A list of musicians living and performing in the Bay Area. Select an artist's name for details.
| Name | Description |
| Bruce Ackley | Saxophonist, composer, Rova member, band leader |
Ashley Adams | bass | Steve Adams | Saxophonist, composer, Rova member, band leader | Carol Alban | Flutist and Composer | Liz Allbee | Trumpet | Josh Allen | Saxophones | Laurie Amat | Laurie Amat is an acclaimed vocalist, improvisational performer, experimental composer and teacher. Her approach to singing is informed by broad experience including pop, rock, traditional and inventive opera, spoken word, video, dance, theatre and performance art. | Scott Amendola | drums, percussion, composer, band leader | Vijay Anderson | drums | Kristian Aspelin | Guitarist | Kattt Atchley | creates sound works blending voice, amplification, electronics
| Aurora | Voice (aka Aurora Rising, Aurora Josephson) | Jen Baker | Trombone, Didgeridoo, Voice | Aaron Bennett | Winds | Tom Bickley | Recorder, Vocals, Electronics | Miko Biffle | Guitarist, composer | John Bischoff | Computer and Electronic Music | Jorge Boehringer | composer, sound artist | Myles Boisen | Guitarist, composer, band leader | C. J. Reaven Borosque | noise pedals, turntables, guitar,misc. electronics | Bob Boster/Mr. Meridies | Electronics | Chris Brown | electronics and piano | Christopher Brown | bass | Kyle Bruckmann | Oboe, English horn, analog electronics | Jon Brumit | drums, electronics, reconfigured salvage | Laurie Buenafe | dance, voice, found objects, electronics | Chris Burns | Composer | Alex Candelaria | San Francisco based guitarist/composer | Doug Carroll | Electric violin, cello | Amar Chaudhary | composer and performer specializing in contemporary and electronic music | Jarrett Cherner | Pianist, Composer, and Educator | Merlin Coleman | composer, writer, performer and recording artist | C.O.M.A. | California Outside Music Associates | Cory Combs | Cory Combs Trio | Rachel Condry | clarinetist, composer and improviser | Graham Connah | Piano | India Cooke | Violin | Michael Cooke | Composer, multi-reeds : flute, saxes, bass clarinet, and bassoon | George Cremaschi | contrabass, analog electronics, composition | Patrick Cress | saxophonist and composer | Eli Crews | Bass, guitar, recording engineer | Bill Crossman | pianist, composer, and educator | Beth Custer | Clarinetist, composer, performer, and teacher | André Custodio | Drummer | Educator | Improviser | Matt Davignon | Drum Machine, electronics | Bryan Day | improviser, instrument builder, and conceptual artist | Solidad Decosta | spoken word artist, author, performer, pianist and composer | Danielle DeGruttola | Cello, Electric Cello, Composer | Ernesto Diaz-Infante | guitarist, composer and improviser | Thomas Dimuzio | composer, musician, mastering engineer and label proprietor | Tom Djll | Trumpet, keyboards, electronics, composer, writer | Smith Dobson V | Drummer, vibraphonist, composer, bandleader | Doctor Bob | sonic snake oils for these dark & stormy times | Wade Driver | Drums, Guitar, Anything and Everything | Jack Curtis Dubowsky | composer, pianist, bassist, keyboardist, arranger, filmmaker. | Lisle Ellis | bassist/composer/improvisor | Marco Eneidi | musician/alto saxophonist | Cenk Ergün | Composer, Laptop Performer | Karl Evangelista | Guitarist | Philip Everett | Drums | Thea Farhadian | Interdisciplinary artist and performer | John Finkbeiner | guitar | Tara Flandreau | violinist/violist/composer/improviser /educator | Christopher Fleeger | Computer | Stephen Flinn | drummer, percussionist | Forward Energy | Jim Ryan, Adam Lane, Damon Smith, Peter Valsamis, Danielle DeGruttola | Fred Frith | Guitarist, Composer | Eddie Gale | trumpet | Philip Gelb | Shakuhachi | Ghost In The