Big bands are back! Join Stanford Jazz Workshop for their Fall 2023 Big Band Showcase, starting at 2:00 PM on November 19. This year's exciting concert lineup in Dinkelpspiel Auditorium on the Stanford University campus includes

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Fall 2023 Big Band Showcase

Stanford University

With her vocal prowess, it’s no surprise that Dianne Reeves has received five Grammy Awards for Best Jazz Vocal Album, an honorary doctorate of music from Julliard, and was recently named a 2018 National Endowment of the Arts Jazz Master – the highest honor the United States bestows on jazz artists. The albums in her Blue Note discography are among the finest jazz vocal albums every made, featuring side players who are all giants in their own rights — Herbie Hancock, Stanley Clarke, Tony Williams, Freddie Hubbard, and many others. To close this special 50th Anniversary concert, Dianne will be accompanied by her quintet and by a full orchestra conducted by multi-Grammy winner Vince Mendoza.
The SJW 50th Anniversary Band is truly a superband of musicians who have shaped the sound of jazz in recent decades. The astonishing artists of this ensemble share one thing in common: time at SJW as young jazz musicians. Now they’re going to be raising a glass — and their horns and voices — to celebrate 50 years of the Stanford Jazz Workshop.

Dianne Reeves with Quintet and Orchestra / SJW 50th Anniversary Band

An eagerly-anticipated annual tradition at SJW, this concert presents some of the greatest artists in jazz, performing in combinations familiar and unfamiliar, delivering performances of unrivalled intensity, passion, and excitement. Among the artists you’ll hear are Kenny Barron, George Cables, Peter Bernstein, Rufus Reid, Larry Grenadier, Taylor Eigsti, and many others.

SJW All-Star Jam

This is the jazz trio at its finest. Jazz legend Kenny Barron is one of the great composers and bandleaders, whose credits include long stints with Philly Joe Jones, Roy Haynes, Lee Morgan, James Moody, Dizzy Gillespie, Freddie Hubbard, Stanley Turrentine, Milt Jackson, Buddy Rich, Yusef Lateef, and many more. With Charlie Rouse, Ben Riley, and Buster Williams, he co-founded the band Sphere, devoted to the music of Thelonious Monk. Johnathan Blake is a trail-blazing musician, bandleader, and composer in his own right, but is also a regular member of Kenny’s trio — and his favorite drummer. Bassist Rufus Reid, an SJW family member for many years, is himself one of the greats of jazz, as a performer, educator, and composer. In fact, both Rufus and Kenny first played and taught at SJW in the 1980s with Stan Getz.

Kenny Barron with Rufus Reid and Johnathan Blake

It was at the Stanford Jazz Festival in 2017 that Lisa Fischer (Rolling Stones, Sting, 20 Feet from Stardom) and Grammy-winning pianist and SJW alumnus Taylor Eigsti first played as a duo — and the world stood still. Every note of those first songs still resonates with Lisa and Taylor, so much so that they took their duo on tour. Now they’ve crafted an entire evening of music for you. Lisa will astonish you with her vocal mastery and stage magic, and together with Taylor she’ll reach directly into your soul in this special concert.

Ms. Lisa Fischer with Taylor Eigsti, Ben Williams and Lisa Fischer

Touring regularly with trumpeter Terrance Blanchard’s band, Charles Altura is a singular new voice of jazz guitar. Adventurous yet melodic, Altura’s own music has elements of many of the great artists with whom he’s toured and recorded, such as the late Chick Corea, Tom Harrell, and fellow SJW alumni Ambrose Akinmusire and Dayna Stephens.

Peter Bernstein gave the classic organ trio format new life as a member of the Larry Goldings Trio in the early ’90s, and his mastery of the idiom and the guitar give him a style all his own. A virtuoso’s virtuoso, Bernstein’s music never fails to excite and delight the audience.

Charles Altura and Peter Bernstein featuring Larry Grenadier, Eric Harland and Johnathan Blake

One of the living legends of jazz, alto saxophonist Charles McPherson has been a sideman with some of the greatest artists in the history of the music, including Charles Mingus, Barry Harris, Billy Eckstein, Lionel Hampton, Dizzy Gillespie, Nat Adderley, and many others. Many jazz fans may have marveled at Charles’ mastery without knowing it: He played Charlie Parker’s solo parts in the movie, Bird. Recording regularly for Prestige and Fantasy as a leader, his recordings comprise a veritable history of bebop and post-bop. Charles’ sound is the very definition of jazz, and his masterful playing represents bebop at its highest evolution.

