Red Poppy Art House

CARNAVAL WEEKEND: Post-Parade Samba Pagode de Mesa: Community Open House w/ Jorge Alabe and Friends
2016-05-29 12:30 - 15:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
In celebration of the 38th Annual Carnaval San Francisco, The Red Poppy Art House is pleased to present three days of Carnaval-inspired performances beginning on Friday and wrapping up Sunday afternoon. We are bringing in artists from across the Bay Area to celebrate community, culture and art, all centered around the beloved festival.
To round off the weekend, the Poppy will hold a traditional open-house Pagode de Mesa led by master drummer Jorge Alabe and some of the finest musicians in the Bay Area. Pagode, meaning “party,” is the small group style of samba that is played in samba schools, bars, cafes and backyards of Rio de Janeiro. Just like on any Sunday in neighborhoods all over Rio, numerous guests will gather and perform around the table for an authentic roda (“circle”). This is a free event, and all are welcome to join in on the celebration!
A true Carioca, Jorge Alabê grew up in Rio de Janeiro immersed in its rich musical culture, becoming a master in samba percussion as well as in the Afro-Brazilian religious tradition of candomblé. The title of “Alabê” means that he has obtained the highest level in drumming and signifies deep experience and authority. He has also played with the leading samba schools in Rio and has performed with Milton Nascimento and Martinho da Vila among others. Jorge toured the world for 15 years as Percussion Director of the internationally-known Brazilian performing group Oba Oba. Since 1995, Jorge has continued to perform and teach throughout the United States as well as lead the Bay Area samba group and SF Carnaval award winner Samba Rio since 2005.

More on Carnaval SF:
Carnaval San Francisco is a beloved Memorial Day Weekend event featuring a Grand Parade and 2–day Festival that cultivates and celebrates the vibrantly diverse Latin American and Caribbean roots of the Mission District and the greater San Francisco Bay Area. Under the guiding principle that music, dance, and art have the power to heal and unite people, the festival aims to create spaces of harmony and revelry in which cross-cultural relationships can grow and flourish. Now in its third decade of celebration, Carnaval San Francisco has been an opportunity for many cultures to come together in one spirit to share their creative expression.

Admission: Free. Doors at 7:00pm. Show at 7:30pm. All ages welcome.
Join the conversation at the Poppy – volunteer with us! Click here.

Cuban Documentary "Rodando en La Habana: Bicycle Stories" San Francisco Premiere with Filmmaker Q&A
2016-06-02 18:30 - 22:00 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
Directed by Jennifer Ruth Hosek and Jaime Santos Menéndez, Rodando en La Habana: Bicycle Stories tells of bicycling and community in Havana today, 20 years after the Special Period, when over 1 million Chinese bicycles were imported to Cuba to aid survival on an island suddenly without Soviet petroleum. The independent documentary first premiered to sold-out audiences and intensive media interest at the 2015 Havana Film Festival. For its San Francisco debut, co-filmmaker Jennifer Ruth Hosek joins the Red Poppy Art House for an evening of film screenings, discussion and music.
Forever (1994), a documentary by Cuban filmmaker Luis Orlando Deulofeu, offers a surprisingly tongue-in-cheek look at the trials and benefits of the bicycle during the most difficult part of the Special Period when, left without Soviet petrol, the country imported over one million Chinese bicycles. Its aesthetics recall the madcap comedy The Adventures of Juan Quin Quin and Espinosa’s manifesto for imperfect cinema that belie its production under the auspices of FAR, the Cuban military.

