Five Spot: Happenings In The Jazz World This Week (10/26-31)

• Gilles Peterson compiles an epic new Sun Ra collection To Those Of Earth... And Other Planets
• Drummer Antonio Sánchez won Score of the Year and Discovery of the Year (for Birdman) at the World Soundtrack Awards in Belgium.
• DownBeat Readers Poll announced - Chick Corea, Tony Bennett & Wayne Shorter among top honors
• Pioneering guitarist Lionel Loueke drops new album GAÏA on Blue Note Records
• Jazz-playing robots will explore human–computer relations

All set for two #BirdmanMovie screenings tonight. Antonio Sanchez plays the live drum score! #FilmAndMusic #SFJAZZ #SoldOut 📷: @jfshigeru

A photo posted by SFJAZZ (@sfjazz) on Aug 22, 2015 at 7:05pm PDT

Highlights: 32nd Annual San Francisco Jazz Festival

Check out the photo-retrospective of the 2014 San Francisco Jazz Festival: 44 shows in 12 days on multiple stages!

Opening Night: Juan de Marcos + Afro-Cuban All Stars ©Rick Swig

Opening Night: Jeff Ballard Trio ft. Lionel Loueke & Miguel Zenón ©Ross Eustis

Jeff Ballard ©Rick Swig

Diana Gameros in Joe Henderson Lab ©Ronald Davis

Dianne Reeves ©Ronald Davis

Medeski, Scofield, Martin & Wood: Little Walter Rides Again ©Scott Chernis

Ester Rada ©Tim Charles

Ester Rada + Octet ©Ross Eustis

José James: While You Were Sleeping ©Rick Swig

José James ©Rick Swig

Seun Kuti + Egypt 80: Afrobeat Legacy ©Rick Swig

Chester Thompson: Hammond B3 Organ ©Rick Swig

Closing Night: Hypnotic Brass Ensemble ©Scott Chernis

Closing Night: Hypnotic Brass Ensemble ©Scott Chernis

Joe Henderson Lab, by day ©Ross Eustis

For more photos, check out the full album on SFJAZZ's Facebook page! Next up at the SFJAZZ Center: Bill Cosby and 2014 Summer Sessions featuring Chucho Valdés, Benny Green, Omar Sosa, Jacqui Naylor, Claudia Villela & many more!

OPENING NIGHT: The 32nd San Francisco Jazz Festival

Juan de Marcos back in the house ©Rick Swig

We all remember what happened last time Juan de Marcos + Afro-Cuban All Stars came to town. The Cuban supergroup packed the house last night, headlining the opening of the 32nd Annual San Francisco Jazz Festival, which runs through June 22nd! Juan de Marcos and Co. are here until Saturday (6/12).

Juan de Marcos & Afro-Cuban All Stars ©Rick Swig

Meanwhile, SFJAZZ Members got a treat in the 100-seat Joe Henderson Lab: drummer Jeff Ballard's Trio featuring guitarist-vocalist Lionel Loueke & saxophonist-SFJAZZ Resident Artistic Director Miguel Zenón. Rare to see such a powerhouse trio in such a small space!

Jeff Ballard Trio ©Ross Eustis

Miguel Zenón ©Rick Swig

Lionel Loueke ©Rick Swig

Jeff Ballard ©Rick Swig

More Opening Night Photos

Full San Francisco Jazz Festival Lineup

PHOTO: Herbie Hancock at SFJAZZ Center

Herbie Hancock: "Rockit" on keytar ©Rick Swig

A big thanks to pianist Herbie Hancock for a whirlwind of a weekend... from rocking it at the 2014 SFJAZZ Gala to 3 unforgettable performances with bassist Marcus Miller, drummer Vinnie Colaiuta, guitarist Lionel Loueke and tabla maestro Zakir Hussain! From the start, this superband clearly came to play. Colaiuta's slamming groove introducing "Actual Proof" from Herbie's 1974 funk masterpiece Thrust kicked off the show and set the tone for each performance, which covered many of Herbie's best-known tunes including "Chameleon," "Cantaloupe Island" and a unique take on "Watermelon Man" that incorporated part of Lionel Loueke's odd-time composition "Seventeen." A highlight of each show was a duet between Loueke and Hussain, which seamlessly integrated African and Indian musical traditions, and the band ended the set with a supercharged performance of Herbie's smash 1983 electro-funk anthem "Rockit." Photos below:

Herbie Hancock, Lionel Loueke, Vinnie Colaiuta, Marcus Miller & Zakir Hussain ©Grason Littles

Marcus Miller ©Grason Littles

Zakir Hussain ©Grason Littles

Lionel Loueke ©Rick Swig

Vinnie Colaiuta ©Rick Swig

For more photos, go to SFJAZZ Flickr. Also, check out a recap on the 2014 SFJAZZ Gala!