SFJAZZ September Lineup to Honor Ray Brown, Coltrane, Miles Davis Centennials

SFJAZZ will open its 2026-27 Season, Forward Motion, with a September lineup built entirely around legacy and momentum. The month anchors itself in three landmark centennials—honoring the enduring influence of Ray Brown, John Coltrane, and Miles Davis—while pairing that reverence with artists actively reshaping their sound today. 
 

PAUL CORNISH TRIO

Thursday, September 10, 7 & 8:30 PM
Friday, September 11, 7 & 8:30 PM
Joe Henderson Lab

Hailing from the Houston hotbed of jazz talent, and shaped by the rich musical culture of Los Angeles, Paul Cornish has rapidly emerged as one of the most compelling young pianists in contemporary jazz. Equally grounded in gospel, classical music, hip-hop, and modern improvisation, Cornish developed a distinctive voice that balances technical sophistication with emotional openness. Cornish's artistry has drawn widespread acclaim for its lyricism, rhythmic elasticity, and fearless harmonic language. With You're Exaggerating!, Cornish and his trio deliver a vibrant, deeply personal statement—music that moves fluidly between groove, abstraction, and cinematic beauty, revealing an artist pushing modern jazz toward exhilarating new horizons.

Christian McBride WITH Benny Green & GREGORY HUTCHINSON

Thursday, September 10, 7:30 PM
Friday, September 11, 7:30 PM
Miner Auditorium

Bass genius Christian McBride honors his mentor and greatest inspiration, the legendary Ray Brown, with an all-star trio of Ray Brown Trio alumni — pianist Benny Green and drummer Gregory Hutchinson.

More than a bass superstar, Christian McBride has become a commanding force in American culture. His responsibilities are legion, from producer and radio host to his recent post as artistic director of the historic Newport Jazz Festival. And that's to say nothing of his era-defining work as an eight-time GRAMMY Award-winning bandleader and recording artist who's collaborated with everyone from McCoy Tyner, Sonny Rollins, Pat Metheny and Chick Corea to Sting, Paul McCartney, Kathleen Battle, The Roots and James Brown.

NDUDUZO MAKHATHINI TRIO

Saturday, September 12, 7 & 8:30 PM
Sunday, September 13, 6 & 7:30 PM
Joe Henderson Lab

Over the last decade in jazz's evolution, no pianist has had the impact of South African keyboard great Nduduzo Makhathini. Born in the lush province of KwaZulu-Natal and raised within the spiritual traditions of Zulu culture, Nduduzo Makhathini has become one of the most visionary figures in contemporary jazz. His music fuses the expansive language of American jazz with African spirituality, ritual, and collective memory, creating performances that feel equally like concerts and ceremonies. With The Myth We Choose, Makhathini continues his fearless exploration of identity, ancestry, and liberation, crafting music of breathtaking power, intimacy, and transcendence.

Christian McBride'S URSA MAJOR

Saturday, September 12, 7:30 PM
Sunday, September 13, 7 PM
Miner Auditorium

Bassist and composer Christian McBride's most recent project is a quintet showcasing several of the most exciting young players on the scene. Returning to the Miner Auditorium stage for two nights, the cast features tenor saxophonist Nicole Glover, who has toured with Wynton Marsalis and Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, performed with veteran masters such as drummer Al Foster, vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater, and bassist Reggie Workman, and recorded with pianist Aaron Diehl's GRAMMY-nominated 2023 Mary Lou Williams project Zodiac Suite. Ely Perlman is an exciting young guitarist who has collaborated with Terreon Gully and Braxton Cook, and Chicago pianist Mike King has been touring with Dee Dee Bridgewater, and trumpeters Marquis Hill, Theo Croker, and Marcus Printup. Powering the band is Oakland native Savannah Harris, a remarkably poised young drummer who has made a major impact with the likes of vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant, Kenny Barron, and Immanuel Wilkins.

