ABOUT THIS PROGRAM

About This Program
Jazz history, live performance, and lively conversation make Discover Jazz the most distinctive jazz appreciation course available for adults. Each series includes stellar live performances by critically acclaimed guest artists, curated examples of historic...

ABOUT THIS PROGRAM
Jazz history, live performance, and lively conversation make Discover Jazz the most distinctive jazz appreciation course available for adults. Each series includes stellar live performances by critically acclaimed guest artists, curated examples of historically significant reco...

Jazz history, live performance, and lively conversation make Discover Jazz the most distinctive jazz appreciation course available for adults. Each series includes stellar live performances by critically acclaimed guest artists, curated examples of historically significant recordings, and engagin...

In this interview between pianist Kenny Barron and Terence Blanchard, Barron reflects on the pianists who have most influenced his career, including Tommy Flanagan, McCoy Tyner, Ahmad Jamal, Abdullah Ibrahim, and more. Barron also acknowledges the creative freedom he found in the world of free ja...

SFJAZZ presents another Jazz Minute – a brief look at important figures, movements, and moments in jazz history and the present day, in both the San Francisco Bay Area and around the world.
In this episode narrated by Samara Joy, we honor the great vocalist Sarah Vaughan with a brief look at he...

SFJAZZ presents another Jazz Minute – a brief look at important figures, movements, and moments in jazz history and the present day, in both the San Francisco Bay Area and around the world.

In this episode narrated by Terence Blanchard, we return for a second look at Grace Cathedral’s deep his...

Trumpeter Jon Faddis sits down with SFJAZZ Executive Artistic Director Terence Blanchard to reminisce about his personal friend and mentor Dizzy Gillespie. Faddis shares memories about meeting his hero at the age of 12, and how this chance encounter eventually led to him playing with Dizzy. He al...

This time on “Drop the Needle,” Preservation Hall Jazz Band bassist, tubist, and Creative Director Ben Jaffe dives deep into his formative influences and shares his memories and emotions about a cross-section of adventurous jazz and a New Orleans pop classic.

“The past and promise of American mu...

Enter the mind of drummer, composer, and former SFJAZZ Collective member Obed Calvaire, as he takes us through his practice routine, his devotion to his craft, and the inspiration that motivates him to continually strive to improve all aspects of his art.

A Miami native of Haitian descent, O...

Testing the musical knowledge of world class artists with a series of classic recordings, getting their in-the-moment impressions and insights into their tastes and influences.

The saxophonist, composer, MC, and former SFJAZZ Resident Artistic Director kicks off our series, listening to and com...

The guitarist, composer, and SFJAZZ Resident Artistic Director brings a decidedly individual approach to everything he touches, including our Drop the Needle series, for which he comments on a series of video clips of master guitarists rather than vinyl records. His reactions illuminate each arti...

The Collective’s saxophonist and music director Chris Potter, drummer Kendrick Scott, and vibraphonist Warren Wolf share their spontaneous reactions to a range of compositions from jazz and pop icons who have been celebrated by the Collective over its 20-year history.

Founded by SFJAZZ in 2004, ...

Enter the mind of harpist, composer, and SFJAZZ Resident Artistic Director Brandee Younger, who takes us on her journey of creativity, making friends with space and openness, treating improvisation as a conversation, and embracing the inspiration of her elders to build her confidence as an artist...

Enter the mind of trumpeter, composer, and SFJAZZ Collective member Mike Rodriguez, whose approach to his instrument is based in awareness of the physical process of music making, being open to inspiration, playing off his emotions, and tapping into a state of pure expression.

A GRAMMY-winning ...

Enter the mind of saxophonist, rapper, and composer Soweto Kinch, who traces his path to jazz mastery, comparing it to learning a foreign language, and his formative experiences as a young artist who used the influence of the greats to form his own musical identity. The London-born Kinch is seaml...

World-class musicians break down musical concepts at various levels of difficulty, from beginner to advanced.

SFJAZZ Collective pianist Edward Simon and bassist Matt Brewer break down the concept of the clave, the fundamental rhythmic basis of much Afro-Cuban and Afro-Caribbean music, using exa...

Saxophonist, rapper, and composer Soweto Kinch breaks down his process for building rhymes through freestyling, and how this free associative approach parallels the key elements of jazz improvisation.

The London-born Kinch is seamlessly aligned with jazz and hip-hop. A progenitor and leading fig...

SFJAZZ Collective tenor saxophonist and composer David Sánchez illustrates three concepts that make up his approach to basic saxophone technique, focused on breathing, intervallic exercises, and practicing within song forms. And don’t forget your metronome!

Since his early exposure with Dizzy Gi...

Step into the SFJAZZ “living room” and hear artists and tastemakers spinning their favorite recordings while in conversation. Listening Parties offer listeners the chance to get behind-the- scenes and hear about music from the artist’s perspective. The format is an on-stage conversation in the Ro...

Step into the SFJAZZ “living room” and hear artists and tastemakers spinning their favorite recordings while in conversation. Listening Parties offer listeners the chance to get behind-the-scenes and hear about music from the artist’s perspective. The format is an on-stage conversation in the Rob...

Step into the SFJAZZ “living room” and hear artists and tastemakers spinning their favorite recordings while in conversation with SFJAZZ Founder and Executive Artistic Director Randall Kline. Listening Parties offer listeners the chance to get behind-the- scenes and hear about music from the arti...

Watch weekly live broadcasts from the SFJAZZ Center:
https://www.SFJAZZ.org/AtHome

About this clip:
Ms. Lisa Fischer and Ranky Tanky perform “You Gotta Move” from Ranky Tanky’s 2017 self-titled album during their concert on January 5, 2023, part of the 2023-24 Season, broadcast on Fridays Liv...

Watch weekly live broadcasts from the SFJAZZ Center:

https://www.SFJAZZ.org/AtHome

About this clip:

Vocalist, bassist, and composer Meshell Ndegeocello and her band play Geoge Clinton’s classic “Atomic Dog” during their performance on June 14, 2023, part of the 2023-24 Season, broadca...

Watch weekly live broadcasts from the SFJAZZ Center:
https://www.SFJAZZ.org/AtHome

About this clip:

The legendary vocal group The Manhattan Transfer performs their signature version of Joe Zawinul’s composition “Birdland” during their performance on September 29, 2023, part of the 2023-24 ...