Jesse Hamlin
Jesse Hamlin has written for The San Francisco Chronicle and other publications over the past 30 years on a wide range of music and art, covering jazz musicians and symphonic conductors, sculptors, poets, and architects. He has also written for The New York Times, Art & Auction and Columbia magazines, as well as liner notes for CDs by Stan Getz and Cal Tjader.
Articles by this Author
Feature Article
April 9, 2013
Composer Jonathan Berger is making music out of auditory hallucinations in two fascinating new one-act operas, part of Stanford’s Music and the Brain conference.
More "Can You Compose a Hallucination?" »Feature Article
January 22, 2013
SFJAZZ puts a new face on jazz in the Bay Area, with the opening of its dedicated concert hall. Here’s the inside scoop on its design and features.
More "Now That's How to Build an Audience: New SFJAZZ Center" »Feature Article
December 11, 2012
One month from the opening of the new concert hall on the Stanford University campus, where Stanford Live will present most of its events, SFCV takes the tour and gets the details from the architects and acousticians.
More "Bing Concert Hall Ready for Grand Opening" »Feature Article
September 4, 2012
Weill Hall in Sonoma County is built. Here’s how impresario Robert Cole plans to fill it, and how the building came to be.
More "Destination Concert Hall in Sonoma: Weill Hall Opens" »Feature Article
July 10, 2012
Silent-film music specialists still exist, and some of the best-known of their number are showing up to play this week for the San Francisco Silent Film Festival.
More "Musicians and the Sound of Silents (in Film)" »Feature Article
April 17, 2012
The inside story of bringing a major piece from idea to completion. Composer Gabriela Lena Frank’s star continues to rise as she prepares a major commission from the S.F. Girls Chorus and the Berkeley Symphony.
More "Journey Into Faith: The Creation of Holy Sisters" »Feature Article
March 8, 2012
The musicians of the S.F. Symphony are meeting the challenges of the eclectic American Mavericks repertoire with aplomb — and just a tinge of trepidation.
More "Orchestra Musicians Jazzed For American Mavericks" »Kids & Families Feature
January 19, 2012
Listening to Mozart won’t make you smarter. Music training, though, appears to enhance language skills, according to recently reported studies.
More "Music and Cognition: The Mozart Effect Revisited" »Feature Article
December 5, 2011
Social media such as Facebook and Twitter are fast becoming essential tools that help arts organizations build audiences and connect with supporters.
More "Simply Connect: The Rise of Social Media in the Arts" »Kids & Families Feature
November 16, 2011
Over more than three decades, Berkeley High School’s innovative jazz program has churned out talented amateur players as well as many professionals.
More "Berkeley High Still Swings With Its Jazz Players" »Kids & Families Feature
September 19, 2011
Youngsters audition for the All-Stars big band at SFJAZZ, and some blow away the judges with their talent and musical personality.
More "Calling Young Jazz Talent" »Feature Article
August 25, 2011
Beyond bland generalities and faked goodwill, the 10 candidates for mayor of San Francisco have ideas about funding the arts and using them to better the city and its communities.
More "S.F. Mayoral Candidates Share Ideas on Arts at Open Forum" »Feature Article
July 6, 2011
Nothing could be more San Francisco than the Fillmore Jazz Festival, a mix of jazz and everything even mildly related to it, and California cuisine and wine. Here's a report on some of the goings on
More "Fillmore Jazz Festival Offers Up Surprises Block by Block" »Feature Article
June 28, 2011
For decades, the Afro-Cuban music scene was a thriving part of the San Francisco Bay Area music scene. But with gigs drying up, the great players here have few outlets for their genius.
More "Great Musicians, Few Gigs, Afro-Cuban Bands Keep On Keeping On" »Feature Article
June 14, 2011
The academy that awards music’s highest honors feels besieged by complaints, after it announces that 29 categories will be axed. Musicians are fighting back.
More "Angry Musicians Protest Massive Changes to Grammy Awards" »Kids & Families Feature
May 9, 2011
Playing in the Youth Orchestra is life-altering for many of its young players, who often transition into professional careers.
More "Spotlight on the S.F. Symphony Youth Orchestra" »Feature Article
April 12, 2011
Super jazz-drummer Scott Amendola’s latest gig is as composer/performer in the Oakland East Bay Symphony “New Visions” commissioning series.
More "Broad Palette: A Colorful Composer Takes on the Orchestra" »Feature Article
March 29, 2011
San Francisco Symphony Concertmaster Sasha Barantschik plays a special instrument — a force of nature in its own right, with a noble history.
More "Embodied Spirit: The Journey of a Famous Violin" »Feature Article
March 8, 2011
More and more scientists believe that music is not an accidental byproduct of our big brains. Here’s a report on the most interesting research reported at Stanford’s Music and the Brain Symposium last weekend.
More "Adapted to Music, or Addicted to It?" »Feature Article
January 24, 2011
The famed, El Cerrito–based Arhoolie Records turns 50 years old this year, an anniversary that is being celebrated by an enormous roster of fans and artists at Freight & Salvage Coffeehouse in early February. Founder Chris Strachwitz recalls the label’s early days; Taj Mahal and Linda Ronstadt celebrate its triumphs.
More "For the Record: Roots – Arhoolie's 50th Bash" »
