Beyond the Pale is one of Canada's most innovative and exciting acoustic roots ensembles. Klezmer and Balkan styles serve as the point of departure for their sound, which is shaped by everything from jazz and classical music to bluegrass and reggae.
FEATURING:
Dejan Badnjar - accordion
Aleksandar Gajic - violin
Bret Higgins - bass
Eric Stein - mandolin
Martin van de Ven - clarinet
ABOUT THE ARTIST:
With stellar musicianship, distinctive songcraft, and exuberant energy, Be...
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The Omer Quartet, fresh from its triumphant NY debut, presents an hour-long program of gripping selections by Haydn (his early masterpiece Opus 20 no. 2), Debussy (his only string quartet), Chris Rogerson, and Beethoven (the "Grosse Fuge" from the late quartet in B-flat, Op. 130). This will not only be a fabulous SF debut for the Omers, but also a keen sampling from the whole history of string quartet repertoire. The concert, part of Noe Valley Chamber Music's informal SNAPSHOTS series, will be ...
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In a co-presentation with Noe Valley Chamber Music's SNAPSHOTS series, Decoda—one of the country's premier classical ensembles—performs an informal happy-hour concert of delightful and virtuosic music by Prokofiev, Schubert, Evan Premo, and more.
FEATURING:
Owen Dalby - violin
Meena Bhasin - viola
James Austin Smith - oboe
Alicia Lee - clarinet
Evan Premo - double bass
Mary Bonhag (special guest) - soprano
ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Decoda is a NYC-based collective of versatile a...
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Composer, bandleader, and bassist Seth Ford-Young leads his dream quartet on a mission to integrate the transparent textures of chamber music and the ebullient bounce of Django Reinhardt-style jazz. The group will perform pieces from their newest release, Time Memory Beauty Hope, as well as favorites from their first album, Seth Ford-Young.
FEATURING:
Seth Ford-Young – bass
Evan Price – violin, octave violin
Rob Reich – accordion
Jason Vanderford – guitar
ABOUT THE ARTIST:
...
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Daniel Fabricant Trio joins forces with StringQuake for an evening of melodic French jazz, electrifying improvisations, and unusual meters.
FEATURING:
Daniel Fabricant Trio
Daniel Fabricant - bass
Aaron Kierbel - drums
TBD - piano
StringQuake
Amelia Romano - electric harp
Misha Khalikulov - cello
Josh Mellinger - cajón, tabla, frame drum
ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
Daniel Fabricant is a versatile bassist, playing both upright and electric, that can adapt to a wide range of mu...
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Bay Area trumpeter/composer Darren Johnston's newest project for showcasing his songwriting features the distinct instrumentation of two bass clarinets—played by powerhouse composers/improvisers/bandleaders Steven Lugerner and Cory Wright—along with Johnston on trumpet and vocals, as The Pipes. From short and sweet, quirky, groove-based songs to more expansive open improvisations, they've created a new recipe for experimental chamber-folk with a jazz reduction, telling stories of love and loss, ...
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Arco Belo brings together elements of raw, contemporary improvised music, mixing in crisp, through-composed pockets of sweeping dense harmony and a global rhythmic sensibility. At the Red Poppy, the group promotes the release of the first single from its debut album, The Space Between Disguises.
FEATURING:
Simone Baron - accordion
Lucas Ashby - percussion
Nelson Moneo - violin
Ian Ashby - bass
ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Arco Belo is an original chamber-jazz project led by pianist, ...
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Aallotar's music is an exploration of one tradition from two perspectives. Violinist/vocalist Sara Pajunen and accordionist/vocalist Teija Niku use their common musical heritage as a starting point for original chamber-folk. Together they create new sounds that reflect their differing contemporary cultures and shared roots.
Presenting a set of original compositions as well as arrangements of contemporary tango favorites, Oakland's Redwood Tango Ensemble also joins the duo for the night.
&nbs...
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Thomas Strønen presents the second recording for Ecm Records with his chamber ensemble Time is a Blind Guide. Influenced by jazz and contemporary classical music, the ensemble’s sound and style prize timbre, silence, and harmonic evolution in a variety of ways. Introspective yet not indulgent, Time is a Blind Guide reflects the development of a spectacular group of improvisers.
FEATURING:
Thomas Strønen - drums
Håkon Aase - violin
Leo Svensson Sander - cello
Mats Eilertsen - bass
A...
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Bassist and composer Solomon Gottfried presents a quartet of young musicians from New York City playing improvised music rooted in the jazz tradition but in a more chamber format. Featuring original compositions from their recently released EP, The Watering Hole, the band also performs new works with the intention of intimately exploring sound, texture, and space.
FEATURING:
Jasper Dütz - alto saxophone, bass clarinet
Abdulrahman Amer - trombone
Solomon Gottfried - bass
Jacob Patron...
