Songs & Stories

Episode Description

In this episode, Steven Roby talks with Bay Area trumpeter and composer Sarah Wilson about her luminous new album Incandescence and the creative path that led her from political puppet theater to leading an all-woman horn line in a brass-forward Bay Area ensemble. Wilson explains how visual art, community-based performance, and New Orleans street energy shaped the music on Incandescence, and why she wants audiences to experience the album as one immersive arc at her upcoming Berkeley show.

·       Growing up in Healdsburg and finding the trumpet again after college

·       How work in political/activist theater shaped her sense of rhythm and movement

·       Writing music in response to visual art, especially painter Thomas Reinhold

·       Building the Incandescence band: Kasey Knudsen (alto sax), Mara Fox (trombone), John Schott (guitar), Lisa Mezzacappa (bass), Jason Levis (drums)

·       Why she wanted an all-woman horn line for this project

·       The story behind the piece “Architecture in Space”

·       What audiences can expect at The Back Room album-release show

·       How joy and a sense of time-suspension are at the center of her music

Sarah Wilson – Incandescence album release

The Back Room, 1984 Bonita Ave., Berkeley, CA

Saturday, November 8

8:00 p.m. (doors 7:30 p.m.)

Tickets and venue info: https://backroommusic.com

Sarah Wilson’s official site: https://sarahwilsonmusic.com

Music and releases (including Incandescence): https://sarahwilson.bandcamp.com

Follow her on her website for social media updates.

Backstage Bay Area is a Bay Area music journalism podcast hosted by Steven Roby, featuring conversations with the artists shaping our region’s jazz, roots, and creative music scenes. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube, and help support Bay Area live music by sharing the episode.

Episode Summary

Executive Director and co‑founder of SFCM’s Roots, Jazz & American Music (RJAM) program, Jason Hainsworth, joins Steve to talk about how the Side‑By‑Side model turns the Joe Henderson Lab into a working classroom. We explore mentorship in real time, why original student music matters, and what audiences can expect from RJAM’s *Side‑By‑Side: New Visions* performance at the Lab.

Guest

Jason Hainsworth — Executive Director & Co‑Founder, RJAM (San Francisco Conservatory of Music)

What You’ll Hear

·      How RJAM prepares young improvisers for a professional life on and off the bandstand.

·      How the SFCM–SFJAZZ partnership gives students meaningful access to world‑class artists and stages.

·      What the *Side‑By‑Side* format looks like on stage: mixed student–faculty ensembles, quick turnarounds, and plenty of room for improvisation.

·      Two original student works discussed on the show: “Rebecca” by Xitlalli Estrella and “Warlike” by Alan Jones.

·      Where and when to catch free SFCM concerts across the academic year.

Suggested Timestamps (approx.)

·      00:00  | Intro and episode setup

·      01:10  | What RJAM offers promising students

·      05:30  | SFCM × SFJAZZ partnership and Lab culture

·      10:10  | Inside the *Side‑By‑Side* format

·      14:00  | Student track spotlight: “Rebecca” (Xitlalli Estrella)

·      18:30  | Student track spotlight: “Warlike” (Alan Jones)

·      23:00  | SFCM concerts open to the public

·      26:00  | What to expect on show night

·      27:30  | Closing thoughts

Pull Quote

“Performing alongside mentors is unmatched for learning— from preparing rehearsals to shaping ideas with the band you’re in.” — Jason Hainsworth.

Music Notes

If excerpts of “Rebecca” (Xitlalli Estrella) and “Warlike” (Alan Jones) are used, they appear courtesy of the artists and the RJAM program. All rights are reserved by the respective creators.

Links & Info

Tickets: RJAM *Side‑By‑Side: New Visions* — Friday, November 14, 7:30 p.m., Joe Henderson Lab, SFJAZZ Center.
https://www.sfjazz.org/tickets/productions/25-26/rjam-side-by-side-new-visions/

Venue Notes

Joe Henderson Lab is located within the SFJAZZ Center (San Francisco). Please check the ticket page for updated door times and policies.

More from SFCM

RJAM and SFCM present hundreds of concerts during the academic year—many free and open to the public—including chamber music, jazz combos, and student recitals across SFCM venues.

