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On October 19th, I was fortunate enough to be given access to make photographs of the Marcus Shelby Jazz Orchestra and the Jon Jang Seven performing as part of the San Francisco Jazz Festival. The musicians played an inspired show to a sold out crowd at the historic Great American Music Hall, and I had a great time listening to the live music and sleuthing around making the images you see here. I’d also like to personally thank Marcus, Kate, and SFJazz for making these photographs possible.

Two of the Bay Area’s most accomplished composer-performers present new works inspired by powerful women. Bassist Shelby’s “epic oratorio” (SF Chronicle) “Harriet Tubman: Bound for the Promised Land” celebrates the great abolitionist, while pianist Jang’s “Unbound Chinatown: A Musical Tribute to Alice Fong Yu” honors Yu, a groundbreaking Chinese American teacher in San Francisco.

– SFJazz

Marcus Shelby brings deep social and political awareness to his large-scale, indeed epic compositions. His latest, which he will perform with his 15-piece orchestra plus four singers Friday night, is based on the life of Harriet Tubman, which he discussed at length with the San Francisco’s Chronicle’s Jesse Hamlin in a recent story available here.

– San Francisco Chronicle

Marcus Shelby Jazz Orchestra
Faye Carol, Kenny Washington, Jeannine Anderson, Joseph Mace, Vocalists
Dave Scott, Mike Olmos, Darren Johnston, Joel Ryan, Trumpets
Danny Grewen, Marc Bolin, Scott Larson, Trombones
Marcus Stephens, Gabe Eaton, Alto Sax
Evan Francis, Tenor Sax and Flute
Rob Barics, Tenor Sax and Clarinet
Tom Griesser, Bari Sax
Adam Shulman, Piano
Jeff Marrs, Drums
Marcus Shelby, Bass and Conductor

Jon Jang Seven
Jon Jang, Piano
Min Xiao-Fen, Pipa, Vocals
Jim Norton, Soprano Saxophone
Francis Wong, Tenor Sax and Flute
John L. Worley Jr., Trumpet and Flugelhorn
Wayne Wallace, Trombone
David Belove, Electric Bass
Jason Lewis, Percussion

Here’s a few photos I made while enjoying the Marcus Shelby Septet play as part of the Friday Nights at the DeYoung series a few weeks back. The series is always a good time, and there’s nothing quite like relaxing to great live music with a few cocktails on a Friday evening after work. This week, another local jazz band I’ve covered previously will be performing, the excellent Darren Johnston Quintet. So, if you’ve never attended before, this will surely be a good week for your first show. And did I mention that members of the museum get free drink tickets?

Here are a few photos from the Marcus Shelby Jazz Orchestra’s official debut performance of Bound for the Promised Land: Harriet Tubman as the kick-off show for the annual Yerba Buena Gardens Festival. A sizeable crowd came to enjoy a beautiful sunny afternoon of original jazz compositions based on one of our more inspiring — and sometimes overlooked — American heroes. You can read more about MSJO’s project in some of our previous coverage.

It was my pleasure to help archive the Marcus Shelby Jazz Orchestra’s headlining performance at the Fillmore Street Jazz Festival on July 1, 2006. The band took the stage at 4pm and proceeded to give the crowd EXACTLY what they came to see, some swingin’ big band action live on the streets of San Francisco. The orchestra played original songs from their Port Chicago Suite and The Lights Suite, and they also played a whole host of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn classics in memory of their visits to San Francisco back in the heyday of Jazz in the Fillmore. The band’s Ellington set list included Tourist Point of View and Ad Lib on Nippon from the Far East Suite and four tracks from Harlem Nutcracker and Blue Harlem. It was a great afternoon of big band jazz in the Fillmore, and the audience was just lapping it up! So, I hope you enjoy the photos and this five-minute audio sample from the archival recording I made of their amazing performance. I’d also like to personally thank Marcus for letting me share this little taste of their Fillmore Street set with all of you.

 Peanut Brittle Brigade [Ellington] [5:30m]: Play Now | Download

Here’s a post about our recent night out at the historic Condor Club in North Beach on November 15th. We recorded some old-school jazz performed by the fantastic Erik Jekabson Quintet featuring Rob Barics on clarinet and tenor sax, Dan Zemelman on piano, Fred Randolph on bass, Jemal Ramirez on drums, and Erik Jekabson on trumpet and fugle horn. We had a great night listening to these young artists paying homage to some early jazz tunes, and were equally impressed by the remodeled Condor Club (corner of Broadway and Columbus). Erik’s band has some deep talent and were really jamming hard that night so the recording came out excellent. Thankfully, Erik and the band were nice enough to let us post the entire first and second sets of the night here for your listening pleasure. Be sure to visit the artists’ websites for more music samples and links to purchase their other albums. Enjoy! These recordings are intended for personal, non-commercial use only and cannot be used for any other purpose without direct consent from the artists themselves.

 On the Sunny Side of the Street [7:48m]: Play Now | Download
 When You're Smiling [8:51m]: Play Now | Download
 Gee Baby Ain't I Good to You [8:22m]: Play Now | Download
 I Found a New Baby [8:34m]: Play Now | Download
 Ain't Misbehavin' [6:16m]: Play Now | Download
 Bourbon Street Parade [10:38m]: Play Now | Download
 I'm Confessing That I Love You [9:03m]: Play Now | Download
 The Tiger Rag [8:05m]: Play Now | Download
 Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans [8:13m]: Play Now | Download
 Sweet Georgia Brown [11:01m]: Play Now | Download