Join us for casual daytime talks and listening sessions with leading lights of the Bay Area jazz community. Bring your own lunch or order ahead from the JazzCaffè. Wednesdays at lunchtime! Free, drop-ins welcome.

Bay Area trumpeter, composer and bandleader Darren Johnston is a first-call side person and leads many of his own acclaimed ensembles exploring jazz and improvised music, as well as contemporary concert music and music of the Balkans and Jamaica. He has composed and arranged for film, video games, dance, and ensembles ranging from small jazz groups to big bands, string quartets, choirs, and more.

Johnston has performed and/or recorded with luminaries such as Marshall Allen, Marcus Shelby, Lisa Mezzacappa, Fred Frith, ROVA Sax Quartet, Ben Goldberg, Allison Miller, Mark Dresser, Myra Melford, Erik Jekabson’s Electric Squeezebox Orchestra and many others. He has also performed on five continents, including at festivals such as the Monterey Jazz Festival, Montreal Jazz Festival, Vienne Jazz Festival, Hyde Park Jazz Festival, and many more.

To order lunch from the JazzCaffè, call 510-654-0148 to place your order before 10:30am the day of the program. Scan this QR code for the menu or visit actcatering.com/jazzcaffe.