A bounty of jazz legends and stars are touring in 2024 — here are 5 coming to Bay Area

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As factionalism, mistrust and the resultant bitter divisions undermine the foundations of our culture, musicians in particular can offer an expansive set of strategies and practices that allow disparate traditions and peoples to create beauty together, sharing the best of themselves. If (or when) the need arises to replenish your spirit with absorbing sounds that inspire bright moments, to borrow a phrase from the late saxophonist Rahsaan Roland Kirk, here are a few suggestions for concerts coming up in the Bay Area.

Blue Note @ 85

When & where: 8 p.m. Feb. 3 at Cornerstone, Berkeley; $31-$36; www.cornerstoneberkeley.com; 7 p.m. Feb. 7 at Kuumbwa Jazz Center, Santa Cruz, $57.75-$63

The skinny: Founded by two German immigrants in 1939, Blue Note Records became jazz’s most consequential independent label in the 1950s and ‘60s. Its influence and output has waxed and waned in subsequent decades, but under the direction of bassist/producer Don Was the label has regained much of its luster in recent years. In celebration of a milestone year, a 35-date tour showcases four of Blue Note’s leading young(ish) lights. With pianist Gerald Clayton, 39, serving as music director, the collective quintet features spirit-summoning alto saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins, 26, vibraphonist Joel Ross, 27, and drummer Kendrick Scott, 43, all of whom are bandleaders who’ve played a central role in Blue Note’s renaissance. Bassist Matt Brewer, who like Scott is a member of the SFJAZZ Collective, anchors the 35-date tour, which brings the band to venues rarely played by jazz combos (Cornerstone) and flagship stages (Kuumbwa).

Sullivan Fortner Trio

When & where: 5:30 p.m. Friday Feb. 23; Piedmont Piano Company, Oakland;  $30; piedmontpiano.com; 4:30 p.m. Feb. 25 at Bach Dancing & Dynamite Society, Half Moon Bay; $35-$45; bachddsoc.org

The skinny: Sullivan Fortner was already the most widely revered pianist of his generation, but the 37-year-old New Orleans native’s recent album, “Solo Game,” landed like a career-enhancing exclamation point last November. He’s returning to the Bay Area with his trio featuring bassist Tyrone Allen and drummer Kayvon Gordon for performances at Piedmont Piano Company and Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society. His gift for synthesizing a century of jazz idioms via an elegantly soulful conception has made him an ideal interlocutor for generational vocalist/songwriter Cécile McLorin Salvant, with whom he’ll also be performing at Kuumbwa Jan. 22 and Cal Performances’ Zellerbach Hall Jan. 25.

Chucho Valdés & Irakere 50

When & where: 7:30 p.m. Feb. 15-17, 7 p.m. Feb. 18; SFJAZZ Center, San Francisco; $40-$115, www.sfjazz.org

The skinny: At 82, Cuban piano maestro Chucho Valdés continues to expand the vast musical frontier first explored in the 1970s with his storied band Irakere, which introduced a brilliant triangulation of folkloric and popular Cuban rhythms, post-bop jazz harmonies and elements of rock and funk. He’s forged deep ties with SFJAZZ, and his regular Miner Auditorium appearances have become seasonal highlights. The dance floor will be open throughout the four-night run with his most recent Irakere incarnation, which features a prodigious cast of Cuban musicians (based mostly in the U.S. and Europe).

DoosTrio

When & where: Presented by Stanford Live; 7:30 p.m. Feb. 21; Bing Concert Hall, Stanford University; $15-$68; live.stanford.edu

The skinny: A new ensemble that brings together three virtuosos known for their mastery of classical traditions and cross-cultural musical collaborations, DoosTrio is a project born of longtime friendships and intrepid spirit. The trio features Iranian Kurdish master of the spike-fiddle kamancheh Kayhan Kalhor; Hindustani tabla great Sandeep Das, who performed around the region in November with Rhiannon Giddens and the Silkroad Ensemble’s “American Railroad” project; and Chinese pipa maestra Wu Man, often described as the fifth member of Kronos Quartet; who’s a founding member of Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Project and was also part of the “American Railroad” tour. This is the trio’s only scheduled date in California.

Nathalie Joachim

When & where: Presented by Cal Performances; 8 p.m. March 7; Zellerbach Playhouse, UC Berkeley; $43-$48; calperformances.org

The skinny: Following on the February release of her second album, “Ki moun ou ye” (Nonesuch/New Amsterdam Records), flutist vocalist, and electronics artist Nathalie Joachim presents the West Coast premiere of a deeply textured project inspired by her family’s rural history in Haiti. Performed in both English and Haitian Kreyòl, the music interlaces field recordings, electronic drones, and vocals with a seven-member chamber ensemble of winds, strings, and percussion. A collaboration with choreographer Chanel DaSilva, the evening-length work was developed as part of Joachim’s appointment as Creative Associate at Juilliard (her alma mater).

Contact Andrew Gilbert at [email protected].