Charles McPherson with Randy Porter, Russell Hall And Johnathan Blake

For this very special event, Bobby will involve everyone in the SJW community — including you! — in his Circlesongs program. An immersion in sound and creativity, Circlesongs challenges all participants to play, sing, invent, imagine, and explore. Together, the audience and Bobby will make music, build trust, take risks, and embrace life to the fullest. Every song, every voice has a place in the circle. The improvisational singing technique called Circlesongs was created by Bobby over a lifetime of groundbreaking vocal exploration. These spontaneously composed choral pieces invite the deepest listening and sensitivity, using all the vocabulary we know — call and response, global rhythms, soaring melodies, lush harmonies, funny noises, invented language, silence, prayers, and laughter.

Bobby McFerrin Circlesongs

James Francies has a talent that comes along only once in a generation. A graduate of the renowned Houston High School for the Performing and Visual Arts and an alumnus of SJW, in what seemed like the blink of an eye, James had joined the Pat Metheny Side-Eye trio, toured with Chris Potter, performed with R&B superstars such as Lauryn Hill and José James, appeared with The Roots on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon alongside his mentor and friend, Questlove — and released his Blue Note debut, Flight.

George Cables one of the true greats of jazz piano. He has the touch and swing of Oscar Peterson, the harmonic inventiveness of Herbie Hancock, the strength of McCoy Tyner, and yet his sound is unmistakably his own. George spent his formative years playing with saxophone giants Sonny Rollins, Dexter Gordon, and Joe Henderson, and his collaborations with alto star Art Pepper, vibes virtuoso Bobby Hutcherson, and trumpet masters Woody Shaw and Freddie Hubbard yielded recordings that are on every critic’s must-have list. George is going to deliver a performance you won’t want to miss.

James Francies Trio and George Cables Trio with Larry Grenadier, Eric Harland And Guests

Cuban saxophonist and chekeré virtuoso Yosvany Terry has had a remarkable jazz journey since his first visit to SJW in 1995. He’s been a sideman with top artists such as Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Eddie Palmieri, Chucho Valdes, Taj Mahal, Branford Marsalis, Paul Simon, and many others. Yosvany has come into his own as a leader, releasing three recordings of his own music. He’s making his mark as an educator as well, teaching here at SJW, and at Harvard University as Senior Lecturer and Director of Jazz Ensembles in the Department of Music. For this show he’s assembled a blazing band to share his new compositions and arrangements.

Yosvany Terry Quintet

A DownBeat Rising Star and hometown hero who practically grew up in SJW’s Jazz Camp, New York-based Dayna Stephens has a sound of singular warmth and beauty that has him recognized and requested by artists such as Eric Harland, Brad Mehldau, Fred Hersch, Kenny Barron, Roy Hargrove, Wayne Shorter, and many others. In this intimate show, he shares some of his most recent compositions, performed by this extraordinary quartet.

The Dayna Stephens Quartet, Featuring James Francies

Expect to be delighted by Victor Lin’s mastery of the violin and piano, as well as his interpretations and arrangements of songs you didn’t even realize were embedded in your memory. Victor directs a large cast of talented SJW artist faculty and special guests in a dazzling spectacle that captures the imagination and gets to the heart of what SJW is all about.

An Evening with Victor Lin

Patrice Rushen is a legend in the music industry, with major credits as a jazz performer, and film composer, as well music direction of major broadcasts (Grammy Awards, Emmy Awards) and tours (Janet Jackson), in addition to leading her own projects. Her brilliant playing has astonished audiences ever since Patrice was in high school, and can be heard on countless recordings, including as her own Grammy-nominated releases.

Patrice Rushen 

Braun Music Center

Pianist Christina Galisatus’ compositional talents and brilliant jazz piano chops are capturing the attention of the jazz world beyond the Bay Area. Christina and her band will play her original compositions from her recent and upcoming releases.

Well-known to all the SJW family, Steven Lugerner has developed a unique voice as an improviser and an unmistakable style as a bandleader — and as an entrepreneur, heading up the up-and-coming record label, Slow and Steady Records. His SLUGish Ensemble will be celebrating the release of a new album and performing new music from another upcoming fall release.

