SFJazz’s mesmerizing Opening Night kicks off a stacked season of performances

When Lizz Wright kicked off her SFJazz Center residency with a haunting version of “Amazing Grace,” accompanied by guitarist Marvin Sewell, it was as if she was performing a benediction for the institution’s entire 2023-24 season.

Opening night bookings can be a challenge: getting a dynamic artist or group that has a history with the presenter and inspires the audience. But the powerhouse vocalist was an ideal, if unexpected, choice for the nonprofit performing arts organization’s opening night Thursday, Sept. 7. While Wright’s disposition might seem reserved — she didn’t interact with the crowd until half hour into her show — once she started engaging with some of her more vocal fans, she made a profound audience connection.

From then on, she and her four-piece band fully mesmerized the crowd that filled the Robert N. Miner Auditorium, with both slow, moving spirituals and hard-driving clapalongs. 

“It’s an exciting time of change,” said SFJazz CEO Greg Stern at the start of the evening, where he hinted at an expansion of the organization’s SFJazz at Home suite of video concerts, listening sessions and other online offerings. 

Recognizing SFJazz founder Randall Kline’s 40 years at the helm, Stern then mentioned incoming Executive Artistic Director, Terence Blanchard, who will take over in November and already has a strategic plan for the next few years.