SFJAZZ Recharged Miles’s Acoustic Years
Across two Saturday performances in Miner Auditorium, Eddie Henderson, Javon Jackson, Donald Harrison, Patrice Rushen, Buster Williams, and Lenny White treated Kind of Blue as living language, giving Night 3 of SFJAZZ’s Miles Davis centennial celebration its deepest historical weight and clearest spirit of musical exploration.
Hugo de la Lune’s Architecture of Identity
At the Joe Henderson Lab, Hugo de la Lune turned his SFJAZZ debut into a meditation on lineage, faith, and self-reclamation, shaping voice and harmony into a living architecture of identity.
The Sculpted Grooves of SML @ JHL
SML transformed the Joe Henderson Lab into a pressure chamber of modular synthesis and percussive force during a 53-minute, unbroken set that fused Chicago experimentalism with West Coast grit.
Madeleine Peyroux’s Multicultural Tapestry
On the second night of her two-night run at SFJAZZ’s Miner Auditorium, Madeleine Peyroux delivered a socially conscious, intimate performance that transformed the room into a global neighborhood.
Five(ish) Finds Otherworldly Orbits in the Lab
In a raucous, high-voltage set at the SFJAZZ Joe Henderson Lab, Berkeley bassist and composer Lisa Mezzacappa led Five(ish) through the shifting biomes of a newly imagined cosmos.
Dianne Reeves Shapes an Evening of Grace
ransforming the Miner Auditorium into a velvet-draped sanctuary, the vocalist commanded 50 years of jazz history with industrial precision and domestic warmth.
Marsalis’ Mardi Gras Mayhem at Miner Auditorium
A brass-heavy New Orleans collective transformed the SFJAZZ Center into a technicolor street parade.
Joss Stone: Soulful and Seated
An intimate, narrative-driven review of Joss Stone’s "Less is More" residency at SFJAZZ’s Miner Auditorium, featuring stripped-back arrangements and candid storytelling.
Greg Osby Returns to SFJAZZ
Greg Osby returned to SFJAZZ’s Joe Henderson Lab for a focused, one-hour set that balanced standards, originals, and lineage material with clarity and restraint.
Becca Stevens and The Secret Trio at Miner Auditorium
Becca Stevens and The Secret Trio brought an inward-focused, story-driven performance to Miner Auditorium on the third night of Michael League’s SFJAZZ residency, emphasizing restraint, deep listening, and cross-cultural collaboration.
Elipsis Opens Michael League’s SFJAZZ Residency
Elipsis opened Michael League’s SFJAZZ residency with a performance rooted in Afro-Cuban rhythm, collective authorship, and forward-moving tradition, setting the tone for the week ahead at Miner Auditorium.
Jonathan Barber & Vision Ahead Bring Thunder to JHL
Jonathan Barber and Vision Ahead delivered a deeply unified, emotionally grounded performance at SFJAZZ’s Joe Henderson Lab, blending long-standing ensemble chemistry with new music from In Motion, including the forthcoming single “Dove” and the reflective ballad “When Love Calls.”
Radical Remix: How Braxton Cook and SMARTBOMB Turned SFJAZZ into an Oakland Block Party
If you typically associate the SFJAZZ Center with polite applause and established traditions, the scene on Franklin Street this past Sunday offered a radical remix of those expectations. Read our review of the Braxton Cook and SMARTBOMB takeover.
Taylor Eigsti and Melissa Aldana at UpSwing, Filling the Space Differently
At SFJAZZ’s UpSwing series, Taylor Eigsti and Melissa Aldana approached Miner Auditorium from opposite directions, revealing how structure and restraint give contemporary jazz its shape in a large room.
Hamilton de Holanda Trio Debut Ignites Miner Auditorium
Hamilton de Holanda made a striking SFJAZZ debut at Miner Auditorium, reframing choro through modern jazz language with a virtuosic trio performance that bridged Brazilian, African, and post-bop traditions.
Botti Kicks Off 2026 SFJAZZ Residency with West Coast Warmth
Joined by jazz heavyweights Chris Potter and Mark Whitfield, the trumpeter’s annual residency bridges the gap between atmospheric pop and hard-bop virtuosity, solidifying Miner Auditorium as his West Coast home.
Dirty Dozen Brass Band Ushers In 2026
The Dirty Dozen Brass Band turned the pristine Miner Auditorium into a New Orleans Second Line, proving that their 50-year-old "codified revolution" still has the power to move bodies and minds as they rang in the New Year.
The Architect of Swinging Joy: Benny Green’s Living History at Miner Auditorium
In the steep, intimate amphitheater of the Robert N. Miner Auditorium, pianist Benny Green operated as a "Curator-Virtuoso." His Sunday evening solo recital was a pedagogical and emotional exhibition, synthesizing the distinct dialects of mentors Art Blakey, Ray Brown, and Oscar Peterson into a singular, exuberant voice.
The Ghost in the Machine: Mayo and Berliner Re-Embody Jazz at Miner
At SFJAZZ, Michael Mayo and Sasha Berliner didn’t just play the standards—they refracted them through a new, post-digital architecture. Read our review of the UpSwing series finale, where vocal loops and percussive vibes reshaped the jazz tradition.
Marcus Shelby’s Orchestral Memory: Blues, Structure, and Community at SFJAZZ
On December 21, 2025, the Marcus Shelby New Orchestra brought Duke Ellington’s The Nutcracker Suite to Miner Auditorium, blending big band rigor with a deep meditation on Bay Area history and global resilience.