Christina Galisatus / SLUGish Ensemble

For years, Josh Thurston-Milgrom has been the backbone of countless jazz concerts all over the Bay Area, keeping perfect time with his pure tone and gorgeous melodic bass lines. His keen interest in all aspects of music has made his ears receptive to anything that happens on the bandstand. Here at the Stanford Jazz Festival, Josh is practically the house bassist, relied upon for numerous performances each season. Tonight, he steps out from behind the curtain to perform original compositions from his most recent recording project with an amazingly talented band.

Joshua Thurston-Milgrom Quintet

Clarinet virtuoso Anat Cohen has always felt a deep connection to the joy, inventiveness, and deep grooves of Brazilian musical traditions. Anat has found kindred spirits in the remarkable musicians who join her in this show: Accordion virtuoso Vitor Gonçalves and special guest vocalist/pianist Claudia Villela.

An astonishing talent on piano and accordion, and as a composer, Vitor shares a Grammy nomination for Best Large Jazz Ensemble with Anat for her Tentet album, released in 2020, as well as for his work on Thalma de Freitas’s 2020 release, which was nominated for Best Latin Jazz Album.

Claudia has captivated jazz audiences and major artists with her musicality, imagination, and stunning five-octave vocal range. She’s worked with many leading artists, several of whom jumped at the chance to record with Claudia on her own releases, including Toots Thielemans, Kenny Werner, Michael Brecker, Harvie Swartz, and Toninho Horta, among others.

If you love samba, bossa nova, or any other Brazilian music, you’ll want to be in the front row for this great concert.

Jazz Brazil with Anat Cohen, Vitor Gonçalves, and Special Guest Claudia Villela

For over 30 years, pianist and composer Bennett Paster has been involved with SJW as a faculty member, a Festival artist, and a few years before that, as a camper at Jazz Camp. He’s mentored hundreds of young artists worked directly with dozens of the world’s greatest jazz artists on stage and in the classroom. With all that first-hand experience, Bennett is a living archive of SJW history. In this special show, Bennett will invite a host of SJW artists to join him in re-creating and recalling some of the musical highlights of the past 50 years here at the Stanford Jazz Workshop.

SJW 50: Memories and Musical Moments, with Bennet Paster

Ruth Davies has a history of bringing SJW audiences closer to the best blues artists in the world, such as Keb’ Mo’, Taj Mahal, Charlie Musselwhite, Robben Ford, Henry Butler, and many more. A blues legend herself, who has toured and recorded with artists like John Lee Hooker, Jimmy Witherspoon, Bonnie Raitt, Van Morrison, Elvin Bishop, and many others — Ruth is keeping the flame of traditional blues alive and well. Ruth’s special guest artist this year is the dynamic vocalist Shemekia Copeland, whose talent; larger-than-life personality; dynamic, authoritative voice; and true star power will knock you out. Her recent album for Alligator Records, Uncivil Rest, is a tour-de-force that tackles contemporary issues head-on, while blending blues, R&B, gospel, and Americana as only she can.

Ruth Davies’ Blues Night With Special Guest Shemekia Copeland

The late, great tenor saxophonist and composer Jimmy Heath was a beloved fixture at the Stanford Jazz Festival, performing often as a headliner, and with his brothers, bassist Percy Heath and drummer Albert “Tootie” Heath. Young virtuoso Lynn Speakman had the good fortune to study and work with Jimmy during her summers on the faculty at SJW. In this special tribute, Lynn is joined by a quintet of fantastic SJW faculty artists as she brings her amazing technique and talent to the music that was an essential element of Jimmy Heath.

A Tribute to Jimmy Heath: Lynn Speakman Quintet

Having been mentored by Bay Area great Jules Broussard and sharing formative bandstand experiences with the likes of Clark Terry, Jason Moran, Orrin Evans, and Lauryn Hill, saxophonist Howard Wiley is a shining example of innate musical talent meeting opportunity, and inventiveness inspired by tradition.

Guitarist Terrence Brewer has an encyclopedic grasp of jazz history embedded in his fingers, and a fresh approach to harmony, improvisation, and performance that will elevate you. Each artist will lead their own band featuring jazz organist Tim Campbell in this exciting doubleheader.

Terrence Brewer / Howard Wiley

Vincent De Jesus is a drummer, percussionist and teaching artist with roots in Mexico and Puerto Rico from San Antonio, Texas. Currently living in San Francisco, Vincent leads the Bay Area Latin Soul Project, a kaleidoscopic group fusing the Afro-Caribbean styles of Cuba and Puerto Rico with Black American music from the US like jazz, funk and hip-hop.