Program
6:45-7:05pm: Screening of Forever
7:10-7:40pm: Screening of Rodando en la Habana: Bicycle Stories
7:40-8:20pm: Q&A with Filmmaker Jennifer Ruth Hosek
8:20-10:00pm: Music & discussion

About the Filmmakers
Associate Director Jennifer Ruth Hosek works in Cultural Studies and Film with a focus on Cuba, Europe and Germany. An Associate Professor at Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada, she took her PhD at Berkeley and was Postdoctoral Fellow in the Humanities at Stanford. She has written numerous articles as well as a book titled Sun, Sex and Socialism: Cuba in the German Imaginary (2012). She is the founder of LinguaeLive.ca, a free, academic platform that allows students learning new languages to connect with peers across the globe.
Jaime Santos Menéndez graduated with a degree in Film Direction in 2014 from the Cuban film school FAMCA. Currently, he works at the Cuban Television Studios as an animator specializing in stop motion as well as assisting in a variety of productions. In addition to his involvement in projects for youth and community uplift, Jaime is active in improvisational theatre including Teatro del Encuentro and Playback Theatre. His films include Familia (2014), Idóneo (2013) and Campos de Fresas (2012). A television spot on which he collaborated, La Última Gota (2008), received the first prize in Canada’s Festival Internacional VideEau Montreal.

Admission: $7-12. Doors at 6:00pm. Event at 6:30pm. All ages welcome.
Tickets will not be sold in advance for this event. Please arrive at the Red Poppy when doors open to purchase tickets.
Join the conversation at the Poppy – volunteer with us! Click here.

[DOUBLE BILL] Justin Seagrave and Faust & Fox: Dream Pop and Stories From a Distant Sun
2016-06-03 19:30 - 22:00 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
Brother-sister dream pop duo Faust & Fox join classically trained guitarist Justin Seagrave for a night of hauntingly addictive love songs and whimsical storytelling.
Featuring:
Justin Seagrave – guitar, vocals
Schuyler Karr – bass
Matthew DePasquale – percussion, keyboard, trumpet, back-up vocals
Trevor Marcom (Faust & Fox) – lead vocals, guitar
Kate Marcom (Faust & Fox) – lead/back-up vocals, additional percussion
Justin Seagrave’s music is informed by classical, folk, bluegrass, jazz and indigenous music from around the world. His lyrics cover important issues such as monsters, mermaids, bugs, the world’s end, old tree friends and interstellar thugs. (PC: Suzanne Houchin)
Following a pair of sold out shows at the Sweetwater Music Hall and Throckmorton Theater, the Marin native brother-sister duo Trevor and Kate Marcom of Faust & Fox are playing and promoting their debut record, White Gold Tear, around the Bay Area. Their deep fascination with love songs and Americana-influenced pop is inspired by lush instrumentals and vocally driven hooks.
Follow Justin Seagrave on Facebook and YouTube.
Follow Faust & Fox on Facebook and YouTube.
Watch Justin’s performance of Between Lives and Faust & Fox’s music video for Sweeping The City below!

Admission: $10-20. Doors at 7:00pm. Show at 7:30pm. All ages welcome.
Tickets will not be sold in advance for this event. Please arrive at the Red Poppy when doors open to purchase tickets.
Join the conversation at the Poppy – volunteer with us! Click here.

June 4th STOOP: Mission Stoop Fest
2016-06-04 14:00 - 17:00 | CA
Mission Stoop Fest – “A neighborhood festival initiative to transform resident stoops into sites of oral history and performance”
Yes, we changed the name! Formally called PORCH, we discovered there was another Porchfest happening in the Mission, so as to avoid confusion, we are now Mission Stoop Fest (or STOOP for short).
STOOP is a civil society arts experiment that transpires on the front stoops of local residences where traditional and contemporary artists perform and where local residents share stories and histories. The front stoop represents a literal threshold between the public and private spheres and is a historic site of spontaneous community interaction and exchange. Before arriving to urban centers, it was traditionally the porches of smaller communities where neighbor interaction took place. Moving from the rural to the urban, the porch was transformed into the stoop. This unique public-private space has become increasingly significant and symbolic in our neighborhoods that are undergoing the rapid processes of gentrification, such that results in a breakdown of social fabric and the loss of communal/neighborhood memory. STOOP represents our heart-set invitation into a space of encounter – where past meets present, where the public meets the private, and where different communities intersect to discover the threads that link us together.
To initiate this project, the Red Poppy Art House, with support from the California Arts Council, is playing the role of catalyst, to help organize five sites to launch STOOP this June. Our goal is for STOOP to occur during the day on the same bi-monthly dates as a sister-project, the Mission Arts & Performance Project (MAPP). Similar to the MAPP festival, STOOP will provide a program and a map of multiple neighborhood stoops where performance and storytelling will unfold simultaneously. We hope that this initiative will inspire more residents to take part and choose to make their stoop a site for cultural and community exchange in months to come.
*Join us at 6PM for a Mission Stoop Fest after party with Afro-Cuban rumba by Los Rumberos de Cali. Stick around for more performances throughout the evening for the Mission Arts & Performance Project!

