Archive for the ‘Oakland’ Category
A WAITING LIST is available.
There are currently still seats available for the 2:00pm show the same day.
Multi-Grammy winning pianist Russell Ferrante is perhaps best known as the founding pianist and composer of the Yellowjackets, whose 22 acclaimed albums over nearly 35 years have made them a guiding force in modern jazz. He has also recorded and performed with a dazzling list of artists including Art Blakey, Wayne Shorter, Joni Mitchell, Art Pepper, Bobby McFerrin, Al Jarreau, Marcus Miller, Take 6, Lee Ritenour and Randy Crawford.
It’s a great honor to welcome Russell, up from Los Angeles to joins the Anton Schwartz Quartet for this special evening. The quartet also features John Shifflett on bass and Lorca Hart on drums, both of whom recorded on Anton’s latest CD, Flash Mob. Together, they will perform compositions of Russell’s and of Anton’s, as well as a few choice standards.
Read MoreNOTE: There are two shows. You can see the 6pm show here.
Multi-Grammy winning pianist Russell Ferrante is perhaps best known as the founding pianist and composer of the Yellowjackets, whose 22 acclaimed albums over nearly 35 years have made them a guiding force in modern jazz. He has also recorded and performed with a dazzling list of artists including Art Blakey, Wayne Shorter, Joni Mitchell, Art Pepper, Bobby McFerrin, Al Jarreau, Marcus Miller, Take 6, Lee Ritenour and Randy Crawford.
It’s a great honor to welcome Russell, up from Los Angeles to joins the Anton Schwartz Quartet for this special evening. The quartet also features John Shifflett on bass and Lorca Hart on drums, both of whom recorded on Anton’s latest CD, Flash Mob. Together, they will perform compositions of Russell’s and of Anton’s, as well as a few choice standards.
Read MoreThis show is SOLD OUT.
A WAITING LIST is available.
“One of the outstanding jazz vocalists of her generation and, quite possibly, of all time… rivaling the dexterous sass of Sarah Vaughan, the instinctive smarts of Carmen McRae and the scintillating verve of Diana Krall.”
– Christopher Loudon, Jazz Times
Vocalist Jackie Ryan has soared to national attention in recent years, as her three most recent CDs have dominated the jazz radio charts, each spending copious time as #1 in the nation. And it’s no wonder why. She boast huge control over a 3½ octave range and has honed her craft through years of performance across multiple genres (swing, latin jazz, r&b…) alongside a long roster of musical greats that includes Toots Thielemans, Clark Terry, Buddy DeFranco, Scott Hamilton, John Clayton, Gerald Clayton, Jon Mayer, Barry Harris and Jon Hendricks… to mention but a few.
Jackie joins Anton as well as Bay Area jazz luminaries Larry Dunlap (piano) and John Wiitala (bass) for two special nights at the loft.
(See also Friday’s performance.)
This show is SOLD OUT.
A WAITING LIST is available.
“One of the outstanding jazz vocalists of her generation and, quite possibly, of all time… rivaling the dexterous sass of Sarah Vaughan, the instinctive smarts of Carmen McRae and the scintillating verve of Diana Krall.”
– Christopher Loudon, Jazz Times
Vocalist Jackie Ryan has soared to national attention in recent years, as her three most recent CDs have dominated the jazz radio charts, each spending copious time as #1 in the nation. And it’s no wonder why. She boast huge control over a 3½ octave range and has honed her craft through years of performance across multiple genres (swing, latin jazz, r&b…) alongside a long roster of musical greats that includes Toots Thielemans, Clark Terry, Buddy DeFranco, Scott Hamilton, John Clayton, Gerald Clayton, Jon Mayer, Barry Harris and Jon Hendricks… to mention but a few.
Jackie joins Anton as well as Bay Area jazz luminaries Larry Dunlap (piano) and John Wiitala (bass) for two special nights at the loft.
(See also Saturday’s performance.)
This show is SOLD OUT.
A WAITING LIST is available.
Anton Schwartz leads a slamming quartet with San Francisco organ star Wil Blades, Portland’s beloved guitarist Dan Balmer, and the formidable New York drummer Tim Bulkley, originally from the Bay Area, who performed on my CD, Radiant Blue.
Wil will be bringing his Hammond B-3 and a Leslie. If you haven’t heard what that sounds like in an intimate space… much less in Wil’s masterful hands… you are in for a magical experience!
Read MoreFor this special concert, saxophonist Anton Schwartz leads a slamming quartet with San Francisco organ star Wil Blades, guitarist Dan Balmer (Portland) and drummer Tim Bulkley (New York City).
This concert is available only as part of a trip hosted by Seattle jazz station KPLU 88.5 for their participating listeners. For more information, visit kplu.org.
