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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Janam presents an eclectic mix of driving, odd-metered Balkan tunes, edgy Appalachian ballads, sultry modal songs from Asia Minor, and original compositions inspired by these traditional forms. In honor of the new year, the performance will feature contemplative and celebratory songs of renewal, revelry, and inclement weather.
FEATURING:
Dan Auvil - percussion, vocals
Tom Farris - laouto, guitar
Juliana Graffagna - vocals, accordion
Gari Hegedus - oud, saz, mandocello, mandolin
Shi...
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Rebirth Canal is a bold new ensemble led by pianist, vocalist, and composer Camille Mai. Featuring Bay Area heavyweights Ernesto Mazar Kindelán, Marcelo Perez, Daniel Riera, and Ahkeel Mestayer, their original music fuses lush neo-soul harmonies with Afro-Cuban and Brazilian rhythms, overlaid with the microtonal undulations of Vietnamese folk music. Their next stop—Havana Jazz Festival 2020!
FEATURING:
Camille Mai - piano, vocals
Ernesto Mazar Kindelán - bass
Marcelo Perez - drums
A...
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“A prime mover in the current Brooklyn jazz scene” (Time Out-New York) and "one of New Yorkʼs great jazz drummers and composers” (Capital New York), Rob Garcia brings his group to the Red Poppy playing his original music plus arrangements of American folk songs, as well as music by Chopin and Jimi Hendrix.
FEATURING:
Rob Garcia - drums, compositions
Matt Renzi - tenor saxophone
Dave Ambrosio - bass
TBA - piano
ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Rob Garcia continues to be a strong presence ...
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French Oak Gypsy Band, led by Stella Heath, is releasing their second album this October 2019! Along with the release of the CD, they are changing the name of the band officially to Bandjango Collectif. The full-length album will contain some of the band's favorites such as Edith Piaf's "La Foule" and "Sous Le Ciel de Paris," American traditional "St James Infirmary," the Romani national anthem "Djelem Djelem," and the classic "La Vie en Rose"!
FEATURING:
Stella Heath - vocals
Thierry...
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Sibarg Ensemble explores creative intercultural music by combining the sounds of traditional Iranian melodies and jazz. Through original compositions, arrangements of classical and folk songs, and structured improvisations, the members draw on their own distinct musical backgrounds while creating a dialogue with one another. With each performance, Sibarg sets out to create a sense of unity and peace while facilitating multiculturalism.
FEATURING:
Hesam Abedini - vocals
Sara Saberi - o...
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Ramana Vieira pays tribute to time-treasured fado classics of Amália Rodrigues, as well as performs Portuguese folk music, jazz, and original compositions.
FEATURING:
Ramana Vieira - vocals
Leslie Thorne - bass
Stephen LaPorta - percussion
Brad Bivens - guitar
ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Recognized by the New York Times as an American at the forefront of the fado resurgence, Ramana Vieira has also been described by Mundo Português newspaper as the “New Voice of Portuguese World Musi...
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Vince Delgado’s Mid-East Tapestry Ensemble plays a diverse array of classical, urban, and folk music from the Arabic-speaking countries, as well as Turkish, Greek, Armenian, and Persian traditions along with original compositions. In a time when there is so much negative perception about the Middle East, the ensemble believes that the aesthetics and variety of these cultures would be of interest to American audiences. There is much beautiful music to be heard from these countries that have been ...
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The Maxi Larrea Trio is an exciting new Argentine tango project in the Bay Area, led by Argentine guitarist Maxi Larrea. Drawing together original and new arrangements, they present an exciting selection of Argentine tangos, waltzes, milongas, and folklore repertoire. With rich melodies and syncopated rhythms dancing between guitar, bandoneon, and piano, they carry listeners through different emotional textures and climates, interspersing occasional duos into the trio repertoire to change the mo...
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Luminance celebrates the intersection of jazz, classical, and folk repertoire, bringing musical creativity to an unlikely instrument combination. Also sharing the stage, Motoshi Kosako performs improvisation, jazz, and original compositions in conversation with innovative fret-less bassist Michael Manring.
FEATURING:
Amelia Romano - electric lever harp
Matt Ebisuzaki - trumpet
Motoshi Kosako - pedal harp
Michael Manring - fret-less bass
ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
Formed in the Mis...
