Preview: Red Bull Music Academy presents New York City to the SF Bay

This week, Red Bull Music Academy brings three exclusive events for jazz, hip-hop, and dance lovers. The Red Bull Music Academy 2012 will be held in New York City, September 30 through November 2. Music makers, vocalists and DJ are invited to apply from February 2 to April 2. The application period will be kicked off in style in San Francisco with three days’ of concerts and parties all around town.

Wednesday, January 25th features Grammy Award winning jazz saxophonist Gary Bartz. R&B icon, Bilal, will serve as the featured vocalist for the Gary Bartz Project, and for this special night only, soul sensation and 2006 RBMA Participant, Aloe Blacc, will join them on stage. Get tickets for this show at Yoshi’s SF here.

Thursday, January 26th features The Stretch Armstrong & Bobbito Show w/ opening set from DJ Shortkut . The Stretch Armstrong & Bobbito Show was broadcast out of Columbia University’s WKCR in the early ’90s and launched the careers of hip-hop legends including Nas, the Notorious B.I.G, Jay Z and Big Pun. DJ Adrian “Stretch Armstrong” Bartos and Robert “Bobbito” Garcia turned their 1 to 5 a.m. radio show in to a launching pad for young artists on the brink of fame. Legendary Bay Area DJ, Shortkut, will warm up the hometown crowd, paying homage to his contemporaries from the East Coast. Get tickets to this show at Mighty here.

Lastly, Friday January 27th features Masters at Work, comprising of “Little Louie” Vega and Kenny “Dope” Gonzalez. They celebrate 20 years together, shepherding dance music down new paths with their inventive production style and imaginative feel for different musical forms. The two native New Yorkers have amassed an overwhelming body of work in that time, one that includes hundreds of original productions, remixes and side projects, redefining the way we think of music in clubs. Get tickets for this show at 1015 Folsom here.

Every night will be recorded for Red Bull Music Academy Radio.