Valerie Troutt is an amazing vocal artist based in Oakland, California. Steeped in gospel and jazz, Valerie is a musical collagist, borrowing from ancestral centuries of sound, channeling spirits, and delivering the stories of our love, loss, and lives. There’s a light in this unapologetically unconventional artist/teacher/activist for whom art and activism are intertwined. Within this spiritual and social justice-driven performer is a lifelong hunger for craft, for connection, for cultural narratives and an indefatigable thirst to serve as an agape griot to a waiting people.

Bay Area Latin Soul Project/Valerie Troutt

With blazing technique, expressive virtuosity, and a charismatic stage presence, Anat Cohen has been voted Clarinetist of the Year by the Jazz Journalists Association every year since 2007. Similarly, always topping the Trombonist of the Year and Critic’s Poll lists, Wycliffe Gordon is one of the foremost musical ambassadors and interpreters of America’s music. With unmatched mastery of the plunger mute, his exceptional technique and signature sound has solidified his place as one of the top trombonists of his generation. Accompanying these two jazz virtuosi is the SJW 50/50 Jazz Orchestra, SJW’s egalitarian ensemble of women and men who are among the top jazz artists in the Bay Area.

Anat Cohen and Wycliffe Gordon with the SJW 50/50 Jazz Orchestra

Considered a must-have by all serious jazz fans, the 1962 recording Nancy Wilson/Cannonball Adderley (Capitol) showcased the astonishing talents of not only the two headline artists, but Cannonball’s classic band, which included his brother Nat on cornet, Joe Zawinul on piano, Sam Jones on bass, and Louis Hayes on drums. Nancy Wilson considered her contribution to be “a third horn,” but her vocals are displayed so perfectly that it has become a model to which jazz vocalists aspire. More than equal to the task of re-creating the music of this amazing recording, vocalist Tiffany Austin and alto saxophonist Andrew Speight have complete command of the bebop language and the artistry required to bring an audience to tears with the beauty of a song.

Andrew has been a beloved SJW faculty member for many years. He also directs the jazz program at Michigan State University and is on the faculty at San Francisco State University. He first came to the U.S. from his native Australia as a participant and subsequently a prize winner in the Thelonious Monk Jazz Competition in 1991, and he made a serious first impression. Wynton Marsalis said of him,  “. . . Andrew Speight will carry the music’s torch into the next millennium.” Nat Adderley, brother of Cannonball Adderley, said that Andrew is “. . .one of the finest and most exciting of today’s alto saxophonists.”

Tiffany is a rising star of the jazz vocal world. One of the best jazz debut albums of 2015, her debut album Nothing But Soul made quite a splash, including sterling reviews in Downbeat and on NPR’s “Fresh Air.” She performs regularly at the Stanford Jazz Festival, SFJAZZ, San Jose Jazz, and at many other festivals and venues internationally.

A Tribute to Nancy Wilson and Cannonball Adderley: Andrew Speight and Tiffany Austin

The late jazz artists, vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson and drummer Eddie Marshall, were titans of jazz internationally, and they were the heart and soul of their native Bay Area jazz scene. They taught and performed together regularly at SJW where they influenced countless SJW students, as well as delighting their Stanford Jazz Festival audiences.

Drummer Dr. Jaz Sawyer, a former camper, and Oakland native and rising star vibraphonist Sasha Berliner are musicians who were deeply influenced by these masters. This show both honors the affinity and creativity of Bobby and Eddie, and showcases the immense talents of these two young artists, each of whom now have a huge impact of their own.

A Tribute to Bobby Hutcherson and Eddie Marshall: Jaz Sawyer and Sasha Berliner

SJW founder Jim Nadel shares his entertaining and informative introduction to jazz with you and your family. Everyone can sing, clap, and dance along to this delightful and educational performance, presented in a kid-friendly environment, at a parent-friendly price.

Early Bird Jazz for Kids with Jim Nadel And The Zookeepers

Ben Goldberg’s thoughtful, compelling music has tributaries from klezmer, bebop, and contemporary concert music. His unique approach to the clarinet and other woodwinds has been inspired and informed by artists as diverse as Joe Lovano and Steve Lacy. As a composer, Goldberg is a seeker and sorcerer all in one, delighting audiences with the unexpected. Joined by some of his closest musical friends, this performance will draw from his Porch Concert Material program.

