21st Annual Dick Conte Jazz Piano Benefit Scholarship Concert

Dick Conte returns to the Jazzschool for the 21st Annual Jazz Piano Scholarship Benefit Concert

Dick Conte, piano  
Steve Heckman, saxophone  
Steve Webber, bass 
Jimmy Hobson, drums

Each year for 21 years, legendary Bay Area pianist and radio personality Dick Conte has returned to the Jazzschool on his birthday to host a benefit concert for the scholarship fund that bears his name. The evening features Conte’s quartet, with the 2026 scholarship recipient joining the ensemble for a tune as part of the festivities. This year, we celebrate Young Musicians Program pianist Jesse Ashlock, who is a student at Berkeley High.

The Dick Conte Jazz Piano Scholarship Fund, benefitting aspiring jazz pianists, was established in 2004 and has awarded nearly $40,000 in scholarships to young musicians in our community. 

About Dick Conte
Dick Conte arrived in San Francisco in 1961 from his native Connecticut and has since become an integral part of the Bay Area jazz scene with his encyclopedic knowledge of jazz, formidable jazz radio presence (from the fabled KJAZ days to KCSM and KKSF), and his performances at clubs, festivals and private venues. He has played at the San Francisco Jazz Festival, the Russian River Jazz Festival, the San Jose Jazz Festival, the Sonoma Valley Jazz Festival, the Calistoga Jazz & Blues Festival, Jazz on the Hill, and the Cotati Jazz Festival.

Conte has opened for Cassandra Wilson, Tony Bennett, Eddie Harris, Mike Longo, and Doc Powell and has performed at Yoshi’s, the Plush Room, Kimball’s East, and the Bach Dancing & Dynamite Society, among many other local venues. He is a three-time nominee for Gavin Magazine’s Jazz Broadcaster of the Year and winner of the AWRT Kudo Award for Best Radio Music Programming.

dickcontejazz.com