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Join Duo Vis-À-Vis for their San Francisco concert debut at the Red Poppy Art House. The duo, comprising of violist Brandin Kreuder and pianist Craig Jordan, has been touring across the United States and abroad for the last two years. The duo's name translates to "face to face," alluding to their mission of bringing audiences closer to classical and contemporary chamber music through live performance and conversations about the personal and historical backgrounds behind their selections in intim...
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Grammy-nominated jazz pianist and composer Pascal Le Boeuf presents a collection of new and classic original works with an "advanced-propulsion rhythm team" (New York Times) comprised of Bay Area heroes Giulio Xavier Cetto on bass and Malachi Whitson on drums.
FEATURING:
Pascal Le Boeuf - piano
Giulio Xavier Cetto - bass
Malachi Whitson - drums
ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Described as "sleek, new" and "hyper-fluent" by the New York Times, Pascal Le Boeuf is a Grammy-nominated compose...
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Renowned instrumentalists Ashley Broder, Ben Schreiber, and Aria DiSalvio join forces to perform Broder's originals and some traditional fiddle favorites. Mandolin, electric mandolin, fiddle, and cello weave melodies, textures, and harmonies to create a sound that has been described as cinematic and transportive.
FEATURING:
Ashley Broder - mandolin, electric mandolin, fiddle
Ben Schreiber - fiddle
Aria DiSalvio - cello
ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
Southern California-based composer a...
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As a composer and improvisor, Jacob Szekely has recreated a revolution by definitively expanding the sonic culture of the cello into the world of contemporary jazz. The trio's influences range from classical, jazz, funk, rock, as well as Indian music. Their sound is highly complex, rhythmically and harmonically, while always grooving and with an unfailing sense of melody.
FEATURING:
Jacob Szekely - cello
Dennis Hamm - piano, keyboard
Gene Coye - drums
ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Born...
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Roger Kim’s Portrait Maker is a new kind of chamber music that combines elements of jazz, classical, and folk music in a highly personal and organic way. Writing for plucked and bowed string instruments, woodwinds, flute, voices, and sparse percussion and piano, the young guitarist makes his mark as a promising composer with a wonderful sense for unusual orchestration and timbres, musical economy, harmonic richness, melodic beauty, and improvisational creativity. Girl Swallows Nightingale opens ...
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Cosa Nostra Strings present a program of original works and their own interpretations of a few covers. Ranging from acoustic heavy metal to power ballads and everything in between, they utilize their distinct instrumentation of cello, viola, violin, trombone, bass, and percussion to the fullest extent.
FEATURING:
Shaina Evoniuk - violin
Adam Theis - trombone, bass
Keith Lawrence - viola
Lewis Patzner - cello
Aaron Kierbel - percussion
ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
A branch of the il...
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What if Béla Bartók wrote “Bye Bye Blackbird”? What if Charlie Parker wrote a prelude in E, or Sun Ra, a symphony in C? We may never know, but four Bay Area voices come together to groove, swing, and do their thing over themes by Bach, Bartok, Satie, Tchaikovsky, and others, followed by a set of their own compositions. Chamber jazz from the heart, this evening marks the inaugural performance of the new quartet.
FEATURING:
Darren Johnston - trumpet
Matt Renzi - woodwinds
Adam Shulman ...
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The Musical Art Quintet, formed in 2008 during weekly jam sessions in the Mission, features the music of bandleader/composer/bassist Sascha Jacobsen. The MAQ’s modern compositions blend jazz harmony, world rhythms, and a chamber-music sensibility upon which the players of the quintet improvise.
FEATURING:
Sascha Jacobsen - bass
Lewis Patzner - cello
Charith Premawardhana - viola
Anthony Blea - violin
Michelle Walther - violin
ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Sascha Jacobsen has performe...
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Bringing together original compositions and creative covers of music from the Great American Songbook and the Beatles, Berklee College of Music faculty members Jason Anick and Jason Yeager’s "jazz without borders" approach to music-making features adventurous improvisations and a commitment to melody and group interplay. At their first Red Poppy show together, expect to hear songs from their recently released album, United, on Greg Osby's Inner Circle Music.
FEATURING:
Jason Anick - vi...
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Violin-guitar duo Doralice unveil a new 10" vinyl record of original cinematic acoustic music, featuring everything from moody waltzes to serpentine gypsy rhythms and creaky Americana. Records will be available and include custom papercut art by Bianca Levan, who will share some of her work during the show. Opening the evening will be an intimate set by cinematic folk duo Wolf & Crow.
FEATURING:
Rima Ash - violin
Yates Brown - guitar
Zachary Vieira - guitar, vocals
Mathieu Stemmelen -...
