Goldstar

Hammond B3 organ master Tony Monaco's 3-night residence at Pearl's will feature famed fretmaster Bruce Forman, one of the world's greatest practioners of tasteful, high-test bebop guitar. Forman also stars on Monaco's brand new, highly rated CD, "East to West." Learn more...

After four decades, Charles McPherson remains a strong, viable force on the jazz scene. His playing combines passionate feeling with intricate patterns of improvisation. McPherson has recorded with Charlie Mingus, the Carnegie Hall Jazz Orchestra and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, and has toured with Lionel Hampton, Nat Adderly and many others. He was the featured alto saxophonist in Clint Eastwood's film "Bird." Learn more...

Jazz at Pearl's welcomes the Michael O'Neill Quintet featuring singer Kenny Washington. O'Neill is an inventive saxophonist with strong technique; Washington combines an expressive voice reminiscent of Stevie Wonder with remarkable scat-singing ability. Their latest album is The Long And Short Of It. Learn more...

Jazz at Pearl's presents a tribute to legendary jazz drummer Donald "Duck" Bailey. Bailey first rose to prominence as the drummer in organist Jimmy Smith's band; in this show, he'll be playing alongside another organist, Gene Ludwig. Learn more...

With a style grounded in classic, straight-ahead jazz, Bay Area guitarist Terrence Brewer's playing is marked by a clear, exquisite tone and fascinating yet accessible soloing and composing. He has the experience and talent to make it all work. Brewer's return engagement at Pearl's promises to be special, indeed, as he'll be joined by fire-breathing saxophonist Dave Ellis. Rising-star organist Wil Blades, and drummer Micah McClain make up the rest of Brewer's powerful ensemble. Learn more...

Sonny Fortune is one of the most exciting saxophonists in jazz today, with a searing sound that is all his own. Fortune served as a sideman with a variety of leaders, including Elvin Jones, Mongo Santamaria, Buddy Rich, McCoy Tyner, Miles Davis and Nat Adderley, but it as a leader that he has truly made his mark in music. Learn more...

Richard Howell's powerful, sensually melodic saxophone playing and keen sense of exploration have brought him to stages around the world, performing with artists as diverse as Etta James, Chaka Khan, Cecil Taylor, Don Cherry, Billy Higgins, Charlie Haden, Buddy Guy, Pete Escovedo and more. Howell will be joined at Jazz at Pearl's by pianist Fred Harris, bassist Gary Brown and drummer E.W. Wainwright. Learn more...

Vanessa Rubin is a diva on the cusp of becoming a true jazz legend. With a 25-year career on major labels recording with the greatest names in jazz, her debut album Soul Eyes not only captivated the jazz world but also knocked the R&B and smooth jazz world off their feet. With her crisp articulation, precise pitch, bluesy swagger and harmonic imagination, Rubin proves herself as much a musician as any of the all-star players behind her. Learn more...

The "EBQ" is a mainstream modern jazz ensemble featuring Gabe Eaton and Rob Barics, a pair of hard-blowing, steady swinging saxmen whose talents are regularly featured in the innovative Marcus Shelby Jazz Orchestra. An evening with the EBQ is a night of bluesy bebop showmanship and dueling horns in the tradition of the legendary saxophone battles of yore. Learn more...

Sherri Roberts performs the tunes of Broadway and Tin Pan Alley in modern jazz settings, while her great affinity for Brazilian music and the lyricized compositions of artists such as Dave Brubeck, Marian McPartland and Bill Evans keeps her song choices personal and exciting. She takes her innate feeling for melody and rhythm and mates it with an attraction for less-known and wrongly-neglected songs. Learn more...

Jazz at Pearl's reprises Denise Perrier's popular Dinah Washington show, "Unforgettable," in which Denise performs in the persona of the jazz/blues/pop icon. From costume to repertoire, the vivacious vocalist brings Dinah back to life, performing her greatest hits, from "I Wanna Be Loved" to "Big Long Sliding Thing." Learn more...

Guitarist Sheryl Bailey is rated among the foremost bop-based guitarists to have emerged in the 1990s. Her attack can be direct and hard-swinging, but she also exudes subtlety, elegance of phrase and a pure, warm, liquid sound. Vintage Guitar Magazine calls Bailey "one the top players in an emerging generation of jazz guitarists." Learn more...

For over 15 years, pianist Tammy Hall has been one of the most in-demand musicians in the San Francisco Bay Area, thanks to her high-energy, gospel-tinged performing style and distinctive virtuosity. Hall shines across a wide range of musical styles, from jazz to blues to Brazilian to salsa. Learn more...

