At its annual fundraising gala on June 12, SFJAZZ raised $1.4 million to support the organization’s artistic and education programs with the goal of advancing jazz in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond.
Honoring a Musical Legend
Held at San Francisco’s SFJAZZ Center, the organization honored legendary producer, musician and Blue Note Records President Don Was and presented him with the SFJAZZ Lifetime Achievement Award.
An Unforgettable Evening of Soul-Stirring Jazz
The evening featured a number of exciting events, starting with a cocktail reception, along with a festive VIP cocktail hour and dinner catered by Paula LeDuc Fine Catering. Later, all 550 guests congregated for an incredible all-star concert, hosted by award-winning actor Delroy Lindo and legendary actor and comedian Paul Reiser (of ‘Mad About You’ fame). Taking the stage: SFJAZZ executive director Terence Blanchard; honoree Don Was; vocal great Kurt Elling and Lisa Fischer; trumpet superstar Ambrose Akinmusire; rising star saxophonist Melissa Aldana; guitar icon Bill Frisell; jazz legend Charles Lloyd and his Sky Quartet with pianist Jason Moran, bassist Larry Grenadier, and drummer Eric Harland; rising star vocalist Gabrielle Cavassa, and the award-winning ensemble SFJAZZ Collective.
A Moving Life Tribute to a Tabla Artist
The evening also included a heartfelt tribute celebrating the remarkable life and legacy of the late Zakir Hussain, a tabla virtuoso and former SFJAZZ Trustee who passed away in December 2024. The tribute performance included longtime collaborators and saxophone great Charles Lloyd and Eric Harland, along with guitarist Bill Frisell, pianist Jason Moran, and bassist Larry Grenadier performing “Hymn to the Mother”, followed by an extended raga from Salar Nader (tabla) & Alam Khan (sarod). These performances were followed by a special video tribute celebrating Zakir Hussain’s life.
The festivities continued into the night with a lively after-party featuring an unforgettable dance session with musical entertainment, as well as late-night bites, wine, beer, and craft cocktails throughout the SFJAZZ Center.
For more information about SFJAZZ, please visit sfjazz.org.
Donna Berry Glass is a freelance writer in Marin who writes about family, kids and parenting, Glass is the mother to one son, one dog and a hamster named Miss Geri. When she’s not writing, trekking up steep hills in Marin or driving her kid to sports practice, she and her family spend time in their tiny cabin in Lake Tahoe. She avidly supports the California Academy of Sciences, a world class science museum and research institution, and the Institute on Aging which provides much needed services to Bay Area seniors and disabled adults. Glass is obsessed with baking the perfect loaf of banana bread, something she makes so often she no longer needs to look at a recipe card.