LOCATIONS
STOOP 1: Pigeon Palace – 2840-2848 Folsom @ 24th/25th St
Curators: Adriana Camarena, Keith Hennessy, Chris Carlsson
STOOP 2: Red Poppy Art House – 2698 Folsom @ 23rd St (*Program pick-up)
Curators: Susana Aragon, Indira Urrutia
STOOP 3: Casa de los Sentidos – 2649 Folsom @ 23rd St
Curators: La Bohemia/Carlos Disdier, Manuel Trujillo
STOOP 4: Fingersnaps Street Salon – 2416 Folsom Street @ 20th
Curators: Lamont Bransford-Young & Co
STOOP 5: The Moving Stoop
Performance procession by Mission youth dance ensemble Moving Beyond Productions
6PM STOOP AFTER PARTY: Red Poppy Art House – 2698 Folsom @ 23rd St
Mission Stoop Fest After Party with Afro-Cuban rumba by Los Rumberos de Cali

PROGRAMS
STOOP # 1: “The Pigeon Palace Post-Up!”
2840-2848 Folsom St between 24th & 25th
Curators: Keith Hennessey, Chris Carlsson, and Adriana Camarena
Printmaking by The Poster Syndicate (Jos Sances and others)
Breadmaking by Lisa Ruth Elliot
Merchandising by Carlos Palencia “Posted”
2:00PM: Social Gathering at the Stoop
2:20PM: The Welcome
2:30PM: Chris Carlsson – 150 years ago on Folsom Street (History-telling)
2:35PM: Ivy McClelland & Morgan (Acoustic Songs)
2:45PM: Oscar Salinas- Varrio Precita Park (Neighborhood Story)
3:00PM: Keith Hennessy (Spoken Word)
3:10PM: Yayne Abeba (Comedy)
3:20PM: Chris Carlsson (History-telling)
3:30PM: Nancy Pili – Thugz Mansion (Neighborhood Story)
3:45PM: Porch interlude
3:55PM: Pearl Ubungen (Dance)
4:05PM: Rebecca Solnit (Reading)
4:20PM: Anthony Theodore (Songs)
4:30PM: Adriana Camarena
4:45PM: Chris Carlsson – 50 years ago (History-telling)
4:50PM: Closing

STOOP #2: “Memory and Peace”
Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St @ 23rd
Curators: Susana Aragón & Indira Urrutia
2:00PM Opening the stoop with Rebecca Cervantes group
Ongoing projects 2-5
Ella Noe (painter – live drawing)
Embroidery for peace and justice
Poetry memories of a neighborhood
2:30PM: Maria José Montijo (Vocals & Harp)
2:55PM: Bianca Catalán (Stories)
3:15PM: Anais Azul (Poetry & Music Improvisation)
3:30PM: San Francisco Youth Theater – Hamlet
Bianca Catalán, Homero Rosas
3:50PM: Rennea Couttenye (Singer)
4:10PM: Ximena Sosa (Artist/Poet)
4:30PM: Diana Gameros & Luis Fernando Gameros (Folk, Pop, Bossa Nova, and Stories from North and South of the Border)

