The Hub: January 2026 at SFJAZZ
2025-26 Resident Artistic Director Michael League anchors the month with a multi-project residency. (Photo: Courtesy of SFJAZZ)
Welcome to The Hub, Backstage Bay Area’s definitive monthly guide to the sounds shaping our city. This living document is updated every Monday to keep you ahead of the curve on must-see performances, exclusive interviews, and the architectural shifts in the Bay Area jazz scene.
January at SFJAZZ is characterized by a deliberate tension between the established and the experimental. The 2026 calendar does not merely "kick off" the year; it constructs a dialogue across genres, from the high-gloss lyricism of Chris Botti to the modular, site-specific soundscapes of Jeremiah Chiu. This month, the SFJAZZ Center acts as a laboratory for the "composer-performer," where the technical rigor of the conservatory meets the improvisational heat of the club.
The Anchor Residencies
Chris Botti January 5–11 | Miner Auditorium The year opens with a masterly musician who has navigated the intersection of jazz and pop with rare poise. Botti’s tone—sumptuous, enveloping, and meticulously phrased—is a testament to a career spent alongside luminaries like Sting and Paul Simon. His residency in Miner Auditorium offers a week of performances that emphasize the trumpet as a narrative voice.
Michael League: Resident Artistic Director January 28–31 | Miner Auditorium The month’s intellectual anchor is the residency of Snarky Puppy mastermind Michael League. His week is a curated survey of "future folklore," moving from an intimate listening party to the SFJAZZ debut of his Elipsis project. Of particular note is the January 30 duo performance with keyboardist Bill Laurance, drawing from their ACT Music label releases Where You Wish You Were and Keeping Company.
Deep Dive Spotlights
Melissa Aldana / Taylor Eigsti January 17 | Miner Auditorium This double bill highlights two of the most lucid instrumentalists of the current era. Aldana’s recent Blue Note album, Echoes of the Inner Prophet, is an audacious tribute to the late Wayne Shorter, showcasing her bold vision and nurtured sound. She shares the evening with Bay Area native Taylor Eigsti, whose 2025 Grammy-winning album Plot Armor has further established him as a premier pianist and composer.
Exploration in the Joe Henderson Lab
The smaller Joe Henderson Lab serves as a space for intimate innovation throughout the month:
Vinicius Cantuária & Chico Pinheiro (Jan 16–17): A Brazilian guitar dialogue following Cantuária’s 2024 release, Psychedelic Rio.
B. DeVeaux (Jan 23): A powerhouse vocalist and Oakland native paying tribute to Jazmine Sullivan’s 2008 album Fearless.
Jeremiah Chiu & Marta Sofia Honer (Jan 25): An exploration of modular synthesizer and viola, evoking the atmospheric landscapes found in their album Recordings from the Åland Islands.
Jharis Yokley & BIGYUKI (Jan 31): A fusion of hip-hop and electronica centered on Yokley’s 2024 solo album Sometimes, Late at Night.
Community and Craft
Beyond the main stage, the month includes the SMARTBOMB x SFJAZZ Community Open House on January 18, featuring Braxton Cook and the Kiefer Trio. On January 26, the SFJAM returns with a free community session led by Kasey Knudsen, emphasizing the organization's mission to engage musicians of all generations.
TICKET INFO
Venue: SFJAZZ Center
Address: 201 Franklin St, San Francisco, CA 94102
Box Office: 415-788-7353 Tickets: Available at www.sfjazz.org
