With over 25 years of creative collaboration, bassist Ben Allison, guitarist Steve Cardenas, and saxophonist Ted Nash weave musical conversations that are full of subtlety and surprise, modeled after reedist/composer Jimmy Giuffre’s drummerless units of the 1950s and 60s. The trio has released four albums. Their most recent, Tell the Birds I Said Hello: The Music of Herbie Nichols, features unheard gems by the under-recognized composer/pianist, while their previous album, Healing Power: The Music of Carla Bley, has been streamed over 2 million times.

JAZZ PIANO MASTERS SERIES
TWO SHOWS 5:30pm / 8pm

Benny Green returns to the piano store with an evening of solo piano with standards and originals, including selections from his most recent album, Solo, recorded in Oakland in 2022.

Expect to be thrilled by this world-class organ trio. Akiko Tsuruga is one of the most entertaining jazz organists in the world today.  A disciple of Dr. Lonnie Smith, she has an uncanny ability to captivate any crowd.  Bruce Forman’s guitar prowess places him at the top of his art form, playing Country & Western to Jazz, and his faithful fan-base expects nothing but the best from him.  Drummer, Akira Tana has played with the most prestigious jazz artists of our time. From Sonny Rollins to his current touring group, Otonowa, Akira has truly earned his position in the lineage of jazz drumming. 

JAZZ PIANO MASTERS SERIES

GRAMMY Award-winning pianist Sullivan Fortner brings his trio – with bassist Tyrone Allen II and drummer Kayvon Gordon – to the piano store, as part of his West Coast Tour, playing music from his new double-album Release, Solo Game. “Solo” mixes humility, maturity and audacity in respecting the great tradition of the solo piano, while “Game” develops a magical, playful universe from a multitude of keyboards and electronic effects.

SONGS & STORIES SERIES
Jazz and Blues singer Nicolas Bearde sings a set of his favorite songs and shares stories about his more than 35 year career, from leaving his Nashville home in his teens, to singing in Japan during his military service, to eventually making his home in the Bay Area.

“Canta, Violino!” is the brainchild of American violinist Andrew Finn Magill who has been featured on NPR, PBS, and MTV. Magill who moved back from Brazil in 2017, soon thereafter signed with Ropeadope Records for this project which features percussionist Ami Molinelli of Grupo Falso Baiano and award-winning Brazilian guitarist Cesar Garabini. Says legendary Brazilian percussionist Airto Moreira (Miles Davis, Weather Report, Chick Corea): "He can fool you into thinking he is from Brazil!"

TWO SHOWS 5:30pm & 8pm

9-time Grammy Nominee Tierney Sutton returns with pianist Tamir Hendelman for an intimate and swinging evening of songs about LOVE. Sutton is heralded for her abilities as a jazz storyteller and her ability to use her voice as an instrument. Hendelman is known for his sense of swing, imaginative arranging, sensitive touch and his work with vocalists from Natalie Cole to Barbra Streisand.

Legendary pianist/composer/arranger Laurence Hobgood joins award-winning, esteemed jazz vocalist Janis Mann to share their dynamic, exciting repertoire.  Over the past couple of years they have toured together on the East Coast, notably in New York and Pennsylvania, and in Los Angeles at the famed Village Studios. Their collaboration is a fresh interpretation of jazz gems, pop standards, blues, and Latin.  Their approach is spontaneous and artistic.  An afternoon of great music not to be missed!

JAZZ PIANO MASTERS SERIES

“A first-call accompanist and collaborator for the vocal elite, and a conceptualist who's crafted smartly arranged musical love letters to everything from steampunk sci-fi to the City of Los Angeles as part of his ongoing Discovery Project, Nelson is a creative force to be reckoned with.” –Dan Bilawsky, All About Jazz

TWO SHOWS 5:30pm / 8pm

Featuring protean pianist Myra Melford, galvanizing bassist Mark Dresser, and supremely musical drummer Matt Wilson, Trio M brings together three visionary jazz artists with extensive track records in adventurous ensembles. Unbound by piano trio conventions, the leaderless project erases distinctions between frontline and accompanist, requiring each player to shape the music’s flow as it unfolds. The resulting sounds can be fierce and beatific, playful and rigorous, earthy or abstract, extravagantly joyous or quietly introspective.

Pacific Standard Time, directed by Christine Guter, is the top vocal jazz ensemble at Cal State Long Beach, and the winners of DownBeat Student Music Awards for the past 14 years in a row. They feature outstanding musicianship, leading-edge musical arrangements, incredible vocal skill, and amazing improvisation ability. Their show will include works by Duke Ellington, Bob Dorough, Rodgers & Hammerstein, Al Jarreau, Madison Cunnigham, India Arie, and more. Seeing them live is a breathtaking experience and not to be missed! 

We are pleased to present Paolo Fazioli, builder of the incomparable Fazioli piano. Come at 5:30 pm, have a glass of wine, meet Mr. Fazioli and inspect the Fazioli piano. At 6:30 we’ll have a discussion on the construction of the Fazioli in Sacile, Italy, followed by a piano performance by Monica Chew, with music by Heitor Villa Lobos, Ali Osman, Lucrecia Kasilag, and Joshua Uzoigwe.

Admission is free but reservations are required for admittance.

SONGS & STORIES SERIES
Bay Area jazz vocalist Tiffany Austin, recently named one of 30 recipients of the Center for Cultural Power's Culture Bearer Award, kicks off this brand new series with a short set of songs. She’ll share some stories of her musical journey from her beginnings in the LA area, to studying law, to performing with some of the biggest names in jazz. Followed by audience Q & A. Hosted by vocalist Sharmila G. Lash.

Old friends and legendary brothers LEVIN (Tony on bass and Pete on keyboards) and LA BARBERA (Pat on sax and Joe on drums) have decided to join brotherly forces together and to go back to their roots - jazz. Collectively, they have performed and recorded with the biggest names in pop, rock, and jazz. Don’t miss this rare night featuring world-class players