Greg Osby at SFJAZZ Center

 https://www.allaboutjazz.com/greg-osby-at-sfjazz-center-concert-review

 

 

 

San Francisco, CA
February 1, 2026

Alto jazz saxophonist Greg Osby has an impressive résumé. A St. Louis, Missouri native, Osby finished his studies at Howard University and the Berklee College of Music before moving to New York City in 1982. Since then he has performed and recorded with a number of legendary musicians, including pianists Jaki Byard, Muhal Richard Abrams, Andrew Hill, and John Abercrombie. He was also a member of Jack DeJohnette's Special Edition and became a founding member of the M-Base Collective. He has also toured with Phil Lesh. He has even developed the SYOS "OZ" custom alto saxophone mouthpiece, which meets the needs of both Osby and multitudes of other alto sax players.

Taking the stage at SFJAZZ, Osby was joined by his very capable and creative pianist, Tal Cohen, who came in from Miami for the date. They were joined by local musicians David Ewell, a bassist known for his work with The Supplicants and carnatic jazz fusion band VidyA), and drummer Jemal Ramirez.

Ewell's bass introduced Ornette Coleman's "Mob Job," which featured solos by Osby, as well as gorgeous piano work from Cohen. "Please Stand By," named after the message that once appeared on television screens decades ago, followed, beginning with a fast fingered solo by Osby and then radiant piano from Cohen, before Osby stepped back in to conclude. Thelonious Monk's "Ask Me Now," a melodious ballad, featured lyrical alto with flowing piano; a flourish from Ramirez on the mallets concluded the piece.

A lively and robust version of Duke Ellington's "I Didn't Know About You" began with Ewell's bass solo before Osby came in with a sonic burst.  Another rapid fire alto solo introduced  Lou Donaldson's "Alligator Boogaloo." Featuring interplay between bass and drums, it had a funky rhythm reminiscent of Junior Parker. 

Osby related that "Minimalism," the first set's concluding piece and the title track from Osby's most recent release "Minimalism" (INCM, 2023), was so named because he had to edit it down and then cut it some more. He told us that when he had asked his sister what she thought of his music, she had claimed that "It sounds like mad clown music." This inspired him to cut it down a bit. 

The second set followed much the same successful formula. Repeats of "Please Stand By" and "Mob Job" were supplemented by additions such as "Truth" and "Inner Circle." Ewell and Ramirez stretched out with solos. At the end of the set, a man came up to Osby and rapturously praised the music. He was likely not the first.   

By Harry S. Pariser
February 6, 2026 

Greg Osby Group at the Jamaaladeen Tacuma festival

John Coltrane Tribute

Response to questions about management and social media

VP: You have quite an impressive social media presence. I am really impressed how up-to-date you are with all these things. Some young musicians still believe all this is not necessary. 😁

 

Osby: The music world is entirely different than when I started my career. In the beginning, I had major record deals, managers, agents, publicists, promotions agencies, street teams, tour managers, accountants, and more. Now major labels won’t sign an artist unless they have a guarantee that they will make lots of money for them or unless they've already established a sizeable social media presence and following. Not to mention, the internet and mobile phones were not invented yet back then, so we had to actually go out and do everything in person. This meant introducing ourselves to club management and handing out or posting printed flyers everywhere possible. Now it is important for every responsible artist to take charge of their own career and destiny. It's very important to know a little bit about every aspect of the music business and to take advantage of the free access that the internet and social media offers. Of course it's a lot of work but if your time is managed well and you have a lot of spirit and hustle, you can do much better than people with low initiative who only wait for good things to happen for them. I have survived because it's not in my nature to wait around for anyone. I just figure things out and learn how to do them myself. All it takes is to prepare and get organized and to do a little bit every day. You will eventually realize that it actually doesn’t take up as much time as you think. I do my social media updates and phone calls while I am having my morning tea or coffee. Then the rest of the day is spent practicing, composing, teaching or sometimes nothing at all! 😉

PRISM Quartet, David Liebman, and Greg Osby rehearsing Osby's "Covenant ...

John Abercrombie and Greg Osby (2011) Duos

Carrington Osby Khan Haslip

 

 

New Sound Collective  - At New Morning (Paris) 2003

 

Terri Lyne Carrington - drums

Greg Osby - alto saxophone

Steve Khan - guitar

Jimmy Haslip - bass