The Red Poppy Art House PresentsThe First Annual Cross Pollination People & Performance Festival September 24th-28th, 2014Curated by lu-Hui Chua, Todd Thomas Brown, and Melody WangThis September, the Red Poppy Art House is producing a new festival aimed at bringing together artists and audiences from different communities and artistic disciplines. It's all about creating a space of intersection between the different worlds we inhabit; our social spheres, our work life, and our personal p...

La Salsa Cubana: Film Screening, Q&A, Dance Lesson & Dance Party The Red Poppy's interdisciplinary film series, Red Reels, presents a screening of the exuberant dance documentary, La Salsa Cubana. The evening will also include a Q&A with the film's Director Eric Joseph Johnson, a dance lesson taught by Sidney Weaverling and Ryan Mead of ODC Dance, followed by a salsa dance party!Step into a world filled with vibrant dancing, fascinating relationships, terrific music, and sumptuo...

Intimate Songs from a Lagos SojournThe Red Poppy Art House is very excited to announce a special two-night, four show engagement with critically-acclaimed vocalist and songwriter Somi.  These two evenings of music are part of  the artist’s Salon Tour, promoting the release of her lastest album, The Lagos Music Salon.In late 2011, acclaimed East African vocalist & songwriter Somi decided to move from New York City to Lagos, Nigeria for 18 months in search of new inspiration. The resul...

Intimate Songs from a Lagos SojournThe Red Poppy Art House is very excited to announce a special two-night, four show engagement with critically-acclaimed vocalist and songwriter Somi.  These two evenings of music are part of  the artist’s Salon Tour, promoting the release of her lastest album, The Lagos Music Salon.In late 2011, acclaimed East African vocalist & songwriter Somi decided to move from New York City to Lagos, Nigeria for 18 months in search of new inspiration. The resul...

Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, guitarist Gonzalo Bergara arrived in the States in 2000, and rapidly became one of the lead figures in the style of guitarist Django Reinhardt, Gypsy Jazz. The most important Django Reinhardt festival,  DR Samois Sur Seine, named Bergara "the best thing to happen to Gypsy Jazz in the last 20 years." He remains to be one of the most important composers in the genre today. For this special night at the Poppy, Bergara will be performing music from his 3 critically a...

New Music for the Traveler's Café Inspired by musical traditions from around the world, the pickPocket ensemble inhabits a country all their own. Original, fresh and engaging, the pickPocket ensemble creates contemporary chamber café music that moves both body and soul. Though the origins remain nomadic, the music of the pickPocket ensemble sustains intensely personal and immediately engaging rhythms, inviting the listener to an intimate and ongoing conversation. PickPocket Ensemble has toured ...

The Fresh Sound of Blended Folk & Rumba Flamenco Entertaining audiences since 1999, David’s music combines Latin folk and rumba flamenco rhythms with a hint of middle eastern melodies, creating a distinctive style. Cascada's rich musical experience lends depth to their unique sound, garnering wide acclaim in the Bay Area, the North and Southwest, and Southern California. Cascada was named Best Latin Band in the North Bay from 2005-2007. In 2006, David signed with prestigious Southern Califo...

A HOT NIGHT IN OLD HAVANA Bringing their own blend of traditional sounds to The Red Poppy Art House, Tito y Su Son de Cuba will take you back to the old Cuba, interpreting and redefining classic Cuban son at its best! Son, a translation for rhythm, is the most popular style of music to come out of Cuba and is the primary contributor to today's salsa music. Tito y Su Son de Cuba blends traditional Cuban music: chachacha; son montuno; guaracha; bolero and danzon with many other styles like bossa ...

Creole, Swing & Soul Unite Tiffany Austin, current artist resident at the Red Poppy, will perform her Creole Music Project, mixing swing, blues, soul and hip-hop. Performing in French Creole and English with an all-star lineup of players, Austin will explore the intersections between swing, soul, and creole music. Her unique, soulful sound draws upon the ground-breaking work of Creole accordionist Amede Ardoin and other songs from the blues tradition. This performance will be a culmination ...