House | A soundtrack for the subconscious | Jordan Glenn | Drums | Ben Goldberg | clarinet | Matthew Goodheart | piano | Greg Goodman | improvising pianist | Lance Grabmiller | Electronic and Electroacoustic music | Phillip Greenlief | Woodwinds, Composer | Scot Gresham-Lancaster | Composer, Instrument Designer, Computer Musician | Morgan Guberman | Contrabass, Electric Bass, Voice, Composition | Sameer Gupta | DRUMSET, TABLA, PERCUSSION : jazz, world, avant-garde | Ross Hammond | guitarist | The Ni Project | Improvisations for Guitar & Tabla with overtones of Indian Classical Music | Clare Hedin | Healing, Music and Consciousness | Ron Heglin | Trombone, tuba, voice | Herb Heinz | guitarist, electronicist, vocalist, producer, composer, improvisor | Jacob Felix Heule | drums & electronics | Lars Hidde | Composer, Remixer, Performer, Producer/Engineer | Shoko Hikage | Koto | Nora Hoffmann | Composer, Violinist | Jason Hoopes | Bassist. Composer. | Bill Horvitz | Guitarist, composer | Matt Ingalls | Clarinet, Computer Music | John Ingle | Saxophonist/composer/improviser | Carrie Jahde | drums | Gary Johnson | composer/producer and bass player | Darren Johnston | Trumpet | Lewis Jordan | alto saxophone, poetry | Dan Joseph | composer/performer/multi-instrumentalist | Henry Kaiser | Guitarist, improviser | David Kanaga | voice, computer, samples (composer/improviser) | Kaolithic Music | Clayton Bailey, Bob Bassara, Linda Elvira Piedra, Jon Raskin | Carla Kihlstedt | Violinist | Richard Inkyu Kim | Viola/Violin | Alexander Kort | Cello | Henry Kuntz | tenor saxophone, musette, wood flutes, etc. | Joe Lasqo | new Indo-Modernist and "Neo-Gaku" sounds | Matt Lebofsky | Keyboards, electric bass, guitar, Warr guitar, drums | John Lee | webmaster for bayimproviser.com | Dohee Lee | improvising Korean percussionist, dancer, vocalist | The Left Coast Improv Group | Doug Carroll, Ron Heglin, Jeff Hobbs, Scott R. Looney, Bob Marsh, Tom Nunn, Jim Ryan, Karen Stackpole | zBug | An industrial jazz unit based in San Francisco, CA that presents structured improvisational music sets. | David Leikam | Creative arts composer, designer, improviser, and producer of the industrial jazz unit zBug. | Ike Levin | Reeds | Jacob Lindsay | Clarinets | Hugh Livingston | Cello | Sarah Lockhart | curator and video artist, drums | Scott R. Looney | piano, hyperpiano, electronics | Jessica Loos | Artist and poet | The Lost Trio | Phillip Greenlief, saxophones; Dan Seamans, bass; Tom Hassett, drums | Alicia Mangan | Saxophones | Bob Marsh | Composer, Multi-Instrumentalist | Eric Marshall | upright and electric bass | Miya Masaoka | koto | Silvia Matheus | Computer and electronic music composer, video artist and sound designer | Jenny Maybee | pianist, vocalist and composer | Marianne Tomita McDonald | Harp, Didjeridu | Thollem McDonas | pianist/composer/improviser/vocalist/teacher | Ava Mendoza | Guitarist, composer, improviser | Lucio Menegon | guitarist, composer, improviser, sonic artist | Lisa Mezzacappa | double bassist, improviser, composer | David Michalak | Filmmaker/Soundtracks/Lap steel guitar | Mills College Didjeridu Ensemble | Non-Traditional Applications of the Digjeridu | Kristin Miltner | Computer Music, Composition, Voice, Electronics, Video, Installation and
