Upcoming Shows

Ladies and Gentlemen, introducing Fog City Swing! The bay area’s newest and hottest jazz and swing band featuring an electrifying three horn front line, stellar crooning vocals, and a swing till you drop rhythm section. Enjoy an evening of swing, hard bop, and even some classic pop favorites performed only the way they can! This seven piece ensemble will transport you to the 1940’s and beyond, it is truly the world’s smallest big band!

Keys favorite Kenny Washington always brings concert thrills and spills to Keys. Don’t miss out on one of our very own world class bay area artists!Kenny Washington has thrilled audiences across the globe with his soulful interpretations, seemingly limitless range, and inventive scatting. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Washington appeared in 2013 with Wynton Marsalis and The Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra, alongside vocalists Gregory Porter and Paula West. 

After 25 years as the lead vocalist for Santana, Tony Lindsay has garnered 11 Grammy awards, traveled on numerous world tours and recorded on seven Santana CDs: Milagro (1992), Supernatural (1999), Shaman (2002), Ceremony (2003), Food for Thought (2004), Ultimate Santana (2007), Multi-Dimensional Warrior (2008). In addition to many Grammy Show performances, Tony’s time with Santana included a 2003 pre-game performance at Super Bowl XXXVII where they were joined onstage by Beyonce. In 2015, Carlos Santana decided to change personnel in his band and set the wheels in motion for Tony to start on his 5th solo CD “Something Beautiful”. His previous solo albums are “Different Moods” (1995), “The Message is Love” (1997), “Tony Lindsay” and “Memoirs” (2014).

A true treasure of the Bay Area jazz scene, vocalist Paula West is celebrated for her rich contralto voice and deeply expressive interpretations of song.Her repertoire moves effortlessly from the Great American Songbook to inspired reinventions of music by artists like Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Lou Reed, and Johnny Cash, always delivered with nuance, emotional depth, and impeccable phrasing.West has performed in renowned venues across San Francisco and New York, including residencies at the Oak Room of the Algonquin Hotel and appearances at Jazz at Lincoln Center, SFJAZZ, Feinstein’s at the Nikko, and Yoshi’s. Her performances at the Algonquin earned three consecutive New York Magazine Nightlife Awards for Outstanding Female Jazz Vocalist.Praised by The New York Times for a voice that has “ripened into a driving expressive force,” Paula West continues to captivate audiences with performances that are both timeless and strikingly personal.Join us at Keys Jazz Bistro for an unforgettable evening with one of the great vocal stylists in jazz

Especially for jazz guitar enthusiasts: West Coast standard-bearers Jack Tone Riordan and Jeffrey Burr are your hosts for an evening of jazz guitar delights. Fans of Wes Montgomery, Jim Hall, Grant Green, Charlie Christian etc will not want to miss this special homage and celebration of six-string swingdom. 

Singing from the drums, Dave brings to the stage a rare combination of joyous songwriting, world-class jazz singing and drumming. Think “Frishberg meets Gershwin”. Dave’s songs have been called both “laugh out loud funny” and inspiring of “soul searching and introspection”. Dave Tull’s latest release, “Texting and Driving” was the #2 most requested new album of 2018 on SiriusXM Real Jazz, and was featured by NPR’s Susan Stamberg on Weekend Edition. “Texting and Driving” rose to #5 on the Billboard Jazz Chart, and #3 on the Billboard Comedy Chart in the same week!

Larry Dunlap-Piano

Dan Feiszli-Bass

Dave Tull-Drums

San Francisco-based guitarist/bandleader Nick Rossi is now best know for leading one of the West Coast’s most dynamic and popular swing dance combos, but he cut his teeth in the Bay Area playing in a string of great R&B bands. With this quartet, centered around the Hammond organ, Rossi explores a wide-range of repertoire incorporating elements of both swing and soul in a classic jazz format.

Nick Rossi – electric guitar

Kamrin Ortiz – tenor saxophone

Ray Jacildo – Hammond organ

Michael Reed – drums

The sensitive and sophisticated vocal stylings of Carla Helmbrecht are the perfect complement to the soulful, blues- and swing-influenced style of the Brad Leali ensemble. Not only do they explore classic jazz standards and original materials, but they are able to infuse historical and modern components to their unique arrangements.