Credits

Host & Producer: Steve Roby
Show: Backstage Bay Area — your all‑access pass to the local music scene.
Interview guest: Jason Hainsworth
Production: BackstageBayArea.com

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Episode summary

Music Director and saxophonist Chris Potter joins Backstage Bay Area to preview the SFJAZZ Collective’s tribute to Wayne Shorter’s Native Dancer. We talk about why this album matters, how the Collective reimagined its songs for today’s band, Potter’s personal encounter with Shorter, and what new music is on deck.

What you’ll hear

• Why Native Dancer remains a living blueprint for jazz–Brazilian exchange

• How the Collective divided up arrangements and found fresh angles on classics like “Ponta de Areia”

• A rehearsal-room story that captures Shorter’s mix of imagination and precision

• What to expect across the three Miner Auditorium shows (setlist variety, originals, and ensemble chemistry)

• Potter’s upcoming projects and where the Collective heads next

Guest

Chris Potter — saxophonist, composer, and Music Director of the SFJAZZ Collective.

Selected quotes

• “The SFJAZZ Collective comes together every year to workshop new music, and this season we wanted to make a real statement with Native Dancer.”

• “We each brought in arrangements. The original album is so perfectly realized that the challenge was to find our own way through it.”

• “Wayne could ask you to imagine Superman flying over the mountain—and in the next breath correct a single B-flat. That balance guided us.”

• “The feeling on stage is, ‘This is a band.’ Mutual respect, shared history, and material we truly love.”

About the music

• Wayne Shorter’s 1975 collaboration with Milton Nascimento braided Brazilian songcraft with jazz harmony and studio-era rhythm—music built for reinvention.

• The Collective’s program features the full Native Dancer songbook alongside new originals that extend its spirit.

Credits

Host/Producer: Steve Roby — Backstage Bay Area

Guest: Chris Potter

Music: Excerpts as permitted by rights holders

Recording: SFJAZZ Collective sessions & interview

Links & tickets

Event: SFJAZZ Collective — Tribute to Wayne Shorter’s Native Dancer

Venue: Miner Auditorium (SFJAZZ Center, San Francisco)

Dates/Times:

• Saturday, Nov. 1 – 7:30 p.m.

• Sunday, Nov. 2 – 3:00 p.m.

• Sunday, Nov. 2 – 7:00 p.m.

Tickets: https://www.sfjazz.org/tickets/productions/25-26/sfjazz-collective/

More info: SFJAZZ.org

Episode logline:

Saxophonist—and bassist—Gerald Albright talks origin stories, the punch and polish behind “Living My Best Life,” why the title cut “Full Throttle” opens up onstage, and what listeners can expect when his band hits Oakland.

About our guest

A pillar of contemporary jazz with decades of touring and studio work, Gerald Albright writes and produces with a rhythm-section mindset. He came up on saxophone in South Central Los Angeles, later added bass guitar, and now releases music independently on Bright Music Records. That hybrid vantage shapes sets built on pulse, melody, and forward motion.

What we cover

·      Origins & influences. How a church-lesson pivot put a sax in his hands—“I immediately fell in love with the saxophone”—and why Maceo Parker’s clarity and percussive bite became a lifelong model.

·      Hearing from two chairs. The bass guitar changed how he writes and locks the pocket: “Now I’m in the rhythm section, where there’s the meat and potatoes of the groove… I combine the two to create the best music I can.”

·      Studio craft → stage energy. The gleam and stacked-horn sound of “Living My Best Life” grew from pandemic-era time in the studio: “I learned how to mix my own records… I like to put the horns right up front.”

·      Why “Full Throttle” stretches live. “I wanted the freedom to really stretch out and play… When we play it live, we really get to go full throttle.”

·      What fans can look forward to. A high-energy, audience-involved night that blends burners and love songs, drawn from a catalog spanning 20-plus projects.

·      What’s next. A new, as-yet-untitled EP in the mixing stage—“the music is coming out phenomenal”—with touring to follow.

Featured tracks (discussed in this episode)

·      “Living My Best Life” — stacked horn writing, sleek rhythm bed, and the producer’s ear for space.

·      “Full Throttle” — title track from G-Stream 3 – Full Throttle, built for improvisation when the band opens it up on stage.

The band on these dates

Anthony Brown, Jr. (bass), Colin “CC” Clawson (keyboards), and James “JRob” Roberson (musical director, drums).

Memorable quotes

·      “I immediately fell in love with the saxophone.”

