Goldstar

Jazz at Pearl's presents What I Want for Christmas, starring Russ Lorenson, whose style, often compared to Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett, brings "the crooner style back to the cabaret scene" (TalkinBroadway.com). Backed by arranger/pianist Kelly Park, Lorenson has performed his shows, to consistently high acclaim, from San Francisco's Plush Room to the Hideaway Room in New York City. Learn more...

When San Francisco helps piano great Larry Vuckovich celebrate his 70th birthday over three glorious evenings at Jazz at Pearl's, they'll be celebrating the career of a fabulous musician and a terrific friend. Vuckovich is an effervescent, imaginative bebop jazz pianist whose performances never lack for lively style, wit and energy. With his 37-year jazz career on the San Francisco jazz scene (interrupted by productive European and New York sojourns), Larry Vuckovich is a living, breathing, bebopping repository of San Francisco jazz history. Learn more...

Muziki Roberson is a gifted, inspired jazz pianist and composer who for the last two decades has thrived in some of the most challenging and creative environments the Bay Area jazz scene has to offer. For years, he was the keyboardist for the brilliant, jazz/funk/Latin/poetry group, Mingus Amungus. And for 12 years, Roberson was keyboard player and music director for the San Francisco Mime Troup. He's also performed (and toured Africa) with inventive jazz violinist Michael White. Now he's leading his own band and Jazz at Pearl's has got 'em. Learn more...

Avotcja, backed by the incredible Jon Jang on piano, Francis Wong on sax and flute and a stageful of passionate, pulsing musicians, creates a roar of musical power and insight. An accomplished poet, Avotcja has been published in English & Spanish in the USA, Mexico and Europe, and in more anthologies than she remembers. Don't miss the three-night residence of this amazing, high-spirited group at Jazz at Pearl's. Learn more...

Bay Area guitarist Terrence Brewer has been called "a jazz tour de force" by the Marin Independent. With a style grounded in classic, straight-ahead jazz, Brewer is not afraid to take chances with his compositions or his soloing, and 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...

For this very special weekend at Pearl's, Kim Nalley brings the tender side of Holiday to life as she presents The Heart of Lady Day. Nalley, in her own unique and heartfelt style, will interpret the songs made famous by Holiday. She'll be joined by sensitive, bluesy pianist Tammy Hall, swinging guitarist Josh Workman, cool-hand bassist Mike Zisman and steady-swinging drummer Kent Bryson. Learn more...

Terese Genecco leapt to prominence in the Bay Area music scene by grabbing the Entertainer of the Year honors at the 2003 San Francisco Cabaret Competition. In her solo show, Drunk with Love, a Tribute to Frances Faye, Genecco pays homage to the fabulous, fiesty nightclub/saloon singer who hit her peak in the late thirties in New York's swankiest supper clubs. This concert version of Drunk With Love is backed by a swinging 8-piece ensemble. Learn more...

John Handy is a jazz saxophonist with a joyous, lyrical power and the full range of his instrument at his immediate command. A long-time San Franciscan, John Handy is a true jazz giant. His performances in the intimate surroundings of Jazz at Pearl's promise a very special weekend of unforgettable jazz. For his Pearl's sets, Handy will be joined by pianist Dave Mathews, violinist Carlos Reyes, bassist Marcus Shelby and drummer Akira Tana. Learn more...

Veteran bebop alto saxman Pete Yellin is a recent addition to the Bay Area jazz scene, having moved to our shores from New York within the past year. Yellin's resume attests to the quality of his musicianship and the sizzling power of his style. The New York native was a member of the great Joe Henderson sextet in the '60s and '70s, recorded with stars like Tito Puente, Buddy Rich, Lionel Hampton and Eddie Palmieri, and appeared frequently with the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Big Band. Learn more...

No secret to the music world at large, Kim Nalley has performed at most of the major Jazz festivals throughout the world, garnering rave reviews along the way, and performed with heavyweights from James Williams, Jimmy McGriff and Billy Higgins to Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony. She will be joined by an ensemble of terrific Bay Area talent for these appearances. Learn more...

Saxophonist Mel Martin first dove into the thriving San Francisco jazz scene in the mid-60's, taking the stage at such legendary venues as Bop City, Soulville, The Jazz Workshop and The Both And. Since then, Martin has proven to be one of the most versatile and creative musicians to emerge from the Bay Area. A truly inventive and innovative performer, Martin has been tapped frequently by greats like Benny Carter, Dizzy Gillespie and McCoy Tyner. Martin displays a rare combination of fiery soloing abilities and telepathic communication with his bandmates, and projects a joyously spirited dash and drive to his audiences. Learn more...

Sonando offers a unique and fiery blend of contemporary Jazz and Afro-Caribbean traditions, fusing Jazz with Afro-Caribbean rhythms, Afro-Cuban folklore and Brazilian flavors. On stage the group traverses a musical landscape from improvisational contemporary jazz to rumba and timba-esque dance grooves. For Jazz at Pearl's, Sonando will perform "Innervisiones," their intriguing tribute to Stevie Wonder. Mixing the rhythmic intricacy of Afro-Cuban and Brazilian styles with the brilliance of Stevie Wonder's chord progressions and melodic ideas, through "Innervisiones," Sonando provides a night of crackling, fun-filled music. Learn more...

