Featuring a stellar roster of the world’s greatest jazz artists, the Stanford Jazz Festival 2025 celebrates the depth and diversity of the contemporary jazz scene, building on a half-century legacy of jazz preservation and innovation in the heart of Northern California. With dozens of electrifying concerts on the Stanford University campus from June 22 through Aug. 1, the West Coast’s second longest-running jazz festival showcases a multi-generational cast of state-of-the-art improvisers encompassing the tradition’s veteran masters, buzziest modern jazz artists, and rising musicians making their mark. Concerts will be held at Dinkelspiel Auditorium and Campbell Recital Hall.
Kicking off the Stanford Jazz Festival 2025 is Berkeley saxophonist George Brooks, who has forged deep relationships with the world’s greatest Hindustani and Carnatic classical musicians. He returns to the SJF on Sunday, June 22 for the 11th iteration of his Indian Jazz Journey showcase. The concert reprises his Indo-jazz collaboration with superstar vocalist Mahesh Kale, winner of India’s coveted National Film Award as the Best Playback Singer.
The official Friday night (June 27) opening weekend of the festival brings New York piano maestro Fred Hersch to Dinkelspiel Auditorium. Hersch’s supremely lyrical trio featuring bass master Drew Gress and New Orleans drum star Joe Dyson continues Stanford Jazz Festival’s tradition of hosting the jazz scene’s most celebrated working bands. The weekend continues with the quintet of New York trumpeter Jeremy Pelt, a widely influential bandleader, mentor and jazz chronicler known for his published interviews with fellow improvisers.
The American Songbook’s essential role in jazz is embodied by guitarist and vocalist John Pizzarelli, who performs with his hard-swinging trio at Dinkelspiel on Saturday, July 12. His expansive take on the pop music canon effortlessly encompasses Duke Ellington, Antonio Carlos Jobim, and Joni Mitchell. Fresh off of celebrating her 50th birthday at Jazz at Lincoln Center, Israeli clarinet star Anat Cohen performs with Rio de Janeiro seven-string guitar virtuoso Marcello Gonçalves. A mainstay at the festival for the past decade, Anat Cohen concert signifies one of the many unique aspects of SJF where rare configurations of artists can only be experienced at the festival. Cohen has forged deep ties with Brazil’s finest instrumentalists, and she revisits her partnership with Gonçalves at Dinkelspiel on Saturday, July 19.
The jazz scene’s profusion of brilliant young vibraphonists can be traced directly to charismatic 30-year-old Joel Ross, a vaunted player, composer and bandleader who brings his blazing Good Vibes quartet to Dinkelspiel on Thursday, July 24. The combo features rising stars Kanoa Mendenhall on bass, Jeremy Dutton on drums, and Paul Cornish on piano. Recently signed to storied Blue Note Records, Cornish makes his Bay Area debut as a bandleader at Campbell Recital Hall on Sunday, July 27 with his trio featuring Oakland-reared drummer Savannah Harris (a founding member of Christian McBride’s Ursa Major).
No vocalist on the contemporary jazz scene has done more to distill the spirit of gospel in an improvisational context than the lustrous Lizz Wright. Possessing a sumptuously warm alto, the Chicago-based vocalist makes her SJF debut on Saturday, July 26 at Dinkelspiel, drawing on songs for her critically acclaimed 2024 album, Shadow. Few players have deeper ties to Stanford Jazz Workshop than piano master Taylor Eigsti, who is fresh off his second GRAMMY Award win (for his 2024 album Plot Armor). Eigsti makes his annual festival appearance at Dinkelspiel on Thursday, July 31 with an all-star quartet featuring Kneebody tenor saxophonist Ben Wendel and drummer Nate Wood, and bassist Harish Raghavan.
Founded in 1972 by saxophonist, arranger, and educator Jim Nadel, the SJF runs in tandem with the Stanford Jazz Workshop, an intensive summer education program staffed with acclaimed musicians who are also many of the SJF’s featured performers. The synergy between the Workshop and the SJF manifests at every concert, as all the students enrolled in a session receive complimentary tickets, bringing an infusion of youth to the venues.
Now under the direction of bassist/composer Cory Combs since 2024, the Festival continues to set a benchmark for presenting jazz’s finest practitioners. Combs brings a wealth of experience to the organization, including his pivotal role as SFJAZZ’s Director of Education (2007-2011), when he was part of the leadership team that designed, planned, and launched the $60 million SFJAZZ Center.
After six years as the founding director of outreach at the Nueva School in San Mateo, where he directed the K-12 music program and led the jazz ensemble, Combs took over as Executive Director of InterMusic SF (2016-2023), developing and curating six annual SF Music Day festivals at the San Francisco War Memorial. Under his direction, InterMusic SF provided more than $1 million in project grant funding for hundreds of professional musicians throughout the Bay Area, including numerous commissions, premieres, recordings, and performances. During the first years of the pandemic, he administered a relief fund along with Theater Bay Area and Dancers Group that provided over $500,000 in aid to out-of-work arts workers.
