Articles by Steven Roby

Live Review

Marcus Miller At Miner Auditorium

by Steven Roby
September 30, 2026

Marcus Miller Miner Auditorium, SFJAZZ Center “We Want Miles" Centennial Celebration San Francisco, CA September 27, 2026 On Sunday at Miner Auditorium, Mino Cinélu stepped down from his percussion riser, carried a large black gourd to center stage, and drew a startling range of sounds from it, wowing the crowd. No one onstage seemed in a hurry to leave. They had reason to linger. This was the final show of Marcus Miller's ...

Live Review

Ursa Major at Miner Auditorium

by Steven Roby
September 15, 2026

Christian McBride's Ursa Major Miner Auditorium San Francisco, CA September 13, 2026 Christian McBride stood toward the rear of the Miner Auditorium stage Sunday night, directing traffic from behind Nicole Glover and Ely Perlman. Even when he switched from upright to electric bass and began one of his fleet, muscular solos, he remained there. The placement suited Ursa Major. McBride may have assembled the quintet, but its final concert of SFJAZZ's season-opening residency drew its force ...

Live Review

Take 6 at Miner Auditorium

by Steven Roby
August 19, 2026

Take 6 Miner Auditorium SFJAZZ Summer Sessions 2026, four-night residency, Aug. 13--16, 2026 San Francisco, CA August 16, 2026Four decades in, Take 6 still builds its sound on close listening, disciplined arranging, shared history, and a belief that melody outranks everything else. Across an afternoon masterclass, a conversation with founder Claude McKnight, and the closing night of a four-night SFJAZZ residency, the group laid out the blueprint. Then six voices showed how to make it ...

Radio & Podcasts

Spreading Love for 40 Years: Claude McKnight of Take 6

by Steven Roby
August 11, 2026

Host Steve Roby sits down with Claude McKnight, founding member of the legendary a cappella group Take 6. With 10 Grammy Awards, 10 Dove Awards, and a spot in the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, Take 6 has spent more than four decades redefining what the human voice can do. McKnight previews the group's forthcoming record, featuring collaborations with Snarky Puppy, Dirty Loops, drummer J.R. Robinson, and trumpeter Chris Botti, plus an inventive take on Dave Brubeck's “Take Five." Expect ...

Live Review

Lettuce at Miner Auditorium

by Steven Roby
July 23, 2026

Lettuce Miner Auditorium San Francisco, CA July 19, 2026 A funny thing happens when Lettuce comes to SFJAZZ. The Miner Auditorium--normally a model of concert-hall decorum--starts to feel less like a jazz temple and more like the world's hippest funk party in a neighborhood. Even before the first note, Sunday night's crowd suggested this wouldn't be an ordinary closer to the band's four-night residency. Fans embraced in the lobby like family at a reunion. ...

Live Review

Sexmob at Joe Henderson Lab

by Steven Roby
July 18, 2026

Sexmob Joe Henderson Lab San Francisco, California July 16, 2026 The opening night of a four-night, eight-show run can be an awkward proposition, especially when the band has just returned from an overseas tour. Before the first note at Thursday's performance in the Joe Henderson Lab, Steven Bernstein, Sexmob's founder and slide trumpeter, addressed the issue. “We just got off a plane from Europe on Tuesday night," Bernstein told the audience. “We got ...

Radio & Podcasts

Steven Bernstein’s Gumbo Homecoming

by Steven Roby
July 4, 2026

Steven Bernstein, the Berkeley-born trumpeter, composer, and bandleader, joins host Steve Roby for a wide-ranging conversation about three decades of musical exploration and two new companion albums that reimagine the same music through entirely different sonic lenses.What We Talk About * Growing up in Berkeley during the '60s and '70s--how the city's unique musical culture, the Keystone Corner jazz scene, and a school improvisation program shaped Bernstein's musical identity * Why funk--not rock--was the lingua franca of Bay ...

Live Review

Chucho Valdés and His Royal Quartet at Miner Auditorium

by Steven Roby
June 18, 2026

Chucho Valdés Royal Quartet Miner Auditorium San Francisco, CA June 14, 2026 Sunday night at Miner Auditorium marked the fourth and final night of a residency four months in the making. Chucho Valdes and his Royal Quartet were originally booked for late February 2026, then rescheduled to June--and by the time the maestro finally took his seat at the Steinway, the anticipation in the room had the particular charge of something long awaited.

Live Review

Terence Blanchard & Ravi Coltrane: Miles Davis & John Coltrane Centennial At Miner Auditorium

by Steven Roby
June 2, 2026

Terence Blanchard & Ravi Coltrane Miner Auditorium Miles Davis & John Coltrane Centennial San Francisco, CAMay 31, 2026 At SFJAZZ's Miner Auditorium, Blanchard and Coltrane treated the Miles Davis songbook as an ongoing conversation. Over the past six months, Bay Area jazz fans have enjoyed a series of centennial celebrations honoring Miles Davis and John Coltrane. This past weekend in Oakland, as part of the Coltrane Centennial, the Saint John Will-I-Am Coltrane ...

Live Review

Gunhild Carling and her Jazz Band at Joe Henderson Lab

by Steven Roby
May 27, 2026

Gunhild Carling and her Jazz Band Joe Henderson Lab San Francisco, CA May 24, 2026 About 45 minutes before showtime, Gunhild Carling was her own roadie. Meticulously, she arranged her merchandise table at the Joe Henderson Lab--custom-designed ties in the center, posters, bags, and her paintings to the left, and albums and CDs filling the right. After a brief chat with early arrivals, she disappeared into her dressing room to prepare. What followed was ...