The Jazz Therapists

The Jazz Therapists are a group of seven stellar Bay Area musicians who have been playing pre-1945 American Jazz treasures together since 2015. It's a strange fact that one of the best working jazz bands on the San Francisco Bay area scene can't be seen in nightclubs, restaurants, theaters, or concert halls – UNTIL NOW!

Boasting an illustrious cast of musicians who have performed and recorded with a dizzying array of talent, from Ray Charles and Taj Mahal, to Pharaoh Saunders and Bobby Hutcherson, to Kenny Barron, and k.d. lang, to Calvin Keyes and Julian Priester, The Jazz Therapists only play for exclusive audiences. Three days a week they can be found, performing at assisted living facilities and senior centers, delivering a potent dose of healing swing to listeners who grew up hearing and dancing to these standards.

Vocalist and former jazz club proprietor Anna de Leon says, " We all love this music and bringing it to seniors is a high calling!" Joining one of the Bay Area's busiest sidemen, drummer David Rokeach, are guitarist Rob Schwartz, pianist Ben Stolorow and first-call bassist Mark Heshima Williams. Trombonist and ace arranger Mike Rinta, who earned a 2014 Grammy award with the Pacific Mambo Orchestra, supplies the majority of the charts. Mike and tenor sax player Lincoln Adler were featured in the horn section of Taj Mahal's acclaimed recent "Savoy" album. The fact that the rhythm section is anchored by the blues and gospel steeped guitarist Rob Schwartz, enhances the combo's family feel.

Behind this singular band was a singular man, Rob's father, Bob Schwartz (1925–2017), a saxophone player and Oakland community leader. Born in Chicago, Bob was a jazz lover who spent his college years playing clarinet and tenor sax in a 15 piece jazz band he organized as an undergraduate at MIT. After joining the Navy and serving in the Pacific Theatre during World War II, he settled in Oakland in 1951 where he founded a successful electronics company and supported local cultural institutions.

Bob didn't return to playing music until his mid 80s, when a jazz pianist moved in next- door. Hearing him practice inspired Bob, a restlessly creative philanthropist, to pick up his horn again and they started playing every Saturday. Instead of remaining a garage band hobby, this rekindled love of playing soon turned into a new vehicle for improving the quality of people's lives. Bob formed a band. A neighbor walking by during rehearsal invited the band to perform at a senior center, where she had been an activities coordinator.

Bob also formed a nonprofit corporation to bring this great music to seniors. His goal was to stir memories and to re-engage seniors with life and with each other. Before long, the therapists were in session. Bob named the band and shared his jazz therapy with needy seniors. After his passing, Bob's daughter Margot, who is a professional violinist herself, now ensures that the band can continue Bob's mission. Thanks to Bob Schwartz and his family, it's a calling that The Jazz Therapists continue to answer. You can listen to their new CD at TheJazzTherapists.org

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