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Backstage Bay Area

Conversations, concert reviews, and show previews from San Francisco’s jazz scene

Listen To Podcast Episodes
Stefon Harris, Theo Croker Share UpSwing Stage
Stefon Harris, Theo Croker Share UpSwing Stage
Ben Folds on Keeping Arts Alive and His Holiday Shows at SFJAZZ
Ben Folds on Keeping Arts Alive and His Holiday Shows at SFJAZZ
Three Visitors Trio Debuts New Album Ahead of JHL Dates
Three Visitors Trio Debuts New Album Ahead of JHL Dates
Sarah Wilson Brings Incandescence to Berkeley
Sarah Wilson Brings Incandescence to Berkeley
RJAM’s New Visions At The Joe Henderson Lab
RJAM’s New Visions At The Joe Henderson Lab
SFJAZZ Collective Reimagines Native Dancer at Miner Auditorium
SFJAZZ Collective Reimagines Native Dancer at Miner Auditorium
Full Throttle: Gerald Albright at Yoshi’s
Full Throttle: Gerald Albright at Yoshi’s
Caity Gyorgy Brings Strings to Swing
Caity Gyorgy Brings Strings to Swing
Las Cafeteras’ Hasta La Muerte – Coming To Miner Auditorium
Las Cafeteras’ Hasta La Muerte – Coming To Miner Auditorium
Between Soul and Swing: Nicolas Bearde’s Jarreau, Alive and In Motion
Between Soul and Swing: Nicolas Bearde’s Jarreau, Alive and In Motion
Freedom, Community, and Jazz: KCSM’s 60 Years on the Air
Freedom, Community, and Jazz: KCSM’s 60 Years on the Air
Amaro Freitas on Enchantment, Ancestry, and the Future of Solo Piano
Amaro Freitas on Enchantment, Ancestry, and the Future of Solo Piano
Lines in Motion: Nicole McCabe’s Groove-Driven Improvisation
Lines in Motion: Nicole McCabe’s Groove-Driven Improvisation
Ivan Neville on Dumpstaphunk’s Groove for a Divided Time
Ivan Neville on Dumpstaphunk’s Groove for a Divided Time
Martha Redbone Brings Congregational Soul to Miner Auditorium
Martha Redbone Brings Congregational Soul to Miner Auditorium
Two Voices, One Room: Hervey & Mason Reframe Monk at SFJAZZ
Two Voices, One Room: Hervey & Mason Reframe Monk at SFJAZZ
Threading Folk and Jazz: Becca Stevens’ Quiet Fire
Threading Folk and Jazz: Becca Stevens’ Quiet Fire
Idris Ackamoor: Building a Future You Can Dance To
Idris Ackamoor: Building a Future You Can Dance To
Yilian Cañizares on Roots, Ritual, and the Road to Vitamina Y
Yilian Cañizares on Roots, Ritual, and the Road to Vitamina Y
Bach, Bebop & Bay Area: Paquito D'Rivera’s Jazz Odyssey
Bach, Bebop & Bay Area: Paquito D'Rivera’s Jazz Odyssey
Lineage on Fire: Sarah Hanahan Stakes Her Claim Among Giants
Lineage on Fire: Sarah Hanahan Stakes Her Claim Among Giants
An Evening with Andy Summers: Sound, Vision, and Stories in Real Time
An Evening with Andy Summers: Sound, Vision, and Stories in Real Time
Arturo O’Farrill: “The Arts Belong to the People”
Arturo O’Farrill: “The Arts Belong to the People”
OKAN: Joy as Resistance, Rhythm as Home
OKAN: Joy as Resistance, Rhythm as Home
Dominique Fils-Aimé: Jazz as Freedom, Healing, and Connection
Dominique Fils-Aimé: Jazz as Freedom, Healing, and Connection
LabRats at SFJAZZ: Groove Experiments and the Mwandishi Connection
LabRats at SFJAZZ: Groove Experiments and the Mwandishi Connection
Lady Day Reimagined: Stella Heath’s Jazz Story
Lady Day Reimagined: Stella Heath’s Jazz Story
Read Concert Reviews
Three Visitors Craft Sanctuary At SFJAZZ
Three Visitors Craft Sanctuary At SFJAZZ
