Jazz

Zoe Ellis's dramatic and colorful voice is known to music fans in the Bay Area and beyond. Described by reviewers as "a resourceful and inventive vocalist," she sang for many years with the Bay Area Funk band, the Mo’Fessionals. Ellis’s credits include live performances with the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir, Donald Byrd, Phil Lesh and ...

Maiya Sykes, a classically trained vocalist and producer, wowed the audience at last year’s Festival Big Band concert. A graduate of Yale University, she continued her musical education at The Musicians’ Institute and studied independently with Nina Simone and Betty Carter. Sykes is a former back-up singer who has sung with the likes of Macy ...

Prepare for an exciting evening of piano and keyboard work by perennial favorite, Julian Pollack (AKA J3PO). The San Francisco Chronicle calls him a “ferociously assured and creatively dazzling pianist, composer, and arranger.” After extensive touring this year with Chris Botti, Terence Blanchard, and Marcus Miller, Julian returns to the Festival stage to present his ...

Award-winning Canadian singer-songwriter, pianist, and national radio host Laila Biali has headlined festivals and venues on five continents. Winner of a Juno award, she has worked with Chris Botti and Sting. When not on stage or in the studio, Biali is busy hosting CBC Music’s national radio show, ”Saturday Night Jazz,” a weekly program broadcast ...