With a unique style and sound that echo the influences of his past, Brad Leali is one of the most notable saxophonists of current times. Leali toured and recorded with numerous jazz greats, including several years with Harry Connick, Jr. and later with the Count Basie Orchestra. Leali was a standing member of the Kennedy Center Honors Band and performed for President Obama’s first inaugural celebration. He tours and is a featured soloist with the Grammy-winning musician and actor, Lyle Lovett. Brad is currently the Professor of Jazz Saxophone at the University of North Texas

“Saxophonist Brad Leali was among the most soulful and exciting I’ve heard recently.” – New York Times

“His solos are sparkling and Cannonball Adderley influenced.”
- Evening Standard (London, England)

Grammy-nominated singer/song-writer, Carla Helmbrecht, began her love affair with music at a young age. Her recording ONE FOR MY BABY earned a prominent position on Gavin’s Jazz Chart, while BE COOL BE KIND debuted as “the most added jazz record on radio in the nation” and received three Grammy nominations. Carla is a featured artist on numerous other recordings, television and major motion picture films. She lives in San Francisco and tours nationally and internationally

“… imaginative…poetic and sophisticated…She’s hip without being frenetic, laid-back without sounding haphazard, and best of all, the lady swings without sweating…the lyric writer’s best friend.”   -Harvey Siders, JazzTimes

“She exudes warmth in spades…An unusually gifted vocalist, impeccable phrasing…steeped in a swinging jazz sensibility that reminds me of Mel Torme….” -Carol Archer, R & R Magazine

Known for her deep and thoughtful interpretations of the Great American Songbook, San Francisco Bay Area native Lori Carsillo was raised on a healthy diet of Julie London, Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis, Bill Evans, and other jazz greats and was augmented by an early and enduring exposure to classical music. Her unique phrasing and less-is-more sound has led her to perform at such renowned venues as SFJAZZ, Yoshi’s, Albuquerque’s The Outpost, as well as international events such as the Fillmore Jazz Festival and Santa Fe Music Collective Jazz Series.

As a master songstress and storyteller, Carsillo has released five diverse albums and a multitude of singles to date. She continues to delve into songwriting and the worlds of theater, video production and film. As an artist—one with an insatiable desire to create—she is driven to bring her unique flavor of jazz to brand new audiences, and take it to bold new heights.

“Hammond Organ Party! is an exceptional collaboration…Rose and De La Cruz have hit a home run!”  – Pete Fallico, Doodlin’ Lounge

“Outstanding vocals…Rose hits that jazz & soul sweet spot with Wayne De La Cruz and Hammond Organ Party!”  Frank-John Hadley, DownBeat

Jazz and blues audiences will associate vocalist and educator Pamela Rose with her work of the past 15 years, a celebration of women songwriters in her book, recording and touring multimedia shows Wild Women of Song: Great Gal Composers of the Jazz Era and Blues is a Woman.  

But San Francisco fans know that Rose’s enduring passion for the swinging and soulful sounds of the Hammond B-3 organ have often paired her with jazz B-3 master Wayne De La Cruz at local clubs and festivals.  De La Cruz approached Rose with the idea of taking that partnership into the studio with special arrangements structured for voice and B-3. 

The result is Hammond Organ Party!, an inexplicably rare encounter between a soul-drenched singer and a prodigious B-3 practitioner. Loose and limber, moving and grooving, this project feels like a Saturday night celebration, with Rose and her top-shelf cast romping through rare jazz standards, blues and R&B classics.Joined onstage by guitar great Danny Caron (Charles Brown, Bonnie Raitt), drummer Mark Lee, this group is ready to Party!

A true treasure of the Bay Area jazz scene, vocalist Paula West is celebrated for her rich contralto voice and deeply expressive interpretations of song.Her repertoire moves effortlessly from the Great American Songbook to inspired reinventions of music by artists like Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Lou Reed, and Johnny Cash, always delivered with nuance, emotional depth, and impeccable phrasing.West has performed in renowned venues across San Francisco and New York, including residencies at the Oak Room of the Algonquin Hotel and appearances at Jazz at Lincoln Center, SFJAZZ, Feinstein’s at the Nikko, and Yoshi’s. Her performances at the Algonquin earned three consecutive New York Magazine Nightlife Awards for Outstanding Female Jazz Vocalist.Praised by The New York Times for a voice that has “ripened into a driving expressive force,” Paula West continues to captivate audiences with performances that are both timeless and strikingly personal.Join us at Keys Jazz Bistro for an unforgettable evening with one of the great vocal stylists in jazz

Fred Ross spent 14 years @ Harry Denton’s Starlight Room @ the Sir Francis Drake Hotel & will be joined by Ole freinds from that era. Music director /keyboardist Kent Strand, Deszon Claiborne Drums & Ron Belcher Bass. For this show, Fred brings his wit and charm to your Keys Brunch experience.

Returning to Keys, Suzanna Smith fronts another stellar ensemble to work her magic around the Peggy Lee songbook. “There are relatively few contemporary female vocalists who evoke Peggy Lee, at least not genuinely. Suzanna Smith numbers among that rare ilk. That Smith sounds like Lee — slightly breathy and warmly sensual with a hint of huskiness — is undeniable, but the parallels extend much further. Lee’s ability to not just caress a ballad but smother it in mink has seldom been matched. She was also a sage swinger — never too much, never too little — as well as a first-rate songwriter. Smith checks all those boxes.”

