Mar 18, 2025 3:00 PM
A Love Supreme at 60: Thoughts on Coltrane’s Masterwork
In his original liner notes to A Love Supreme, John Coltrane wrote: “Yes, it is true — ‘seek and ye shall…
The lineup for one of San Francisco’s most anticipated summer celebrations, the North Beach Jazz Festival, Aug. 7-11, has been set. This year’s talent roster includes Michael Bluestein, Richard Howell, Mingus Amungus, Ledesi with Anibade and Vivendo de Pao among others.
Now in its eighth season, the festival will kick off with the return of Jazz On Grant, a free, neighborhood-wide celebration featuring a variety of the Bay Area’s best local jazz talent performing in bars, cafes, restaurants and other venues throughout San Francisco’s North Beach district. The festival will present their popular Latin Jazz Series Aug. 8, followed by Taste Of New Orleans on Aug. 9 at Broadway Studios (435 Broadway Street) in North Beach. The event will culminate with the Jazz & Heritage In The Park outdoor concert series on Saturday and Sunday in Washington Square Park.
Founder and producer Alistair Monroe and co-producer Herve Ernest created the North Beach Jazz Festival in 1995 as a vehicle for celebrating the legendary jazz history of San Francisco, and for introducing jazz of all types to a new generation of listeners. Since then, the festival has become one of the nation’s most up-and-coming musical gatherings, and has hosted top talent such as Carlos Santana, Pharoah Sanders, Carl Craig, Bill Somers, Roy Ayers, Ray Obiedo, Pete Escovedo, Kermit Ruffins and Pancho Sanchez. Although the festival has grown significantly since its debut eight years ago—last year’s festival hosted more than 60,000 people—the North Beach Jazz Festival has purposely maintained a distinctly grassroots, homegrown feel by consistently featuring local talent, and by incorporating the neighborhood’s unique jazz history and culture into the festivities.
“This is definitely not your father’s jazz festival,” Monroe says. “The North Beach Jazz Festival is as much about promoting talented jazz musicians as it is about hosting a great party in one of the city’s most dynamic and storied neighborhoods. Our purpose is to bring people together to celebrate the cultural heritage of this city, North Beach in particular.” The North Beach Jazz Festival strives to keep programs inexpensive and accessible to fans of all ages. The Jazz On Grant and Jazz & Heritage In The Park events are both free and open to all ages, while tickets to the Latin Jazz Series and Taste Of New Orleans events at the Broadway Studios are $15 ($18 at the door) and available to those 21 and over. Tickets can be purchased at Tickets.com or may be purchased free of surcharge at the North Beach Jazz Festival Store and Gallery. (2801 Leavenworth St. in the Cannery, 415-771-2061.)
For more information about shows, artists, venues and performance schedules for this year’s North Beach Jazz Festival, go to www.nbjazzfest.org.
“This is one of the great gifts that Coltrane gave us — he gave us a key to the cosmos in this recording,” says John McLaughlin.
Mar 18, 2025 3:00 PM
In his original liner notes to A Love Supreme, John Coltrane wrote: “Yes, it is true — ‘seek and ye shall…
The Blue Note Jazz Festival New York kicks off May 27 with a James Moody 100th Birthday Celebration at Sony Hall.
Apr 8, 2025 1:23 PM
Blue Note Entertainment Group has unveiled the lineup for the 14th annual Blue Note Jazz Festival New York, featuring…
“I’m certainly influenced by Geri Allen,” said Iverson, during a live Blindfold Test at the 31st Umbria Jazz Winter festival.
Apr 15, 2025 11:44 AM
Between last Christmas and New Year’s Eve, Ethan Iverson performed as part of the 31st Umbria Jazz Winter festival in…
“At the end of the day, once you’ve run out of differences, we’re left with similarities,” Collier says. “Cultural differences are mitigated through 12 notes.”
Apr 15, 2025 11:55 AM
DownBeat has a long association with the Midwest Clinic International Band and Orchestra Conference, the premiere…
“It kind of slows down, but it’s still kind of productive in a way, because you have something that you can be inspired by,” Andy Bey said on a 2019 episode of NPR Jazz Night in America, when he was 80. “The music is always inspiring.”
Apr 29, 2025 11:53 AM
Singer Andy Bey, who illuminated the jazz scene for five decades with a four-octave range that encompassed a bellowing…