STOOP #3: “La Casa de los Sentidos”
2649 Folsom St @ 23rd
Curators: Carlos Disdier & Manuel Trujillo
2:00PM: Intro
2:15PM: Dueto Arte- Cancionero Campirano
2:40PM: Francisco Hereera (Singer/Songwriter)
3:00PM: Carlos Baron (Storytelling)
3:20PM: Community Sharing
3:30PM: Son Jarocho
3:45PM: Fandango
4:00PM: Hena “Rodomira” Moreno (Los Cuentos de la Abuela)
4:15PM: Community Sharing
4:30PM: María José Montijo (Singer/Songwriter)
4:50PM: Closing

STOOP #4: Fingersnaps Street Salon
2416 Folsom St @ 20th
Curators: Lamont Bransford-Young & Co
2:00pm-2:20PM: Lamont DJ Set/Intro
2:30pm-2:50PM: Aimee Amparo
3:00pm-3:10PM: Rebecca Weisser Cervantes
3:15pm-3:35PM: Claudio Lantome
3:45pm-4:05PM: Colin O’Leary
4:15pm-4:35PM: Victor Mendoza
4:40pm-5:00PM: Erika Oba
Fingersnaps Mission Stoop Fest celebrates the culture and family legacy of the Mendoza family. Victor Mendoza, former resident of 2406 Folsom Street, shares his family story about being a part of the Mission District for the past 60 years.

STOOP #5: The Moving Stoop
Moving Around Folsom St between 20th and 26th
Performance Procession by Mission youth dance ensemble Moving Beyond Productions
Curators: Rebecca Cervantes & Moving Beyond Productions
2:00-2:20PM: Red Poppy Art House
2:30-2:50PM: Casa de los Sentidos
3:00-3:20PM: DJ Lamont’s Place
3:30-3:50PM: Red Poppy Art House
4:00-4:20PM: Philz mural (3101 24th St)
4:30-5:00PM: Pigeon Palace
Artists: Alex Flores, America Ramirez, Ashley Diaz, Caroline Edmundson, Denise Mukul, Dylan Cordero, Fernanda Ramirez, Khalia Williams, Mariah Delgado, Melanie Udave, Samantha Espinoza, Yahayra Udave, Yatziry Montiel.

STOOP After Party
Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St @ 23rd
6:00-9:00PM: Los Rumberos de Cali

Project Director: Todd Thomas Brown
Project Assistant: Sara Salari
Special thanks for the support from the California Arts Council and our local restaurants.

Cellista & the Juxtapositions Chamber Ensemble Present: Olivier Messiaen's Quartet for the End of Time
2016-06-05 19:30 - 22:00 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
For an evening of immersive chamber music with elements of theater and visual art, Cellista & the Juxtapositions Chamber Ensemble bring to the Red Poppy a presentation of Olivier Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time.
The Juxtapositions Chamber Ensemble is an innovative rotating cast of musicians headed and organized by Cellista (Freya Seeburger). The ensemble was formed with the idea of creating a musical entity that reflected the vast diversity of the San Francisco Bay Area. With their ability to perform an array of genres, members of the ensemble fall outside the box of traditional classical confines while cultivating a new audience of music lovers with their devotion to creating and performing in inclusive and accessible environments.
Featuring:
Cellista (Freya Seeburger) – cello
James Pykto – clarinet
Mia Bella D’Augelli – violin
Naomi Stine – piano

Cellista is the moniker of cellist and producer Freya Seeburger. She has recorded and performed with independent rock, hip- hop, and classical groups including Van Dyke Parks, the Awesöme Orchestra Collective, Grammy-nominated artist Tanya Donelly, and The Coup (as a member of Classical Revolution). Cellista’s penchant for performing music in unconventional spaces, paired with her devotion to collaborating with artists across mediums, has led her to create distinct performances that incorporate elements of classical music, improvisation, and visual art.
Mojo DeVille is an independent curator and choreographer based out of Oakland, CA. For over a decade, she has been entertaining audiences with an electric combination of dance, mixed media, and sideshow-inspired performance art. A collaborative creature, she brings her eclectic style to each event she does, working at everything from corporate presentations, cabarets, trade shows and festivals to black tie weddings and weekend retreats.

