Dan Wilson & Bruce Forman

A Bay Area jazz mainstay from the 1970s-‘90s, the Carmel Valley-based Forman forged a singular identity combining fluency in bebop and post-bop idioms with a love of Western swing. With more than two dozen albums of his own and sideman sessions accompanying heavyweights such as Ray Brown, Bobby Hutcherson, Joe Henderson, Tom Harrell and Richie Cole, Forman has become a cherished veteran in his own right.

He’s joined by Akron, Ohio’s Dan Wilson, who made a memorable SFJAZZ debut under his own name as part of the 2022 San Francisco Jazz Festival. His supple work with Joey DeFrancesco put his career on the fast track. The late B-3 organ maestro connected Wilson with bass star Christian McBride, who recruited the guitarist for his Tip City trio. Taking Wilson under his wing, McBride produced and released Wilson’s 2021 album Vessels of Wood and Earth on his newly formed Mack Avenue imprint Brother Mister, and his eloquent 2023 follow up Things Eternal. The first bandstand summit between Forman and Wilson promises a guitar event for the ages.

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