SFJAM: FREE COMMUNITY JAM SESSION: 100 YEARS OF COLTRANE

Monday, September 14, 7 PM
Joe Henderson Lab

These monthly open jam sessions provide a space for all Bay Area musicians to come together and perform in an inclusive, multigenerational setting. Each session features a musical director and curated repertoire. We invite musicians of all levels and ages to sign up, and each session is free and open to the public - no reservations or tickets needed to attend!

JAZZ CRUISE CO-PRESENT MATINEE: BRIAN SIMPSON FEATURING Grace Kelly

Wednesday, September 16, 1:15 PM
Miner Auditorium

An artist whose work stands firmly inside the tradition, Los Angeles-based pianist and composer Brian Simpson gained fame for his decade-long tenure with the legendary George Duke and his 12 releases as a leader that have regularly topped smooth jazz charts since his 1995 debut Closer Still. For this special matinee, co-sponsored by the Smooth Jazz Cruise, Simpson and his finely wrought band will be joined by saxophonist and singer Grace Kelly.

Branford Marsalis & Dianne Reeves CELEBRATE JOHN COLTRANE

Thursday, September 17, 7:30 PM
Friday, September 18, 7:30 PM
Saturday September 19, 7:30 PM
Sunday, September 20, 3:00 PM
Miner Auditorium

Saxophone great and NEA Jazz Master Branford Marsalis and his superlative quartet are joined by fellow NEA Jazz Master and jazz's greatest vocalist, Dianne Reeves, for a week devoted to the immortal music of John Coltrane, in honor of the centennial of his birth.

CAMILLE KERANI

Friday, September 18, 7 & 8:30 PM
Joe Henderson Lab

A rising force on the scene, saxophonist Camille Kerani and her band take on Coltrane's 1965 masterpiece to honor his centennial, bringing an exuberant sense of exploration that pays tribute to his enduring spirit. A Berkeley High alumnus who rose through the SFJAZZ High School All-Stars program to attend UCLA, Kerani has emerged as one of the most exciting young voices in contemporary jazz, blending technical command with a fearless spirit of improvisation. Equally rooted in tradition and experimentation, Kerani represents a new generation of artists expanding jazz's language with intelligence, emotional depth, and striking originality.

WEBOP AT SF JAZZ: STOMPERS

Saturday, September 19, 10 AM
Joe Henderson Lab

Imaginative, spontaneous, and exploratory play are key for the Stompers age group, with guided activities that highlight the rhythmic energy and emotional content of jazz music. Stompers will become characters in musical stories, interact with others in call and response singing and movement, and express themselves through shaking, tapping, thumping, and striking instruments. Grownups interact with children as partners throughout the lesson and reinforce activities with specially designed materials.

FAMILY MATINEE WITH DESTINY MUHAMMAD

Saturday, September 19, 11 AM
Miner Auditorium

Harpist and bandleader Destiny Muhammad conjures the spirits of John and Alice Coltrane with this musical tribute to two giants of jazz, featuring tenor saxophonist James Mahone and pianist Glen Pearson alongside Muhammad's stellar trio. We invite you to celebrate 100 years of the Coltrane legacy!

Myra Melford SPLASH TRIO WITH CHES SMITH & MICHAEL FORMANEK

Saturday, September 19, 7 & 8:30 PM
Sunday, September 20, 6 & 7:30 PM
Joe Henderson Lab

Visionary pianist Myra Melford's adventurous new trio with bassist Michael Formanek and drummer Ches Smith is a continuation of her groundbreaking series of projects inspired by the work of painter Cy Twombly. They perform compositions from her new album SPLASH.

Ravi Coltrane: COLTRANE CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION

Saturday, September 19, 8 PM
UC Theatre, Berkeley

Just days before John Coltrane would have turned 100 his oldest surviving son, saxophonist Ravi Coltrane, presents a blazing young band to mark the milestone. While Ravi spent the first quarter century of his career focusing on acquiring a diverse array of experience as a sideman and then honing his own lustrous, harmonically ambiguous compositions, he's taken up the family mantle in recent years. With a variety of ensembles, projects and initiatives on and off the bandstand, he championed the legacy of his parents (including with his 2025 stint as an SFJAZZ Resident Artistic Director).

