The Holiday Project Sextet is one of the few small ensembles in the country to present innovative reconstructions of Christmas Pop and Chanukah songs along with timeless Spirituals. The most daring work is a melding of Martin Luther King's favorite spiritual "Precious Lord" with Aaron Copland's ballet score to "Appalachian Spring".  The group is lead by award-winning composer/arranger Michael Smolens and features some of the most creative touring jazz instrumentalists in the Bay Area, along with a stunning gospel vocalist.  The project has been featured at the Herbst Theater, as well as numerous concert series and house concerts. 

Experience the Magic of the Holidays with Nicolas Bearde LIVE

Now celebrating his 17th Annual Holiday performance, this special concert is a “must-see” for all fans of contemporary Jazz and Blues.

Larry Vuckovich celebrates his 88th birthday playing the 88 keys Fazioli concert grand on his actual birthday! He will be playing with his favorite guitarist, Kai Lyons. For the last number of years Kai has become the hottest guitarist in the Bay Area. Larry and Kai have been regularly expanding their diverse/wide-ranging repertoire – unmatched in the jazz arena. Besides the great jazz classics of top composers, their repertoire covers seldom heard standards, great Latin/Brazilian pieces, World Music gems, and as always funky, boogaloo blues selections. Additionally, they present special jazz vocals of rarely heard selections. Don’t miss this special event!

JAZZ PIANO MASTERS SERIES

Pianist Tamir Hendelman returns to the piano store for a solo program of standards, originals and compositions by jazz masters. Known for his lyrical tone, sense of swing, dynamic range and imaginative re-conceptions of jazz standards, Tamir brings spontaneity and nuanced musical storytelling to his solo concerts. Join him for this program filled with gems from the Great American Songbook, the jazz canon and his own fertile imagination.

Trumpet master, composer, and inventive arranger David Weiss brings his outstanding New York sextet to the West coast to promote his newly released recording, Auteur. The recording spotlights original music, never-before-recorded compositions from Freddie Hubbard and Slide Hampton.  Praised by The New York Times and the Village Voice for his bold inventions over the years, Weiss’ music evokes emotional complexity — abundance and loss, the collateral beauty of pain — and transmits a deeply personal sound informed by his strong connection to hard bop, swing, and free improvisation traditions. David Weiss (trumpet), Myron Walden (alto sax), Michael Zilber (tenor sax), David Bryant- (piano), Essiet Essiet (bass), and E.J. Strickland (drums).

JAZZ PIANO MASTERS SERIES

From bop, to stride, to swing, to blues, the Larry Fuller Trio returns to the piano store!  Larry Fuller is an internationally acclaimed jazz pianist known to ‘swing like a beast.’  He is a Yamaha artist.  Direct from NYC, Fuller brings his Trio, with Lorin Cohen on bass and Carmen Intorre, Jr., on drums.  Don’t miss this top-notch jazz trio while they’re in the Bay Area!

If you haven’t Luved you haven’t lived, says Bud E. Luv. He’s been a mainstay of the Bay Area music scene for over 3 decades! With cohorts Mikey and Marley Luv, the boys are ready to wow concert goers like never before. The NY Times and The Village Voice agree that The Budster is the best, and when have they ever agreed on anything?

Blues, Boogie Woogie, Jazz

Virtuosic and renowned Barcelona pianist Lluís Coloma returns to the piano store to play a solo show. Over the years, for Lluís, the piano has become an extension of his own body, the perfect instrument to express himself in a natural, spontaneous, and unique way. He creates his own compositions, interprets some personal favorites, and paints surprising textures, always imbued with Blues and Boogie Woogie, which are the roots of his very varied influences. He's created a cocktail of styles that over time has become his own signature sound, where each theme is a landscape within his own musical universe.

JAZZ PIANO MASTERS SERIES

Joe Alterman presents 'Happy Serious Music - According to Ramsey Lewis,' an unforgettable evening of music that will “surely make people smile and, if the room is right, dance.” (Nat Hentoff, The Wall Street Journal) Drawing inspiration from legendary jazz and “happy sounding” pianists Ramsey Lewis, Les McCann, and more, Alterman will take you on a journey, weaving joyful music inspired by these greats with fascinating, enlightening, and personal stories about these legends and his special relationships with many of them.

Canada's incomparable vocal jazz jewel Emilie-Claire Barlow leads her stellar band through innovative arrangements of American Songbook treasures, rhythmic bossa novas, elegant ballads, and French chansons. She continues to endear herself to critics, peers, and audiences everywhere with her relaxed, polished demeanor, her charming humor, and a voice of unforgettable beauty. Emilie-Claire will highlight favorites from her extensive repertoire, as well as new arrangements from her 13th album Spark Bird.

Bringing a New York vibe and a West Coast connection, drummer Darrell Green and vocalist/saxophonist Camille Thurman provide excitement, innovation, and top notch musicality to their performances with Bay Area and beyond first call musicians Matt Clark on piano and Ron Belcher on bass rounding out the band beautifully.  One of the most sought after combos on the national and international jazz scene, Darrell and Camille are brilliantly paired to perfection!

Award-winning contemporary Jordanian self-taught pianist and composer Samer Fanek makes his debut appearance at the piano store with a set of his original compositions, focusing on his most recent fourth album, "Call of the Desert," inspired by Samer's nostalgia for his home country of Jordan as well as a longing to travel back there more often. He'll also play his own arrangements of music from Arabic and Mediterranean artists.

SONGS & STORIES SERIES
Singer, teacher, and professional photographer Teresa Tam sings a varied set of songs, accompanied by Obadiah Wrynla.  She'll talk about how Tango music liberates her and gets her out of her comfort zone, how life experiences can add to one's musical expressions, and how music carried her as a teenage immigrant. Followed by audience Q & A. Hosted by vocalist Sharmila G. Lash.

Formed in 2019, MVI (Mark Vickness Interconnected) is an instrumental progressive acoustic group featuring two-time Grammy winner Mads Tolling (violin), Matt Renzi (winds), Joseph Hebert (cello), and Dan Feiszli (upright bass) performing original music by composer/modern finger style guitarist Mark Vickness. The group will be celebrating the release of their new album, I Will Find My Way, as well as performing music from Interconnected (2020) and In The Rain Shadow (2023).

JAZZ PIANO MASTERS SERIES

Internationally acclaimed French-Malagasy pianist Mathis Picard returns to the piano store for an exciting evening of solo piano music. Stride, Swing, Preludes & Fugues connects the dots of different piano compositions across musical eras, painting a full picture of the history of the piano. Showcasing sounds from Harlem Stride and American Swing to European classical music, Picard will also share selections from his latest original work, “Preludes & Fugues: Book I,” a set of 12 compositions that reinterprets one of solo piano’s most beloved compositional formats.