ARTIST LINE-UP FOR THE 25TH SAN FRANCISCO JAZZ FESTIVAL

Randall Kline, the Executive Director of SFJAZZ--the leading non- profit jazz organization on the West Coast--today announced the complete artist line-up for the 25TH Anniversary San Francisco Jazz Festival. The Festival will begin with John McLaughlin and the 4th Dimension on September 22.

The season will continue through November 30 and will include some of the most illustrious names in music, including: Ornette Coleman, Herbie Hancock, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Pharoah Sanders, Ahmad Jamal, Ravi Shankar, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Caetano Veloso, Kurt Elling, Youssou N'Dour, Dr. John, Isaac Delgado, Fred Hersch, Jacky Terrasson, Kronos Quartet with Glenn Kotche, Jason Moran, and this year's Beacon Award Winner, Pete Escovedo and his Latin Jazz Orchestra.

Over 25 years, the San Francisco Jazz Festival has grown from a three-day event called ”Jazz in the City,” to a year-round, internationally recognized celebration of jazz. The Festival's 25TH Anniversary season commemorates years of unforgettable performances with a schedule that touches on highlights from the past quarter-century while pointing the way ahead to many more years of music. With over 30 world-class artists from every corner of the globe presented at San Francisco's most revered venues, this fall will be a delight for music fans of every stripe.

“The 25th Anniversary season is an opportunity to revisit favorite artists while presenting the Festival debut of some exciting new talents,” said SFJAZZ Executive Director Randall Kline. “All these artists, whether established or on the cutting edge, are at the forefront of their respective musics.”

For the 25TH Anniversary, SFJAZZ is presenting special “encore performances” by Festival veterans including Ornette Coleman (10/28), Dee Dee Bridgewater (10/19), Caetano Veloso (11/17), Ahmad Jamal (10/21), Herbie Hancock (11/10) and more.

SFJAZZ is proud to present the world premiere of “New Work” by the special pairing of the Kronos Quartet with Wilco percussionist Glenn Kotche (10/25-26); the West Coast premiere of the SFJAZZ/Duke University commissioned multimedia work “In My Mind: Monk at Town Hall 1959” by pianist Jason Moran (11/2); a “New Work Showcase” by the Marcus Shelby Jazz Orchestra and the Jon Jang Seven (10/19); and the new major work from Grammy-nominated percussionist John Santos, “Traditions in Transition”--a suite exploring the past, present, and future of Afro-Latin music--created in collaboration with SFJAZZ's own High School All-Stars, and joined by special guests (11/11).

Over the years, SFJAZZ has been known and lauded for its unique musical pairings and thematic presentations. This Festival is no exception with offerings that include “New Orleans on Nob Hill” with Dr. John, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, and Big Chief Bo Dollis and the Wild Magnolias (10/27); “Ritmo Latino” with the Conga Kings: Candido, Patato and Giovanni Hidalgo (11/9); a piano double bill with Herbie Hancock and Gonzalo Rubalcaba (11/10); Dutch supergroup Willem Breuker Kollektief in “Live Jazz + Silent Film: Faust” (10/31); a coda to the Spring Season Monk Tribute with “Monk's Music” featuring T.S. Monk Sextet and Monk's Music Trio (10/24); and Dorado Schmitt's Django Reinhardt Festival Band with Cuban clarinetist and saxophonist Paquito D'Rivera (11/4).

Vocal talents in the San Francisco Jazz Festival include Grammy-winner Dee Dee Bridgewater (10/19); a double bill with Grammy-winner Kurt Elling and Nancy King (11/10); rising star singers Jacqui Naylor and Spencer Day (11/3); and “World Voices” including Cape Verdean singer Sara Tavares (10/21); Brazilian superstar Caetano Veloso (11/17); Senegalese master Youssou N'Dour (11/30); Portugese chanteuse Cristina Branco (11/11); and a special winter concert with legendary Israeli vocalist Chava Alberstein (12/9).

Always on the lookout for new talent, this Festival presents up-and-coming artists on the national and international scene including a double bill of cutting-edge groups Happy Apple and Kneebody (11/7); saxophonist Anat Cohen (10/27); and Norwegian pianist Tord Gustavsen (11/4).

Each fall, SFJAZZ honors a member of our community who has played a vital role in preserving the traditions and fostering the growth of jazz in the Bay Area. The 2007 honoree, legendary percussionist Pete Escovedo, is an exemplar of everything the Beacon award stands for. He will lead his Latin Jazz Orchestra with Special Guests for the SFJAZZ Beacon Award concert on October 27.

One of the many benefits of SFJAZZ Membership is unparalleled access to the music and musicians. The 2007 Spring Season continues this tradition with a variety of exciting SFJAZZ Members-Only events and other special perks: Tuesday, September 18, 6PM, “Coltrane: The Story of a Sound” Listening Party with New York Times critic Ben Ratliff, held on the release date of Ratliff's book of the same title. Sunday, October 28, 2PM, Jacky Terrasson, solo piano.

SFJAZZ, in addition to being the largest non-profit jazz presenter on the West Coast, is a year-round education organization that offers a dynamic and innovative array of artistic and educational programs in the concert hall, classroom, and community. This spring, SFJAZZ offers the following education programs in connection with the SFJAZZ Spring Season.

* “Inside Jazz”presentations are pre-concert talks taking place one hour before curtain time at selected concerts. They are led by jazz artists, scholars, and industry professionals and are free to ticket holders for the event to follow and offer insight and appreciation of selected concerts and films.

* SFJAZZ Family Matinees are discount-priced afternoon performances featuring artists in shorter programs that give families with children a chance to experience world class music first-hand. See ticket order form for pricing.

* SFJAZZ Discover Jazz: History & Appreciation Course is a weekly evening music appreciation course for adults offering entertaining, informative insights into jazz music, history and culture.

SFJAZZ, now in its 25th year, is the largest non-profit presenter of jazz in the western United States. SFJAZZ presents over 100 concerts a year to over 100,000 fans and is dedicated to advancing the art form of jazz and cultivating new jazz audiences through artistic and education programming, including: The San Francisco Jazz Festival, SFJAZZ Spring Season, SFJAZZ Collective, SFJAZZ Summerfest, SFJAZZ Education and SFJAZZ Membership.