SFJAZZ: July, 2024

Ticket sales are definitely picking up for the Joe Henderson Lab concerts at the SFJAZZ Center. As I am writing this, the very first event in that series has already sold out! Fortunately, tickets are still available for the second set on that evening; but this means that those interested in the artist should make arrangements sooner, rather than later! 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, July 11, 8:30 p.m.: This will be Cuban Music Week, and the artist that seems to have already been attracting attention is pianist Jorge Luis Pacheco. This should not be surprising, given that his solo piano debut at Lincoln Center in 2015 was sold out. This will be his SFJAZZ debut; and it is very likely that any remaining tickets will be gone sooner, rather than later.

Friday, July 12, and Saturday, July 13, 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.: All of the Henderson events during Cuban Music Week will be solo piano performances. The second pianist will be Aldo López-Gavilán, who was born in Havana. He is a “double threat” to the extent that he is as well-versed in the classical piano repertoire as he is in the Afro-Cuban jazz tradition. (He performed Sergei Prokofiev’s Opus 26, third, piano concerto in C major with the National Symphony of Cuba at the age of seventeen.)

Thursday, July 18, and Friday, July 19, 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.: The theme of the following week will be Organ & Keys. Chester Thompson has been commanding the Hammond organ for over four decades, having performed with popular bands from the Sixties such as Tower of Power and Santana. He formed a quartet for his 1971 debut album Powerhouse, and his more recent release is Mixology.

Saturday, July 20, 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.: The second Organ & Keys program will be a solo performance by Brandon Coleman. He was a major performer in Kamasi Washington’s powerhouse band, and it was Washington who gave him the name “Professor Boogie.” Washington grew up in South Central Los Angeles, where his primary influences were Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock. Compared to other keyboardists, he was somewhat of a “late bloomer,” having begun playing piano at the age of sixteen.

Sunday, July 21, 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.: The final Organ & Keys performer will be pianist Gadi Lehavi. He was born in Tel Aviv but is now based in New York. Those that follow SFJAZZ performances may know him as the pianist for Ravi Coltrane’s Cosmic Music project. This concert will be his solo debut.

Thursday, July 25, 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.: The theme for the final week of the month will be Blues Week. The first performer will be guitarist and singer Mike Henderson, who was dubbed “the Blues Professor” by no less than John Lee Hooker. Henderson has had a rich history, not only in music but also through his involvement with the Civil Rights movement during the Sixties. His experiences with blatant racism and police harassment were first hand. Those credentials should give him, in the words of Ted Koehler, “a right to sing the blues!”

Friday, July 26, and Saturday, July 27, 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.: This will be a tribute concert to honor the legacy of James Cotton, the legendary blues singer, songwriter, and harmonica master who passed away in 2017 at the age of 81. Mark Hummel will sing and play harmonica with the members of Cotton’s band. These will be guitarists Steve Freund and Tom Holland, Cros Charles Mack on bass, and drummer June Core. Hummel has been hosting the Blues Harmonica Blowout at the SFJAZZ Center for several years. His own band is called the Blues Survivors.

Blues singer Tia Carroll (from her SFJAZZ event page)

Sunday, July 28, 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.: Blues Week will conclude with vocalist Tia Carroll, who is based here in San Francisco. As might be expected, her main influences include Tina Turner, Koko Taylor and Etta James. As also might be expected, she will punctuate her songs with her sassy style of storytelling.