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Freedom, Not Formula: Yilian Cañizares’ Living Ritual
by Steven Roby
Yilian Cañizares's chapter unfolds in steps: singles leading into an EP and the full-length Vitamina Y (Planeta Y), written for the trio she has toured with for years. “It's my first album with a trio," she says. “They are not only my colleagues but also my friends... the backbone of the music I'm creating right now." ...
Bach, Bebop & Bay Area: Paquito D'Rivera’s Jazz Odyssey
by Steven Roby
Paquito D'Rivera arrived in San Francisco for an upcoming concert at SFJAZZ with a mission and a grin--one that views borders as mere suggestions. Two nights on the Miner Auditorium stage with his seasoned quintet will celebrate years of practice and spontaneous creativity, tracing a career that started with prodigy recitals in Havana and has spanned ...
Arturo O’Farrill: The Arts Belong to the People
by Steven Roby
The first thing you notice about Arturo O'Farrill is how completely he turns purpose into sound. Whether he's speaking about water, memory, or the way a room breathes during a concert, the GRAMMY-winning pianist and composer treats music as a living system--one that welcomes humor, fury, and community in equal measure. That sensibility powers his new ...
Lineage, Lift-Off: Sarah Hanahan’s Alto Speaks in the Present Tense
by Steven Roby
Alto saxophonist Sarah Hanahan plays with the urgency of a musician who learned the music in real time--absorbing the tradition on the bandstand and transforming it into forward momentum. “I've always been sure of my connection to the instrument," she says. “Anyone who knows me knows my dad is a drummer and a great ...
Cory Henry and The Funk Apostles at Miner Auditorium
by Steven Roby
Cory Henry and The Funk Apostles Miner Auditorium San Francisco, CA September 5, 2025 SFJAZZ Center's digital director, Ross Eustis, started the evening with a brief welcome, highlighting more than 350 shows on the new season's schedule. The crowd greeted the band with the kind of enthusiasm associated with Cory Henry's ...
Anthony Wilson Nonet At Joe Henderson Lab
by Steven Roby
Anthony Wilson Nonet Joe Henderson Lab San Francisco, CA September 4, 2025 Anthony Wilson chose a high-wire debut for his first time leading his own band at SFJAZZ: nine musicians packed onto the Joe Henderson Lab's stage--roughly 20 by 12 feet--to open the 2025-26 season. The Nonet fit like a ...
OKAN: Joy as Resistance, Rhythm as Home
by Steven Roby
Afro-Cuban duo OKAN creates music that bridges gaps--between Havana and Toronto, ritual and dance floor, refined conservatory training and raw street style. Their name, taken from Santería, means “heart." That rhythm energizes everything they perform: violin complemented by luminous vocals, batá drums, and cajón intertwined with jazz harmony and songs that emphasize joy as both an ...
Dominique Fils-Aimé: Jazz as Freedom, Healing, and Connection
by Steven Roby
Montreal vocalist--composer Dominique Fils-Aimé discusses music as essential as breath--something vital, grounding, and shared. In conversation, a few recurring themes emerge: freedom as the driving force of jazz, healing as the restorative power of music on the body, and connection--among people, across generations, and through history--as the quiet foundation that allows songs to travel. These ideas ...
LabRats: Groove Experiments and the Mwandishi Connection
by Steven Roby
LabRats didn't aim to fit neatly on a shelf. The Sacramento-based collective, led by drummer and bandleader Jacob Swedlow, moves wherever the groove takes them--through jazz fusion, hip-hop, and live improvisation--while maintaining a tight, communal vibe both on stage and in the studio. “LabRats was an idea I had about two years before I ...
ELEW Finds His Frequency: From Camden Roots to ELEW Plays Sting at SFJAZZ
by Steven Roby
Pianist Eric Lewis (ELEW) grew up in a house where music was infrastructure. He is the fourth generation of classical musicians in his family, raised in Camden, New Jersey, where practicing the piano felt like another chore alongside washing dishes and mowing the lawn. That immersion, combined with conservatory training, forged a touch that is both ...
