Tyreek McDole at SFJAZZ: Collective Dreaming in the Joe Henderson Lab
Tyreek McDole returns to the SFJAZZ Center with a residency that promises more than a set of songs. In the intimate confines of the Joe Henderson Lab, the rising baritone frames his music as a shared act of presence — a space for reflection, connection, and what he calls “collective dreaming.”
See the full show details and ticket information at the end of this feature. Listen to the full conversation with Tyreek McDole.
The Haitian American vocalist, originally from Florida, arrives in San Francisco with significant momentum. After earning the Outstanding Vocalist Award at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s 2018 Essentially Ellington competition — presented by Wynton Marsalis — McDole further cemented his standing by winning the 2023 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition. Those honors announced his arrival. His 2025 debut album, Open Up Your Senses, confirmed it.
But for McDole, accolades are secondary to intention.
“I think that music, or art in general, has always been the strongest form of communication — it spans language,” he said in our conversation. “It goes beyond race, creed, color — whatever we think separates us — and actually unifies us.”
That philosophy shapes both his repertoire and delivery. McDole treats the stage not as a platform for display, but as a site of exchange. Earnestness becomes the gateway to connection; listening becomes an active discipline for both performer and audience. In the Lab’s close quarters, that exchange intensifies.
“Playing in a small room requires more intimacy — and that’s a challenge in the best possible way,” McDole noted. “If you’re playing for 7,000 people, you have to get as big as the room. But here, it’s a beautiful invitation to draw people in.”
The residency centers on Open Up Your Senses, one of the most thoughtful vocal debuts in recent memory. The album balances reverence for the Great American Songbook with an openness to spiritual jazz traditions. A New Orleans-inspired bounce animates “The Sun Song,” while the title track, “Won’t You Open Up Your Senses,” unfolds as both invocation and admonition — “a call, a plea, a warning,” in McDole’s words — urging awareness in unsettled times.
He brings that music to the Lab with a cohesive quintet forged through steady touring. The group features Dylan Band on saxophones, Caelan Cardello on piano, Dan Finn on bass, and Gary Jones III on drums. Their extended time on the road has cultivated an intuitive rapport that allows the arrangements to breathe.
“I’ve surrounded myself with folks who are open to discovery,” McDole said. “There’s a lot of love in the room.”
What to Expect at SFJAZZ
The Repertoire: Fresh interpretations of standards such as “Under a Blanket of Blue” alongside spiritually expansive works like “The Creator Has a Master Plan.”
The Quintet: Dylan Band (tenor and soprano saxophones), Caelan Cardello (piano), Dan Finn (bass), and Gary Jones III (drums).
New Material: McDole has hinted at sharing early glimpses of music from his recently recorded sophomore album.
Audience as Participant: McDole emphasizes that the first sense to engage is listening — framing the evening as a mutual act of attention and presence.
In the Joe Henderson Lab, where proximity sharpens every phrase and breath, McDole’s concept finds its ideal setting. The room does not demand spectacle. It rewards sincerity.
Show Details
Tyreek McDole Quintet
Dates: Thursday, Feb. 12 and Friday, Feb. 13, 2026
Times: 7:00 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.
Venue: SFJAZZ Center, Joe Henderson Lab
Address: 201 Franklin St., San Francisco, CA 94102
Tickets: SFJAZZ.org
