SFJAZZ was built on the foundation of the annual San Francisco Jazz Festival, a Bay Area June tradition since 1983. Sidelined in 2000, the festival is back in force this year with a month-long virtual edition featuring “highlights from past festival performances, world premiere concerts, a rare film on Thelonious Monk, powerful events honoring Juneteenth, and more.”
The Virtual San Francisco Jazz Festival is for SFJAZZ members only, with membership fees just $5 per month (less with an annual membership). Members also get free access to Friday at Five concerts, Backstage events, and discounts on other rentals and merchandise. All festival broadcasts will include the SFJAZZ 50/50 Fund for viewers to contribute financially to the artists performing and SFJAZZ. The Fund is split 50/50 with 50 percent going to the performing artists and 50 percent going to SFJAZZ. The Fund was created in March 2020 and has collected over $600,000.
The fun begins on Thursday, June 3, with pianist Harold López-Nussa and his band broadcasting from Havana at 7 p.m. PT. This special concert marks the first time in SFJAZZ history that a performance will originate outside the continental U.S.
The festival runs through June. Full details about the artists and individual concerts are available at the SFJAZZ website, but here’s an overview of what to expect:
Harold López-Nussa Quartet & Special Guests
Thursday, June 3, 7 p.m. PST
Rebroadcast, Sunday, June 6, 6 p.m. PST
Melissa Aldana Quartet
Friday, June 4, 5 p.m. PST
Rebroadcast, Saturday, June 5, 10 a.m. PST
Music in Monk Time: A Retrospective Tribute to Thelonious Sphere Monk
Thursday, June 10, 7 p.m. PST
Rebroadcast, Sunday, June 13, 6 p.m. PST
Brian Blade & The Fellowship Band
Friday, June 11, 5 p.m. PST
Rebroadcast, Saturday, June 12, 10 a.m. PST
SFJAZZ Family Matinee with Marcus Shelby Orchestra’s Duke Ellington Tribute
Sunday, June 13, 11 a.m. PST
Jazzmeia Horn
Friday, June 18, 5 p.m. PST
Rebroadcast, Saturday, June 19, 10 a.m. PST
Jazz Poet Marc Bamuthi Joseph’s “The Just & The Blind”
Saturday, June 19, 7 p.m. PST
Marcus Shelby Quartet with Angela Davis Blues Legacies and Black Feminism
Sunday, June 20, 11 a.m. PST
SFJAZZ Family Matinee with SFJAZZ High School All-Stars Virtual Summer Concert Thursday, June 24, 5 p.m.
Chucho Valdés, Michel Camilo & Gonzalo Rubalcaba: Tribute to Ernesto Lecuona
Friday, June 25, 5 p.m. PST
