SFJAZZ: February, 2024

Hopefully, this time I shall not have to contend with tickets already being sold out for performance in the Joe Henderson Lab at the SFJAZZ Center. This remains my preferred venue in the Center when it comes to attentive listening, and the programs planned for the space tend to be consistently engaging. For those that do not already know, the Center is located at 201 Franklin Street, on the northwest corner of Fell Street, where the main entrance doors are located. Performance dates, times, and hyperlinks for purchasing tickets are as follows:

Thursday, February 1, and Friday, February 2, 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.: Houston-born pianist and composer James Francies will make his debut as a bandleader with a trio performance. He will be joined by Mike Moreno on guitar and drummer Damion Reid. The program will draw upon music from his album Purest Form, which was released by Blue Note last year.

Saturday, February 3, 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., and Sunday, February 4, 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.: Saxophonist Howard Wiley is the current Resident Artistic Director. He will lead a band which will include flutist Camille Thurman, also providing vocals, Damien Sneed on multiple keyboards, Amina Scott on bass, and drummer Darrell Green. The title of his program will be Saturday Night to Sunday Morning. This will be a Dance Floor Show, so do not expect the usual seating!

Thursday, February 8, Friday, February 9, and Saturday February 10, 7 p.m., and Sunday, February 11, 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.: Drummer Jonathan Blake will make his West Coast debut with a program entitled My Life Matters. This is also the title of a suite that Blake composed on a commission from the Jazz Gallery in New York; and the program will also include selections from Passage, his Blue Note album, which was released last year. He will lead a quintet whose other members are Danya Stephens on tenor saxophone, Jalen Baker on vibraphone, pianist Fabian Almazan, and Dezron Douglas on bass. In reference to the title of his suite, Blake has written, “It’s not just about Black Lives Matter, it’s about us as a whole. We have to learn how to coexist. We were all created here to live in harmony with one another. These pieces will hopefully serve as a jumping point for open discussion on that.”

Thursday, February 15, 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.: “Valentine’s Week” will begin with an SFJAZZ Hotplate program presented by vocalist Marina Crouse. She will sing selections from her 2022 album Canto de Mi Corazón. This is a tribute to Latin pop legend Eydie Gormé and her 1964 collaboration with Trio Los Panchos, which resulted in the album Amor.

Friday, February 16, 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.: “Valentine’s Week” will continue with vocalist Danielle Wertz. She will perform selections from her newest album, Other Side, released by Outside in Music. She is based in New York, and her style weaves folk elements into her jazz performances. Her album couples original compositions with covers of familiar standards such as “Spring is Here” by Richard Rogers with lyrics by Lorenz Hart.

Saturday, February 17, 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., and Sunday, February 18, 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.: “Valentine’s Week” will conclude with a program entitled Swingfully Yours. Pianist Loston Harris, a veteran of the Carlyle Hotel in New York, will lead a trio whose other members are Mike Lee, alternating between tenor saxophone and flute, and Gianluca Renzi on bass. Harris is also the vocalist for the evening. Thus, the celebration of Saint Valentine will conclude with gems from the Great American Songbook!

Thursday, February 22, and Friday, February 23, 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.: Sexmob is a quartet led by Steven Bernstein, who plays a slide trumpet. In New York they have earned a devoted fan base with boisterous deconstructions of tunes by a shaggy menagerie of pop acts, from Abba and James Brown to Prince and Elvis Presley. They also play fast and loose with familiar film scores, and they have release nine albums. The other members of the quartet are saxophonist (baritone and soprano) Briggan Krauss, Tony Scherr on bass, and percussionist Kenny Wollensen.

Saturday, February 24, 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., and Sunday, February 25, 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.: Bernstein will continue his visit leading the Millennial Territory Orchestra. This ensemble was inspired by the pre-swing era territory bands that crisscrossed the country in the 1920s and 1930s. This should be a decidedly different gig than his performance with Sexmob!

Thursday, February 29, 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.: The month will conclude with a Noise Pop program by pianist Holly Bowling. Her album Seeking All That’s Still Unsung was a “reimagining” of the Grateful Dead. Selections from that album will be complemented by a similar “reimagining” of Phish tunes.