SFJAZZ’s OCTOBER 2025 PROGRAMMING
SAN FRANCISCO (September 10, 2025)—In October 2025, SFJAZZ will continue its 2025/26 season with an eclectic mix of world-class artists—from jazz legends and rising stars to genre-defying innovators in soul, global music, and beyond. Tickets for all performances are on sale now at sfjazz.org.
*** OCTOBER 2–5, 2025 ***
IDRIS ACKAMOOR & THE PYRAMIDS
Thursday, October 2, 7:30 PM
Miner Auditorium
An artist who “combines the melodicism and spiritual intensity of Pharoah Sanders and Alice Coltrane with an explicit, politically engaged message” (All About Jazz), Idris Ackamoor is a Bay Area musical treasure known around the world as a giant of spiritually charged cosmic jazz. He brings his rousing mix of Afro-funk and searching improvisation to this performance, following up his San Francisco Jazz festival debut in June 2025, joined by the current lineup of his iconic Pyramids ensemble.
KOJO MELCHÉ RONEY & ANTOINE RONEY
Thursday, October 2, 7 PM & 8:30 PM
Joe Henderson Lab
Jazz is an art form in which many a parent has passed the torch to a gifted son or daughter. In the case of drummer and percussionist Kojo Melché Roney, one of the music’s most formidable clans has anointed him as a fiery heir to the tradition. Performing with his father, powerhouse tenor saxophonist Antoine Roney, enacts this generational ritual, as Kojo comes into his own as a 21st century rhythm maker.
MICHEL CAMILO, SOLO
Friday, October 3, 7:30 PM
Miner Auditorium
In recent years a tidal surge of extraordinary Caribbean musicians has transformed the American jazz scene. And near the beginning of that wave, from the Dominican Republic, was pianist and composer Michel Camilo. He returns to SFJAZZ for an intimate solo performance.
A virtuoso whose lightning two-handed runs and bravura rhythmic attack leave audiences shaking their heads in amazement, Camilo came to prominence shortly after settling in New York City in 1979. He has been widely recognized for his astounding technique, with a doctorate from Berklee, a Latin GRAMMY Award for the 2000 Verve album Spain and a 2004 GRAMMY in the Best Latin Jazz Album category for Live at the Blue Note.
JAZ SAWYER PLAYS ART BLANKEY’S JAZZ MESSENGERS WITH THELONIOUS MONK
Friday, October 3, 7 PM & 8:30 PM
Joe Henderson Lab
Master drummer Jaz Sawyer lights up the October Hotplate with music from an iconic collaboration between jazz giants, the 1958 Atlantic classic Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers with Thelonious Monk. A drummer, educator and bandleader of the first order, San Francisco-raised Jaz Sawyer has worked with many of jazz’s most formidable artists, from Wynton Marsalis, Abbey Lincoln, and George Benson to Bobby Hutcherson, Jacky Terrasson and Dee Dee Bridgewater. Now splitting his time between San Francisco and Los Angeles, he has worked with SFJAZZ as an artist and educator for many years, and one of his memorable performances includes the all-star 50th anniversary of Duke Ellington’s Concert of Sacred Music at Grace Cathedral in 2015.
WILDFLOWERS: KURT ELLING WITH CHRISTIAN SANDS
Saturday, October 4, 7:30 PM
Miner Auditorium
More than jazz’s renaissance man, vocalist Kurt Elling is a rising tide of creativity, elevating the jazz scene writ large with a steady flow of projects, recordings and endeavors. This 2025-26 Season performance will focus on the timeless songs from his recent EP Wildflowers Vol. 2, joined in duo by virtuoso pianist Christian Sands.
MIKE CLARK QUINTET WITH EDDIE HENDERSON, PATRICE RUSHEN, CRAIG HANDY, & ESSIET ESSIET
Saturday, October 4, 7 PM & 8:30 PM
Sunday, October 5, 6 PM & 7:30 PM
Joe Henderson Lab
A drummer of undeniable influence with a masterful command of the instrument, Mike Clark leads a quintet of fellow greats including his fellow Herbie Hancock alum, trumpeter Eddie Henderson, along with saxophonist Craig Handy, keyboard master Patrice Rushen and veteran bassist Essiet Essiet.
Inextricably tied to his work with Herbie Hancock’s Headhunters, Clark is a funk legend whose beats for Hancock’s hugely influential mid-70s band have been endlessly sampled and whose playing on the 1974 Headhunters landmark Thrust has inspired countless drummers to dig into his linear style. But long before he brought East Bay grease into the keyboardist’s pioneering combo, Clark was a Philly Joe Jones-idolizing jazz cat who came up on the 1960s Bay Area scene playing bebop.
