The San Francisco Conservatory of Music’s Roots, Jazz & American Music (RJAM) B.Mus. program was birthed many years ago by Keys Jazz Bistro proprietor Simon Rowe, then up from the Brubeck Institute in Stockton, who forged the RJAM concept and coined its slogan, “Our tune has a new bridge.” After 100 years as an august bastion of western classical music, America’s true Black classical music was finally given its due and has served the institution well. Many of the young players you hear coming through Bird & Beckett are current students and alumni of SFCM’s RJAM program, and develop into amazing professional players under our very eyes.

Jason Hainsworth came in to assist Simon in those early years and now runs the program, assisted by Amelie Anna Hinman, a Swiss conguero recruited as a student by Simon. Now, many of the Bay Area’s top flight jazz musicians serve as faculty and ensemble coaches, including Akira Tana, Patrick Wolff, Keith Saunders, Tony Peebles, Jeff Cressman, Ken French, Mario Guarneri, Kristen Strom and Randy Vincent, all of whom have played Bird & Beckett multiple times over the 20+ years that we’ve been presenting live jazz with an overweening focus on the working cats who make San Francisco a world-renowned jazz capitol.

Today, a crop of current RJAM students will bring a jazz combo coached by Saunders, with a jam session to follow for all comers.

This is today’s jazz, and its future!