·      “The bass chair put me where the meat and potatoes of the groove live.”

·      “I like the horns right up front—that’s the sound!”

Listen for

·      How Albright connects Maceo Parker’s articulation to his own attack.

·      The way a bassist’s perspective shapes phrasing, form, and set flow.

·      Why new independent releases keep his horn stacks, mixes, and repertoire exactly as he envisions them.

Links & info

Tickets: Yoshi’s Oakland — https://yoshis.com/events/buy-tickets/gerald-albright-10/detail

Gerald Albright — Official site: https://geraldalbright.com/

Credits

Host: Steve Roby — Backstage Bay Area.

Production: Backstage Bay Area Audio.

Canadian vocalist-composer Caity Gyorgy joins Steve for a conversation about craft, collaboration, and why swing still feels newly minted when the writing is sharp and the band listens hard. Known for quicksilver phrasing and original tunes that travel between club intimacy and orchestral sheen, Gyorgy traces the path from early influences to her new string-driven project and previews her San Francisco debut at the Joe Henderson Lab.

What you’ll hear

• How Caity discovered jazz and shaped her sound through singers like Ella Fitzgerald, Abbey Lincoln, Blossom Dearie, Betty Carter, and June Christy.

• Inside Caity Gyorgy with Strings: writing with pianist-arranger Mark Limacher, assembling an all-Canadian orchestra, and channeling arranging touchstones (Don Costa, Nelson Riddle, Gordon Jenkins, Henry Mancini).

• Song stories: “That Doesn’t Matter” (a cheeky portrait of friendship and creative trust) and “You’ll Learn” (a cinematic, voice-memo-to-lyric journey).

• What Bay Area audiences can expect at the Joe Henderson Lab: standards from Loesser, Styne, Porter, and Kern alongside Gyorgy’s originals, charted with wit and swing.

Band for the Joe Henderson Lab

Caity Gyorgy — vocals

Mark Limacher — piano

Thomas Heinbach — bass

Aroma Jr. — drums

About the guest

A three-time JUNO winner (pronounced “George”), Caity Gyorgy writes and sings with a composer’s clarity and a bebop musician’s reflexes. Recent releases include the orchestral album Caity Gyorgy with Strings and duo projects with Mark Limacher that showcase her ear for melody and narrative.

Credits

Host & production: Steve Roby / Backstage Bay Area

Editing & mix: Backstage Bay Area

Music excerpts: courtesy of the artist

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Show Info & Links

Event: Caity Gyorgy — Joe Henderson Lab (SFJAZZ Center), San Francisco

Dates: Nov 7–9, 2025

Set times: Two sets Friday (7:00 PM & 8:30 PM); additional performances across the weekend—see event page for current times and availability.

Tickets & info: SFJAZZ event page

Artist website: CaityGyorgy.com

Episode Summary

Hector Flores of Las Cafeteras joins Steve to talk about Hasta La Muerte, the group’s Day of the Dead production arriving at SFJAZZ. He traces the band’s East L.A. activist roots, how son jarocho meets hip-hop and spoken word, and why participation—dancing, singing, dressing up—turns a concert into a communal ritual. Hector shares how Cocosparked a new wave of writing, why La Catrina becomes “La Santa de los Muertos,” and how a reimagined La Llorona story reframes grief as love.

Hector Flores — vocalist, writer/poet, co-founder of Las Cafeteras (East L.A.). Community organizer turned bandleader; bridges traditional son jarocho with hip-hop cadence, dance, and poetry.

• Activist beginnings in East L.A. and how a collective became a band

• The sonic palette: jarana, requinto, leona, Afro-Colombian percussion, Indigenous drums, and tasteful electronics

• Writing from lived experience: poems that become songs and stage narratives

• Hasta La Muerte onstage: five dancers, four musicians, vivid visuals, and storytelling through music and movement

• Reimagining icons: La Catrina as La Santa de los Muertos; a compassionate retelling of La Llorona

• Why audience participation matters: “come in costume,” sing, and dance—treat the hall like a plaza

• Limited-run vinyl at the merch table (cast and crew-signed)

• What’s next for the production beyond the West Coast

Hasta La Muerte — Las Cafeteras
Date: Friday, October 31
Venue: Miner Auditorium, SFJAZZ Center, 201 Franklin St., San Francisco
Showtime: 7:30 PM PT • Tickets via SFJAZZ. sfjazz.org

