SFJAZZ Sets March 2026 Concert Lineup Featuring Omar Sosa, Bill Frisell, Immanuel Wilkins, And More

SFJAZZ will present a March 2026 lineup spanning jazz, blues, soul, and more at the SFJAZZ Center and partner venues.

Performances will include Veotis Latchison, Omar Sosa (in multiple programs), Bill Frisell’s 75th Birthday Celebration, Immanuel Wilkins (including the world premiere of an SFJAZZ-commissioned work), José James, Lakecia Benjamin, and additional artists. 

VEOTIS LATCHISON

Veotis Latchison will perform Sunday, March 1 at 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. in the Joe Henderson Lab. The Oakland vocalist, songwriter, and producer blends hip hop, R&B, soul, and jazz, drawing on early church singing and later classical and jazz study.

OMAR SOSA & STANFORD JAZZ ORCHESTRA

Omar Sosa will appear Thursday, March 5 at 7:30 p.m. in Miner Auditorium with the Stanford Jazz Orchestra, focusing on Sosa’s big band music and collaborations with Germany’s NDR Bigband, including Ceremony (2010) and es:sensual (2018), with arrangements by Jaques Morelenbaum.

OMAR SOSA – OPEN SOUNDCHECK

SFJAZZ will host an Open Soundcheck with Omar Sosa Friday, March 6 at 4:30 p.m. in Miner Auditorium, offering audiences access to the pre-performance soundcheck process.

OMAR SOSA & YILIAN CAÑIZARES: AGUAS TRIO

Omar Sosa and Cuban violinist/vocalist Yilian Cañizares will perform Friday, March 6 at 7:30 p.m. in Miner Auditorium as the Aguas Trio, revisiting music from their 2018 Otá Records album Aguas, inspired by jazz, Afro-Cuban rhythms, and modern classical music.

OMAR SOSA: QUARTETO AMERICANOS

Sosa’s residency continues Saturday, March 7 at 7:30 p.m. in Miner Auditorium with Quarteto Americanos, an electro-acoustic ensemble featuring Josh Jones (drums), Sheldon Brown (winds), and Ernesto Mazar Kindelán (bass), connected to Sosa’s Bay Area years and later collaborations.

BILL FRISELL 75TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION

Bill Frisell will headline an all-star 75th birthday concert Saturday, March 7 at 8 p.m. at Herbst Theatre. Frisell will be joined by his current trio and collaborators including Ambrose Akinmusire, Petra Haden, Eyvind Kang, Hank Roberts, and Jenny Scheinman.

KEV CHOICE

Kev Choice will perform Saturday, March 7 at 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., and Sunday, March 8 at 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. in the Joe Henderson Lab. The Oakland pianist, composer, and MC will focus Saturday on A Tribe Called Quest’s Midnight Marauders, followed by a Sunday program of original music shaped by modern jazz, hip-hop, and related styles.

RJAM SIDE-BY-SIDE: CELEBRATING Miles Davis

SFJAZZ will partner with the San Francisco Conservatory of Music’s Roots, Jazz & American Music (RJAM) program for a Side-By-Side concert Friday, March 13 at 7:30 p.m. in the Joe Henderson Lab, pairing faculty with student protégés. Participating faculty cited include Warren Wolf, David Sanchez, Edward Simon, Matt Brewer, Marcus Printup, Matt Wilson, and Helen Sung, among others.

FAMILY MATINEE WITH STELLA HEATH

Stella Heath will lead a Family Matinee Saturday, March 14 at 11 a.m. in Miner Auditorium with “Stella Swings Ella,” featuring Neil Fontano (piano), Ian Scherer (guitar), Marcus Shelby (bass), Robby Elfman (sax/clarinet), and Riley Baker (drums).

THE WESTERLIES

The Westerlies will make their SFJAZZ debut Saturday, March 14 at 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. in the Joe Henderson Lab. The brass quartet includes trumpeters Riley Mulherkar and Chloe Rowlands and trombonists Andy Clausen and Addison Maye-Saxon.

SHARADA SHASHIDHAR

Sharada Shashidhar will perform Sunday, March 15 at 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. in the Joe Henderson Lab as part of a SMARTBOMB double bill. The event will also include opening sets by Bay Area quartet Secret Sidewalk, along with a vendor pop-up.

