Jazz Mafia: PRINCE REIMAGINED

Jazz Mafia returns to Keys Jazz Bistro with another installment of their acclaimed "Reimagined" series, this time turning their adventurous arrangements to the music of Prince. Led by founder and trombonist Adam Theis, this San Francisco collective has been pushing musical boundaries since 2000, blending jazz with electronica, hip-hop, funk, and world music influences.

Featuring acclaimed Bay Area vocalist Kate Lamont, the show transforms Prince's iconic catalog through Jazz Mafia's innovative lens. Their previous "Reimagined" performances have explored the Beatles, Stevie Wonder, Miles Davis, and Charles Mingus with bold new arrangements that honor the original spirit while creating something entirely fresh.

Jazz Mafia is known for their high-energy, collaborative performances that create an immersive experience. As described by Rock Talk USA, their shows feature "passionately played instruments" with "soulful expressive countenances," creating an atmosphere where "the crowd was dancing, smiling and happily all participating in the show."

The collective's approach is far from traditional jazz covers. According to the SF Chronicle, Theis and his associates excel at "seeing a band nail a weird studio production never meant to be played on instruments." Their "trademark mix 'n' mash of funk, hip-hop and jazz embraces the genre-crossing tradition of great Bay Area bands like Tower of Power and Santana."

Expected to feature the core acoustic ensemble that performed their recent Miles and Mingus show at Keys, the group creates what the Chico News & Review calls "no forced mish-mash of conflicting styles" but rather reaches "the beautiful core of each style of music and melded them together into one very impressive, infectious musical experience."

With Prince's genre-defying catalog as source material, expect deep grooves, inventive arrangements, and the high-level interplay that has made Jazz Mafia one of the Bay Area's most compelling live acts.