The month is moving by so quickly and I have seen so much great music this month include the Bayview Music Festival, Healdsburg Jazz Festival, Impulse Mondays, Wynton Marsalis & Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Carmen Lundy, Monty Alexander, Valerie Troutt, Rhonda Benin, and Hugh Masekela. Summer is here and there is great music coming our way.

Just announced, Natalie Cole is coming back to the Bay Area from August 25-28. She will play two show nightly at Yoshi’s San Francisco (8/25-26) and two shows nightly at Yoshi’s Oakland (8/27-28.) Tickets are on sale for all shows.

My Picks for the Weekend:

Hugh Masekela @ Yoshi’s Oakland w/ shows at 8 and 10 pm tonight – I went last night and was totally mesmerized.
Rhonda Benin will be singing soul, blues and jazz with John Turk @ Duke’s R&B – 201 Broadway Street in Downtown Oakland – 8-11 pm tonight – I stopped through last night and she was groovin’.
Maya Kronfeld & Valerie Troutt “Two Shoes Shouting” voice & piano duet @ Red Poppy Art House – 2698 Folsom Street, San Francisco – 8:30 p.m. tonight – This is such a cool, cozy, and intimate place to see a show.
Dayna Stephens @ Birdland Jazz – Berkeley – 11:30 pm tonight – Don’t miss this opportunity to see one of the Bay Area’s finest sax players.
Generations in Jazz with Eldar Djangirov & Pat Martino @ Yoshi’s Oakland – June 25 & 26 – This should be a really great show!
Joe Bataan @ Yoshi’s San Francisco – June 25 – Shows at 8 and 10pm. – Don’t miss this incredible singer’s rare visit to the Bay Area.

Other Notables:

Stanford Jazz Festival kicks off tonight with Allen Toussaint. The festival lineup includes Bill Charlap, Renee Rosnes, Marcus Shelby Jazz Orchestra, Clairdee, Joe Lovano, Gary Burton, and The Heath Brothers. The festival runs through the first week on August.
Laurel District Summer Solstice Festival – Oakland – Saturday – 9am-8pm
Berkeley Juneteenth Festival – Berkeley – Sunday – 10am-6pm
Kim Nalley Sings Nina Simone – “She Put A Spell On Me” is in its 5-week run at The Rrazz Room in San Francisco.
Impulse Mondays! – The last concert of this series celebrates the music of Oliver Nelson featuring The Jazz Mafia and special guests. Yoshi’s SF – Monday 8 pm

Next Week:

Kurt Ribak – Yoshi’s Oakland – Monday – 8 pm
Junius Courtney Big Band with Denise Perrier @ Yoshi’s Oakland – Tuesday – Shows at 8 and 10 pm – “Quite Quincy” – Celebrating the music of Quincy Jones
John Handy – Legends of Fillmore, Volume II – Yoshi’s San Francisco – Tuesday – 8 pm
Rene Marie – Yoshi’s Oakland – Thursday – 8 pm – Celebrating her new release, Voice of My Beautiful Country
Fillmore Jazz Festival – Fillmore Street, San Francisco – July 2&3 – 10 am-6 pm each day

Photo of Hugh Masekela at Yoshi’s Oakland by James Knox

“A GREAT NIGHT IN THE FILLMORE”

Benefit Concert for The California Jazz Foundation

John Handy, NEA Jazz Master 2010: Bobby Hutcherson, Tuck & Patti, Denny Zeitlin, The Wayne Wallace Latin Jazz Quintet, Linda Tillery and the Cultural Heritage Choir

Hosted by Rita Moreno, Academy Award, Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony winner, legendary singer, dancer, and actress

Master of Ceremonies: Chuy Varela (KCSM)

Sunday, February 21, 2010 7-10pm
Yoshi’s
1330 Fillmore Street
San Francisco, CA 94115
415.655.5600
$45 in advance / $50 at the door

VIP TICKETS NOW AVAILABLE! For $75 you can now purchase VIP tickets, receive VIP seating, and invitation to the VIP party and a free one-year membership with California Jazz Foundation. Please click the button below to buy VIP tickets now. If you want to purchase more than 1 ticket, you may adjust the quantity on the shopping cart page.

Sponsors: Sonoma Valley Jazz Society – Mesa Boogie – Napa Valley Jazz Society – Jazz Heritage Center – San Jose Jazz – JazzWest.com – Studio D Recording – The Recording Academy , SF Chapter – Whole Foods – Amoeba Music – Maria Maria – SIR, Studio Instrument Rentals -

For more information, please contact Roberta Donnay – rainforest@robertadonnay.com

For ticket information, http://www.californiajazzfoundation.org/bayarea.htm