Monday, August 19, 2024

SFJAZZ: October, 2024

October will be the month of the Thelonious Monk Festival at the SFJAZZ Center. Most importantly, that will involve a generous share of solo piano performances at the Joe Henderson Lab. However, this will be only the beginning of a series of Henderson concerts for those with adventurous tastes. For those that do not (yet?) 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, October 10, and Friday, October 11, 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.: Monk was often at his best when he played solo, so pianist Sullivan Fortner will present a full-evening solo performance of Monk’s compositions; and that is all that need to be said!

Saturday, October 12, 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.: Keyboardist Diego Gaeta will “re-imagine” Monk’s works, which is likely to mean that he will integrate the futurism of 1970s jazz fusion with hip-hop, global folk music influences, chamber music, and multiple strains of modern expression.

Sunday, October 13, 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.: The other pianist to contribute to the Festival will be Madrid-born Marta Sánchez. She will lead a trio, whose other members will be Chris Tordini on bass and drummer Savannah Harris. She is likely to bring her own adventurous takes to her interpretations of Monk’s music.

Thursday, October 17, and Friday, October 18, 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.: The theme for the following week will be Saxophones & Winds (a bit on an oxymoron, since the saxophone counts as a member of the wind family). The first saxophonist to perform in the series will be Tod Dickow, who will be honoring the work of the late saxophonist Michael Brecker. He will be joined by trumpeter Randy Brecker. Rhythm will be provided by Charged Particles, led by Jon Krosnick on drums, keyboardist Murray Low, and Aaron Germain on bass.

Saturday, October 19, 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.: The saxophonist will be Norbert Stachel performing with his wife Karen, who plays a variety of instruments in the flute family. They will perform music from their LehCats project, which combines modern jazz, funk, Afro/Latin, and world fusion. They will be joined by Latin percussionist Giovanni Hidalgo.

Sunday, October 20, 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.: The final saxophonist in the series will be Nicole McCabe, who was raised in Marin but is currently based in Los Angeles. She composes her own work, and she will play selections from her latest album, Mosaic. She will lead a quartet, which will include her partner, Logan Kane, on bass, pianist George Colligan, and drummer Mike Mitchell.

The original album cover for Philly Joe Jones’ Blues for Dracula album (from its Amazon.com Web page)

Thursday, October 31, 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.: Halloween will be celebrated with the next Hotplate concert. Drummer Smith Dobson will lead a quintet with Erik Jekabsen on trumpet and tenor saxophonist Matt Renzi on the front line. He will be joined in the rhythm section by pianist Keith Saunders and Eric Markowitz on bass. The program will be a tribute to two classic albums by drumming legend Philly Joe Jones: Blues for Dracula and Showcase.

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