Proof of COVID-19 vaccination, or a negative COVID-19 PCR test (taken within 72 hours of the performance time), with matching photo ID, will be required at the door for entry. Masks will be required indoors, except while eating or drinking.
MARTY WILLIAMS
Bay Area jazz pianist and vocalist Marty Williams was called "The Catalyst" by San Francisco Chronicle critic Phil Elwood. Anna DeLeon of Anna's Jazz Island describes him as one of "the Bay Area's treasures" and describes his piano playing and singing as "passionate, humorous, and unique." She likens him to "Oscar Brown Jr. plus Mose Allison plus Monk with just a dash of Redd Foxx!" Yes, unique!
Marty's formal training came well after he received his calling. He tells the story of listening to Ahmad Jamal's album "Voices" as a turning point for him. Listening to that album and pondering the questions a young man faces in his life, Marty knew his destiny was to play the piano. As with so many great jazz pianists, Marty's spirit taught him how to play the music he felt.
Throughout his career, Marty has played at numerous venues and with many other notable musicians in the US and abroad. Providing us with a glimpse of what fuels Mr. Williams performances, he revealed, "I've suffered devastating loss and a miraculous second chance at life in my 60s. My music gives me a way of sharing that pain and joy with my audience. I'm always moved by how we connect as fellow human beings through the shared experience of listening to the sounds of skins, keys, strings, and voice."
Marty has been part of the San Francisco jazz scene for well over 25 years and plays regularly with world-class musicians: guitarist Eric Swinderman; bassist, Ruth Davies; and drummer, Jack Dorsey. His most significant influences include Hampton Hawes, Les McCann, Ahmad Jamal, Thelonious Monk, Ramsey Lewis, Herbie Hancock, Shirley Horn, Miles Davis, Junior Mance, and Carmen McRae... just to name a few.
In addition to his work as a performing artist, Marty arranges, composes and, produces musicenhanced by his certification as an Apple Certified Logic Pro.
Marty's most recent CD, "Long Time Comin'" showcases his incredible talent. He invites us to listen closely to his voice on the piano and in his interpretation of some of his favorite tunes. He tells us there's a story there that just might give us some insight into the life of a very talented musician who has spent his life in pursuit of his own voice and style of dream.
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RUTH DAVIES
Photos on the Steinway grand in Ruth's living room reflect her musical career. Several pictures will grab your attention. One of her mother, a music teacher, who inspired Ruth to earn a music Bachelor of Arts degree, posing with Dad in front of a venerable Harley Davidson motorbike. There's a group of young musicians glowing during a workshop. Another shows Ruth embracing Toots Thielemans in a Baku caravansary. There's a shot of Ruth playing at Bill Clinton's inauguration. Ruth hamming it up with singer Jackie Ryan and composer Amina Figarova. Some photos include celebrities or famous musicians. Others simply spark an interest. What a life Ruth has had!
When she's not recording or touring, Ruth devotes much of her time to teaching at the Stanford Jazz Workshop, the San Francisco Symphony's Adventures In Music program, SFJAZZs Jazz In Session program, and Pamela Rose's projectsbringing historical women Blues and Jazz composers and artists to audiences around the country.
The list of artists Ruth has toured and recorded with reads like a Who's Who of blues and jazz, including Charles Brown, Elvin Bishop, Clark Terry, John Lee Hooker, Bonnie Raitt, Jay McShann, Van Morrison, Maria Muldaur, Junior Mance, Linda Tillery, Barbara Dane, Barbara Morrison, Etta Jones, Elvis Costello, Eric Bibb, Keb Mo, Terry Gibbs, Jimmy Witherspoon, and Little Jimmy Scott.
Ruth's discography includes several Platinum and Grammy-winning recordings, and covers jazz, blues, and movie soundtracks. She has recorded with Charles Brown, Bonnie Raitt, John Lee Hooker, Van Morrison, Sammy Hagar, Clark Terry, Vassar Clements, Toots Thielemans, Ernie Watts, Elvin Bishop, Maria Muldaur, Clairdee, Tammy Hall, Jackie Ryan, Pamela Rose, and Ramblin' Jack Elliott, among others.
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ERIC SWINDERMAN
All jazz masters have one thing in common: a life-long devotion to the pursuit of the sound, a pitch-perfect expression of the highest artistic truth. Eric Swinderman is that kind of musician.
The late Phil Elwood, an esteemed music critic, compared Eric Swinderman to players like Charlie Byrd, Barney Kessel, Herb Ellis, Joe Pass, Jim Hall, Eddie Duran, Howard Alden, Jimmy Bruno, Bruce Foreman, and Laurindo Almeida. He noted that Swinderman is a guitarist worthy of inclusion in this esteemed group.
