Tammy L Hall to Curate SFJAZZ Series

Tammy L Hall (courtesy of SFJAZZ)

Next month SFJAZZ will offer a Discover Jazz series of “classes,” which will examine and celebrate the legacy of women who sing, play, compose, arrange, and continue to pave the way for the next generation. The entire event will be curated by SFJAZZ Lead Teaching Artist and pianist Tammy L Hall. While, in the past, I have confined my attention to the Joe Henderson Lab at the SFJAZZ Center, the four Classes for this event will be divided equally between the Lab and Miner Auditorium. The dates (all Wednesday evenings), topics, and venues for each of the Classes will be as follows:

1. March 6, How High the Moon? The Bay Area’s Musical Treasures, Joe Henderson Lab: Hall will lead the quartet she directs, whose other members are saxophonist Kristen Strom, Ruth Davies on bass, and drummer Sylvia Cuenca. Vocalist Tiffany Austin and trombonist Dr. Angela Wellman will contribute to a conversation dwelling on stories of Bay Area female trailblazers and their multidimensional career paths. The intention will be to elevate awareness of some of the local “sheroes” in jazz music and education.
2. March 13, Honoring out Voices: MELBA’S KITCHEN + Special Guests, Miner Auditorium: Nzingah Smith is Musical Director of MELBA’S KITCHEN, which is an all-women big band founded and rooted in the Bay Area. The repertoire is focused primarily on trombonist Melba Liston and pianist Mary Lou Williams, both of whom established reputations as composers. The group also showcases local composer-arrangers Hall and its own leader, Smith. The performance will feature two rising stars as special guests, drummer Jay Hernández and trumpeter Skylar Tang, along with a visit from Jessica Jones on tenor saxophone.
3. March 20, From Havana to the Bay: The Sounds of Cuba, Joe Henderson Lab: Bobi Céspedes was born in Cuba, but she arrived in the Bay Area in 1959. She was the first female Cuban artist to establish her own groundbreaking band, Conjunto Céspedes. She will lead a band of eleven performers (including herself). In this case, however, three of them will be men, including Musical Director Marco Diaz!
4. March 27, Celebrating Linda Tillery, Miner Auditorium: Tillery is a native San Franciscan, who is a vocalist, bandleader, songwriter, producer, arranger, and cultural warrior. She founded the Cultural Heritage Choir in 1992. This final Class will serve as a tribute to Tillery, but she will also be the Musical Director. A moderately-sized band, which will include Hall on piano, will perform with nine vocalists, one of whom will be Tillery.

All performances will begin at 7 p.m. Tickets for the entire series will be $100 with an $80 rate for SFJAZZ members. Tickets for the individual classes will be $30 and $25 for members. All tickets may be purchased online through the March Calendar Web page. The SFJAZZ Center is located at 201 Franklin Street, on the northwest corner of Fell Street.