“Being part of the Stanford Jazz Festival means curating more than just concerts — it’s about cultivating moments where artistry, education, and community intersect,” says Cory Combs, Executive Director, Stanford Jazz Workshop. “This year’s festival lineup captures the incredible breadth of the jazz tradition, and I’m continually inspired by how these artists bridge generations and styles, reminding us why jazz remains such a vital and evolving art form.”
Stanford Jazz Festival 2025 — Artist Highlights
Fred Hersch Trio with Drew Gress and Joe Dyson
A select member of jazz’s piano pantheon, Fred Hersch is a pervasively influential creative force who has shaped the music’s course over more than three decades as an improviser, composer, educator, bandleader, collaborator and recording artist. The 17-time Grammy nominee continues adding to his manifold honors, which include a Rockefeller Fellowship, grants from Chamber Music America, the National Endowment for the Arts, Meet the Composer, and seven composition residencies at the MacDowell Colony. Renowned for his breathtaking solo recitals and exploratory duo encounters, he’s best known for leading a series of extravagantly lyrical trios. Bassist Drew Gress, an acclaimed bandleader and composer in his own right known for his work with trumpeter Dave Douglas, guitarist John Abercrombie and pianist Uri Caine, has worked intermittently with Hersch since the early 1990s. The longtime collaborators are joined by Joe Dyson, a consummate drummer who’s toured internationally with trumpeter Nicholas Payton and guitarist Pat Metheny.
Jeremy Pelt Quintet
A prodigious trumpeter, producer and composer who’s been at the center of the New York jazz scene for three decades, Jeremy Pelt has released more than two dozen albums as a leader and appeared on another five dozen as a sideman with both veteran masters such as Cedar Walton, Louis Hayes, and Wayne Shorter and contemporaries like Camille Thurman, Somi, and Jaleel Shaw. Embracing his role as an established veteran, he’s taken to mentoring younger players while sharing wisdom from older cats in a series of books compiling his interviews with jazz masters, Griots: Examining the Lives of Jazz’s Great Storytellers. Possessing a huge, warm sound, he’s turned his band into a proving ground for rising jazz stars, with a particularly sharp focus on vibraphonists.
Anat Cohen & Marcello Gonçalves
At the forefront of a brilliant wave of Israeli musicians who swept across the New York jazz scene in the 1990s, tenor saxophonist and clarinetist Anat Cohen has stayed in the vanguard with a constellation of bands, projects and collaborations. Known for her love and mastery of various Brazilian styles, she’s forged a particularly fruitful partnership with seven-string guitar maestro Marcello Gonçalves, starting with the acclaimed duo project Outra Coisa focusing on the ingenious compositions of Moacir Santos. More recently they recorded the stunning, Reconvexo, a savvy survey of música popular Brasileira (MPB) songbook standards by the likes of Caetano Veloso, Milton Nascimento and Gilberto Gil featuring her soaring clarinet work.
Lizz Wright
The farther Lizz Wright travels from her musical roots in the Black church the more sustenance she seems to draw from the rich red soil of her native Georgia. Possessing a sumptuous alto brimming with grace and soul, she’s forged a welcoming sound she calls “country jazz.” Part of what makes Wright such a powerful singer, aside from the sheer jaw-dropping beauty of her voice, is her gift for infusing even the earthiest material with a glint of the sublime. Since the release of her 2003 debut album, Salt, Wright has forged creative alliances with similarly soulful artists, from violinist Regina Carter and vocalist Gregory Porter to singer/songwriter Toshi Reagan and Beninese superstar Angelique Kidjo, who joins her on the opening track of her recent album, Shadow. It’s another enthralling chapter in Wright’s uplifting journey.
Joel Ross: Good Vibes
Over the past decade the jazz scene has experienced an unprecedented tide of world class vibraphonists, a surge led by Chicago-reared Joel Ross. After gaining attention for his work with trumpeter Marquis Hill’s Blacktet, Ross had a breakout year in 2018, contributing to several critically hailed albums by blazing young innovators, including drummer Makaya McCraven’s Universal Beings and pianist James Francies’ Flight. But with the release of his debut album, KingMaker, on vaunted Blue Note Records he established himself as a formidable composer and bandleader in his own right. The album introduced his Good Vibes combo, a launching pad for a bevy of startlingly talented young players, like Monterey-raised bassist Kanoa Mendenhall and Jeremy Dutton, whose 2023 debut album as a leader, Anyone is Better Than Here, featured Ross, and heavyweights such as saxophonist Ben Wendel, trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire, and guitarist Mike Moreno. With rising piano star Paul Cornish, Good Vibes is simply one of the most exciting working bands on the scene.