Follow Cellista on Facebook.
“Messiaen’s ‘Quartet for the End of Time’ has always moved me. The composer’s concepts of musical structure have influenced my own music for many years. It was with a delightful surprise to hear of Freya Seeburger performing the piece and an amazing example of synchronicity to be invited to accompany the performance with my artwork. The Quartet is not just an admired masterpiece to me, it is my favorite string quartet in classical repertoire, one that consistently brings me to tears….”
– Barron Storey in Juxtapoz Magazine on the dual exhibition shared with Cellista.

Admission: $15-20. Doors at 7:00pm. Show at 7:30pm. All ages welcome.
Tickets will not be sold in advance for this event. Please arrive at the Red Poppy when doors open to purchase tickets.
Join the conversation at the Poppy – volunteer with us! Click here.

Beyond the Blues: Ending the Prison Industrial Complex, Series 4, Discussion 4 w/ Marcus Shelby & Jackie Ramos
2016-06-08 19:30 - 21:30 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
The Red Poppy Art House is pleased to present the fourth series of Beyond the Blues: Ending the Prison Industrial Complex on March 16, April 20, May 18, June 8, and July 6. Marcus Shelby and Jackie Ramos return to delve into our justice system, its flaws, and show how music and the arts can be used as agencies for reform and change—both in front and behind bars. These interactive discussions explore the blues, the prison industrial complex, mass incarceration, the school-to-prison pipeline, restorative justice, public health, families impacted by incarceration, immigration, and more.
The discussions will feature guest speakers/artists, readings, recorded and live music, poetry, and videos. These events are open to anyone interested in reforming our criminal justice system and understanding how the arts can be part of that process. A special performance by Marcus Shelby and other musicians will close the series in early August.
Series 4 Discussion Schedule:
Mar 16 – Racial Disparities in the Criminal Justice System: A Call for Reform (Guest speakers: Jeff Adachi and Cesar R. Gomez)
Apr 20 – Incarceration and Its Connection to Immigration (Guest speakers TBA)
May 18 – Ending the Death Penalty (Guest speakers TBA)
June 8 – Protecting the Community: Principles and Philosophies of Restorative Justice (Guest speakers TBA)
July 6 – Music and the Arts as Weapons of Critical Resistance (Guest speakers TBA)
The Beyond the Blues series is supported by the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival.
Marcus Shelby is an accomplished teacher, composer, arranger, and bassist who currently lives in San Francisco, California. Shelby was awarded a 2009 Black Metropolis Research Consortium Fellowship in Chicago to conduct research for his commission to compose “Soul of the Movement”—a 12 part musical suite on MLK and the Civil Rights Movement—and received the City Flight Magazine 2005 award as one of the “Top Ten Most Influential African Americans in the Bay Area”. Marcus is also very active in music education and currently teaches at The Community Music Center and the Stanford Jazz Workshop. In addition to leading many of the San Francisco Jazz Festival Family Matinee Concerts, Marcus is the artistic director/leader of The Marcus Shelby Orchestra, the music director of the Healdsburg Jazz Festival Freedom Jazz Choir, and an artist-in-residence with the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival. He is currently working with playwright and actress Anna Deveare Smith on her new work, Pipeline to Prison.
Jackie Ramos is a womanist warrior integrating public health with expressive arts to break down walls of oppression and inhumane fear targeted at communities of color. While pursuing a career as a poetess and actress, she has extensive research background in HIV/AIDS and substance use prevention working with people who have been impacted by the criminal justice system. Jackie also teaches poetry to the youth at San Francisco’s Juvenile Hall and the Young Women’s Freedom Center. With every breath in her, she will not stop fighting for the people—for their right to shine, live, and thrive.

