Yoshi's San Francisco - The new jazz club

“We will ensure that the legacy is communicated to today’s visitors through our exhibits and art gallery. The JHC will be around for future generations to have access to and interact with our presentations. Our programs will encourage and inspire new practitioners to learn the history of jazz and continue to develop the art form known as jazz.” – Jazz Heritage Center, San Francisco

Once the epicenter of Bay Area jazz, San Francisco’s famed Fillmore District will soon celebrate its rebirth with the grand opening of the Fillmore Heritage Center and Yoshi’s San Francisco on November 28th. The 75 million dollar project on the 1300 block of Fillmore (Historic Fillmore Jazz Preservation District) will not only house the second location of the world renowned jazz club, but will also be the home of the Jazz Heritage Center, “a non–profit organization established to promote the history of Jazz locally, nationally and internationally.”

Yoshi’s San Francisco

Roy Haynes©Andrea Canter

The grand opening show on November 28th will feature Roy Haynes’ expanded Birds of a Feather Band, including Gary Burton, Ravi Coltrane, Nicholas Payton, Kenny Garrett, David Kikoski, and John Patitucci under the leadership of the legendary drummer. Other upcoming shows include Taj Mahal and the Phantom Blues Band (November 29 - December 2); Chick Corea and the Freedom Band with Hubert Laws, Eddie Gomez and Airto (December 4-9); the Mimi Fox Organ Trio (December 10); Charlie Hunter with the Campbell Brothers (December 12-16); Mike Stern Quartet with Richard Bona (December 18-22); the Count Basie Orchestra (December 26-December 31); Gonzalo Rubalcaba (January 7-9); Stanley Clarke (January 10-13); Bill Frisell Trio (January 17-20); Cassandra Wilson (January 29-February 3); Pat Metheny Trio (February 20-23); and Arturo Sandoval’s Mambo Mania (February 26-March 3). Check the Yoshi’s website for full calendar and ticket information (www.yoshis.com).

The Jazz Heritage Center

The Fillmore Heritage Center

Press from the Jazz Heritage Center notes that “our primary goal is to showcase San Francisco’s important place in the history of jazz, through interactive and traditional exhibitions, film screenings and live presentations. We will explore and present examples of the origins of the golden era of jazz in San Francisco. We will illuminate and showcase San Francisco’s contributions to jazz by featuring photographs and biographies of San Francisco’s ‘resident’ Jazz Heritage Pioneers, as well as the national legends of jazz. Our presentations will include public art panels, jazz art, artifacts, sample audio and video recordings, live performances and oral history recording sessions.”

Visitors to the Jazz Heritage Center will be able to:

• Access the cultural history of the Fillmore District, including biographies and recorded audio samplings of local and national jazz legends as seen on the outside “Public Art” panels, through Interactive Kiosks located in the public lobby of the Fillmore Heritage Center.
• Tour the Jazz Art Gallery, a unique inventory of photographs, posters, paintings and sculptures.
• Visit the Jazz Artifacts exhibit, which chronicles the legacy of jazz in the Fillmore District and presents traveling exhibits of national importance.
• Experience presentations and cinematic programming in the Screening Room.
• Browse the Gift Shop for CDs, DVDs, JHC merchandise, Jazz Festival collectibles from around the world, a unique jazz book collection and more.
• Listen to audio samples and selections of Jazz collectibles

For more information about the Jazz Heritage Center, visit http://www.jazzheritagecenter.com/