McPherson has been an internationally acclaimed musician since the early 1960s, thanks to his superb work with jazz giant Charles Mingus \u2014 in whose band McPherson performed from 1959 to 1972 \u2014 and as a solo artist, whose audacious debut album, \u201cBebop Revisited!\u201d, came out in 1960.<\/p>\n
Now, as then, McPherson\u2019s is equally notable for his grace and agility as a saxophonist who thinks as intently as he plays.<\/p>\n
His most recent solo album, the superb \u201cReverence\u201d came out in 2024. He is prominently featured on former San Diego trumpeter Brian Lynch\u2019s \u201cTorch Bearers,\u201d a justly acclaimed album that was released earlier this year.<\/p>\n
It is the first album to feature McPherson alongside 26-year-old singing sensation Samara Joy, who this year won her sixth Grammy Award and is an avowed fan of his. She and her band have performed with McPherson several times in San Diego and New York and have also spent time visiting and jamming with him at his home here.<\/p>\n
Samara Joy is a Gen Z jazz star and 5-time Grammy-winner: \u2018It feels pretty surreal!\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cHe is obviously an incredible musician, but also a very mindful person and a valuable resource when it comes to living a life as an artist and really pursuing being a musician,\u201d Joy said of McPherson in a 2025 San Diego Union-Tribune interview.<\/p>\n \u201cWe asked him: \u2018What are you working on now? \u2018What do you do after a lifetime of doing this? What are you thinking about and doing now?\u2019 And his response was \u2014 I\u2019m not going to be able to say it as eloquently as he did \u2014 but he said something to the effect of: \u2018I want to play from the purest place possible.\u2019 And he called it the God-force. I want to play from the God-force, too,\u2026<\/p>\n \u201cI really appreciate being able to hear words of wisdom like that from somebody like Charles McPherson. And I appreciate that he\u2019s still here and still playing at the highest level, and that he\u2019s so nice and open as a person. Being able to spend time with him is a rare opportunity and I don\u2019t take it for granted.\u201d<\/p>\n 7 p.m. (sold out) and 10 p.m. next Friday, July 10. Lou Lou\u2019s, Lafayette Hotel, 2223 El Cajon Blvd., North Park. $78. 619-296-2101; loulous.turntabletickets.com\/tables<\/a><\/p>\n San Diego boogie-woogie piano queen Sue Palmer has been a mainstay of the music scene here since joining the infectiously swinging band Tobacco Road in the 1980s.<\/p>\n She became the pianist and musical director for San Diego vocal dynamo Candye Kane in early 1991. They performed around the world together until 1999, when Palmer formed her brassy Motel Swing Orchestra.<\/p>\n Queen of boogie woogie Sue Palmer celebrates 25 years with her Motel Swing Orchestra<\/a><\/p>\n She has led the group ever since. Its most recent album, \u201cEight To The Bar,\u201d won Best Local Recording honors at this year\u2019s San Diego Music Awards, where Palmer performed with characteristic aplomb as part of an all-star blues ensemble. Her gigs with the Motel Swing Orchestra are celebratory affairs that exude charm, charisma and musical bonhomie.<\/p>\n![\"Sue](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/sut-l-music-surpalmer-013.jpg\")
Sue Palmer, front left, will perform with her Motel Swing Orchestra at Tio Leo\u2019s. (Nelvin C. Cepeda \/ The San Diego Union-Tribune)
\nSue Palmer & Her Motel Swing Orchestra<\/p>\n