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"The older you are, you do become a better player. The reason is that, not only on the knowledge side, you get older and your body can control things better. The more time you spend with your instrument, the better control you have over it. The more life you live, the more you can bring to your art." - Wallace Roney

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San Francisco Musicians, Venues, Reviews and Calendar

KCSM Jazz91 Jazz Datebook

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SF Bay Area

Jazz calendar and club listings for the SF Bay Area

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Travel guides and travel resources for San Francisco: For jazz calendar listings, Jazz Police recommends the KCSM Jazz91 Jazz Datebook, click here to view it within Jazz Police , and click here to open KCSM Jazz91 Jazz Datebook in a new window .

Guides to live music (musicians, jazz clubs, etc.) in the San Francisco Bay Area:

Songs and Stories: Linda Kosut Live at Jazz At Pearls

Written by Maxwell Chandler
Linda Kosut Jazz At Pearls is located in North Beach, a great San Francisco neighborhood which is a mix of curious tourists and colorful locals. In the 1950s it was ground zero for the (literary) beat movement and some of that bo-ho flavor remains for the younger generations to absorb. The room is small enough that there are no bad seats, but not so small as you feel depressed for the artists. Their concert schedule offers an eclectic mix of local heroes and well known names in jazz who would rather forgo the larger, less personal venues. Multi-award-winning singer Linda Kosut brought her tribute to Oscar Brown, Jr. (1926-2005), “Long As You’re Living” to Jazz at Pearls June 22 for two sets. I was there among the capacity crowd for the first set. Linda possesses a stage presence that is naturally relaxed while also being able to convey the emotions of each song’s story. The set was made up of songs from her Oscar Brown show with which she has been touring the country, interspersed with standards that shared similar emotional cadence and feel. In between songs Linda would talk with the audience, sharing the background of a piece’s history. This never disrupted the flow of the set and never felt show-bizzy. There was an instant rapport with the audience, which lent an intimacy to the entire set.
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Sam Newsome & Lucian Ban Ensemble: Romanian-American Jazz Suite at Yoshi's, SF

Written by Ronaldo Oregano
Sam Newsome & Lucian Ban Ensemble Yoshi's, San Francisco, 1330 Fillmore Street will present Sam Newsome & Lucian Ban Ensemble for two sets of Romanian-American jazz on Wednesday, July 2nd at 8:00 and 10:00pm. This tour of the Sam Newsome & Lucian Ban Ensemble promoting the release of their most recent album, The Romanian-American Jazz Suite. The collaboration fruit of two very different cultures, it is a multi-movement work composed by saxophonist Sam Newsome and pianist Lucian Ban, combining Romanian folk music and American jazz. It represents the perspective of both an American jazz musician exploring Romanian folk music, and a Romanian jazzman reinvestigating the music of his country after having lived in America for several years. The Ensemble plays at Jazz Standard (New York, July 1), Yoshi's (San Francisco, July 2), Jazz Bakery (Los Angeles, July 3), and Regatta Bar (Boston, July 8). Originally from Romania, pianist & composer Lucian Ban now resides in New York City, where he’s considered one of the most gifted and talented new pianists in the past decade. The Hans Koller Foundation and the Austrian Government nominated him twice in 2005 & 2006 for “Best European Jazz Musician”. He has recorded six albums as a leader for labels in US and Europe. He leads several of his own projects in New York and tours with them internationally.
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The CJO Cooks Every Monday at Jazz at Pearls, and Has for Over a Decade

Written by Ronaldo Oregano
"An incredible sound charged out of Pearl's. ... Good God, these guys can play! And they know every chart known to man." -Christopher Caen, SF Examiner Mike Rinta of the CJO © Ron Nabity Now in its thirteenth year, the Contemporary Jazz Orchestra continues its Monday night tradition at Jazz at Pearl's. Few sounds equal the thrill of hearing a talented, tight-knit jazz orchestra play live. CJO delivers a swinging rhythm section, high-octane brass and a polished repertoire of original arrangements. The CJO's repertoire comes from the finest writers in the modern big-band tradition (after the swing years). The CJO is a 16-piece jazz ensemble, featuring many of the finest musicians in the Bay Area. In the long-standing Monday night tradition of New York's Village Vanguard Orchestra, the CJO has been playing Monday nights at Jazz at Pearl's in San Francisco for eleven years. Since its inception, the CJO has attracted the Bay Area's best and brightest as well as played host to visiting guest artists. The current lineup-all skilled technicians and soloists-boasts a collective résumé a mile long.
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Celebrating Mali: Dee Dee Bridgewater’s Red Earth Project at Yoshis, San Francisco and Oakland

Written by Andrea Canter, Contributing Editor

“Melding Malian voices, music and traditional instruments with American jazz vernacular and penning many of the lyrics, Dee Dee Bridgewater has crafted one of her most important musical statements to date.” --EmArcy Records

Described by the Village Voice as "...the most capable jazz singer of her generation," Dee Dee Bridgewater has covered a wide swath of jazz and modern music over her career, from R&B and big band to the songs of Ella Fitzgerald, Kurt Weill and the love songs of France. Winner of two Grammys in 1998 (Best Vocal Performance and Best Arrangement Accompanying a Vocal), France’s Victoire de la Musique, a Tony for Best Featured Actress in a Musical (The Whiz), the 2007 Commandeur de L'Ordre des Artes et des Lettres, and countless other honors, Dee Dee is America’s—if not the world’s--First Lady of Jazz. With her trio and additional Mali musicians, Dee Dee continues limiting touring in support of Red Earth: A Malian Journey (DDB). In fall 2007, Bridgewater initiated her Red Earth tour with a band of seven Malian musicians and her core trio; since they have visited the Blue Note in Manhattan and numerous clubs and theaters throughout the country. Now the journey continues in the Bay Area, with back to back residencies at Yoshi's in San Francisco (June 17-18) and across the Bay in Oakland, June 19-22.