• Las Cafeteras (official): https://lascafeteras.com

• Hasta La Muerte (about): https://lascafeteras.com/hasta-la-muerte

• Las Cafeteras on Instagram: https://instagram.com/lascafeteras

• Tickets (SFJAZZ): https://www.sfjazz.org/tickets/productions/25-26/las-cafeteras-hasta-la-muerte/ sfjazz.org

• Backstage Bay Area: https://www.backstagebayarea.com

• “Hasta la Muerte” (official performance clip) — embed or link from Las Cafeteras’ channel

• “Esta Noche” — sample the group’s energy and instrumentation

Host & Producer: Steve Roby — Backstage Bay Area
Guest: Hector Flores (Las Cafeteras)
Editing/Mix: Backstage Bay Area
Music used with permission of the artist.

If you enjoyed this episode, follow and rate Backstage Bay Area on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube. Share the episode and tag @lascafeteras and @sfjazz to spread the word.

#LasCafeteras #HastaLaMuerte #DiaDeLosMuertos #SFJAZZ #BackstageBayArea #BayAreaMusic #SonJarocho #EastLA

Podcast: Backstage Bay Area
Host: Steve Roby
Guests: Nicolas Bearde (vocals) with special guest Tammy L. Hall (piano)

Bay Area vocalist Nicolas Bearde joins Backstage Bay Area to talk about his Al Jarreau celebration at the Joe Henderson Lab. We trace his path from early R&B roots and Motown radio to a mature jazz voice shaped onstage with Bobby McFerrin—and how that journey informs a show that treats Jarreau’s music as a living language. Nicolas shares insights on two signature tracks from his catalog, the art of collaboration, and what listeners can expect from this intimate, groove-forward tribute.

·      Finding the seam between soul storytelling and jazz improvisation

·      Lessons from performing with Bobby McFerrin and Voicestra

·      The singers who shaped Nicolas’s sound (Lou Rawls, Sarah Vaughan, Ella, Johnny Mathis—and, of course, Al Jarreau)

·      Song spotlight #1: “Can We Pretend” (*Crossing the Line*)—why it remains a fan favorite worldwide

·      Song spotlight #2: “Falling in Love Again” (*Visions*)—seven years in the making and finished with producer Larry Batiste

·      Building the Jarreau set with Tammy L. Hall and band (Kevin Goldberg, Deszon Claiborne, Charles McNeal, Roberta Laurel)

·      The emotional core of the show: “Not Like This” into “More Love,” plus the ongoing challenge and joy of “Spain”

·      What’s next: a new studio album in progress for early 2026 (working title: SEVYNI)

·      Nicolas Bearde — vocals

·      Tammy L. Hall — piano (music director)

·      Kevin Goldberg — bass

·      Deszon Claiborne — drums

·      Charles McNeal — saxophone

·      Roberta Laurel — vocals (harmonies/duets)

Venue: Joe Henderson Lab at the SFJAZZ Center

Dates & Times:

·      Sat, Nov 8, 2025 — 7:00 PM & 8:30 PM

·      Sun, Nov 9, 2025 — 6:00 PM & 7:30 PM

Tickets: https://www.sfjazz.org

Artist Website: https://www.nicolasbearde.com

Backstage Bay Area: https://www.backstagebayarea.com

Subscribe and rate the podcast wherever you listen.

Share this episode with a friend who loves Al Jarreau’s music.

Produced and edited by Steve Roby for Backstage Bay Area.

Music excerpts used with respect for the artists and venues featured.

Episode overview

KCSM 91.1 FM has been a lifeline for Bay Area jazz for six decades. Station Manager Dr. Robert Franklin joins Steve to talk about the station’s live-curated sound, its massive library and preservation work, and the new documentary celebrating KCSM’s history and community impact.

Dr. Robert “Bob” Franklin — Station Manager, KCSM 91.1 FM; Executive Producer of KCSM: 60 Years of Broadcasting and Jazz.

KCSM is one of the nation’s last full-time jazz stations. Its curator-driven programming, archival footprint, and education mission make it a cornerstone of Bay Area music culture.

·       How KCSM’s “live curator” model builds a real-time bond with listeners.

·       Inside the library: scope, preservation, and digitization efforts.

