Noel Jewkes brings the full weight of his legendary career to Keys Jazz Bistro — widely regarded as the "grandmaster of jazz tenor" and one of the godfathers of Bay Area jazz, this premier saxophonist and clarinetist has been a cornerstone of the Northern California scene for over 35 years, recording alongside Jon Hendricks, Mary...
Flutist and composer Christian Artmann brings his quintet to Keys Jazz Bistro for an evening of modern chamber jazz. Known for his fluid technique, pure tone, and expansive compositional style,...
Keeping folks up past 10 pm in SF is no easy feat, but Key’s owner Simon Rowe has been showcasing the best of the Bay Area’s organ trios in his late night Saturday sets. His ‘Transcendent Trio’, formed for a “Jazz on the Patio” residency during the pandemic will feature the dynamic Kai Lyons- guitar,...
Hammond B-3 organist Wil Blades brings his trio to Keys Jazz Bistro, featuring multi-instrumentalist, producer, and vocalist Joe Bagale performing under his moniker Otis McDonald. A longtime collaborator on the Bay Area jazz and funk circuits, Blades pairs his foot-pedal basslines and classic B-3 organ work with Bagale’s drum pocket and soulful vocals. Joined by...
Hammond B-3 organist Wil Blades brings his trio to Keys Jazz Bistro, featuring multi-instrumentalist, producer, and vocalist Joe Bagale performing under his moniker Otis McDonald. A longtime collaborator on the Bay Area jazz and funk circuits, Blades pairs his foot-pedal basslines and classic B-3 organ work with Bagale’s drum pocket and soulful vocals. Joined by...
Louisiana-born living legend Jules Broussard brings over 60 years of Bay Area history and a lifetime of soulful double-saxophone mastery to Keys Jazz Bistro — at 89 years young, he has shared stages and studios with Alice Coltrane, Van Morrison, Carlos Santana, and virtually every jazz great worth knowing. It's rare to encounter such living...
Guggenheim Fellow, pianist, and composer Helen Sung brings her Oracles Quartet to Keys Jazz Bistro. A graduate of the inaugural class of the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance (now the Herbie Hancock Institute), Sung has recorded ten leader albums and performed alongside masters including Clark Terry, Wayne Shorter, and Ron Carter. This performance features...
Bay Area trumpeter, composer, and arranger Erik Jekabson brings his quintet to Keys Jazz Bistro to present A Tale of Three Cities. Having lived and worked in New Orleans, New...
Keeping folks up past 10 pm in SF is no easy feat, but Key’s owner Simon Rowe has been showcasing the best of the Bay Area’s organ trios in his...
Tony Lindsay brings eleven Grammy Awards and a quarter century of world-class experience to Keys Jazz Bistro — the powerhouse vocalist who served as lead singer for Santana from the...
Oakland vocalist, composer, and bandleader Rhonda Sauce takes the stage at Keys Jazz Bistro with her versatile, deeply expressive sound. Rooted in mid-century jazz traditions while branching fluidly into blues, classic soul, and Brazilian rhythms, Sauce possesses a rich, magnetic voice praised for its warmth, storytelling power, and emotional nuance. Often backed by top-flight collaborators...
Bay Area jazz fusion powerhouse Wampa lands at Keys Jazz Bistro with an electrifying concept that reimagines John Williams’s iconic Star Wars themes as high-octane electro-funk. Channeling the sonic spirit of Herbie Hancock’s Headhunters, Vangelis, and Chick Corea, the quartet features alto saxophonist and EWI player Jesse Levit running winds through textured effect chains, keyboardist...
Bay Area guitar icon and composer Ray Obiedo brings his dynamic ensemble to Keys Jazz Bistro for an evening of sun-drenched melodies and infectious rhythm. A seasoned veteran who has toured and recorded with luminaries like Herbie Hancock, George Duke, and Sheila E., Obiedo pioneered a distinctive Northern California sound that bridges contemporary jazz with...
Two-time Grammy Award–winning violinist Mads Tolling joins forces with Latin Grammy–nominated accordionist and pianist Sam Reider at Keys Jazz Bistro for a genre-defying evening titled Around the World in 90 Minutes. Blending Nordic folk melodies, passionate Argentine tango, Venezuelan waltzes, and Django Reinhardt swing with American jazz and roots traditions, the virtuoso duo delivers a...
San Francisco saxophonist Patrick Wolff brings his quartet to Keys Jazz Bistro, featuring Los Angeles guitar virtuoso Anthony Wilson. Known for his deep lyricism and reverence for the jazz lineage, Wolff pairs his tenor and alto saxophone work with Wilson’s sophisticated harmonic sensibility and swinging phrasing—honed through Wilson's celebrated solo career and worldwide tours with...
The Hector Lugo Jazz/Latin Trio brings deep Caribbean roots and jazz sophistication to Keys Jazz Bistro. Performing under their Trio Caribe project, the ensemble features master Puerto Rican percussionist and vocalist Héctor Lugo alongside Julio de la Cruz on piano and Sam Bevan on acoustic bass. The trio explores an expansive repertoire ranging from tight,...
Keeping folks up past 10 pm in SF is no easy feat, but Key’s owner Simon Rowe has been showcasing the best of the Bay Area’s organ trios in his...
Howard Wiley presents a celebration of soul-jazz, funk, gospel, and R&B steeped in West Coast flavor at Keys Jazz Bistro combining hard-driving originals with a funkified selection of classics. Wiley has been a standout on the Bay Area music scene since he was a teenager in the mid-1990s, and he’s taken on the mantle of...
Keys Jazz Bistro welcomes Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers to the stage. The band has performed at many of the top festivals and concert venues in the US, Europe, Japan and Canada. They have headlined at Jazz At Lincoln Center on New Year’s Eve, and were featured at the official Oscars after-party...
Keys Jazz Bistro welcomes Atta Kid, an all-star crew that reaches into the swampy lilt of New Orleans and the razor-sharp precision of the East Bay at the same time....
Kenny Washington Quartet at Keys Jazz Bistro showcases the Oakland-based, New Orleans–born vocalist renowned for his supple tenor, formidable range, improvisational scatting, and emotionally direct interpretations of the Jazz songbook....
Liz Kennedy at Keys Jazz Bistro features the San Francisco-based singer-songwriter and storyteller delivering warm, character-rich original songs backed by her band. Drawing together elements of folk, roots, blues, and vocal jazz, Kennedy writes with an honest, conversational wit and often humorous perspective that centers narrative songwriting and expressive acoustic textures. Her catalog of recordings...
The Guitar Hang at Keys Jazz Bistro is an essential evening for jazz guitar enthusiasts — West Coast standard-bearers Jack Tone Riordan and Jeffrey Burr host an intimate celebration of six-string swingdom, paying homage to the giants of jazz guitar from Wes Montgomery and Jim Hall to Grant Green and Charlie Christian. If the warm,...
Rhonda Benin at Keys Jazz Bistro brings a jazz, soul, and blues-inflected set of Stevie Wonder and Bill Withers favorites, classic standards, and original songs. The acclaimed Bay Area vocalist is joined by Grant Levin on piano, Ron Belcher on bass, and Leon Joyce Jr. on drums. Two Shows: 5pm and 7pm
Cristian Eck at Keys Jazz Bistro features guitarist, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist Christian Eck performing a Sunday brunch set. Emerging from the Chicago blues and rhythm scene, Eck blends blues, soul, and jazz into dynamic arrangements of classic material alongside unexpected cross-genre departures.