Does SFJazz provide too much of a good thing, saturating the musical market with such a torrent of top-shelf artists that it risks diluting its audience? Probably not, at least judging by the SFJazz Center’s consistently packed Miner Auditorium. But it’s easy to see how exceptional, lesser-known players can get lost in the crowd, given the sheer quantity of jazz on tap over the course of the organization’s 2019-2020 season, which opens Sept. 5 with a four-night run by legendary pianist Ahmad Jamal.
By all means enjoy concerts by Bobby McFerrin, the Christian McBride Big Band, Chucho Valdés and the superlative triumvirate of Zakir Hussain, Bela Fleck and Edgar Meyer. But here are some tips about artists likely to fall through the cracks.
Most of these shows take place in the intimate Joe Henderson Lab, but even concerts in Miner Auditorium can get overshadowed by the calendar’s thicket of big name acts. Tickets are available at 866-920-5299, or www.sfjazz.org.
Steven Lugerner’s SLUGish Ensemble: Steve Lugerner is a Bay Area woodwind expert who covers both the low and high ends (with bass clarinet and baritone saxophone and clarinet and flute) in his lushly orchestrated electro-acoustic SLUGish Ensemble. Exploring a book of originals and Lugerner’s instrumental arrangements of songs by indie rock acts like Wye Oak, My Brightest Diamond and Beach House, the sextet features a stellar cast of rising players, including pianist Javier Santiago, bassist Giulio Cetto and guitarist Justin Rock (who’s leading his own SFJazz gig in January playing the music of Mahavishnu Orchestra). Details: 7 and 8:30 p.m. Sept. 14, Joe Henderson Lab, $20.
Steve Lehman Trio with Joshua White: Since relocating from New York City to Los Angeles to join the faculty at Cal Arts in 2016, alto saxophonist Steve Lehman has started forging connections with Southland improvisers. A brilliant conceptualist with a tart, steely sound, he’s released a series of riveting albums for Pi Recordings, most recently a trio session “The People I Love” with drummer Damion Reid and SFJazz Collective bassist Matt Brewer, and featuring guest artist Craig Taborn on pianpo. He’s performing with the same trio at these shows, and protean San Diegan pianist Joshua White is taking over for Taborn. Details: 7 and 8:30 p.m. Sept. 20, Joe Henderson Lab, $25.
Brian Blade and Life Cycles: Drummer extraordinaire Brian Blade got to know Bobby Hutcherson when they were founding members of the SFJazz Collective, and his new septet focuses on classic compositions by the beloved late vibraphonist, particularly the potent mix of post-bop and R&B on the 1970 Blue Note album “Now!” The Cycles personnel expands on Blade’s gospel-steeped band Fellowship with versatile artists too little heard in the Bay Area, particularly vibraphonist/vocalist Monte Croft. Details: 8 p.m. Sept. 28, Miner Auditorium, $35-$75.
Kris Davis’ Diatom Ribbons: A pianist with an extraordinary array of resources and references, encompassing free jazz, minimalism and forms that reoccur in nature, Kris Davis distills a potent trio from her recent recording “Diatom Ribbons” (Pyroclastic Records ) with Grammy Award-winning drummer and bandleader Terri Lyne Carrington and Haitian sound sculptor, DJ and percussionist Val Jeanty. Details: 6 and 7:30 p.m. Oct. 6, Joe Henderson Lab, $40.
Tigran Hamasyan with special guest Areni Agbabian: Armenian pianist Tigran Hamasyan embodies the best of jazz’s evolution into an omnivorous international art form. Deeply influenced by Armenian folk music and leading 20th-century Armenian composers, he’s forged a rigorous and passionately enthralling body of original music. As part of a celebration of ECM Records’ 50th anniversary, he’s joined by experimental Los Angeles vocalist Areni Agbabian, a longstanding creative partner who recently released the gorgeous album “Bloom” (ECM). Details: 7:30 p.m. Oct. 24, Miner Auditorium, $35-$75.
Larry Grenadier: Larry Grenadier recorded his solo bass album “The Gleaners” (ECM) in 2016, but in a bit of serendipity that would have delighted Agnès Varda, the album wasn’t released until this February, just weeks before the death of the French New Wave filmmaker (whose enchanting documentary “The Gleaners and I” is one of the project’s inspirations). The Peninsula-raised Grenadier presents the album’s solo repertoire, an all-too-rare opportunity to experience a revered sideman unaccompanied, delving into his own striking music. Details: 7 and 8:30 p.m. Oct. 25, Joe Henderson Lab, $30.
Camila Meza’s Nectar Orchestra: A guitarist, vocalist and composer from Chile, Camila Meza has become an invaluable part of the New York scene through her work with stellar bandleaders like pianist Fabian Almazan and trombonist Ryan Keberle. She’s fully come into her own as a bilingual singer/songwriter with her Nectar Orchestra, an eight-piece ensemble that combines a string quartet with a jazz rhythm section. Details: 7 and 8:30 p.m. Nov. 8, Joe Henderson Lab, $30.
Carmen Lundy: Carmen Lundy isn’t exactly a stranger in the Bay Area, but given her stature as a vocalist, arranger, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, the fact she’s making her San Francisco debut with this four-night run is unaccountable. With a dozen albums to her credit since 1985’s “Good Morning Kiss” and original compositions recorded by Kenny Barron, Jamison Ross and Ernie Watts, Lundy is a renaissance woman who brings a sharp sense of drama to the stage. Details: 7 and 8:30 p.m. Nov. 14-16, 6 and 7:30 p.m. Nov. 17, Joe Henderson Lab, $30-$35.
Natalie Cressman and Ian Faquini Duo: With Natalie Cressman’s breathtaking vocal harmonies floating over Ian Faquini’s sumptuous guitar chords and her burnished trombone adding lyrical counterpoint, this unusual duo plays a ravishing book of Faquini’s original songs, most of which feature Portuguese lyrics by esteemed Brazilian tunesmiths. Their album, “Setting Rays of Summer,” has earned glowing reviews in national publications, and any opportunity to catch them live offers a glimpse into the sublime. Details: 6 and 7:30 p.m. Dec. 8, Joe Henderson Lab, $30.
Contact Andrew Gilbert at jazzscribe@aol.com.