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Using string quartets by Antonin Dvorak, Sahba Aminikia, and Philip Glass, Bay Area-based Circadian String Quartet makes its Red Poppy debut with a program that delves into three different ways of experiencing home: Coming home, paying tribute to home, or watching with alarm as a homeland erupts in strife and division.
Featuring:
Sarah Wood - violin
David Ryther - violin
Omid Assadi - viola
David Wishnia - cello
Circadian String Quartet was founded in 2013 to perform classical and con...
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Through a creative approach on some of their favorite songs from the past 40 years, Jenna & the Charmers delight in their dreamy, swinging, and sometimes rocking explorations of the songs that influenced them. Their Red Poppy debut will feature their own original compositions, as well as songs by Joni Mitchell, Squeeze, Elvis Costello, Jon Brion, the Beatles, the Finn Brothers, and others.
Featuring:
Jenna Mammina - vocals
Steve Bissinger - guitar
Ryan Lukas - bass
Jeremy Steinkoler - dru...
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Bandleader Adam Theis and this five-piece ensemble will present a night of new original compositions and arrangements, as well as tributes to artists who have influenced them. Expect a wide dynamic range, rock and EDM rhythms, plus melodies, harmony, and phrasing more common to chamber, jazz, and music from around the world – and a hint of New Orleans second line that occasionally surfaces for a wild horn romp.
Featuring:
Max Miller-Loran - trumpet/piano
Charlie Gurke - baritone sax
Adam...
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Oakland-based Redwood Tango Ensemble presents a concert of new works written by bandoneonist Charles Gorczynski. The sextet focuses on writing that is both fundamentally based in tango and reaching towards a personal and imaginative sound. The new works are influenced by contemporary tango groups in Argentina, modern chamber music, film music, and improvised music.
Featuring:
Charles Gorczynski - bandoneón
Kendra Vernon - violin
Mia Bella D'Augelli - violin
Anton Estaniel - cello
Elyse ...
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New York-based pianist Jason Yeager returns to the Red Poppy for an evening of catchy and quirky melodies inspired by Kurt Vonnegut's fictional characters, re-imagined standards by the likes of Thelonious Monk and Duke Ellington, grooves from Argentina and Brazil, and musings on Messiaen. He will also perform music from his forthcoming album with violin/mandolin virtuoso Jason Anick, as well as music by Billy Strayhorn and Stevie Wonder.
Featuring:
Jason Yeager - piano
Doug Stewart - bass
...
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Guitarist Will Bernard and clarinetist/vocalist Beth Custer present an evening of original compositions and arrangements exploring blues, jazz, folk, and classical music.
Featuring:
Will Bernard - guitar
Beth Custer - clarinet, vocals
Guitarist Will Bernard is a Grammy-nominated bandleader and founding member of all-star Bay Area jazz conglomerate T.J. Kirk, as well as Galactic drummer Stanton Moore’s rollicking trio. Bernard is a virtuosic performer whose bone-deep, groove-heavy playing...
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Arm Sized Legging gets its signature sound both from its unusual instrumentation–woodwinds (saxophone/oboe/clarinet), cello, bass and drums–and an all-original repertoire. Using both free-form improvisation and traditional song forms as the basis of collective soloing, composer/bandleader Renzi’s music explores textures, colors, and sonorities while adding a contemporary classical touch to the mix with cello.
Featuring:
Matt Renzi - saxophone, oboe, clarinet
John Wiitala - bass
Hamir Atwal...
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This celebration of the Musical Art Quintet’s latest album, Chamber con Alma—“chamber with soul”—promises to be an evening of contemporary string quintet music with spirited improvisations and cross-cultural influences. The program includes original compositions by bandleader/bassist Sascha Jacobsen, important works by icons such as Duke Ellington, John Coltrane, and Tito Puente, and the world premiere of “The Cool, Grey City of Love,” commissioned by the San Francisco Arts Commission and inspir...
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The six-piece pickPocket Ensemble returns to the Red Poppy to celebrate the release of the new album, Pepper Greenwald Presents Lounge Music for Spies. The pickPockets will play selections from the album, transporting listeners into the world of international espionage via European café music. The evening will also include remixes from the record and a set of original pickPocket tunes.
Featuring:
Rick Corrigan - accordion
Yates Brown - guitar
Chloe Allen - violin
Matthew Souther - trumpet...
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Miami-based trio Sound Underground traverses the lengths of acoustic jazz and beyond. Intimate and conversational, their music ranges from from artful compositions and introspective ballads, to unusual instrumentation and clever sonic explorations.
Featuring:
Jonah Udall - guitar
David Leon - alto saxophone
Alec Aldred - trumpet
Sound Underground was formed as a natural extension of the shared musical explorations and mutual admiration of three roommates with disparate backgrounds. In 2...
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