Kamasi Washington Delivers Personal Homily of Cosmic Jazz at Golden Gate Theatre
Kamasi Washington Delivers Personal Homily of Cosmic Jazz at Golden Gate Theatre
Juan de Marcos’ Afro-Cuban Continuum at Miner
Juan de Marcos’ Afro-Cuban Continuum at Miner
Sco's Combo 73 Serves Swagger At SFJAZZ
Sco's Combo 73 Serves Swagger At SFJAZZ
Skonberg’s Debut Delivers Stellar SFJAZZ Show
Skonberg’s Debut Delivers Stellar SFJAZZ Show
SFJAZZ Collective’s Live Tribute To Wayne Shorter
SFJAZZ Collective’s Live Tribute To Wayne Shorter
Las Cafeteras Offer Evening Of Spiritual Storytelling
Las Cafeteras Offer Evening Of Spiritual Storytelling
Branford Marsalis Quartet: Craft, Groove, and Controlled Intensity
Branford Marsalis Quartet: Craft, Groove, and Controlled Intensity
The Cookers Carry Hard-Bop Forward At Miner Auditorium
The Cookers Carry Hard-Bop Forward At Miner Auditorium
Christian McBride & Brad Mehldau: The Sound of Shared Memory
Christian McBride & Brad Mehldau: The Sound of Shared Memory
Becca Stevens: Stories That Carry the Journey
Becca Stevens: Stories That Carry the Journey
Funk as a Commons: Dumpstaphunk’s Collective Groove
Funk as a Commons: Dumpstaphunk’s Collective Groove
Two Chairs, One Language: The Loving Art of Tuck & Patti
Two Chairs, One Language: The Loving Art of Tuck & Patti
Kurt Elling & Christian Sands: A Creative Force, In Concert and In Conversation
Kurt Elling & Christian Sands: A Creative Force, In Concert and In Conversation
Work, Glitter, Voltage: Idris Ackamoor & The Pyramids Seize Miner Auditorium
Work, Glitter, Voltage: Idris Ackamoor & The Pyramids Seize Miner Auditorium
O’Farrill’s Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble in Full Conversation at SFJAZZ
O’Farrill’s Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble in Full Conversation at SFJAZZ
Chopin in Havana, Mozart in New Orleans: Paquito D’Rivera’s Living Canon at Miner Auditorium
Chopin in Havana, Mozart in New Orleans: Paquito D’Rivera’s Living Canon at Miner Auditorium
Sarah Hanahan Brings the Heat to SFJAZZ
Sarah Hanahan Brings the Heat to SFJAZZ
Ron Carter’s Quiet Authority: Foursight Finds Soul in “Strange Times” at SFJAZZ
Ron Carter’s Quiet Authority: Foursight Finds Soul in “Strange Times” at SFJAZZ
Cindy Blackman Santana Band Lights Up Miner Auditorium
Cindy Blackman Santana Band Lights Up Miner Auditorium
Through the Wormhole: ELEW Gives Sting New Gravity
Through the Wormhole: ELEW Gives Sting New Gravity
LABRATS Rewire Mwandishi at the Joe Henderson Lab
LABRATS Rewire Mwandishi at the Joe Henderson Lab
Cory Henry & the Blind Boys Testify at SFJAZZ
Cory Henry & the Blind Boys Testify at SFJAZZ
Between Hush and Heat: Stella Heath Honors Holiday
Between Hush and Heat: Stella Heath Honors Holiday
Groove, Pivot, Repeat — Mino Cinélu’s Four for Miles
Groove, Pivot, Repeat — Mino Cinélu’s Four for Miles
Cory Henry and The Funk Apostles at Miner Auditorium
Cory Henry and The Funk Apostles at Miner Auditorium
Nine Voices, One Bloom: Anthony Wilson’s Nonet Lights Up the Lab
Nine Voices, One Bloom: Anthony Wilson’s Nonet Lights Up the Lab
Taj Mahal Quartet At Miner Auditorium
Taj Mahal Quartet At Miner Auditorium
Naturally 7 at Miner Auditorium
Naturally 7 at Miner Auditorium
David Binney Action Trio At Joe Henderson Lab
David Binney Action Trio At Joe Henderson Lab