SFJAZZ presents Music of Duke Ellington featuring Jason Moran with the Marcus Shelby Orchestra
Robert M. Miner Auditorium
SFJAZZ Center, 205 Franklin St, San Francisco, CA 94102 USA
7:30 PM, Friday, February 7, 2025

Back to the previous event! ☸ Up to the 2025 yearbox! ☸ Up to the 2025 event list! ☸ On to the next event!

All originals tonight composed by Duke Ellington, except where noted.

[7:32 PM] {lights down; house announcements from SBD; JM enters for a solo mini-set}
[7:33 PM] {Greetings from JM}

1. [7:34 PM] Reflections in D »
2. [7:37 PM] I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)
   [7:42 PM] {applause; JM back announcement; yack about Ellington; intro next}
3. [7:44 PM] Black and Tan Fantasy
   [7:54 PM] {JM disclaimer: I'm playing Ellington‚ but he doesn't do it like this; brief talk about Monk}
4. [7:56 PM] Melancholia
   [8:01 PM] {JM sets up some audience participation}
5. [8:02 PM] Dancers in Love
   [8:04 PM] {applause at end of solo mini-set}
   
   [8:05 PM] {aud cheers for entrance of MSO players}
6. [8:05 PM] (JR drum solo) »
7. [8:07 PM] Kinda Dukish »
8. [8:09 PM] Rockin' in Rhythm
9. [8:13 PM] Such Sweet Thunder
   [8:18 PM] {JM lauds the band; back announcements}
10. [8:19 PM] Braggin' in Brass
    [8:22 PM] {JM yack about Ellington's band & MSO}
    [8:22 PM] {JM welcomes DD to the stage}
11. [8:23 PM] My Heart Sings
12. [8:27 PM] It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing) »
    [8:32 PM] {drop DD} »
13. [8:32 PM] Mood Indigo (Duke Ellington and Barney Bigard)
    [8:37 PM] {MS lauds the band; thanks; talk about playing with JM}
14. [8:40 PM] Northern Lights (Billy Strayhorn) » (JM solo) »
15. [8:45 PM] East St. Louis Toodle-Oo (Duke Ellington & Bubber Miley)
    [8:52 PM] {MS lauds the three featured soloists}
16. [8:53 PM] Jeep's Blues (Duke Ellington & Johnny Hodges)
    [8:59 PM] {MS lauds the soloists; back announcement; introduction of all band members}
    [9:02 PM] {JM introduces the last song and brings DD back onstage}
17. [9:02 PM] I Like the Sunrise
    [9:11 PM] {set ends}
    
    Encore
    [9:12 PM] {JM thx; only MS & DD back out}
18. [9:12 PM] Come Sunday
    [9:18 PM] {final applause; show ends}

• Erik Andrews: trumpet;
• Riley Baker: trombone, tuba;
• Joel Behrman: trombone;
• Richard Benitez III: trumpet;
• Michael Booker: alto saxophone, clarinet;
• Danny Brown: tenor saxophone.
• Christopher Lowell Clarke: trumpet;
• Darynn Dean: vox;
• Danny Lubin-Laden: trombone;
• Melecio Magdaluyo: baritone saxophone, clarinet;
• Jason Moran: piano;
• Mike Olmos: trumpet;
• Tony Peebles: alto saxophone.
• Jemal Ramirez: drums;
• Marcus Shelby: contrabass;
• Patrick Wolff: tenor saxophone, clarinet.

First Friday means the bicycle circus is happening at West Oakland BART: hopefully things don't get too crazy while we're gone!

Poké Bar dinner is yummy yummy yummy, but it would have been better if the kale leaves had been shredded: they're too giant to just pile in with there other ingredients.

Tonight's show was excellent. Jason Moran really went off the deep end in his solo opener. Man oh man can that cat play! And things really started hopping when the Marcus Shelby Orchestra joined the fun: too bad they didn't open a dance floor for this one.

The set ended with a sort of extended goodbye, with the MSO players leaving in small groups, then JM & DD, and then MS, leaving JR alone to keep the beat – perhaps an echo of the drum solo that opened the second half of the show. After a minute's pause, JM, MS & DD returned for a slow, sweet take on Come Sunday: kinda like an old-fashioned goodnight kiss at the end of a date.

SFJAZZ is hosting video of the show for on-demand streaming: send 'em some cash for access to this gem!

Big thanks to Ting for the photo gallery!

Whoa! This section is incomplete for now, sorry!

Back to the previous event! ☸ Up to the 2025 yearbox! ☸ Up to the 2025 event list! ☸ On to the next event!