassa • Kurt Elling
Lisa Fischer • Bill Frisell • Charles Lloyd • Jason Moran 
Larry Grenadier • Eric Harland • Salar Nader • Alam Khan
SFJAZZ Collective + more!

Gala Concert Hosts
Delroy Lindo
Paul Reiser

After Party
DJ Andre Power
DJ Wonway Posibul
SFJAZZ High School All-Stars + more!

This year's SFJAZZ Gala with Executive Artistic Director Terence Blanchard honored legendary producer, musician, and Blue Note Records President Don Was with the SFJAZZ Lifetime Achievement Award.

The Gala is SFJAZZ’s largest fundraiser of the year and included an All-Star Gala Concert hosted by actor and comedian Paul Reiser and award-winning actor Delroy Lindo, featuring Terence Blanchard, honoree Don Was, vocal greats Kurt Elling and Lisa Fischer, trumpet superstar Ambrose Akinmusire, saxophonist Melissa Aldana, guitar icon Bill Frisell, jazz legend Charles Lloyd and his Sky Quartet with pianist Jason Moran, bassist Larry Grenadier, and drummer Eric Harland, the award-winning ensemble SFJAZZ Collective, rising star vocalist Gabrielle Cavassa and more.

Zakir Hussain Tribute
The evening will also included a heartfelt tribute celebrating the remarkable life and legacy of the late Zakir Hussain, a tabla virtuoso and former SFJAZZ Trustee. 

Be an integral supporter of SFJAZZ’s artistic and education initiatives as we further the reach of jazz throughout our Bay Area community and beyond.

Please email [email protected] to learn more about our Gala events.

About This Year's Gala Honoree Don Was
Born in Detroit in 1952, he has enjoyed a multi-faceted career as a musician, record producer, music director, film composer, documentary filmmaker and radio host. Since 2011, he has also served as President of America’s venerated jazz label, Blue Note Records.

For his work as a record producer, he has won six Grammy Awards – including Album of the Year in 1989 for Bonnie Raitt’s Nick of Time and Producer of the Year in 1994. Records that Don has produced have sold close to 100 million albums for a wide array of artists like The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, John Mayer, Ringo Starr, Wayne Shorter, The B52s and Charles Lloyd. As President of the iconic jazz label Blue Note Records, Was has signed and produced many of the label’s recent roster of artists including Robert Glasper, Charles Lloyd, Wayne Shorter, Dr Lonnie Smith, Gregory Porter and Jason Moran. He has also spearheaded the acclaimed Tone Poet and Classic Jazz audiophile release series. In 2018 Don Was joined Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir to form the Wolf Brothers.  

“Don Was is one of the most famous and fêted producers on the planet today. Over the last 15 years, he's collected a list of credits so long and impressive that it makes you gasp” — Sound on Sound

“A music legend behind and in front of the scenes” — Santa Barbara Independent