Different Roots from a Single Tree Led by long-time Poppy performer Darren Johnston, this all-star cast of musicians has come together to produce wide-ranging music including raucous violins and exciting trumpet solos.With an emphasis on lyrics and song-writing, Broken Shadows Family Band is far from lacking in producing a variety of creative sounds - ranging from Western European to Arabic Classical, Slavic choral to Americana and classic jazz and R&B, as well as sounds from Macedonia ...

The Red Poppy Art House cordially invites you to Praise for the Poppies: Benefit and staff celebration on Saturday, August 23 at 6:00 p.m. The event is all ages, Doors open at 6:00 p.m. for a happy hour and performances begin at 7:00 p.m. Admission is $15-20, sliding scale. A pot luck style meal is included in the admission price. For advance tickets visit: http://praiseforthepoppies.bpt.me/.Praise for the Poppies is a special summer benefit that will honor the female staff of the Poppy, in ...

This MAPP will present #wheredoyoubelong, a OutLook Theater Project investigation in collaboration with 14 Black Poppies. OutLook Theater Project and 14 Black Poppies present their first interactive, multi-disciplinary performance showcase as part of their #wheredoyoubelong investigation. And we'd LOVE for you to join us at the table!The OutLook Theater Project ensemble is Shirley Acuna, Anne Carol Mitchell, Rebecca Schultz, Anthony Julius Williams, and Jason WymanAdditional Artists ...

7-Piece Neo-Folk Revival Orchestra Patchy Sanders is a 7-piece folk orchestra which goes beyond categorization. Some have hesitantly distinguished their sound as alternative, noir-grass, or perhaps neo-folk. Either way, this tight-knit group of extremely talented musicians take pride in their ability to pursue the broader folk revival in order to produce a new, but familiar sound. Guided by famed producer Sylvia Massey, Patchy Sander's debut album is titled "& The Wild Peach Forest" and has...

Lavay Smith promises to re-imagine the 1920s by performing her favorite pieces within the songbook of classic jazz artist; Sarah Vaughan. Lavay Smith is the vocalist and bandleader of the Red Hot Skillet Lickers, one of the top swingin’ Jazz and Blues bands in San Francisco. Lavay grew up in Southern California and the Philippines and has become an internationally recognized Diva of Jazz and Blues, with a singing style influenced by legendary greats such as: Billie Holiday, Dinah Washington, Be...

Hip Hop and Classical Genres Collide Red Poppy group-artist-in-residence Ensemble Mik Nawooj (EMN) has been turning heads in the Bay Area Music scene with their innovative collision of classical and hip hop styles. The ensemble’s leader, composer and pianist JooWan Kim believes that hybridization, or the fusing together of musical styles, is the mechanism through which music has transformed so radically over the last century. In EMN's case, JooWan Kim's particular fusion of classical instrument...

An Evening With Four Latin American Poets The Red Poppy Art House is delighted to bring you an evening of poetry from Roger Santivañez, José Antonio Galloso, Arturo Dávila and Adrián Arias on Thursday, August 14th, 2014.ROGER SANTIVAÑEZ is a Peruvian poet of the 80s generation. He studied literature at the University of San Marcos in Lima and received his Ph.D. in Latin American Poetry from Temple University, where he is currently a professor. With Mariela Dreyfus, he founded the undergr...

A Night of Cuban Rhythm & Dancing Evoking feelings of romantic Havana nights, Los Boleros produces an electric, distinctly Cuban rhythm. Together, they play a range of musical styles including Cuban son, traditional salsa, cumbia, cha cha, merengue, danzan and of course, bolero. Led by Rudy Dylan on the tres Cubano and the powerful vocals of Felix Samuel, Los Boleros has continued to grow as a musical group over the years - imagine dinner with Ricky Ricardo's Tropicana Havana, then dancing ...

An Evening of Chilean Folklore and Song Natalia Contesse is a singer/songwriter who works in the tradition of Chilean “cantoras” - women who tell stories through song. Natalia weaves a variety of influences into the fabric of her music: the folklore of her native Chile, the rhythms of the Cueca (a traditional style of folk music and dance), and the wisdom of Chilean proverbs. In her latest release, Corra La Voz, she pays particular homage to the iconic folk singer of the 1950s and 1960s, Violet...

