The Westerlies

It’s not every day that a group establishes a new ensemble concept in jazz, but The Westerlies have pulled off this rare feat with style, polish and abundant curiosity. Featuring trumpeters Riley Mulherkar and Chloe Rowlands and trombonists Andy Clausen and Addison Maye-Saxon, the New York-based brass quartet has sailed from Carnegie Hall to Coachella, gracefully navigating a wide array of venues and projects with the intense calibration of a string quartet, the audacity of an indie rock band, and the welcoming spirit of a family sing-along. They make their SFJAZZ bow with this intimate show.

Formed in 2011, The Westerlies combine chamber music, jazz, various roots traditions to create music that is both “folk-like and composerly, lovely and intellectually rigorous,” writes NPR Music. 

With 10 critically acclaimed albums of genre-defying tunes, the group has also been featured on recordings by Fleet Foxes, Big Red Machine, Common, Theo Bleckmann, and Conrad Tao. The band’s latest release, 2025’s Paradise, is their most accomplished work to date, featuring guest appearances by vocalists Sam Amidon and Aoife O’Donovan.

Offering a musical sojourn unlike any other ensemble on the scene, The Westerlies brilliantly chart their own path, blowing against the prevailing winds.