Andy Bey's silky bass-baritone voice has been called "one of the finest instruments in jazz." With a career spanning five decades, Bey has a unique way of mixing lyrics and melody to tell a story. He has performed with jazz icons including Sarah Vaughan, Dinah Washington, Horace Silver, Max Roach and Lonnie Liston Smith. Learn more...

Modern jazz like it's meant to be made: improvisationally, among a band of friends, with tight grooves and some serious funk. Times 4 have developed and refined their sound over a four-year history of regular performances at Bay Area clubs and festivals. Their new CD, "Relations," is garnering rave reviews and will be available (with autographs and meet & greet) at Pearl's. Learn more...

The Jazz at Pearl's Tuesday Night Residency for July brings together the smooth, stylings of Marcus Shelby with a smoldering dynamo of a jazz singer, Faye Carol. Shelby is an accomplished bandleader, bassist, composer and arranger. Carol has worked with such artists as Marvin Gaye, Ray Charles and Ben Vereen. Shelby's sparkling trio features pianist Adam Shulman and drummer Jeff Marrs of the Marcus Shelby Orchestra. Learn more...

Trumpeter Chuck MacKinnon's jazz styles range from straight-ahead to soul/jazz to improvised psychedelic electronica. He has performed with the Duke Ellington Orchestra, the Cab Calloway Orchestra, Norah Jones and many other great artists. His Mactet band features tenor saxman Matt Otto, alto saxophonist Douglas Yates, pianist Leonard Thompson, drummer Diego Voglino and bassist John Schifflet. Learn more...

Imagine a 21st-century version of Curtis Mayfield or Marvin Gaye, and you're not far off from the funky, contemporary R&B groove of Trace Ellington. As a branch of the Duke Ellington family tree, singer-songwriter Trace is blessed with a diverse heritage that serves as a strong foundation for his music. Learn more...

The Fil Lorenz Soul-tet lays down a soul/jazz blend of smooth and smoky Hammond B3 organ grooves with killer horn lines reminiscent of those backstreet jazz clubs of yesterday! Think of a 2007 version of that beloved straight-up, funky Blue Note sound! Learn more...

Smooth and sensuous jazz singer Sony Holland sold out at Pearl's during the release party for her fabulous CD, "On a San Francisco High," inspiring a rave review in the San Francisco Chronicle. Holland now returns to Pearl's riding the excitement of a three-month tour of Asia to celebrate the success of her brand-new CD, "Out of This World." Learn more...

The young piano/saxophone team of Pascal and Remy Le Boeuf is proving that jazz is alive and well. Not only were the Le Boeufs winners of the 2006 ASCAP Young Composers Award, but Pascal's CD, "Migration," featuring his brother Remy, was recently named winner of the 2006 Independent Music Award for jazz. They'll be backed by an ensemble including Robbie Marshall, bassist Dave Robaire and drummer Hamir Atwal. Learn more...

In an evening that draws on the best of American Jazz from the past to the present, Ray Obiedo's music blends a background of Miles Davis, Antonio Carlos Jobim and the stars of Motown--his early influences. In addition to leading his own bands and performing with San Francisco's many Latin jazz giants, Obiedo has toured and recorded with masters like Herbie Hancock, George Duke and Lou Rawls. Obiedo came of age playing funky, James Brown-style rhythm guitar. He soon stretched out into the jazz world, but always retained the influence of his r&b roots. Learn more...

Barry Lloyd, the Bay Area's "Crown Prince of Cabaret," pays tribute to the undisputed King of Cabaret, Bobby Short, with his show Slumming on Park Avenue at Pearl's. In tribute to his childhood idol, Lloyd sings a dazzling collection of classics made famous by Short from the Great American Songbook. Learn more...

The pairing of Hammond B3 ace Dave Mathews and "jaw dropping" blues/jazz vocalist Kenny Washington for Jazz at Pearl's is an inspired one. Mathews and Washington will perform together in a series of high spirited shows guaranteed to produce a full throttle musical combustion. Learn more...

An acknowledged virtuoso of the blues, Ernestine Anderson is equally superb with ballads and swing. Her sultry, sensuous voice is compelling and intimate, yet soars with passionate intensity. Whether it's Ellington or Sting, Anderson's interpretation of a song is infectious. On stage, she's charming and vivacious, her joy in the music delighting audiences from Sweden to Japan. Learn more...

