SFJAZZ Founder and Executive Artistic Director Randall Kline accepts his Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2023 SFJAZZ Gala. Step by step, over 40 years, Randall grew a small community festival into a San Francisco cultural institution and one of the most influential jazz organizations in the world. After a lifetime of championing this uniquely American art form, Randall is stepping down in November 2023. His acceptance speech capped an evening of all-star performances featuring Ambrose Akinmusire, Regina Carter, Rosanne Cash and John Leventhal, Ravi Coltrane, Herbie Hancock, Branford Marsalis, Cécile McLorin Salvant and Sullivan Fortner, Dianne Reeves, Gonzalo Rubalcaba & many others.