In late November/early December I Recently had the opportunity to play at the new Jazz club in San Francisco called Keys on Broadway and this was with the Great Noel Jewkes quartet featuring Grant Levin, myself, and David Rokeach. The room sounds absolutely amazing and it was a supreme pleasure to play many of Noel's original compositions which are quite unique and beautiful.   Congratulations to Simon Rowe for opening up such a wonderful sounding space to hear Jazz.  

I will be playing there again with Noel for a string of nights starting in February (2/1/23-2/4/23) except I will be at Bird and Becket for that last Saturday 2/4 with John Calloway's group.  Hope you can make it out to some of these shows.  

Keys on Broadway Jazz Bistro
https://keysjazzbistro.com

Bird and Beckett
https://birdbeckett.com

Also you can catch me playing with Noel Jewkes Quintet at the Sound room on Friday 1/20/23.  

Buy Tickets here:
www.eventbrite.com/e/noel-jewkes-quintet-with-kay-kostopoulos-tickets-483843778767

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We used to call him "Cannonball Dundy" behind his back because he sounded a lot like an Australian version of Cannonball Adderley but the truth was that Andrew had his own sound which was amazing and left a lasting impact on the Bay Area and global Jazz community.  As a former student and friend I can remember countless ways Andrew's wisdom  helped me in my development and understanding of the technical demands of Jazz also known as Black American Music.  I remember how on the bandstand he would play 30 choruses on a blues and never run out of ideas always playing music that was fresh and original.  True genius! I always knew that I had to bring my "A game" when playing with Andrew.  He taught me how to play in a big band, the role of the acoustic bass as a reference for dynamics within a jazz ensemble and also much of the history of jazz.   After attending the celebration of life event at Broadway Grill in Burlingame it was amazing to see how many different lives Andrew had influenced.  He raised the standard for musicianship within in the Bay Area music scene and I am so glad I had the opportunity to know and play music with him.  I only wish he could have stayed with us longer. I offer my heartfelt condolences to all of his family and friends.   RIP Andrew Speight.