TUCK & PATTI
Sunday, October 5, 7 PM
Miner Auditorium
With a signature approach that combines jazz, folk and R&B, the Bay Area based husband & wife team of guitarist Tuck Andress and vocalist Patti Cathcart are “one of this country's enduring treasures” (CNN). Formed after a chance meeting in San Francisco when Cathcart auditioned for a band that included Andress, the musical chemistry for both artists was instantaneous. As Andress relates, “Within a few seconds of hearing her sing, I knew that I had found my musical soulmate.”
*** OCTOBER 6–12, 2025 ***
LEDISI
Monday, October 6, 8 PM
Davies Symphony Hall
The world knows Ledisi as an R&B star who earned a dozen GRAMMY nominations before taking home her first award in 2021 for her song “Anything For You.” But Bay Area audiences first got to know the New Orleans native during her formative years in Oakland when she was stretching her wings as an ostentatiously gifted jazz singer. For this exclusive night, she returns to Davies Symphony Hall with her heartfelt tribute to the “Queen of the Blues,” Dinah Washington, backed by her finely minted band. This performance coincides with the release of Ledisi's tribute album, For Dinah, set for October 3, 2025, which is produced by Christian McBride and Rex Rideout.
DANILO PÉREZ WITH JOHN PATITUCCI & ADAM CRUZ
Friday, October 10, 7:30 PM
Miner Auditorium
An all-star trio of jazz heavyweights and longtime collaborators assemble on the Miner stage in celebration of Thelonious Monk’s 108th birthday with a night of reimagined classics.
SEAN MASON, SOLO PIANO
Friday, October 10, 7 PM & 8:30 PM
Joe Henderson Lab
An artist championed by Branford and Wynton Marsalis, virtuoso pianist and GRAMMY nominee Sean Mason celebrates Thelonious Monk’s 108th birthday with an inspired evening of solo piano devoted to his work.
DUMPSTAPHUNK
Saturday, October 11, 7:30 PM
Miner Auditorium
Dumpstaphunk has cemented its reputation as one of the most respected New Orleans musical institutions. Ivan Neville (keyboards/vocals) and Ian Neville (guitar), the sons of Aaron Neville and Art “Poppa Funk” Neville respectively, alongside original member Tony Hall (bass, guitar, vocals) have built upon their iconic NOLA legacy as they’ve built Dumpstaphunk into the city’s pre-eminent 21st-century funk-fusion export.
SEAN MASON QUARTET
Saturday, October 11, 7 PM & 8:30 PM
Joe Henderson Lab
An acclaimed pianist whose “unique voice in jazz is steeped in the sound of the South” (All About Jazz) and known for work with Branford and Wynton Marsalis, Christian McBride, and Catherine Russell, he leads his masterful young quartet for this date.
MARTHA REDBONE
Sunday, October 12, 7 PM
Miner Auditorium
An artist renowned for presenting "an organic, gorgeous feast for ears and minds” (HuffPost), singer and songwriter Martha Redbone honors Indigenous Peoples Day with this special performance with her sextet, her SFJAZZ Center debut. Embodying the folk and mountain blues sounds of her childhood in “Coal country” Harlan County, Kentucky with the eclectic grit of her teenage years in pre-gentrified Brooklyn, Redbone Inherited her father’s powerful gospel-singing voice and the resilient spirit of her mother’s Southeastern Indigenous and African American culture.
ANTHONY HERVEY & SEAN MASON
Sunday, October 12, 6 PM & 7:30 PM
Joe Henderson Lab
Anthony Hervey is an acclaimed American trumpeter, composer, and educator who has rapidly emerged as a leading voice in contemporary jazz. Recognized by Grammy.com as one of the “10 Emerging Artists to Know,” Hervey has captivated audiences worldwide both as a sought-after sideman and as a visionary bandleader. He is joined by the masterful pianist Sean Mason for a night of duos celebrating the music of Thelonious Monk and more.
*** OCTOBER 14–19, 2025 ***
BECCA STEVENS
Tuesday, October 14, 7 PM & 8:30 PM
Wednesday, October 15, 7 PM & 8:30 PM
Joe Henderson Lab
Ever since Becca Stevens emerged on the downtown New York jazz scene two decades ago as the lead vocalist for Travis Sullivan's Björkestra she’s blazed a singular trail with her bright, crystalline sound and exquisite compositions. A gifted multi-string player, she weaves her classical and Appalachian folk music upbringing together with an affinity for pop and indie rock and her love of the rhythms and harmonies of jazz and world music. Stevens’ versatility as a collaborator has manifested with a glittering array of artists, including Taylor Eigsti, Snarky Puppy’s Michael League, Brad Mehldau, Jacob Collier, and David Crosby, who featured her in his Lighthouse Band.