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SECOND SHOW ADDED! Advance tickets are now available online for the 8:45pm show.
Additional tickets will be available for purchase at the door for both the 7:00-8:15pm (6:30pm doors) and 8:45-10:00pm (8:30pm doors) shows. Please arrive when doors open the day of the event.
The Alash Ensemble performs and presents the art of xöömi, the tradition of Tuvan throat singing. Featuring original compositions and their versions of Tuvan folk music, the ensemble will certainly bring you on a mus...
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This year, the Hét Hat Club will be collaborating with Kjartan Code from the Szkojani Charlatans, focusing their repertoire on traditional and traditionally inspired original vocal and instrumental folk music from Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Bulgaria, and Turkey, as well as highly energetic jazz manouche in the classic style of Django Reinhardt.
FEATURING:
Kjartan Code - vocals, bass, violin
Valentin Desmarais - saxophone
Bitó János - accordion
Isaac Misri - guitar, tambura
A...
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Janam ("My Soul") presents dark love songs from Bulgaria, Greece, West Virginia, and beyond for a different spin post-Valentine's Day.
FEATURING:
Dan Auvil - percussion, vocals
Tom Farris - laouto, guitar, percussion
Juliana Graffagna - vocals, accordion
Gari Hegedus - oud, saz, mandocello, mandolin
Shira Kammen - violin, harp, vocals
ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Combining funky Balkan rhythms, gritty Appalachian ballads, arresting vocal harmonies, and enchanting acoustic textures, ...
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Joined by folk singer Ionela Guzic, Orchestra Euphonos presents a special program of traditional Romanian music.
FEATURING:
Ionela Guzic - vocals
Peter Bonos - trumpet
Balder ten Cate - cimbalom
Zina Pozen - accordion
Asaf Ophir - clarinet
Travis Hendrix - bass
Ivan Velev - percussion
Matthew Stein - violin
ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
Ionela Guzic is a talented young singer and a rising star in the world of Romanian traditional music. She has performed with many iconic musician...
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SECOND SHOW ADDED! Advance tickets are now available online for the 8:45pm show. Additional tickets will be available for purchase at the door for both the 7:00-8:15pm (6:30pm doors) and 8:45-10:00pm (8:30pm doors) shows. Please arrive when doors open the day of the event.
Sibarg Ensemble explores creative intercultural music by combining the sounds of traditional Iranian melodies and jazz. Through original compositions, arrangements of classical and folk songs, and structured improvisati...
More
Dive into the rich folk traditions of Europe, the Balkans, the Caucasus, Mongolia, and Americana through songs and folk tales with Mozaik and storyteller Dana Sherry. Harmonies are woven together with legends and tales to create a colorful tapestry of the distinct sounds and images from cultures around the world.
FEATURING:
Mozaik
Sandy Hollister - vocals, percussion
Adina Sara - vocals
Hilary Seamans - vocals
Liz Stuart - vocals, accordion, percussion
Natalia Ukrainska - vocals
...
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Harpist Amelia Romano, joined by trumpeter Matt Ebisuzaki and bassist Tim Renner, presents an evening of original compositions and arrangements. With influences ranging from South American harp, symphonic brass, and odd-meter dance music, to minimalism, post-bebop, and spaghetti western soundtracks, this intrepid trio finds a song-line under San Francisco’s Mission District and tracks it to the Red Poppy.
FEATURING:
Amelia Romano - harp, vocals
Matt Ebisuzaki - C rotary-valve trumpet
...
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Thousand Miles, Morley’s sixth studio album, is the culmination of a global journey to sites of incredible resilience and tremendous trauma—from the United States, Rwanda, and Hiroshima, to the open uranium mines at the Pine Ridge Reservation in the Black Hills—where human dignity, love, and resolve are expanding the frontiers of change, justice, and healing. The 13 songs resound with a layered serenade to the most elemental forces holding humanity together—friendship and love—and to the sanctit...
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Florist is a soft-synthesizer folk band and the friendship project of Emily Sprague, Rick Spataro, and Jonnie Baker. Born in the Catskill Mountains in 2012, the three began making, playing, and recording together after discovering their shared love for many things musical, as well as for each other.
