In celebration of the beginning of the 2024 baseball season, the Marcus Shelby Orchestra will present excerpts from Shelby's Black Ball: The Negro Leagues and the Blues, a suite that honors the history of Black baseball. The music includes songs, text, and instrumental compositions about Satchel Paige, Rube Foster, Effa Manley , Jackie Robinson, Toni Stone, barnstorming territory bands, umpires, and much more. Concertgoers should expect surprises, including clowns, video, and physical comedy. Baseball fans are encouraged to wear your favorite baseball jersey!

Pamela Rose’s celebrated Blues Is a Woman blurs the boundaries between concert and theater, using storytelling and music to bring to life the colorful history of the bold and singular women who wrote and popularized the blues. Our ensemble of powerful artists will take you on a journey from the very earliest days of 'trouble' songs—which mothers sang to their children—through the decades in a celebration of blues and blueswomen!

Under the direction of Founding Artistic Director Terrance Kelly, the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir presents a captivating musical revue in celebration of Black History Month. From heartfelt Negro spirituals performed with an authenticity not often found outside of the South, to energetic and upbeat contemporary gospel, the show also offers historical context for each piece throughout and is sure to uplift and inspire an audience of all ages.

Quickly becoming an annual tradition at SFJAZZ for Bay Area jazz fans of all ages, pianist Adam Shulman reprises his tribute to Bay Area jazz legend Vince Guaraldi and his beloved soundtrack to Charles Schulz’s 1965 holiday classic, A Charlie Brown Christmas. Join us for a joyful look and listen back as we get grooving and swinging to favorites including “Linus and Lucy” and “Christmas is Coming,” and celebrate the holidays with the entire family! 

Soulful songstress Tiffany Austin explores the art of storytelling, guiding us on an adventure to other places through song. For this family matinee, music becomes our very own time machine through which we can travel to the past, present and future, and on to other worlds. Austin and her musical co-pilots—pianist Tammy L. Hall, bassist Marcus Shelby and drummer Leon Joyce Jr—share the magical compositions of Mary Lou Williams, Eden Ahbez and others, and celebrate the indelible songs of our jazz lexicon.

Multi-instrumentalist and bandleader/educator Jackeline Rago celebrates the rich tapestry of Venezuelan music. In this captivating and interactive show suitable for all ages, Rago’s Rhythm Talks ensemble presents styles including calypso, parranda, joropo, golpe de tambor, and the magical "quitiplas'' bamboo ensemble. Experience the vibrant sounds of South America with Jackeline Rago and Rhythm Talks Venezuela!

Multi-instrumentalist and bandleader/educator Jackeline Rago celebrates the rich tapestry of Venezuelan music. In this captivating and interactive show suitable for all ages, Rago’s Rhythm Talks ensemble presents styles including calypso, parranda, joropo, golpe de tambor, and the magical "quitiplas'' bamboo ensemble. Experience the vibrant sounds of South America with Jackeline Rago and Rhythm Talks Venezuela!

The epitome of mastery on the “black and whites,” we pay tribute to some of the reigning queens of jazz piano with powerhouse pianist Tammy L. Hall.

Bassist, bandleader, and SFJAZZ Resident Artistic Director Marcus Shelby has graced our Family Matinee stages for over a decade, delighting audiences with his electrifying compositions and arrangements as well as his wealth of knowledge of our shared musical heritage.

A creative force on the San Francisco jazz scene for the past decade, pianist Adam Shulman reprises his tribute to Bay Area jazz legend Vince Guaraldi and his beloved soundtrack to Charles Schulz’s 1965 holiday classic, A Charlie Brown Christmas.

Alphabet Rockers make music that makes change. Led by Kaitlin McGaw and Tommy Shepherd, this GRAMMY-nominated group creates brave spaces to shape a more equitable world through hip hop.

Vocalist and composer Tiffany Austin has quickly become a force in jazz, with an ebullient style and soulful eloquence that honor the vocal greats while pushing forward in search of new territory.