JAZZ CRUISE CO-PRESENT MATINEE: Branford Marsalis QUARTET

Monday, September 21, 1:15 PM
Miner Auditorium

2011 NEA Jazz Master Branford Marsalis represents “the highest echelon of jazz tenor saxophonists” (Los Angeles Times). For this exclusive matinee concert co-sponsored by The Jazz Cruise, the New Orleans-born composer and bandleader returns with his superlative quartet featuring pianist Joey Calderazzo, bassist Eric Revis, and drummer Justin Faulkner to perform a hard-driving mix of standards and his own superlative compositions.

JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER ORCHESTRA

Tuesday, September 22, 11 AM
Miner Auditorium

Formed in 1988, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra has been the standard bearer of the large group format for over 35 years. The 14-piece assemblage of virtuosos has contemporized the notion of a "big band” by simultaneously honoring the rich heritage of Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong. Featuring a stellar lineup including saxophonist Sherman Irby, trumpeters Ryan Kisor and Marcus Printup, and former SFJAZZ Collective drummer Obed Calvaire, the band performs a selection of timeless compositions highlighting the power of swing.

JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER ORCHESTRA WITH Wynton Marsalis

Tuesday, September 22, 7:30 PM
Miner Auditorium

A 2011 NEA Jazz Master and arguably the most famous jazz musician alive, trumpeter Wynton Marsalis is an iconic figure in the evolution of the art form and a tireless advocate for jazz as America's classical music. On this bittersweet occasion, he returns for his final Bay Area appearances with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra before he steps down after the 2026-27 Season.

JAHARI STAMPLEY FAMILY SOUL TRIO

Thursday, September 24, 7 & 8:30 PM
Friday, September 25, 7 & 8:30 PM
Joe Henderson Lab

Pianist and composer Jahari Stampley has emerged as one of the most electrifying young artists in modern jazz, blending breathtaking virtuosity with deep emotional expression and fearless stylistic range. Raised in Chicago in a profoundly musical family, Stampley developed his artistry through gospel, jazz, classical music, and Black creative traditions, building a voice that feels both rooted and radically contemporary. With the Family Soul Trio, featuring his mother, GRAMMY-nominated multi-instrumentalist D-Erania Stampley, and drummer Miguel Russell, Jahari brings his music into an intimate and deeply personal space. The ensemble channels family legacy, spiritual connection, and rhythmic vitality into performances that move fluidly between jazz, soul, gospel, and improvisation. Together, they create music that feels celebratory, searching, and profoundly human, highlighting the communal spirit at the heart of Black American music.

MARCUS MILLER: “WE WANT MILES” CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION

Thursday, September 24, 7:30 PM
Friday, September 25, 7:30 PM
Saturday, September 26, 7:30 PM
Sunday, September 27, 7 PM
Miner Auditorium

Among the great electric bassists in the history of the instrument, Marcus Miller is a jazz renaissance man. He was instrumental to Miles Davis's resurgence in the 1980s and helps us celebrate Miles's centennial with music from Davis's landmark 1982 live double album We Want Miles, along with classic Miles compositions spanning from the 1950s right up to his final era of Tutu in 1986 and Amandla in 1989 both of which Marcus Miller composed and produced. He will be joined by other members of Miles Davis's 1980s comeback band guitarist Mike Stern, saxophonist Bill Evans and percussionist Mino Cinelu.

THE ALAYA PROJECT

Saturday, September 26, 7 & 8:30 PM
Sunday, September 27, 6 & 7:30 PM
Joe Henderson Lab

The trio is made up of percussionist Rohan Krishnamurthy, saxophonist Prasant Radhakrishnan, and keyboardist Colin Hogan. The Oakland-based band exploring the intersection of Carnatic Indian classical music with jazz and funk return to the Joe Henderson Lab with new music and material from their 2022 self-titled debut album.

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