Primarily known for his deep appreciation of music and music history, Eric Swinderman is held in high esteem among the jazz aficionados and inspires high regard from his peers in the music industry.
Eric Swinderman is committed to creating lasting memories through composition, improvisation and education. A master guitar player, he moves easily between Jazz, Blues, and Spiritual music. His arrangements engage audiences and transport them to a world of unbridled joy, poignant pleasure, and unforgettable moments of creative magic.
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JACK DORSEY
Jack Dorsey is a drummer and native New Yorker who arrived on the San Francisco music scene in 1968.
He has performed and recorded internationally with such diverse artists as: Little Anthony, Macy Blackman, The Coasters, The Crests, Jose Feliciano, Bobby Freeman, Etta Jones, Ed Kelly, Buddy Miles, The Oakland Jazz Choir, Denise Perrier, Khalil Shaheed, Lavay Smith, and Jimmy Witherspoon.
Jack has recorded numerous television theme scores, commercials and motion picture soundtracks for 20th Century Fox, Zoetrope, and Skywalker Ranch. He has performed drums and percussion for SF theatre productions including Gary Trudeau's Rap Master Ronnie.
He's taught the basics of drums and rhythm throughout the San Francisco School District with the SF Symphony's Adventures in Music Program, in East Bay schools with Michael Morgan, Conductor of the Oakland East Bay Symphony, and continues to teach and perform with the Oaktown Jazz Workshop.
Jack has been the Mighty Fines' drummer since the band's inception in 2003.
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KRISTEN STROM
Saxophonist Kristen Strom is in great demand these days.
In addition to leading her own ensemblethe Kristen Strom Quintetshe is an integral part of some of the San Francisco Bay Area's leading bands. She has performed with many well-known artists, including Manhattan Transfer, Roberta Flack, Johnny Mathis, Jimmy Heath, Steve Turre, Kevin Mahogany, Michel LeGrand, the San Jose Symphony, the Temptations, Natalie Cole, The Four Tops, and the San Francisco Production Beach Blanket Babylon.
In addition to her solo album, "Intention", she has recorded more than 25 CDs with various jazz and pop artists, including John Worley and Worlview, Ed Johnson and Novo Tempo, Wally Schnalle, Burning Bridges, Tim Volpicella and Gail Dobson and four albums with The Nuclear Whales Saxophone Orchestra. Her touring schedule has included performances across the U.S., Canada, Europe and Asia with the Nuclear Whales and others.
Kristen is also a saxophone instructor at Santa Clara University, on the faculty of the Stanford Jazz Workshop, and is the Education Consultant for the San Jose Jazz Society.
Kristen has a B.A. in Music from San Jose State University, as well as graduate studies in music education, and studied saxophone and woodwinds with Joe Henderson, Mel Martin and Victor Morosco.
Kristen is an endorsing artist and clinician for Selmer saxophones.
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DJ DREZ
Peacefully determined. Lover. Sound Ambassador. Hip hopper. Mind astronaut. Grateful. Beat maker. Student always. Sometimes teacher. Disciplined. Turntablist. From LA, Earth. Haiku D'Etat. Abstract Tribe Unique. Dreaming In Sanskrit. World Traveler. Dancer. Passionate. Compassionate. Yogi. Vishnu. Rasta. Friend. Father. Husband. Wildly calm.
DJ Drez is in demand as a producer, musical director, and sound ambassador. A master of his craft in the studio and on stage, Drez cuts and composes profoundly original tracks that facilitate body movement practice of all formsbe it dance, yoga asana or after-hours intimate/ecstatic.
Drez transforms the vibe of any scene his sound is set upon. Rooted in underground L.A. hiphop, Dr. EZ applies precise turn-table skills to a cutting edge vision for truly universal music, intelligently integrating elements of hiphop, world music, soul, funk, jazz, and reggae into his trademark sound and production.
Drez's peacefully determined demeanor makes him a highly sought-after contributor to a variety of dynamic projects. In the midst of a non-stop, world-wide tour schedule, Drez has prepared another solo effort Alpine Swift, via Nectar Drop Music) while simultaneously producing a Snskrit mantra record with his wife, vocalist Marti Nikko, and a straight-up hiphop album with longtime collaborator, Zaire Black.
Drez has too deep a resumé to mention in its entirety here. Suffice it to say he has worked with a who's who of top artists (Blackstar, KRS 1, Black Eyed Peas, Macy Gray, Eminem, Project Blowed) and organizations (Adidas, X Games, ABC, Okay Player) while maintaining an extensive worldwide touring schedule, variously involving artists like Moby, Ziggy Marley, Common, Femi Kuti, De La Soul, Capleton, Nas, Lee Scratch Perry.
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