Ambrose Akinmusire

For the first of his two nights during the 2026-27 Season, Oakland-reared trumpet genius Ambrose Akimusire returns with Owl Song, the project he premiered at SFJAZZ in 2022 as a Resident Artistic Director with pioneering guitarist Bill Frisell and the iconic New Orleans drummer Herlin Riley. 

The most distinctive trumpeter of our era, Akinmusire has come so far since his early days at Berkeley High School and his 2007 win at the Thelonious Monk International Trumpet Competition, building a career by transcending expectations at every turn. As The New York Times observed, “More than almost any other contemporary improviser, Mr. Akinmusire has invented a way of composing that’s unfixed from jazz’s stickiest conventions.” 

Owl Song, Akinmusire’s eighth album and 2023 debut for Nonesuch Records, was recorded in the days following the world premiere performance at SFJAZZ and comprises a deeply felt series of intimate compositions emphasizing space and melodic beauty – aspects perfectly aligned with the aesthetic approaches of Frisell and Riley. Called “one of the most interesting recordings to come along in a very long time” by DownBeat, Owl Song was nominated for a GRAMMY for Best Instrumental Jazz Album and made numerous best-of-year lists in the press.