Performing Arts

Touring and recording with superstar Beyoncé has put saxophonist Tia Fuller at the center of the pop music universe, reaching millions of listeners with her concise, beautifully crafted solos. On her own time, the 36-year-old is a rising force on saxophone and flute — a savvy bandleader, composer, and arranger who follows in the footsteps of masters like Cannonball Adderley, Jackie McLean and Kenny Garrett. She’s racked up an imposing range of credits, including T.S. Monk, Jon Faddis, Jimmy Heath, Gerald Wilson and Nancy Wilson. As if her performing career wasn’t enough, Fuller is also a devoted educator, lecturing and presenting master classes at music institutions around the world. Featuring an all-female rhythm section, her latest album is Decisive Steps, a masterly statement by an artist with a reputation as one of the most important new instrumentalists in jazz.

Photo courtesy of the artist

Over the past two decades, no artist has done more to extend and refine the piano trio’s possibilities than Brad Mehldau. With two brilliant Northern California-raised compatriots, bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Jeff Ballard, he’s forged a strikingly beautiful group sound distinguished by a flexible approach in which the players continuously trade roles, often eschewing traditional bass and drum solos while elaborating on the form of a song. Whether playing his own stunning compositions, Thelonious Monk classics, American Songbook standards, or more contemporary tunes by Nick Drake, Radiohead or the Beatles, Mehldau has a gift for long, emotionally arching improvisations. Known for selecting different repertoire on each night of an engagement, the trio’s SFJAZZ run provides a rare chance to hear a wide cross-section of their recent material.

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The 34th Annual San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival

YBCA Novellus Theater — Weekend Two
$58, $48, $38, $28, $18

The World United Through Dance

Festival Artistic Directors Carlos Carvajal and CK Ladzekpo curated a thrilling line-up for the 34th Annual San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival. Weekend two at the Novellus Theater features nine dance companies and includes innovative works by masterful dancers and numerous cross-cultural collaborations.

Performances by:

Ensambles Ballet Folklórico de San Francisco (Mexican Folkloric), Vishwa Shanthi Dance Academy (Indian Bharatanatyam), Barbary Coast Cloggers (Appalachian Clogging) , Shabnam (Middle Eastern Belly Dance Fusion), Te Mana O Te Ra (Tahitian 'Ōte'a), Chinyakare Ensemble (Zimbabwean Traditional), Chinese Performing Arts of America (Chinese Acrobatic Dance), Eszterlánc Hungarian Folk Ensemble (Hungarian Folk), and De Rompe y Raja Cultural Association (Afro-Peruvian).

Photo: RJ Muna, pictured La Tania