Once hyped as the next Diana Krall, singer Jane Monheit has gone on to become something much more precious: A gifted vocalist with loads or artistic curiosity, a strong sense of herself and the musical chops to work with some of the best instrumentalists in jazz. After dabbling in Brazilian music, Paul Simon and more, her latest album, "Home," finds her back with the standards. Monheit and her trio perform as part of the SFJAZZ spring series, 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Tickets are $30 and $50.
Also worth noting on the Bay Area jazz scene this week:
- Cuban-born piano prodigy Alfredo Rodriguez is only 25, but he's already mae a big impact on the jazz world, performing at most of the major festivals with a precise yet bold style that reflects broad jazz and classical influences. Rodriguez performs with his trio 8 and 10 p.m. Wednesday at Yoshi's San Francisco. $10-$18.
- Local polymath/sparkplug/party hound Adam Theis shows off one of the many variations of his Jazz Mafia posse -- a string quartet, augmented by percussion and Theis' trombone -- in an SFJAZZ show 8 p.m. Friday at the Swedish American Hall. $25.
- Jake Shimabukuro continues to make the ukulele do things you might have thought impossible (short of gaining an octave or two in range), including a totally righteous version of "Bohemian Rhapsody." He performs SFJAZZ shows 7 and 9 p.m. Saturday at the Place of FIne Arts. $30-$75.
- Bassist, composer and all-around wizard Marcus Shelby celebrates the work of female jazz composers with a free trio show 7 p.m. Saturday at Sharp Park Library in Pacifica.
- San Francisco bassist Lisa Mezzacappa mixes free-jazz spontaneity with garage-rock energy with her Bait & Switch quartet, performing 8 p.m. Sunday at Yoshi's San Francisco. $15.
- Peninsula native Taylor Eigsti, one of the most lavishly talented pianists to emerge over the past decade, gets a workout on the majestic Fazioli concert grand piano in an 8 p.m. Saturday concert at Piedmont Piano Company in Oakland. $15
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