New Innovations for the Accordion The Rob Reich Quintet features the original music of multi-instrumentalist and composer, Rob Reich. Considered by many to be a virtuoso of the accordion, Reich is known for his work with Bay Area groups Tin Hat, Gaucho, Nice Guy Trio, and Circus Bella, as well as for his solo work on the accordion. Given the variety of sounds that influence him, from gypsy swing to film noir scores to circus psychedelia, it is no wonder that his original music defies convention...

Harmonious Jazz Collaboration Kathy Kosins and Adam Shulman bring to the Poppy a musical conversation between voice, piano, and visual art, presenting material from Kosins’ 5 internationally acclaimed CD’s, including a few selections from her forthcoming soul infused jazz album, to be released in Spring of 2015. Showcasing her talents as an abstract artist, Kosins will also be painting live on stage, an act of canvas improvisation, inspired by the piano work of Shulman. The pieces created will ...

Join us for a garage sale of Yolanda Lopez's accessories! Make the best of a bad situation, and exchange mementos with Yolanda: Dollar bills in exchange for classy accessories from her personal closet! As proven by the items in the last garage sale https://www.facebook.com/events/234466683412729, this artist has great taste! You are invited to actively participate in Yolanda's accessories market.Join the Facebook event and spread the word!  

A Poetry Fiesta of Love, Social Justice, Live Music and Film Presented by Red Reels Film Series & Red Poppy Join us for a unique evening celebrating The Pablo Neruda Centennial Festival's 10th Anniversary a night of poetry, music, film and everything Neruda. The evening will kick off with readings from poets central to Neruda's works including visual artist and curator Adrián Arias, WordParty Poetry and Jazz Open Mic host Jennifer Barone, editor of City Lights' The Essential Neruda Mark Ei...

A Night of Intimate, Evocative Songwriters Come join us for Ila Cantor's CD Release, Highlights of the Grey, as well as a separate performance by Jacob Aranda Band. Together, these two songwriters promise a night of soulful and personal music.Ila Cantor is a guitarist, composer, and singer/songwriter who has performed worldwide. Highlights of the Grey is her third original album. Cantor's emotional songwriting takes unusual and beautiful turns captivating her listeners. Throughout her caree...

On this evening the Red Poppy Art House will present two full sets of music by different artists, bridging the worlds of South Indian Classical music and Jazz. Two concerts in one, the first being focused in traditional South Indian Carnatic music, and the second in jazz.SET lPRASANT RADHAKRISHNAN & ROHAN KRISHNAMURTHYPrasant Radhakrishnan is a versatile saxophonist identified with both the South Indian Classical (Carnatic) and jazz disciplines. The unique vocal texture of ...

An Evening of Soulful Grooves Jason Ewald has spent his career deeply immersed in diverse musical environments and, as a result, has developed his own particular brand of soulful, groove-driven music.  His original compositions are inspired by a plethora of sounds that he’s picked up along the way – in his words, “by the refined sounds of 70s pop, the greasy soul of Muscle Shoals, the explorations of jazz, and the insistent rhythms of funk and rock.”  His latest work with his ensemble, called s...

"Best Band" by SF Bay Guardian Best of the Bay The band got their name one fateful summer night in the alleyway beside City Lights Bookstore in North Beach. The bandmates were enjoying a 14 hour day of busking when a friendly neighborhood wino walking by yelled, “Y’all make MAD NOISE.” The crew embraced their new title immediately and four years later has been described as a hybrid of jazz and funk with a mixture of folk and a wide range of instruments all combined to give MAD NOISE an award wi...

South Indian Classical Music Meets Jazz  Praised for their emotional energy and musicianship, VidyA has been featured at venues such as SFJazz, San Jose Jazz, Yoshi's, Asian American Film Festival, Recontraire Internationale in France, and more. An effortlessly smooth saxophonist, Radhakrishnan's original compositions for VidyA have been commissioned by the De Young Museum via the Jazz at Intersection series and awarded the Zellerbach Family Fund grant among others.Todd Brown, founder of Re...