John Pizzarelli
Music has always been a family affair for the irresistibly swinging guitarist and singer John Pizzarelli. He came up playing with his father, the late jazz guitar great Bucky Pizzarelli, who performed into his 90s, and his brother bassist Martin Pizzarelli, who anchored his trio for more than two decades. Whether he’s celebrating Nat “King” Cole, Frank Sinatra, the Beatles or Jobim, Pizzarelli interprets the material with insouciant panache, swinging persuasively with wit and joy. His recent album, Better Days Ahead, a solo sojourn into the music of Pat Metheny, offered a whole new look at his guitar prowess.
Paul Cornish
Even casual observers of the Bay Area music scene might have taken note of Paul Cornish, the Houston-reared, Los Angeles based pianist who’s been touring widely with sax star Joshua Redman. Recently signed to Blue Note Records, Cornish is starting to make a name for himself as a leader in his own right, which makes his Bay Area debut under his own name a particularly exciting development. His trio features Oakland-reared drummer Savannah Harris, a commanding accompanist who’s spent the past few years touring with Cécile McLorin Salvant and Christian McBride’s Ursa Major quintet.
Taylor Eigsti & Ben Wendel
A child prodigy who has lived up to his vaunted promise, Taylor Eigsti recently won his second GRAMMY Award for his 2024 album, Plot Armor, a beautifully crafted project featuring many of his closest friends and collaborators, like Kneebody saxophonist Ben Wendel and bassist Harish Raghavan. He’s been a mainstay at the festival for the past quarter century, turning his annual concerts into revelatory glimpses at his upcoming directions and projects. With drummer Nate Wood, the multi-instrumental motor of Kneebody, powering the proceedings, Eigsti and Wendel are looking to explore recent original compositions and tunes by the artists who’ve influenced and shaped them.
Stanford Jazz Festival (June 22 – August 1, 2025)
Sunday, June 22, 2025 — Indian Jazz Journey featuring Mahesh Kale and George Brooks — Dinkelspiel Auditorium
Friday, June 27, 2025 — Fred Hersch Trio — Dinkelspiel Auditorium
Saturday, June 28, 2025 — Jeremy Pelt Quintet — Dinkelspiel Auditorium
Sunday, June 29, 2025 — Tiffany Austin presents Sassy: 100 Years of Sarah Vaughan — Campbell Recital Hall
Sunday, July 06, 2025 — Ken Peplowski: The Unheard Bird — Dinkelspiel Auditorium
Friday, July 11, 2025 — Jaz Sawyer: Tribute to Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers — Campbell Recital Hall
Saturday, July 12, 2025 — Early Bird Jazz for Kids with Dr. Dave Hart & the Zookeepers — Dinkelspiel Auditorium
Saturday, July 12, 2025 — John Pizzarelli — Dinkelspiel Auditorium
Sunday, July 13, 2025 — Sam Reider w/ Spaghetti ft. Jim Campilongo, Scott Amendola, Mat Muntz — Campbell Recital Hall
Monday, July 14, 2025 — Caili O’Doherty: Suite for Gearoidin — Campbell Recital Hall
Tuesday, July 15, 2025 — Luther Allison Sextet — Campbell Recital Hall
Wednesday, July 16, 2025 — Ruth Davies’ Blues Night with Chris Cain — Dinkelspiel Auditorium
Thursday, July 17, 2025 — An Evening with Victor Lin: Music of Studio Ghibli — Dinkelspiel Auditorium
Saturday, July 19, 2025 — Anat Cohen & Marcello Gonçalves — Dinkelspiel Auditorium
Sunday, July 20, 2025 — John Santos Quintet with Special Guest Yilian Cañizares — Dinkelspiel Auditorium
Monday, July 21, 2025 — Rising Stars: The SJW Mentor Fellows — Campbell Recital Hall
Tuesday, July 22, 2025 — Noah Garabedian Quintet featuring Valerie Troutt — Campbell Recital Hall
Wednesday, July 23, 2025 — Tammy L. Hall — Campbell Recital Hall
Thursday, July 24, 2025 — Joel Ross: Good Vibes — Dinkelspiel Auditorium
Saturday, July 26, 2025 — Lizz Wright — Dinkelspiel Auditorium
Sunday, July 27, 2025 — Paul Cornish Trio — Campbell Recital Hall
Monday, July 28, 2025 — Dena DeRose Trio — Campbell Recital Hall
Tuesday, July 29, 2025 — George Cables and Friends — Dinkelspiel Auditorium
Wednesday, July 30, 2025 — Dayna Stephens — Campbell Recital Hall
Thursday, July 31, 2025 — Taylor Eigsti Quartet featuring Ben Wendel — Dinkelspiel Auditorium
Friday, August 1, 2025 — SJW All-Star Jam — Dinkelspiel Auditorium
