Jam Session with the Vince Lateano Trio

On the last Sunday of every month, drummer Vince Lateano opens the doors to one of the Bay Area's most welcoming jazz traditions: an open jam session where anyone can sit in. Backed by pianist Ben Stolorow and bassist Peter Barshay, Lateano anchors an afternoon that draws "local jazz giants, stalwarts, new comers, and those just passing through."

Lateano has been at the center of San Francisco's jazz scene since 1965, when he arrived fresh from military service and quickly became a fixture in the city's clubs. He's played with Cal Tjader, Vince Guaraldi, Woody Herman, and Stan Getz, and spent thirteen years as house drummer at Jazz at Pearl's. His approach favors swing and subtlety over bombast — he "doesn't deploy a lot of firepower to say his say," as one venue description puts it — creating a relaxed, supportive atmosphere that makes this "the friendliest session in town."

Stolorow, one of the most in-demand jazz pianists in the Bay Area, brings introspective, lyrical piano work informed by classical training and modern jazz sensibilities. He's performed at Yoshi's, the Kuumbwa Jazz Center, and jazz festivals throughout the Bay Area and Japan, and teaches at the Jazzschool in Berkeley. Barshay has worked with Milt Jackson, Freddie Hubbard, Joe Henderson, and Joe Lovano, drawing on experience across salsa, straight-ahead, funk-fusion, and Afro-Cuban and Brazilian traditions.

The session occupies "that sweet spot between wonderful and vastly amusing," with a mix of familiar faces and surprise appearances from "legendary players you've never heard of" drawn by their friendship with Lateano. The trio's monthly jam continues the tradition of sessions Lateano has led for decades at venues including Pier 23, the Dogpatch Saloon, and the Seven Mile House — the "Doghouse Jam" that remains a San Francisco institution.

There's no charge to play, but audiences are encouraged to bring a twenty to support the trio. BYOB.