Tonight was the first night of the week's run at Yoshi's, and my first encounter with the latest version of his band:

William Henderson is the only constant; I'm pretty sure that he's been with Pharaoh every time I've seen him in the past ten years. Ralph has been in and out of Pharoah's groups over that period. Apparently, Dwight is a longtime pal of Ralph's, and he got the nod after Pharoah decided it was time to bring a vocalist back into the group. I liked Dwight's contribution a lot. He'd definitely got a great voice, and he's got the Leon Thomas-style yodeling down pat.

Taking the opportunity to sit up in the front row, I had a great view of all the action onstage.  Highlights of the set were a particularly soulful and extended exploration of the Acknowledgment portion of A Love Supreme, and a sublime rendition of Jimmy Burke's classic, Polka Dots and Moon Beams.

SF Chronicle music critic Kimberly Chun offers her review of the show in Live Views.