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Following a nine-year stint in New York, Jason Olaine will return to the organization he left back in 1999 as Artistic Director for Yoshi's in San Francisco.

Olaine was Yoshi's Artistic Director from 1993 to 1999 (dating back to the jazz club's Claremont Avenue days), and he'll be working with Yoshi's at Jack London Square Artistic Director Peter Williams in bringing a diverse mix of both jazz and non-jazz artists to Yoshi's San Francisco.

Olaine was crucial in turning a one-time Japanese restaurant with occasional live jazz into the world-class music venue it's known as today. "We've long wanted to bring Jason back into the fold, so when he became available we jumped at the opportunity," says Yoshi's owner Kaz Kajimura. "Yoshi's grew tremendously under Jason's watch. We're very excited to have him back on-board booking Yoshi's San Francisco."

Joshua Redman, the Berkeley native and national jazz icon who recently concluded a week-long stint at Yoshi's Oakland, notes that "Jason is one of the best and brightest in the biz. He truly understands the jazz world from every perspective — most importantly the artistic one. Jason's return to Yoshi's can only mean great things for the Bay Area music scene."

In the nine years he's been away, Olaine served as Director of A&R for Verve Records and produced records by Herbie Hancock, Michael Brecker, Roy Hargrove, John Scofield, Chris Potter and Kurt Rosenwinkel. He also launched Monterey Jazz Festival Records and won a Grammy Award for his production work with Verve.

Along with booking music at Yoshi's in San Francisco, Olaine will maintain his positions as General Manager of Monterey Jazz Festival Records and Artistic Director/Talent Buyer for George Wein's Jazz Festival 55 at Newport.

Born and raised in Palo Alto, and a graduate of UC Santa Cruz, Olaine has been a leader in a wide variety of music-related activities. From booking jazz clubs and festivals to running a record label, and from being a working musician (he plays trumpet) to working as an Grammy-winning producer, Olaine has had a unique opportunity to touch a wide range of music from a variety of perspectives.

In his new role, Olaine will be working side-by-side with Williams, the man he personally picked to replace him. "This is a great time for Yoshi's and I'm thrilled to be working with Jason," says Williams. "He's got great taste and brings a wealth of knowledge about the music. We're a great team, and we've got some exciting ideas for the future."

Of his return to Yoshi's, Olaine says that "it feels very natural to be back with my old Yoshi's family. I look up at the pictures in Oakland and I see familiar faces and remember some great times, and I anticipate that Yoshi's San Francisco will begin to feel the same way soon.

"This is a different place than Oakland," he adds, "but the ideas and the goals are the same: to create an environment where art — both in music and cuisine — can grow and flourish, where regulars and tourists will both feel at home, and where the musicians will feel honored and respected and claim this place as their own.

"It's our responsibility to give our people — our community — every reason in the world to keep coming back for more."