Kazemde George, saxophone.
Kai Lyons, guitar.
Giulio Xavier, bass.
Elé Salif Howell, drums.

$20 cover charge; by0b.
Reservations, call 415-586-3733.

Elé Salif Howell, a formidably talented young drummer and Oakland native son, returns to the Bay for some dates with the region’s most vital young lions — saxophonist Kazemde George, who’s now based in Brooklyn and who came up side by side with Elé under the tutelage of master Oakland jazz & African music veterans; San Francisco’s own Kai Lyons, a guitarist of vast talent and a gifted scholar’s deep and broad knowledge of world music; and bassist Giulio Xavier Cetto, born and raised in California’s central valley and a giant of the local jazz scene.

Elé tours internationally with both Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah (formerly known as Christian Scott) and Ravi Coltrane, with whom he appeared this past spring at SFJazz. Elé is booked to play the Monterey Jazz Festival with Chief Adjuah this fall. In addition to this August 13 combo, we’ll be pleased to present Elé in a trio with his Chief Adjuah rhythm section colleagues, the bassist Ryoma Takenaga and the guitarist Cecil Alexander, on September 24th. Reservations accepted beginning two weeks before the date, on September 10th.

Elé grew up speaking jazz in a household where his father, the saxophonist Richard Howell, was well established as one of its most eloquent voices, as he remains. The father joined the son on stage at SFJazz in March to amazement of a demonstratively thrilled and grateful audience.

Here’s 20 minutes of video of Elé, Richard and bassist Ravi Abcarian December 9th 2023: Mitzvah Myron Cohen, The Billy Higgins Legacy Trio at Bird & Beckett, December 2023.

And here’s Elé in a quartet date less than a week later, on December 14th, with Kai on guitar and joined by bassist Billy Edwards and saxophonist Jesse Levit.