Wynton Marsalis’ Spaces is a 10-part suite described as a “jazz Carnival of the Animals” (Financial Times), featuring extraordinary dancers Charles “Lil Buck” Riley and Jared Grimes interpreting everything from snakes to chickens.
Saturday, September 22, 2018 - 8:00pm
Wednesday, October 10, 2018 - 7:00pm, Thursday, October 11, 2018 - 8:00pm, Friday, October 12, 2018 - 8:00pm, Saturday, October 13, 2018 - 8:00pm
The first thing you note about trumpeter and composer Marquis Hill is his tone: warm, precise and so unlike the brittle winters in his hometown of Chicago. His Blacktet provides the power and drive to underpin a font of melodic and rhythmic ideas that embrace hard bop, R&B, hip hop and soul.
Wednesday, October 17, 2018 - 7:00pm
The SFJAZZ Collective packs intelligence, humor, virtuosity and emotion into every performance. The all-star octet will perform fresh arrangements of songs by bossa nova master Antônio Carlos Jobim alongside their own original compositions.
Friday, November 9, 2018 - 8:00pm
Sammy Miller and The Congregation make music that entertains and enriches—but most of all, uplifts. The group’s onstage antics add an extra dash of uplift to a style of music they like to call joyful jazz. Fans of The Hot Sardines and Jon Batiste should not miss this Mondavi Center debut.
Sunday, December 16, 2018 - 2:00pm
For 31 years, Boston Brass has set out to establish a one-of-a-kind musical experience. This holiday concert features the swinging seasonal chart-toppers made famous by Stan Kenton and His Orchestra, combined with some solo and combo selections as well as fun surprises
Friday, January 25, 2019 - 8:00pm
Las Cafeteras, the “uniquely Angeleno mishmash of punk, hip hop, beat music, cumbia and rock,” (Los Angeles Times) are remixing roots music and telling modern-day stories. The Villalobos Brothers masterfully blend the richness of Mexican folk music with the intricate harmonies of jazz and classical.
Saturday, January 26, 2019 - 8:00pm
Pianist Lara Downes and vocalist Theo Bleckmann present a duo cabaret showcasing the music of Leonard Bernstein, Duke Ellington and Kurt Weill. In Our Time is nostalgic yet timeless, and infused with the magnetic charisma for which Downes and Bleckmann are recognized.
Wednesday, January 30, 2019 - 7:00pm, Thursday, January 31, 2019 - 8:00pm, Friday, February 1, 2019 - 8:00pm, Saturday, February 2, 2019 - 8:00pm
Since his youth, André Mehmari’s musical sensibility has known no borders, freely flowing between Frédéric Chopin, Scott Joplin and Ernesto Nazareth. Working between Brazilian music, classical and jazz, the pianist and composer has forged a language of tremendous expressive power.
Wednesday, February 27, 2019 - 7:00pm, Thursday, February 28, 2019 - 8:00pm, Friday, March 1, 2019 - 8:00pm, Saturday, March 2, 2019 - 8:00pm
Veronica Swift is a fearless performer who displays deep and pure musicality in her singing and scatting. Her interplay with her fellow musicians is a hallmark of her talent; here she is matched with the remarkable hard bop pianist Benny Green and his trio.
Friday, March 1, 2019 - 8:00pm
Five astounding singers and a quartet of musicians led by music director Damien Sneed bring together songs from Aretha Franklin, Duke Ellington, Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone and Donny Hathaway, as well as traditional spirituals to evoke the inspirations, struggles and triumphs of civil rights activists and defenders.