Arturo Sandoval at SFJAZZ: Bebop Lessons, Cuban Fire, and the Joy of Staying Alive
At 76, Arturo Sandoval transformed SFJAZZ’s Miner Auditorium into a masterclass of Afro-Cuban rhythm and bebop history. Far from a standard holiday recital, his "Swinging Holiday" show blended virtuosity with intimate storytelling—from his black sequined sneakers to a moving tribute to Charlie Chaplin. Read the full review of a night defined by "Cuban fire" and the joy of staying alive.
The Klezmatics at SFJAZZ: Improvisation, Memory, and the Politics of Joy
Approaching their 40th anniversary, Grammy-winning sextet The Klezmatics delivered a powerful sonic argument at SFJAZZ that joy, in the face of modern darkness, is a radical act of resistance. Read the full review of their "Happier Joyous Hanukkah" show.
Funk as a Commons: Dumpstaphunk’s Collective Groove
What if the beat were a social contract? That question lingered over a sold-out Saturday at Miner Auditorium, where Dumpstaphunk approached funk not as escapism but as a shared practice—an agreement to move, listen, and shape tension and release as a community. This thesis emerged in the music, in the crowd, and in the way bandleader Ivan Neville framed the evening: a collective body choosing the groove.
Groove, Pivot, Repeat — Mino Cinélu’s Four for Miles
The room begins with absence—no band, no chatter—just a white gauze curtain hanging like a flag with no country. A looped rhythm creeps in from the edges, dry and sandy, like shoes on stone. Then the words land—Miles Davis on change, on refusing the safe—projected large enough to read and short enough to sting. “If anybody wants to keep creating, they have to be about change.”
Giant Steps for Everybody: Ravi Coltrane’s Communal Voyage at SFJAM
Miner Auditorium felt less like a concert hall and more like an open‑air workshop on July 28, when saxophonist and resident artistic director Ravi Coltrane invited the Bay Area to step onto the same stage where, moments earlier, he and his house band—pianist Sundra Mannin, bassist Gary Brown, and drummer Elé Howell—had been shaping Coltrane family repertoire into fresh clay.
Herbie Hancock Turns Improvisation Into Communion at Chautauqua
At 83, Herbie Hancock fused funk, philosophy and fearless spontaneity in a sold-out Chautauqua Auditorium performance that felt both cosmic and deeply human.