There are old-timers (Jimmy Scott, Dave Brubeck), newcomers (Eldar Trio, Dayna Stephens) and jazzers in the middle (Charlie Haden, Marilyn Crispell). There are soul and pop singers (Mavis Staples, Randy Newman) and hip-hoppers (DJ Spooky). Africans are here (Toumani Diabaté), plus Cubans (Issac Delgado, Arturo Sandoval), Europeans (Marcin Wasilewski) and Middle Easterners (Natacha Atlas, Rahim Alhaj).
If there is an overarching theme this year, it may be nostalgia for the revolutionary 1960s era in jazz and R&B culture embodied by Cecil Taylor, Archie Shepp and Mavis Staples.
For all the details, go to sfjazz.org. Here are some of the top draws:
Mavis Staples, Oct. 15, Palace of Fine Arts: Just hearing her belt out Staples Singers hits "I'll Take You There" and "Respect Yourself" would be worth the ticket, but Staples plans to mine her gospel past, and with a voice like that ...
Randy Newman, Oct. 17, Davies Symphony Hall: Kline says he's always wanted to present Newman, and now he's got him. Behold the wan voice and pointed lyrics that have carried him from the Brill Building era through the protest movement to the Hurricane Katrina lament, "Louisiana 1927."
Max Raabe and Palast Orchester, Oct. 18, Paramount Theatre: It's "Cabaret" brought to life, but Joel Grey never sang like this fey, Weimar-era throwback, whose big band can really rock a house.
Cecil Taylor, Oct. 24, Grace Cathedral: Taylor, 79, returns to the scene of his S.F. Jazz Festival solo show in 1991, when spirits bled from his magical fingers. Come see why he's considered by many to be the greatest living pianist.
Marilyn Crispell, Oct. 26, Florence Gould Theater: Taylor's expressionist technique influenced more than one generation of pianists, but few as explicitly as Crispell, who in recent years has cooled her savagery but still knows how to run the rapids.
Peter Apfelbaum and the New York Hieroglyphics featuring Abdoulaye Diabaté, Oct. 29, YBCA Forum: Berkeley's own Apfelbaum, who hightailed it to New York years ago, has been working on his international jazz concept for decades, and now the multi-instrumentalist is getting help from a great Malian griot singer, Diabaté (see next item), and wondrous Cuban drummer Dafnis Prieto.
Toumani Diabaté, Nov. 5, Herbst Theatre: He's another griot from Mali, meaning his musical line goes back centuries. But his kora playing evokes neither past nor future, just a present where all of nature's beauty is captured in his instrument's strings.
Natacha Atlas, Nov. 6, Herbst Theatre: This Belgian-born singer has so many different Middle Eastern strains running through her veins she's practically a walking Mesopotamia. In what language do you prefer to be seduced? Atlas can accommodate you.
Issac Delgado, Nov. 7-8, Bimbo's: Salsa is for dancing, and timba, the Cuban style of salsa that mixes in jazz and funk, has taken over Florida's Little Havana, where singer Delgado reigns supreme. There's no holding back at his shows.
San Francisco Jazz Festival: The 26th annual event runs Oct. 3 to Nov. 9 at venues including Davies Symphony Hall, Herbst Theatre and the Palace of Fine Arts Theater in San Francisco. Ticket information: (866) 920-5299. For complete schedule: sfjazz.org.
-- by David Rubien