FEATURING:
Emily Sprague - vocals
Jonnie Baker - guitar
Learn more: Website | Facebook
EVENT DETAILS
Time: 7:00pm doors / 7:30pm show
Admission: $15-...
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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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Triism is a jazz trio from Northern California that plays creative arrangements of original compositions, Balkan folk music, pop songs, and jazz standards. Featuring saxophonist Levi Saelua, bassist Alex Reiff, and drummer Jim Frink, their collaborative arrangements often develop from conversations about politics, pop culture, science, and comedy.
Chord Four, a chord-less Los Angeles-based ensemble, then takes the stage to perform a wide repertoire heavily influenced by jazz, as well as the t...
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The Alex Hand Band is riding the wave of its first full-length album, 2018's Traders of the Lost Arts, with performances featuring songs from this record as well as an upcoming one. The music is a mix of Romanian, Bulgarian, and Macedonian traditional folk dance tunes with original compositions inspired by years of playing these styles and studying music in Eastern Europe.
FEATURING:
Alex Hand - guitar
Gabe Case - bass
Kevin Gerzevitz - accordion, keys
Isaac Schwartz - drums
...
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Accompanied by her accordion, toy piano, and fiery band, Los Angeles-based chanteuse and songwriter Jessica Fichot draws from her multi-ethnic French, Chinese, and American heritage to create an intoxicating multilingual amalgamation of French chanson, 1940s Shanghai jazz, swing, and international folk.
FEATURING:
Jessica Fichot - vocals, accordion, toy piano
Ippei Ichimaru - upright bass
Mike Bjella - clarinet, saxophone
ABOUT THE ARTIST:
With three acclaimed albums under ...
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Acclaimed violinist Evan Price (Turtle Island Quartet, Hot Club of San Francisco) joins dynamic Baltimore-based acoustic trio Ultrafaux for a lively night of original music inspired by Balkan folk, bebop, swing, French musette, and Brazilian choro. The show also includes special arrangements of Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli tunes, as well as improvisations based on spontaneous suggestions from the audience.
FEATURING:
Michael Joseph Harris - guitar
Evan Price - violin
Sami ...
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Dromeno is a traditional ensemble presenting authentic regional music from the Greek mainland and beyond, overlapping into the surrounding regions and finding the musical legacy that connects the traditions of the Balkans. Featuring wide-ranging instrumentation, the group is able to span the sounds of Greece, from Western Macedonia and Ipiros, through Thessaly and Thrace.
FEATURING:
Christos Govetas - clarinet, bouzouki, vocals
Ruth Hunter - accordion, vocals
Eleni Govetas - double b...
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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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Danielle Wertz’s Old, New, Borrowed & Blue weaves together elements of jazz and folk and explores the stories we all experience but don't always hear expressed in song. Going a step beyond just love and heartbreak, the music explores commonly experienced emotions and scenarios through originals and arrangements of jazz standards in an intimate trio setting.
On tour from Asheville, North Carolina, singer-songwriter Brie Capone then takes the stage to promote her latest EP, If I Let You In, a c...
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Grammy-nominated Venezuelan cuatro virtuoso Jorge Glem teams up with American composer/accordionist Sam Reider to create a distinct blend of folk and jazz with driving dance rhythms. With jaw-dropping virtuosity and infectious chemistry, these musicians and friends break down the boundaries between their two continents, languages, and cultures. The evening also features San Francisco-based multi-instrumentalist Jackeline Rago.
FEATURING:
Sam Reider - accordion, piano
Jorge Glem - cuat...
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Alejandro y María Laura return to the Bay Area to present their latest album, La casa no existe, which is being regarded by critics and fans as their best to date. Performing acoustic versions of various songs from their three albums, the duo will also be joined by a handful of local singer-songwriter guests.
FEATURING:
Alejandro Rivas - vocals, guitar
María Laura Bustamante - vocals, piano, synth
ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Bandleaders, life partners, co-authors, and travelers, the P...
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The Mulberry Project’s Summer 2018 concerts feature international musicians who specialize in the revival of rare Ottoman-Turkish and Balkan music. Inspired by the lively performance aesthetic documented on thousands of 78 RPM records from the region, the members of the Mulberry Project present new compositions in addition to the core repertoire of folk and urban art music from Istanbul and beyond. These concerts are dedicated to the memory of oud master Haig Manoukian.
FEATURING:
Bren...
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