CARMINHO
Thursday, October 16, 7:30 PM
Miner Auditorium
One of Portugal’s shining stars makes her welcome return to Miner Auditorium with an enchanting evening of fado magic. Fado’s ongoing renaissance shows no signs of slowing down, and the emergence of Carminho on the world stage is a sure sign that the haunting Portuguese style continues to thrive. With her luxuriantly rich voice and emotionally riveting stage presence, Carminho makes a highly anticipated return following her sold-out SFJAZZ performance in October of 2023.
CHES SMITH-CLONE ROW WITH MARY HALVORSON, LIBERTY ELLMAN & NICK DUNSTON
Thursday, October 16, 7 PM & 8:30 PM
Joe Henderson Lab
Ches Smith is an innovative drummer, percussionist, and composer deeply versed in jazz, improvisation, and experimental music. A New York-based artist with a deep connection to the Bay Area, he settles into the Joe Henderson Lab with two sets focused on his all-star Clone Row project with guitarists Mary Halvorson and Liberty Ellman along with bassist and multi-instrumentalist Nick Dunston.
THE COOKERS WITH BILLY HART, GEORGE CABLES, CECIL MCBEE, EDDIE HENDERSON, AZAR LAWRENCE, CRAIG HANDY, AND DAVID WEISS
Friday, October 17, 7:30 PM
Miner Auditorium
A multi-generational powerhouse band far greater than the sum of their legendary parts, The Cookers have each made an estimable mark on the jazz world as both leaders and sidemen since the 1960s. Founded by acclaimed trumpeter David Weiss, the band is made up of a dizzying array of jazz giants.
Oakland-born alto saxophonist Craig Handy is a veteran of work with Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, Wynton Marsalis, and Freddie Hubbard, and is a member of the Mingus Big Band.
Tenor great Azar Lawrence was a longtime collaborator with McCoy Tyner and released a series of masterful albums as a leader beginning in the early 70s.
Audacious trumpeter Eddie Henderson gained fame as part of Herbie Hancock’s influential electric Mwandishi group, eventually releasing over 20 sessions.
DOLPHIN HYPERSPACE – NICOLE MCCABE & LOGAN KANE FT. RONI KASPI
Friday, October 17, 7 PM & 8:30 PM
Joe Henderson Lab
Dolphin Hyperspace is a dynamic Los Angeles-based electro-jazz duo that electrifies audiences with their unique fusion of modern jazz, electronic beats, and vibrant improvisation. Led by the charismatic Marin-raised saxophonist Nicole McCabe and the virtuoso bassist Logan Kane, known to SFJAZZ audiences as a former member of the High School All-Stars, the duo crafts a soundscape where rollicking synths collide with unhinged dance rhythms, creating an unforgettable auditory adventure.
IVAN LINS
Saturday, October 18, 7:30 PM
Sunday, October 19, 7 PM
Miner Auditorium
Ivan Lins reigns as the preeminent Brazilian composer of his generation, on par with icons including Caetano Veloso, Milton Nascimento, Gilberto Gil and Antônio Carlos Jobim. He celebrates the music from his recent recording project My Heart Speaks with these two nights of magic. Ever since legendary jazz diva Elis Regina turned Lins’s “Magdelana” into a standard in 1970 he’s occupied a singular niche among his Brazilian peers when it comes to crafting songs with sumptuously irresistible jazz harmonies.
AKI KUMAR: DIWALI CELEBRATION
Saturday, October 18, 7 PM & 8:30 PM
Sunday, October 19, 6 PM & 7:30 PM
Joe Henderson Lab
Mumbai-born vocalist and harmonica master Aki Kumar is a visionary artist, blending traditional Indian music with a singular brand of Chicago blues, known as “the only Bombay Blues Man.” He makes a stop at the Joe Henderson Lab to help commemorate the Hindu Festival of Lights with a joyous program of celebratory music.
*** OCTOBER 23–26, 2025 ***
BRANFORD MARSALIS QUARTET – BELONGING TOUR
Thursday, October 23, 7:30 PM
Friday, October 24, 7:30 PM
Saturday, October 25, 7:30 PM
Sunday, October 26, 7 PM
Miner Auditorium
2011 NEA Jazz Master Branford Marsalis represents “the highest echelon of jazz tenor saxophonists” (Los Angeles Times). He returns with his superlative quartet featuring pianist Joey Calderazzo, bassist Eric Reevis, and drummer Justin Faulkner to perform a range of music including a selection of the Keith Jarrett compositions that make up his 2025 Blue Note debut, Belonging — a reinterpretation of Jarrett’s landmark 1974 ECM quartet release of the same name.
