The Amina Scott Quintet

New Orleans bassist Amina Scott brings her quintet to the Bay Area for two intimate sets at Keys Jazz Bistro. Scott, who holds a Master's in Jazz Studies from Florida State University, has built an impressive reputation performing with jazz luminaries including Dee Dee Bridgewater, Nicholas Payton, Christian Scott Atunde Adjuah, and Jazzmeia Horn. Currently based in New Orleans and serving on faculty at Loyola University, she leads her own ensembles and plays with the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra.

Scott's artistry draws from her Bay Area roots—she was born and raised in Oakland—and her journey into Black womanhood. Her debut album Where The Wild Seed Grows, released in 2024, captures the trials and tribulations of her career while staying true to the jazz lineage. The record includes compositions like "Wild Seed" and "Praise" that debuted at Jazz Fest to a packed WWOZ Jazz Tent.

Scott will be joined by an accomplished Bay Area band: saxophonist James Mahone, who brings nearly 30 years of experience including time with the acclaimed quintet Black Note (Columbia/GRP-Impulse) and extensive touring throughout the US, Europe, and Japan; guitarist Kai Lyons, who teaches at Cal State East Bay and the California Jazz Conservatory and has performed with Mike Clark and Donald Harrison; drummer Shawn Myers, a specialist in jazz and African diasporic music who has performed with Grammy-winning artist Leyla McCalla; and pianist Will Feinberg.

Expect contemporary jazz that blends Scott's New Orleans influences with modern sensibilities. Her bass work, both electric and acoustic, anchors compositions that range from straight-ahead standards to original material exploring her musical and personal journey. With her ability to "captivate audiences around the world with her music and her story," Scott promises an evening of both technical excellence and emotional depth.