Thanks to all who supported our spectacular 2012 Spring Gala "Freedom in the Groove" on Friday, May 4th. A crowd of celebrities and Bay Area notables joined SFJAZZ Trustees, patrons, sponsors, musicians, the SFJAZZ family and their guests at Bimbo’s 365 Club and together raised more than $1.1 million for artistic and educational programs at SFJAZZ.

Hosted by Robert Mailer Anderson, SFJAZZ Trustee and Gala Chair, Randall Kline, SFJAZZ Founder and Executive Artistic Director, and Felice Swapp, Executive Operating Director, the evening was marked by standout performances by Ahmad Jamal, master of funk Maceo Parker, the SFJAZZ Collective and the SFJAZZ High School All-Stars. Several special guests were honored with awards, including the first NAACP/SFJAZZ Humanitarian Award to Chris Tucker (presented by NAACP President Benjamin Jealous), the first-ever SFJAZZ Photographer Laureate to world-renowned photographer Jim Goldberg (presented by Robert Mailer Anderson) and the SFJAZZ Lifetime Achievement Award to Ahmad Jamal (presented by his longtime friend, film icon Clint Eastwood), noting a lifetime in jazz. Willie Brown also delivered an official proclamation from current San Francisco Mayor Edwin Lee, declaring the day "Ahmad Jamal Day in San Francisco.."

The star-studded crowd included comedian Robert Townsend; director Philip Kaufman; award-winning authors Ishmael Reed (the SFJAZZ Poet Laureate, who also read his poem, "Sweet Pea"), Tobias Wolff, Amy Tan, Michael Chabon and Daniel Handler; and former San Francisco mayor and current Lieutenant Governor of California, Gavin Newsom, and California State Attorney General Kamala Harris.