Gabi Hartmann / Samora & Elena Pinderhughes

The March installment of Terence Blanchard’s UpSwing series presents the Paris-based singer and songwriter Gabi Hartmann and the brother and sister duo of flutist Elena and keyboardist Samora Pinderhughes, highlighting the rising generation of jazz torchbearers.  

Gaby Hartmann is an acclaimed vocalist who elegantly blends pop, jazz, soul, and world music, who takes audiences on “an enticing musical voyage that echoes the bossa nova sounds of Brazil, the Afropop of Miriam Makeba and the cool jazz of Norah Jones” (Montreal Gazette). Born in Paris in 1991, she studied ethnomusicology before captivating international audiences with her multilingual storytelling and velvet voice. Her self-titled debut earned praise and a Japan Golden Disc Award nomination, while performances alongside Melody Gardot elevated her profile. In 2025, Hartmann unveiled La Femme aux yeux de sel (The Woman with Eyes of Salt), an album steeped in intimacy. 

Born in Berkeley and currently taking over the jazz world, Elena and Samora Pinderhughes have each made indelible marks on the global scene as bandleaders and collaborators.  

Flutist Elena rose through the SFJAZZ High School All-Stars program to become one of the most in-demand musicians in jazz, working with Ambrose Akinmusire, Herbie Hancock, Chief Adjuah, Childish Gambino, Esperanza Spalding, and Milton Nascimento.  

The award-winning pianist Samora Pinderhughes has ingeniously combined jazz, neo soul, and hip-gop, working with Common, Robert Glasper, Lalah Hathaway, and Sara Bareilles. His 2022 album Grief was listed among the best albums of the year by The New York Times and Bandcamp. 

The pair recorded their first album together, Catch 22, in 2005 when they were 9 and 13 years old.