Read MoreAcclaimed Seattle vocalist Gail Pettis makes a very rare Bay Area appearance. Gail’s rich, warm vocals and understated phrasing inspire comparisons to Nancy Wilson, Sarah Vaughn and Carmen McRae. A two-time winner of Northwest Vocalist of the Year, she has made a huge mark on the jazz scene of the Pacific Northwest, despite her relatively recent emergence as a professional vocalist. Her latest CD received a four-star review from DownBeat magazine and hit the Top Five on the national jazz radio charts. Listen to some tracks from that CD, Here In The Moment.
“What makes Gail’s musical overview so special is her remarkable combination of a sumptuous sound, a storyteller’s capacity to find the deepest layers in the lyrics of a song, and an irresistible rhythmic lift in her phrasing,” writes renowned jazz journalist, Don Heckman. “Add to that her gift for melodic paraphrasing, and a selective ear for finding a new way to sing old songs, and the results completely fulfill the definition of the word unique.”
Joining Gail and Anton are two linchpins of the Bay Area Jazz Scene: pianist Adam Shulman and bassist John Wiitala.
Read MoreThis show is SOLD OUT.
A WAITING LIST is available.
On May 30, Anton will bring his band into Fantasy Studios to record his next CD. The prior evening, they will perform one special concert together at the Loft, featuring the music of the new CD. This is that concert. As you can see, the requested donation is higher than our other concerts. About the musicians:
Taylor Eigsti
Not yet thirty years old, Taylor Eigsti has established his place as one of the world’s foremost jazz pianists. He has performed as a featured soloist with jazz ensembles and symphony orchestras around the world, received Grammy nominations, been the cover story of Keyboard Magazine and Jazziz and the subject of numerous television and radio specials, and has collaborated with most of the brightest stars in jazz today, including Esperanza Spalding, Dave Brubeck, Christian McBride, James Moody, Nicholas Payton, Lee Konitz, Chris Potter and Hank Jones. Taylor performed on Anton’s previous release, Radiant Blue.
Dominick Farinacci
Twelve years ago, when Farinacci moved to NYC to attend Juilliard, Wynton Marsalis offered him a featured performance at Lincoln Center. By the time he graduated from Juilliard, he had received two Gold Disc Awards, the International New Star Award, had won first place in the Carmine Caruso International Jazz Trumpet Competition, and had toured to Japan over a dozen times. Dominick Farinacci has a huge, beautiful sound. His playing combines the fire of Freddy Hubbard with the elegant clarity of Clifford Brown.
John Shifflett
John Shifflett and Anton Schwartz have performed together at well over three hundred concerts in the last twenty years. A San Jose resident, bassist Shifflett is among the Bay Area’s most in-demand jazz musicians and it’s easy to understand why: he is a wellspring of creativity and sets down a rock-solid groove. He has performed extensively with artists such as Kurt Elling, Mel Torme, Madeleine Peyroux, Boz Scaggs, Dave Liebman, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Ernie Watts, Red Holloway, Tom Harrell, Will Bernard and Bobby Hutcherson. John appears on three of Anton’s previous CDs.
Lorca Hart
Drummer Lorca Hart has performed with the likes of Freddie Hubbard, Stanley Jordan, Craig Handy, Kyle Eastwood, Bennie Maupin, Don Menza, Red Holloway and Hugh Masekela. Born in Santa Fe into a musical family—his father is the legendary drummer, Billy Hart—he had exposure early on to many styles of music and many masterful musicians. Assimilating it all, he has developed a uniquely natural feel and deep understanding of the music.
Read MoreDetroit based vocalist Kathy Kosins will be in town for a couple days, and we’re hooking up for a show at the loft. Kosins is a six-time ASCAP award winner, and has performed at prestigious jazz clubs, festivals and concert series across the nation and around the world. The Chicago Tribune calls her “one of the most alluring voices in jazz.” And famed jazz critic Niel Tesser writes that she possesses “solid intonation, unwavering swing, and a voice that can conjure both the girl next door and her older, wiser sister.”
Joining Kathy and Anton are two phenomenal musicians making their first appearance at the loft. Keith Saunders and Jeff Denson are each seasoned New York jazz veterans, new on the San Francisco scene. We look forward to seeing how the chemistry unfolds!
Read MoreTHIS SHOW IS SOLD OUT.
WAITING LIST AVAILABLE.
Kellye Gray, a native of Dallas, first made a name for herself on the Austin scene. As word of her talent has spread, she’s lived stints in Los Angeles and San Francisco, toured internationally, and now finds herself back in the Bay… so we’re putting her to work!
Of her many remarkable qualities, perhaps the most striking is the sheer power of her performance energy and how completely she puts herself on the line when she interprets a song. She draws on a wide repertoire and vocabulary from both jazz and popular music, always carving her interpretations and improvisations with fearless creativity.
Joining Kellye and Anton are two key players on the California jazz scene: Marcus Shelby and Adam Shulman. Kellye performed at the loft once before, in 2011, and tore it up. That concert sold out well in advance, so be sure to reserve early for this one.
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