Sound Art | Miss Henry | Miss Henry, voice; Alex Candelaria, guitar; Calder Spaniel, saxophone; Michael Blustein, piano; Leo Boumeister, piano; Todd Sickafoose, bass; Tom Lyne, bass; Scott Amendola, drums; Eric Crystal, tenor sax | Mo’Fone | Larry de la Cruz, saxophone; Jim Peterson, saxophone; Jeremy Steinkoler, drums | Polly Moller | Flutist, bass flutist, spoken words, performance artist | Justin Morrison | Dancer and improviser | Lisa Moskow | Sarod | Shaun Naidoo | Composer, Pianist | Amy X Neuburg | composer/performer, voice and electronics, chamber works, live looping | Bill Noertker | bassist/composer/educator | Kjell Nordeson | percussion | Aaron Novik | composer, clarinetist, bandleader | Tom Nunn | Improviser / Experimental Instruments | Peter Nyboer | audio and video artist and programmer | Oakland Air | Kyle Bruckmann, Jacob Lindsay, Aurora Josephson | Larry Ochs | Saxophonist, composer, Rova member, band leader | Suki O'Kane | mallet percussionist, composer, public artist and instigator | Opeye | Henry Kuntz, Brian Godchaux, John Kuntz, Esten Lindgren | Timothy Orr | drummer | Sam Ospovat | drums/percussion | Philip Perkins | Live recording and mixing; electronic and concrete sound works | Tim Perkis | Electronics | Mike Perlmutter | saxophones, clarinet, tiny instruments. | Dan Plonsey | Saxophonist, composer, band leader, webmaster | Edword (Word, Eddie) | Drums, drum machines, percussion, electronics, samples | Mika Pontecorvo | guitarist, flutist, live electronics, composer, improviser, process architect | Garth Powell | drums, percussion, composition | Suellen Primost | Cello | Jesse Quattro | Vocalist, Lyricist, Composer | Jon Raskin | Saxophonist, composer, Rova member, band leader | Reel Change | Plays live soundtracks | rob reich | Yes, I'm the one who eats the music. | Roger Riedlbauer | guitar player, audio criminal | Eric Glick Rieman | composer - prepared Rhodes, piano, and multi-instrumentalist performer | Gino Robair | Percussionist, Splatter Trio | Donald Robinson | Drums | Rent Romus | saxophones, composer, curator | Rova Saxophone Quartet | Larry Ochs, Bruce Ackley, Jon Raskin, Steve Adams | Geoff Rowland | Composer,keyboardist, soundchaser | Jess Rowland | musician and composer | Lx Rudis | electronics | Jim Ryan | Saxophones, flute, spoken word | David Samas | composer, cosmologist, poet, painter, performer, philosopher, farmer and father of 4 | Thomas Scandura | Drums | John Schott | Guitarist, composer, band leader | Anton Schwartz | Jazz Saxophonist - Composer - Bandleader | Scrote | guitar exploiter & composer | Dan Seamans | Bassist and founding member of The Lost Trio, The New Klezmer Trio, and with bassist with Graham Connah's Jettison Slinky, Sonya Hunter, and many others | Jonathan Segel | composer, performer and multi-instrumentalist | Shirzad Sharif | Tonbak / Daf (Persian Percussion) | Aram Shelton | multi-instrumentalist on saxophones and clarinets, composer & improviser | John Shiurba | Guitarist | Todd Sickafoose | Bassist, Bandleader, Composer | T.D. Skatchit | Inventor of the Skatchbox | David Slusser | Electronics, Woodwinds, Composer | Damon Smith | Double Bassist, Improviser. | Spirit | Percussion | Splatter Trio | Gino Robair, Dave Barrett, Myles Boisen | Karen Stackpole | Percussion | Moe! Staiano | Drums, percussion, composer, orchestra leader | Colin Stetson | Saxophones | Jeffrey Stevenson | guitarist, composer | Jameson Swanagon | guitarist | Nicholas Taplin | high fidelity recording engineer | Shannon Taylor | Drummer/Synthesist | Oluyemi Thomas | Saxophones, bass clarinet | Ijeoma Thomas | Spoken word artist, poet | Biggi Vinkeloe | alto saxophone and flute | Andrew Voigt | Saxophones, concert & Bass flutes, recording engineer | Edward Walter | trumpet | Luke Westbrook | guitarist, composer | What We Live | Lisle Ellis, Donald Robinson, Larry Ochs | Harry Whitney Trio | Composer/Pianist | Andrew Wilshusen | Drums | Sarah Wilson | Composer, trumpeter, singer-songwriter | William Winant | Percussionist | Wobbly | Electronics | Theresa Wong | Cellist, improviser and composer | Pamela Z | Composer/Performer | Damon Zick | Woodwinds, Bandleader, Composer | Jacob Zimmerman | Alto Saxophonist, Composer/Improviser | |