·       The documentary’s purpose—putting faces to the voices and placing KCSM within Bay Area cultural history.

·       Student pathways via College of San Mateo and Studio 91.

·       KCSM’s community compact: listener support, local artist visibility, and freedom on the air.

·       What “keeping jazz alive on Bay Area radio” looks like over the next decade.

Host & Producer: Steve Roby

Show: Backstage Bay Area

Contact: backstagebayarea.com

Screening Information

Event: KCSM: 60 Years of Broadcasting and Jazz (documentary screening)

Venue: Alameda Cinema, 2317 Central Ave., Alameda

Date & Time: Friday, November 1, 2:00 PM

Extras: Post-film reception with refreshments; live DJ set by KCSM’s Harry Duncan; tours of the California Historical Radio Society’s vintage radios, historic studios, and hands-on broadcasting exhibits.

Tickets & info: https://californiahistoricalradio.com/event/kcsm-documentary-screening-at-alameda-theater/

Listen & support KCSM: https://www.kcsm.org

Backstage Bay Area – Episode with Amaro Freitas

Guest: Amaro Freitas, acclaimed Brazilian jazz pianist and composer

Host: Steve Roby

Episode Highlights:

• Introduction to Amaro Freitas, his Afro-Brazilian roots, and his unique approach to jazz piano.
• Amaro discusses his musical beginnings in Brazil, learning piano in church, and the influence of family and local musicians.
• Deep dive into Amaro’s rhythmic style, blending African, Brazilian, and jazz traditions.
• Influences: Amaro shares how Chick Corea and other jazz legends shaped his sound and creative process.
• Stories from Amaro’s career, including memorable performances and personal encounters with Chick Corea.
• Discussion of Amaro’s latest album, "Y’Y," inspired by the Amazon, nature, ancestry, and the power of water.
• Exploration of the track "Encantados," its roots in Afro-Indigenous legends, and the spiritual connection between music, nature, and humanity.
• Amaro’s approach to live performance, improvisation, and adapting his set for intimate venues like the Joe Henderson Lab at SF Jazz Center.
• Preview of upcoming shows in San Francisco, including details on setlists, improvisation, and audience interaction.

Featured Tracks:

• "Y’Y" (title track)
• "Encantados"

Upcoming Events:

• Amaro Freitas performing solo at the Joe Henderson Lab, SF Jazz Center, San Francisco.
• Four shows: Friday, October 24th & Saturday, October 25th, 7:00 PM and 8:30 PM.
• Tickets and info: sfjazz.org

Links:

• Amaro Freitas Official Website
• SF Jazz Center Tickets

Connect:

• Follow Backstage Bay Area for more artist interviews and behind-the-scenes stories.
• Share the episode and join us at SFJAZZ

In this episode, host Steve Roby sits down with saxophonist and composer Nicole McCabe, co-leader of the genre-blending project Dolphin Hyperspace. Nicole shares her journey from growing up in Marin County, where she was inspired by both jazz and electronic music, to collaborating with bassist/producer Logan Kane. The conversation covers her musical influences (from Cannonball Adderley to Skrillex), the creative process behind Dolphin Hyperspace, and the stories behind tracks like "Minuscule Minnow" and "Mini Giraffe."

Nicole also discusses her upcoming acoustic solo album "Color Theory" (produced by Jason Moran), the next Dolphin Hyperspace record "Echo Location," and her approach to live performance—especially in intimate venues like the Joe Henderson Lab at SFJAZZ.

Featured topics:

• Blending jazz improvisation with electronic production
• The origins and evolution of Dolphin Hyperspace
• The influence of Brazilian music and artists like Tom Jobim
• Live performance dynamics and audience engagement
• Upcoming releases and collaborations

Relevant Links:

• Nicole McCabe’s website: nicolemccabemusic.com
• Dolphin Hyperspace on Bandcamp: Bandcamp (search "Dolphin Hyperspace" for direct link)
• SFJAZZ tickets: sfjazz.org
• Nicole’s music on streaming platforms: Available on all major services
• Follow Nicole on Instagram: (Check her website for the latest social links)

Upcoming Show:

• Dolphin Hyperspace at the Joe Henderson Lab, SFJAZZ Center
• Friday, October 17th — Shows at 7:00 PM & 8:30 PM
• Tickets: sfjazz.org

Thanks for listening to Backstage Bay Area!