Ben Goldberg, Gerald Cleaver, Liberty Ellman

The members of the Stanford Jazz Workshop’s Miles Ahead Big Band are among the best young jazz musicians in Northern California. Coming from high schools around the Bay Area, these passionate jazzers meet every week through SJW’s afterschool program to develop their ensemble and improvisation skills, and they put their heart and soul into every performance. It’s no surprise that they’ve won awards at the Monterey Jazz Festival’s Next Generation Jazz Festival and the High School Honors Outstanding Performance award in the Asynchronous Large Jazz Ensemble category in the 44th Annual DownBeat Magazine Student Awards!

We’re thrilled to have Adam Theis (pronounced “Thēese”) perform at the Stanford Jazz Festival for the first time. Adam is a multi-instrumentalist, producer, bandleader and composer. He plays trombone, trumpet, tuba, bass, keyboards and anything/everything else he can get his hands on. In 2000, he co-founded Jazz Mafia – an eclectic artist collective of some of the most forward thinking and accomplished players in the fields of electro, hip-hop, world, classical and of course, jazz. As Jazz Mafia’s director, Adam has assembled over 100 different live projects over the past 20 years and led/co-led dozens of acclaimed bands.

Miles Ahead Big Band With Special Guest Adam Theis

Jazz virtuoso George Brooks and Indian classical music star Mahesh Kale once again bring their popular collaboration to the Stanford Jazz Festival, reuniting to blend jazz energy and Indian ragas and rhythms in a performance that transcends cultural and musical barriers. Also featuring the remarkable Indian jazz musician Utsav Lal, the Raga Pianist, this performance of otherworldly sounds will create an unforgettable blend of jazz energy and Indian ragas and rhythms.

Indian Jazz Journey, featuring Mahesh Kale and George Brooks

Faye Carol will take you on a journey, and along the way, her seductive singing will bring up powerful feelings that you may not have known were in your own heart. Jazz, blues, soul, gospel, R&B — Faye crosses genres effortlessly, delivering a scorching ballad just after a blistering bebop scat masterpiece. Her mastery is astonishing, but it’s the wide range of intense emotions she touches on that leaves audiences breathless.

The Dynamic Miss Faye Carol And Her Trio

Cut from the same cloth as Joe Williams, vocalist Jamie Davis is beloved for his warm, soulful style, and his Basie-to-the-bone swing! So it’s no surprise that Jamie has toured the world with the Count Basie Orchestra, and has been described as a fine wine that has stood the test of time. Jaime is constantly innovating jazz classics and soul hits, and his repertoire encompasses everything from Cole Porter to Stevie Wonder.

Jamie Davis Sings the Blues, Ballads and More

With multiple Grammy awards for her pianistic virtuosity and golden voice — including another in 2022 for her most recent release, Mirror Mirror — Eliane Elias is in a category all her own. Her two hugely successful recent releases, Love Stories (Concord Jazz), and Mirror (Candid Records), shows her highly personal and intimate realization of love songs made famous by Antonio Carlos Jobim and Frank Sinatra, as well as her own originals (Love Stories), and her astonishing jazz mastery in duets with the late Chick Corea and Cuban superstar Chucho Valdez (Mirror Mirror). With her longtime partner Marc Johnson on bass, and in the company of her favorite rhythm section players, Eliane invites you to share in her vision of love and music.

Eliane Elias Quartet

What makes jazz different from other music? SJW Founder and Artistic Director Jim Nadel picks up his sax and leads a band of top-notch players to help illustrate his good humored and enlightening introduction into the elements of the art form. Jim doesn’t just talk about jazz — he takes you inside it, so you’ll have a deeper appreciation of the entire Stanford Jazz Festival lineup.

Stanford Jazz Workshop

Nov 19, 2023

Fall 2023 Big Band Showcase

Jul 30, 2022

Dianne Reeves with Quintet and Orchestra / SJW 50th Anniversary Band

Jul 29, 2022

SJW All-Star Jam

Jul 28, 2022

Kenny Barron with Rufus Reid and Johnathan Blake

Jul 27, 2022

Ms. Lisa Fischer with Taylor Eigsti, Ben Williams and Lisa Fischer

Stanford Jazz Workshop

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