DOO-BOP & BEYOND

SFJAZZ’s Miles Davis Centennial Celebration begins in Miner Auditorium Thursday, March 19 at 7:30 p.m. with a program centered on Davis’s late-era work and Doo-Bop, created with hip-hop producer Easy Mo Bee. Easy Mo Bee will appear with MCs and instrumentalists for the performance.

SKETCHES OF MILES

Friday, March 20 at 7:30 p.m. in Miner Auditorium, “Sketches of Miles” will draw on Miles Davis’s large-ensemble collaborations with arranger Gil Evans, including Sketches of Spain, Porgy & Bess, Miles Ahead, and Quiet Nights. Pianist/arranger Gil Goldstein will present new arrangements featuring trumpet artist Keyon Harrold and an expanded ensemble.

TORD GUSTAVSEN TRIO

Tord Gustavsen will perform Friday, March 20 at 7 p.m. (sold out) and 8:30 p.m., and Saturday, March 21 at 7 p.m. (sold out) and 8:30 p.m. in the Joe Henderson Lab. Gustavsen appears with bassist Steinar Raknes and drummer Jarle Vespestad, with repertoire connected to his 2024 ECM recording Seeing.

MUSIC OF ‘KIND OF BLUE’

An all-star band will perform “Music of ‘Kind of Blue’” Saturday, March 21 at 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. (sold out) in Miner Auditorium, with artists listed including Javon Jackson (saxophone), Eddie Henderson (trumpet), and Lenny White. The program will look across Miles Davis’s key mid-career eras, including material tied to Kind of Blue and later Columbia recordings.

MILES ELECTRIC BAND

The centennial series concludes Sunday, March 22 at 7 p.m. in Miner Auditorium with Miles Electric, featuring Miles Davis alumni and other instrumentalists focusing on Davis’s electric-era music from the late 1960s through the 1980s.

SFJAM: FREE COMMUNITY JAM SESSION

SFJAM returns Monday, March 23 at 7 p.m. in the Joe Henderson Lab. The monthly jam session is free and open to the public, with a musical director and curated repertoire.

LISTENING PARTY W/ IMMANUEL WILKINS

SFJAZZ will host a Listening Party Wednesday, March 25 at 7:30 p.m. in Miner Auditorium with alto saxophonist and SFJAZZ 2025–26 Season Resident Artistic Director Immanuel Wilkins in conversation with SFJAZZ CEO Gabrielle Armand, discussing Wilkins’s residency, the commissioned work Recitations, and more.

RECITATIONS: IMMANUEL WILKINS QUARTET

The world premiere of Recitations—an SFJAZZ-commissioned work—will take place Thursday, March 26 at 7:30 p.m. in Miner Auditorium, led by Immanuel Wilkins with his quartet and guests including Amina Claudine Myers, Marvin Sewell, Holland Andrews, and Brontë Velez. The piece incorporates melody as meditation and includes audience and performer readings from historical documents from the Black Panther Party archives.

IMMANUEL WILKINS QUARTET

Wilkins will also perform Friday, March 27 at 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., and Saturday, March 28 at 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. in the Joe Henderson Lab with his working quartet—Micah Thomas (piano), Ryoma Takenaga (bass), and Savannah Harris (drums)—with guest saxophonist David Murray.

JOSÉ JAMES

José James will return Friday, March 27 at 7:30 p.m. in Miner Auditorium with music from his album 1978: Revenge of the Dragon, part of his ongoing work engaging with 1970s-era styles and influences.

LAKECIA BENJAMIN / PASQUALE GRASSO TRIO

Terence Blanchard’s UpSwing series continues Saturday, March 28 at 7:30 p.m. in Miner Auditorium with a double bill featuring saxophonist/composer Lakecia Benjamin and the Pasquale Grasso Trio. The program notes Benjamin’s albums including Retox (2012), Pursuance (2020), and Phoenix Reimagined (Live), and highlights Grasso’s career including his 2015 Wes Montgomery International Guitar Competition win.

Natalie Tenenbaum

Natalie Tenenbaum will make her SFJAZZ debut Sunday, March 29 at 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. in the Joe Henderson Lab. The composer, pianist, and singer-songwriter’s work combines classical forms, songwriting, and jazz improvisation.

Monty Alexander TRIO

Monty Alexander will perform Sunday, March 29 at 7 p.m. in Miner Auditorium with his trio, continuing his long-running work bridging American jazz and the music of his native Jamaica.

GORAN BREGOVIC AND HIS WEDDING AND FUNERAL ORCHESTRA