Legendary bassist, producer and Blue Note Records President Don Was accepts the SFJAZZ Lifetime Achievement Award from Terence Blanchard at the SFJAZZ Gala 2025. In his speech, he shares how he first discovered jazz on the radio in Detroit, listening to Joe Henderson's "Mode For Joe," and how that experience has been a pillar for his entire career - to "groove through adversity."

ABOUT THE SFJAZZ GALA

The SFJAZZ Gala is an annual benefit for SFJAZZ’s artistic and education programs with the goal of advancing the art form of jazz in the Bay Area and beyond. The SFJAZZ Gala 2025 took place on June 12, 2025 with Executive Artistic Director Terence Blanchard honoring legendary producer, musician, and Blue Note Records President Don Was with the SFJAZZ Lifetime Achievement Award.

The All-Star Gala Concert features Terence Blanchard, honoree Don Was, jazz vocal great Kurt Elling, trumpet superstar Ambrose Akinmusire, vocalist Lisa Fischer, rising star saxophonist Melissa Aldana, guitar icon Bill Frisell, jazz legend Charles Lloyd and his Sky Quartet with pianist Jason Moran, bassist Larry Grenadier, and drummer Eric Harland, the award-winning ensemble SFJAZZ Collective and more.

ABOUT DON WAS

Born in Detroit in 1952, Don Was has enjoyed a multi-faceted career as a musician, record producer, music director, film composer, documentary filmmaker and radio host. Since 2011, he has also served as President of America’s venerated jazz label, Blue Note Records.

For his work as a record producer, he has won six GRAMMY Awards – including Album of the Year in 1989 for Bonnie Raitt’s Nick of Time and Producer of the Year in 1994. Records that Don has produced have sold close to 100 million albums for a wide array of artists like The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, John Mayer, Ringo Starr, Wayne Shorter, The B-52s and Charles Lloyd.

As President of the iconic jazz label Blue Note Records, Was signed and produced many of the label’s recent roster of artists including Robert Glasper, Charles Lloyd, Wayne Shorter, Dr Lonnie Smith, Gregory Porter and Jason Moran. In 2018 Don Was joined Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir to form the Wolf Brothers and currently tours with his own Pan-Detroit Ensemble, who will perform as part of the 2025 San Francisco Jazz Festival.