Musical mayhem, marching band madness and blow-out-the-windows musical power is the hallmark of San Francisco's most raucous and high-quality New Orleans style marching band, the Brass Mafia. Based on the tried-and-true New Orleans brass ensemble, the Brass Mafia includes trombone, trumpet, saxes, drums and most importantly tuba! But while the band is based on a 100-year-old tradition, the group's sound incorporates music from many different decades and continents. Learn more...

Gregory James draws on a diverse variety of musical influences, including bebop, rock, Afro-Cuban and Indian classical, in order to create his unique sound. An acclaimed leader with several highly rated CDs to his credit, James has performed with stars from Ray Charles and Van Morrison to Bola Sete and Vince Guaraldi. Learn more...

From the thrilling pulse of flamenco through the fiery rhythms of Latin and Brazilian music, to the yearning soul of Middle Eastern sounds and the spontaneous joy of jazz, Kaweh leads audiences through a wonderful travelogue of music, culture and soul. Over the past several years, Kaweh's popularity has exploded; in 2005 alone, they performed more than 200 shows. Learn more...

Monk's Music Trio wades into the tricky yet rewarding music of jazz legend Thelonious Monk with great panache and skill. The trio of drummer Chuck Bernstein, pianist Si Perkoff and bassist Sam Bevan interpret Monk's compositions with a ringing clarity, and interact on the bandstand with an almost electric empathy. Guest Max Perkoff joins them on trombone. Learn more...

Jonathan Alford is one of the most sought after keyboardists on the Latin scene. A fluid, versatile and highly inventive musician, he also shines in a straight-ahead jazz setting. Alford has performed and recorded with stars such as Pete Escovedo, John Santos, Bobby Hutcherson, Elaine Lucia, Carlos Santana and many more. Learn more...

Ben Adams, Jeff Denson and Ziv Ravitz met at Berklee School of Music and have been making fascinating jazz, separately and together, ever since, and getting notice for it across the U.S and Europe. Adams is an exceptional young talent on the vibraphones. Bassist Jeff Denson and Israeli drummer Ziv Ravitz make up two thirds of the trio Minsarah, a group that has been causing a sensation on two continents. Learn more...

A six-time Grammy nominee, Mark Murphy has enjoyed a 40-year recording career, with more than 40 releases to date. He won the Downbeat reader's poll for Best Male Vocalist in 1996, 1997, 2000 and 2001. His innovative projects range from the work of Nat "King" Cole to Jack Kerouac to Ivan Lins to Eddie Jefferson. Learn more...

Silky-throated Parisian crooner Laurent Fourgo celebrates the release of his new CD "Moitié-Moitié, Half & Half," with all the favorites on that recording and more. This show is a must for lovers of the Great American (and French!) Songbook. His style is swinging, warm and serene, with a hint of Bennett and Darin--and a lot of Fourgo! Learn more...

Singer-pianist-composer Bob Dorough is best known for his role with the beloved children's show Schoolhouse Rock, for which he wrote and sang enduring favorites like, "Conjunction Junction" and "Three is a Magic Number." Whether you know Dorough for that, or from his stand-out jazz work, you'll be delighted by his three-night set at Jazz at Pearl's. Learn more...

Veteran jazz saxophonist Hal Stein was front and center in New York's famed 56th Street jazz scene of the 1950s, playing with everyone from Gene Krupa to Artie Shaw to Charles Mingus. Bay Area jazz fans have been blessed to have him as a local in 1971. He's making an appearance at Jazz at Pearl's, and it's sure to be one to remember. Learn more...

ZADELL is the brother-sister team of jazz saxophonist Dave Ellis and R&B singer Zoë Ellis. Zoë polished her soulful voice in the R&B group the Mo'Fessionals. Dave was a member of Charlie Hunter's trio and toured with Ratdog and the Other Ones. Joining them are guitarist Cedricke Dennis, bassist Nate Pitts, drummer Tommie Bradford, keyboardist Maya Kronfeld and vocalist Brian Dyer. Learn more...

Vibrant saxophonist Mike Zilber leads a great band at Pearl's, playing imaginative yet accessible straight-ahead jazz. Joining him will be trombonist John Gove, bassist Peter Barshay and drummer Jeff Marrs. Zilber plays with emotion, virtuosity and a lightning agility. His style is fluid and full of rewards, as if he had an entire orchestra tucked away in his horn. Learn more...

