SFJazz & San Francisco Performances 2013-14: a dozen picks

The Bad Plus. Photo by Cameron Witting.

SFJazz and San Francisco Performances have shared many of the same venues over the years, and many artists have appeared on both rosters. This year is no different, as the Herbst Theater goes dark for seismic retrofitting and other changes, San Francisco Performances moves into new places, and this season finds many of their concerts taking place inside SFJazz's new hall. The two organizations have different missions, styles and audiences, but both are equally committed to bringing the best performers from around the world to the local audience. Here are twelve concerts and performances culled from both of their schedules which will no doubt please music and dance lovers:

Robert Glasper Experiment. Oct. 18 (2 shows)
Glasper is one of the most interesting young jazz musicians on the scene right now. His exceptional technique combined with his deep knowledge of musical idioms and the ability to incorporate them makes him a rewarding artist to check out. The last time I saw him he ended up on my best of the year list.

Esperanza Spalding, Geri Allen, & Terri Lynn Carrington. Oct. 24 (2 shows)
Spalding may be the most famous member of this trio, aka ACS, but she's matched at every level by Allen and Carrington. Should be a tour de force.

Eddie Palmieri. 11/29-12/1
The pianist rolls into town for three nights with multiple formats and line-ups. All will undoubtedly be cooking. It's up to you to choose how spicy you want it: one show on 11/29 with the EP Septet with Donald Harrison and Eddie Cuber; Salsa party? There are two shows with the septet on 11/30, reserved and dancefloor seating available. Choose the dance floor, of course because nobody can set a groove on fire like Palmieri. On 12/1 he performs with Alfredo de la Fe and Joe Locke, along with the sextet version of the band.

Wayne McGregor Random Dance. Jan 17-19
Choreographer/Director/Tech Magician Wayne McGregor’s astounding company returns to SF Performances with an evening-length tour-de-force for ten dancers that blurs the lines between live performance, philosophy and real-time technology. FAR features a superbly hip score by Brian Eno collaborator Ben Frost and an ambitious set featuring 3,200 computerized LED penlights. As with his other works, a cognitive research process informed FAR’s creation, sparked by the 18th-century Age of Enlightenment.

Heidi Melton. Jan. 26
The local favorite and rising international star comes home to sing songs by Berlioz, Haydn, Heggie and Horowitz. Her voice is so strong that if you sit up front I guarantee you will feel the air around you moving as she sings.

Alina Ibragimova & Cedric Tiberghien. Feb. 15
This intriguing duo will perform Mozart's Sonata in G Major, KV 301 and Sonata in E minor, KV 304; Cage's Six Melodies: Webern's Four Pieces, Opus 7, and Beethoven's Kreutzer Sonata. The Kreutzer is what draws me to this one. I'm always interested in hearing it performed, especially by a man and a woman. Tolstoy's tale sticks with me I guess.

Stephen Petronio Company. March 14, 15
The mythology of resurrection has inspired innovative New York dance-maker and SF Performances favorite Stephen Petronio to create a new evening-length work with composer Son Lux and visual artist Janine Antoni. Petronio’s hallmark is a visceral collision of movement, music, visual art and fashion that come together in vividly sensual performance landscapes that are “unlike anything offered by other contemporary choreographers.” (The New York Times)

Hugh Masekela. March 25, 26
The South African horn player comes to town to celebrate his 75th birthday. Hearing him play "Grazing in the Grass" will make me a happy person. Everything after that is just a bonus, but I'd be surprised if this didn't end up being an exceptionally great evening of music.

Brad Mehldau Trio. April 5
If the Keith Jarrett Trio are the elder statesmen of the trio format, these guys are its next great generation. Will definitely sell out early.

Stefan Jackiw & Anna Polonsky. April 13
Here's some hype: "This is a young violinist whose artistry has been acclaimed as 'striking for its intelligence and sensitivity' (Boston Globe) and 'playing that’s off the scale'(Washington Post). Stefan Jackiw's performance of the Mendelssohn Concerto at the Sydney Opera House was seen by more than 30 million viewers on YouTube. Not yet 30 years old, he has been catching ears and turning heads in the music world for more than a decade and has been favorably compared to the young Perlman and Stern." I know next to nothing about these two except for what I've read in the press but the program they've scheduled is probably the most interesting I've seen this year, so yes, definitely. I want to check this out: Mozart's Violin Sonata in B-flat Major, K. 378; Lutoslowski's Partita; Saariaho's Nocturne; and Brahms' Violin Sonata No. 3 in D minor, Opus 108.

Stephanie Blythe. May 3
Blythe is a force of nature and she's singing a program dedicated to American music with Warren Jones, one of the best collaborative pianists in the business. There are a lot of recitals to see this year, but none I want to hear more than this one.

The Bad Plus. May 8-11
Standing outside Hertz Hall last summer getting ready to hear this trio perform Stravisnky's Rite of Spring during the Ojai North! Festival this past summer I met a man who told me he never, ever misses a show by this band. When the performance was over, I too, was completely converted. These guys are brilliant and they kick ass.