— Christopher Louden, Jazz Times

Bay Area multi-instrumentalist Smith Dobson continues the Horns of SF series at Keys Jazz Bistro on the saxophone, with his long-running quartet, featuring Keith Saunders on piano, Eric Markowitz on bass, and Tony Johnson on drums. The quartet, which held court every Tuesday for nearly a decade at the now defunct Club Deluxe, will be exploring material from the great American songbook, as well as bebop classics and originals. 

Ladies and Gentlemen, introducing Fog City Swing! The bay area’s newest and hottest jazz and swing band featuring an electrifying three horn front line, stellar crooning vocals, and a swing till you drop rhythm section. Enjoy an evening of swing, hard bop, and even some classic pop favorites performed only the way they can! This seven piece ensemble will transport you to the 1940’s and beyond, it is truly the world’s smallest big band!

Jazz Mafia brings their long-running Stevie Wonder tribute to Keys, celebrating over two decades of interpreting Stevie’s music through their unique blend of jazz, funk, and improvisation. The band explores all corners of his iconic catalog—from deep cuts and B-sides to reimagined classics—delivering a dynamic night of music that goes far beyond the usual favorites.

Featuring: Trance Thompson (vocals), Adam Theis (trombone), Mike Olmos (trumpet), Tommy Occhiuto (sax), Colin Hogan (piano), Joshua Thurston-Milgrom (bass), Henry Plumb (drums)

Immerse yourself in the electrifying world of “Ritmo y Voz”, where the deep-rooted traditions of Afro-Cuban jazz meet the power of dynamic vocals. This high-energy performance features an all-star lineup, including guitarist Kai Lyons, percussion master Ernesto, bassist Mazar, and the incomparable Einar Leliebre Nuñez, whose fiery rhythms and soaring voice bring the soul of Santiago de Cuba to life. Drawing from the rich traditions of Rumba, Timba, Changüí, and Batá, the group weaves a tapestry of sound that pulses with history, spirit, and innovation. Their collective experience includes collaborations with legendary artists like Omar Sosa, John Santos, and other torchbearers of the Afro-Cuban and Latin jazz traditions.

Einar “Tito” Leliebre – Vocals, Percussion

Ernesto Kindelan Mazar- Bass

Kai Lyons-Guitar

Vocalist Rhonda Benin breezes in with a jazzy/soulful take on the tunes of Stevie Wonder and Bill Withers, along with classic standards and Rhonda’s original tunes. “Rhonda Benin is a tremendously assured singer who inhabits the celebratory zone where jazz, soul and blues fraternize freely.”

Rhonda Benin is a distinguished jazz, blues, and soul vocalist based in the San Francisco Bay Area, originally from Los Angeles’s Crenshaw district. Her voice is often described as “sweet, sultry, like caramel sweetened with honey, with a “coolly hip vocal, with a bit of hush and sugar and an undercurrent of big booming power”

A founding member of Linda Tillery’s Grammy-nominated Cultural Heritage Choir—where she performed for over two decades—Benin has toured internationally with the ensemble and recorded on seven of their CDs She’s shared stages and studios with legendary artists like Taj Mahal, Al Green, Santana, Patti Austin, Janis Ian, Odetta, Wilson Pickett, and Hugh Masekela among many others.

Called a “composer with great vision” (All About Jazz) and a “flute virtuoso” (The Boston Globe),and praised for his “most beautiful, pure sound” (JazzThetik) and “stunning virtuosity”(JazzTimes), flutist / composer Christian Artmann is passionate about conveying "a perspective beyond boundaries – a singular story capable of including us all (All About Jazz). While deeply centered in contemporary jazz, his compositions reflect his roots in European classical and Eastern European folk music, his love of prog rock and Brazilian music, as well as his Buddhist faith. For this date, Artmann is joined by long-term collaborators and friends Laszlo Gardony (piano), Jeff Denson (bass), Yoron Israel (drums) and Elena McEntire (vocals). Together they will bring you an evening of dynamic interplay and exciting new music, without borders.

Christian Artmann, flutes – “stunning virtuosity” (JazzTimes), “a model of what is possible with jazz flute” (the Flutist Quarterly), “crystalline tone, fluid technique and engaging compositional style” (Jazziz)

Laszlo Gardony, piano – Winner of the Great American Jazz Piano Competition, “great pianist” (Dave Brubeck), “formidable improviser who lives in the moment” (JazzTimes)

Jeff Denson, bass – “exceptional musician and composer, always thinking outside the box” (Lee Konitz), “master of the jazz bass” (SF Chronicle), “tour de force” (NPR)

Yoron Israel, drums – “an important voice” (Jack DeJohnette), “masterful” (Downbeat), “MVP drummer” (JazzTimes), Head of Percussion at Berklee College of Music

Elena McEntire, vocals – “appealing dusky sound, smooth from the bottom to its powerful top” (Houston Chronicle), “perfect for conveying emotional power” (AllAboutJazz)