Bruce Forman's fluid, soaring style has helped define the sound of the modern jazz guitar. Thirteen albums as a leader, plus recordings and performances with musicians like Joe Henderson, Eddie Jefferson and Bobby Hutcherson, firmly establish him in the front ranks of the world's most influential jazz musicians. Bassist John Wiitala and drummer Vince Lateano join Forman on stage. Learn more...

The 2006 members of the SFJAZZ All-Star High School Quintet--an elite group chosen from the larger SFJAZZ All-Star High School Ensemble--are torchbearers for jazz legends past and present. They've jammed with the likes of Chick Corea, Joshua Redman and Branford Marsalis, but make no mistake, these five are very proud Generation Y citizens. Learn more...

Trombonist/pianist Max Perkoff is also a highly accomplished band leader and composer, and for this visit to Jazz at Pearl's, he'll be celebrating the release of his brand new CD, Infinite Search. Perkoff will be backed by the same dynamic band that appears on the CD: guitarist Randy Vincent, bassist Sam Bevan and drummer Paul van Wageningen. Learn more...

John Santos is the leader of the ground-breaking Machete Ensemble and one of the foremost proponents of Afro-Latin music in the world today. He's admired for his innovative use of traditional forms in fiery fusions with jazz and other contemporary forms. Santos has performed with masters of the Afro-Latin and jazz idioms such as Dizzy Gillespie, Tito Puente, Eddie Palmieri and Max Roach. Learn more...

Trumpeter Steffen Kuehn comes to Jazz at Pearl's to celebrate the release of his new CD. Trumpop is a smooth jazz tour de force featuring some of the Bay Area's top jazz players, all of whom will join Kuehn at Pearl's. The title track of the CD was used in the movie Birthday Girl, starring Nicole Kidman and Ben Chaplin. Learn more...

For more than two decades, jazz fans have thrilled to hear pianist Mike Lipskin perform sparkling musical gems in the Harlem Stride jazz piano style. Only a handful of contemporary jazz pianists can play Harlem Stride, the sound of Fats Waller, Duke Ellington and Art Tatum. Mike is one of these rare performers. Learn more...

With his warm, distinctive sound, saxophonist Eric Alexander has taken his place as one of the most exciting saxmen working today. Since making his recording debut in 1991, Alexander has recorded a shelf-full of acclaimed CDs. A mainstay of the NYC jazz scene, Alexander appears regularly at the hip, uptown nightclub, Smoke. Now he's coming to Jazz at Pearl's. Learn more...

Babatunde Lea has been a Bay Area treasure since he arrived in San Francisco in 1977 after a half-decade in New York City, where he performed with stars like Oscar Brown, Jr., Lonnie Liston Smith and Kenny Kirkland. In his fiery, spiritual percussion playing are the influences of African, Latin, Caribbean and North American rhythms and cultures. Performing with him will be his regular bandmates: Richard Howell (sax & vocal), Glen Pearson (piano) and Geoff Brennan (bass). Learn more...

His is the purring sax solo on Henry Mancini's famous Pink Panther movie theme song, the saxophone counterpart to Harry "Sweets" Edison's trumpet on the theme music for "The Odd Couple" TV series, and he's the horn player immortalized in Marvin Gaye's masterpiece Let's Get It On. Plas Johnson's the sexiest sax ever found and he's played with Sinatra, Cole, Streisand, Fitzgerald and more! Learn more...

Steve Heckman took up the saxophone at an early age and experienced a musical revelation when he was swept away by the music of John Coltrane. The fluid, warm-toned saxophonist has been letting Coltrane's style inform his own ever since. Over the his 30-year career, Heckman has attained the kind of jazz mastery that has made him welcome on the bandstand and in recording studios with greats like Bruce Forman, Andrew Hill, Madeline Eastman and Eddie Henderson. Learn more...

Called a "must see" artist by the New York Times and one of the most exciting young tenor sax players and composers in the Bay Area, Dayna Stephens is a fluid, vigorous soloist with a warm, soulful sound. While at the prestigious Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz at USC, he studied and played with, among others, Shorter, Hancock, Dave Holland, John Scofield and Mark Turner. Learn more...

Jazz at Pearl's hosts a CD release party for "The Carlos Federico Memorial Album," a glowing tribute album to mambo legend Carlos Federico. This jam session stands as testament to an unsung Bay Area Latin music pioneer. The group features a steller cast of Carlos Federico alumni, including Teddy Strong (congas), Nerio DeGracia (vibes), David Belove (bass), David Frazier (bongo) and other special surprise guests. Learn more...