"Kenny Burrell is overall the greatest guitarist in the world and he's my favorite." - B.B. King

Kenny Burrell © Andrea Canter

Dubbed the "grand master of the jazz guitar" by Dizzy Gillespie,  Kenny Burrell pioneered the guitar-led trio with bass and drums in the late 1950s. Known for his harmonic creativity, lush tones, and lyricism on the guitar, he is also a prolific and highly regarded composer. Come hear this living legend with his quintet featuring Tivon Pennicott pm saxophone, Mike Wofford on piano, Roberto Miranda on bass, and Clayton Cameron on drums at Yoshi's Jazz Club in Oakland on Friday, September 3rd through Sunday, September 5th.

“Figarova is a pianist, composer and arranger of astonishing freshness and depth--an important new talent on the world jazz stage." -- Thomas Conrad, Jazz Times 

Amina Figarova©Andrea Canter

Born in Azerbaijan and residing in Rotterdam, classically trained and jazzily inspired—multiple sources of inspiration gild the compositions of pianist/arranger/bandleader Amina Figarova. Not the most familiar name on the American jazz scene, Figarova’s band features smoldering original compositions and exciting harmonies, a disarming balance of European delicacy and good ol’ Amercan swing, bop, even a hint of fusion. It’s a balance that makes perfect sense to Figarova, who says “That’s the beauty of jazz, it is such an international language. It’s born in America, but it has such different roots.” Now touring in support of their new release, Sketches, the Amina Figarova Sextet played at the Newport Jazz Festival on August 8 and at Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola in Manhattan on August 9th before heading to the West Coast she where she plays on August 10 at Yoshi’s Oakland, August 12 at Kuumbwa Jazz (Santa Cruz), and August 15 at the San Jose Jazz Festival.

Taylor Eigsti

For New York-based pianist Taylor Eigsti, the Stanford Jazz Workshop is an annual homecoming (he grew up in nearby Menlo Park, and has taught at the Workshop for a decade) and a chance to present his latest musical offerings to some of his longest-standing and most devoted fans. Taylor's career gathers momentum with each passing year as he performs internationally with his own groups and a who's-who of renowned jazz artists. All About Jazz praised his 2008 recording Let It Come to You as "a monster of an album," and All Music Guide raves, "Eigsti just keeps getting more compelling and interesting." With his strongly rhythmic playing and endless melodic inventiveness, it's easy to see why Taylor is in such high demand. The Taylor Eigsti Group featuring Becca Stevens Becca Stevens on vocals, Taylor Eigsti on piano, Harish Raghavan, on bass, and Eric Harland, drums will perform on Saturday, August 7, 8 PM at Dinkelspiel Auditorium at Stanford University.