Wailin', honkin' and harkening back to the 40s and 50s "jump blues" and swing era, the Johnny Nocturne band is equally adept at raw rock & roll, moody film noir-ish instrumentals and hopping bop. The Johnny Nocturne Band is comprised of some of the best musicians on the scene today and is acclaimed as one of the hottest live jazz acts around. At all ends of the spectrum, the Johnny Nocturne Band is high-energy fun. Learn more...

Soulful and swinging, the piano player Junior Mance has forged a bluesy, dextrous, style that never lacks for excitement or emotional depth. No stranger to being a frontperson, he'll lead cool-hand rhythm man Mike Zisman on bass and percussion virtuoso Akira Tana on drums. Mance, a fierce talent in his own right, has played with many jazz greats like Lester Young, Dizzy Gillespie, Dinah Washington, Charlie Parker, Coleman Hawkins, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, and Sonny Stitt. Learn more...

The Jarrett Cherner Trio's music is rooted in the jazz piano tradition and driven by a blend of contemporary world influences. Latin rhythms propel the tunes and swing creates a foundation for plenty of improvisation and interplay between these three young musicians. Pianist/composer Jarrett Cherner is a San Francisco native who received an honorable mention from the ASCAP Young Jazz Composer Awards 2005/2006. Bassist Jorge Roeder and drummer Jorge Perez-Albela, on the other hand, both hail from Lima, Peru. The three players met and honed their instincts and skills in the vibrant jazz scene of Boston. Learn more...

The exciting, hard-swinging Dave Scott Quartet is taking a page out of modern jazz history, harkening back to the days when all-star musicians from the great big bands would form up into smaller groups. Led by lyrical, soaring trumpeter Dave Scott, the Dave Scott Quartet offers a foursome of the Bay Area's most compelling jazz musicians, players who, among their many talents, are vital members of San Francisco big bands including the Marcus Shelby Jazz Orchestra and Pearl's own Contemporary Jazz Orchestra. Learn more...

Guitarist Josh Workman has earned his name as one of the Bay Area's most fiery and versatile players during a career that has found him blistering the jump blues with swing revival band Indigo Swing, gypsy jazz with the Hot Club of San Francisco, funk-jazz with the Groove Collective and the Jazz Passengers in New York City, world music with D'Vash and straight-ahead bop with Larry Vuckovich's Young At Heart Ensemble. Learn more...

The criteria for defining jazz singing will probably be argued for the rest of time. But no matter which side of the argument one may be on, there can be no doubt that Giacomo Gates is an authentic jazz vocalist. Heavily steeped in the traditions of the original vocal improvisers from Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald through their modern counterparts Betty Carter and Leon Thomas, Giacomo's own approach draws most heavily from the bebop-rooted masters like Jon Hendricks and, most of all, Eddie Jefferson. Learn more...

Jazz Meets the French Caribbean at Pearl's when Sakesho comes to the club for one weekend only. Steel pan virtuoso Andy Narell has spent the last quarter century fusing the subtleties and complexities of the steel pan to an astounding range of jazz and World Music sensibilities. Now Narell is teaming up with Sakesho, a band deeply immersed in the thrilling and enchanting music of the French Caribbean. Learn more...

For two glorious Thursday nights in August, Ingrid Lucia will be presenting "A Night of New Orleans Jazz Standards" at Pearl's. This sassy New Orleans native has a voice that's prompted thousands of comparisons to Billie Holiday. But despite her stylistic similarities to Lady Day, Lucia's delivery is upbeat, fun and just a bit naughty, in the true Big Easy tradition. Learn more...

The explosive Latin ensemble Soul Sauce blasts back into Pearl's for their much-anticipated return engagement. Soul Sauce draws on the rich body of Afro-Cuban and Brazilian-influenced jazz, incorporating into the mix both original works and unique, powerful arrangements of contemporary compositions and jazz standards as well. Learn more...

Trumpeter Chuck MacKinnon returns to his acoustic jazz roots on his latest CD. After exploring everything from straight-ahead to soul/jazz to improvised psychedelic electronica, he's playing traditional jazz again with his own eclectic twist. He'll rock Pearl's with two horn players, a pianist, and a drummer. Learn more...

The collaboration of saxophonists Saturo Oda and Bob Kenmotsu with drummer Vince Lateano offers an intriguing "East Meets West" jazz partnership with a cool generational component to spice things up. Best of all, these are three musicians who swing like crazy. Learn more...

It's hard to imagine a soul/jazz saxophonist whose sound springs from a deeper well of profound, style-forging musical experience. From Muddy Waters to Lester Young, Holloway has played with them all, in blues bars and jazz joints across America, for five decades. Red Holloway is the real deal. Learn more...