HRISTO VITCHEV & JIVKO PETROV
Thursday, October 23, 7 PM & 8:30 PM
Joe Henderson Lab
“A composer drawn to shimmering harmonies and ethereal textures” (Mercury News), Sofia, Bulgaria-born, Bay Area-based guitarist Hristo Vitchev performs in his duo project with one of Eastern Europe’s most accomplished jazz pianists, fellow Bulgarian Jivko Petrov. In this unique duo setting, Vitchev and Petrov seek to explore our modern cross-cultural and dynamic world through their combined artistry and experience, drawing inspiration from the many places that have shaped and influenced them.
AMARO FREITAS, SOLO
Friday, October 24, 7 PM & 8:30 PM
Saturday, October 25, 7 PM & 8:30 PM
Joe Henderson Lab
DownBeat magazine says, “Brazilian pianist Amaro Freitas has developed an approach to the keyboard that's so unique it's startling.” The Recife-reared instrumentalist performs over two nights in Joe Henderson Lab, including material from his new album Y’Y, an all-star session inspired by his life-changing visit to the Amazon rainforest. Starting piano at age 12 in church under his father’s guidance, Freitas quickly outgrew traditional lessons, driven by a passion ignited by discovering Chick Corea and the ever-present influences of Capiba — the frevo master — along with Moacir Santos, Hermeto Pascoal and Egberto Gismonti.
SAM WILKES QUARTET
Sunday, October 26, 6 PM & 7:30 PM
Joe Henderson Lab
Sam Wilkes is a Los Angeles-based bassist, composer, multi-instrumentalist, and producer whose genre-bending artistry has made him a central figure in the city’s vibrant jazz scene. Known as a bandleader and collaborator with Sam Gendel and Louis Cole, Wilkes performs with his current quartet for this concert.
*** OCTOBER 27–31, 2025 ***
JACOB COLLIER
Monday, October 27, 8 PM
Davies Symphony Hall
In this one-night-only event, Jacob Collier will present the first-ever Audience Symphony Orchestra — a groundbreaking performance that invites fans to be more than spectators. Evolving his global ‘Audience Choir’ phenomenon into an orchestral one, fans who are (i) legal residents of the 50 U.S. and D.C., (ii) eighteen (18) years of age or older, and (iii) have the unrestricted right to work in the U.S. or have employment authorization in the U.S., are invited to apply for a position in the audience-generated ensemble. Up to fifty (50) musicians will be selected to perform Jacob’s original compositions live on stage at San Francisco’s legendary Davies Symphony Hall on October 27, under the baton of his mother and esteemed conductor, Suzie Collier.
TITO PUENTE JR. & NÉSTOR TORRES
Thursday, October 30, 7:30 PM
Miner Auditorium
The talented artist upholding the legacy of the greatest timbalero of all time and a true woodwind virtuoso come together with a power packed, high-energy ensemble for a blazing evening of modern Latin jazz.
THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA WITH DOROTHY PAPADAKOS, ORGAN
Thursday, October 30, 8 PM
Grace Cathedral
The sacred space of Grace Cathedral will transform into a grand movie palace for a special screening of Rupert Julian’s immortal 1925 silent horror classic, The Phantom of the Opera, starring Lon Chaney and featuring a live score performed on Grace’s famous pipe organ by renowned organist and composer Dorothy Papadakos. Currently a member of the GRAMMY-winning Paul Winter Consort and former Cathedral Organist of New York’s Cathedral of St. John the Divine, Papadakos has accompanied Phantom in venues around the world.
NOSFERATU WITH DOROTHY PAPADAKOS, ORGAN
Friday, October 31, 8 PM
Grace Cathedral
For Halloween, organist Dorothy Papadakos accompanies a screening of F.W. Murnau’s 1922 vampire classic Nosferatu — an iconic, unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula almost erased from history, starring the unforgettable Max Schreck as Count Orlok. Currently a member of the GRAMMY-winning Paul Winter Consort and former Cathedral Organist of New York’s Cathedral of St. John the Divine, Papadakos has accompanied the greatest silent films in venues around the world. She will precede the screening with a brief history of the film and has often appeared in costume as the title character!
LAS CAFETERAS
Friday, October 31, 7:30 PM
Miner Auditorium
For Las Cafeteras, the GRAMMY Award-winning Los Angeles band steeped in son jarocho and other Mexican regional idioms, the Day of the Dead isn’t merely a holiday celebrating Mexican culture. It’s a creative portal into a mythic realm exploring the stages of grief and loss through the celebration of life and death. They perform their original two-act production Hasta La Muerte to mark the annual tradition, which begins the following day.
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ABOUT SFJAZZ
SFJAZZ is a nonprofit organization that presents the finest jazz artists from around the world through concerts, educational programs, and community outreach. Its mission is to promote jazz as a living art form and to inspire and engage audiences through dynamic programming and performances. For more information, visit sfjazz.org.
