San Jose Jazz Winter Fest 2023: 4 shows to see

There are more unfamiliar names than usual at San Jose Jazz Winter Fest this year, as the Counterpoint With Ukraine program presents nearly a dozen acts and artists making their California debut.

Here are four highly recommended shows, including musicians who are well known to Bay Area jazz fans and players eager to introduced themselves. For ticket and more information, go to sanjosejazz.org.

Jazzmeia Horn with the Marcus Shelby Orchestra: Since earning a Grammy nomination with her 2017 debut album “Social Call,” vocalist Jazzmeia Horn has evolved in leaps and bounds. Performing with the stellar jazz orchestra led by San Francisco bass star Marcus Shelby, Horn performs her own big band arrangements (largely from her 2021 album “Dear Love”). Shelby’s already impressive horn section includes guest trumpeter Dennis Adu, a major creative force on the Ukrainian music scene.

Details: 7:30 p.m. Feb. 16; Mayer Theater, Santa Clara University; $35-$40.

Vân-Ánh Võ and Olesya Zdorovetska with Alina Sokulska, presenting “Magura”: Composer, multi-instrumentalist and master of the 16-string Vietnamese zither đàn tranh, Vân-Ánh Võ has served as a creative catalyst for vaunted artists such as Kronos Quartet, Alonzo King LINES Ballet, and Yo-Yo Ma. She joins forces with Dublin-based Olesya Zdorovetska, the prolific Ukrainian performer and composer who draws on jazz, Afro-Caribbean, contemporary classical and experimental music. Together they’re creating a score for Kyiv-born, Barcelona-based dancer and choreographer Alina Sokulska’s “Magura,” a piece inspired by pre-Christian Ukrainian folklore.

Details: 7:30 p.m. Feb. 23; Tabard Theatre, San Jose; $30-$35.

Igor Osypov, Jason Lindner, and Brandon Farmer: Berlin-based Ukrainian guitarist Igor Osypov started gaining some U.S. notice in 2018 for his work with acclaimed saxophonist Logan Richardson. A highly resourceful improviser, he’s teaming up with New York keyboardist Jason Lindner, who was part of the brilliant wave of mid-‘90s jazz artists who cut their teeth in the essential Greenwich Village jazz club Small’s, and reliably grooving East Bay drummer Brandon Farmer.

Details: 7 p.m. Feb. 25; Mama Kin, San Jose; $20-$25.

SJZ Collective & Yakiv Tsvietinskyi Play the Music of Roy Hargrove: Featuring drummer Wally Schnalle, John L. Worley, Jr. on trumpet and flugelhorn, guitarist Hristo Vitchev, bassist Saul Sierra, and saxophonist Oscar Pangilinan, the SJZ Collective has proved its mettle tackling the music of jazz legends Charles Mingus, Thelonious Monk and Wayne Shorter. Joined by Ukrainian trumpeter Yakiv Tsvietinskyi, widely admired for his technical command and beautiful tone, the Collective celebrates the legacy of the late trumpet great Roy Hargrove, a seminal figure who artfully bridged the worlds of jazz, R&B and hip hop.

Details: 8 p.m. March 3; San Jose Jazz Break Room, San Jose; $20-$25.

Contact Andrew Gilbert at [email protected].