Admission: $10 suggested donation. Doors at 7:00pm. Discussion at 7:30pm. All ages welcome.
Tickets will not be sold in advance for this event. Please arrive at the Red Poppy when doors open to purchase tickets. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.
Join the conversation at the Poppy – volunteer with us! Click here.

[DOUBLE BILL] Planes on Paper and Ghost Town Jenny: Folk & Western-Style Soundscapes
2016-06-10 19:30 - 22:00 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
From dual vocals to ambient soundscapes, Planes on Paper join Ghost Town Jenny for an evening of cinematic folk with a dark side of country and soul.
Through the vocal synergy of Navid Eliot and Jen Borst, the two core members of Planes on Paper, a special kind of musical beauty emerges. The Washington-based folk group combines Navid and Jen’s intricate vocal harmonies with instrumental landscapes of acoustic and pedal steel guitars, percussion, bass, drums, and horns. Their latest EP, The Ruins, was released in January 2015 to rave reviews and a great deal of attention throughout the Pacific Northwest.
Ghost Town Jenny began as the solo project of singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Kim Kylland. Currently residing in Northern California, Kylland grew up splitting time between California and Norway, eventually spending her formative years as a songwriter and performer in Dublin, Ireland and later Reykjavik, Iceland. Ghost Town Jenny’s music has drawn comparisons to the likes of Florence + The Machine, Bjork, June Carter Cash and Andrew Bird, though the group cultivates their own sound through a combination of Kim’s hauntingly powerful voice, brooding soundscapes and remarkable string arrangements. Ghost Town Jenny is currently working on the first full-length effort to be released in 2016. (Photo: Riki Feldman)

Watch Planes on Paper perform The Ruins with The Yakima Symphony Orchestra:

Check out the official music video for Ghost Town Jenny’s Lights:

Admission: $10-15. Doors at 7:00pm. Show at 7:30pm. All ages welcome.
Tickets will not be sold in advance for this event. Please arrive at the Red Poppy when doors open to purchase tickets.
Join the conversation at the Poppy – volunteer with us! Click here.

Sonando Sur Collective: Tarima, rumba y fandango
2016-06-11 19:30 - 22:00 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
The Sonando Sur Collective derived from the shared interest in continuing the work of traditional jarocho music through a contemporary perspective. Formed by Claudio Vega, Esther Cruz and Tacho Utrera, the collective interlinks son jarocho and its cultural context with other traditional Latin American rhythms. Son Jarocho, a musical genre from Veracruz, Mexico, is a melodic combination of Spanish, African and indigenous cultures. A beautiful integration of la jarana, requinto, tarima and versada, Sonando Sur invites you to enjoy the magical sound of Veracruz fandango.
Featuring:
Claudio Naranjos Vega – jarana, requinto
Esther Cruz Maranto – zapateado
Tacho Utrera – jarana, requinto
Claudio Vega began his musical career in the group The Vega Project, the new generation of the Vega family (Los Vega). He was featured on the soundtrack of Academy Award-winning film Frida (2002) and composed with his brother Fredi Vega and Leo Heiblum for Who is Dayani Cristal? (2014), a film starring Mexican actor and activist Gael García Bernal. As a promoter, Claudio has taught numerous workshops throughout North America as well as China.
Since 1996, Esther Cruz began studying percussion and dances from Senegal, Congo, Guinea, Cuba, and her native Veracruz, Mexico. She has performed zapateado (dance style of Mexico) with distinguished son jarocho groups, such as Patricio Hidalgo y el Afrojarocho and Los Cojolites, and has participated in several fandangos (community-based celebrations) in Veracruz. Esther currently heads the Sonando Sur project and had co-produced the 2015 tour Gira Café con pan y vuelta pa’tras with Alec Dempster and Zenen Zeferino throughout the U.S.
Born in a small farming community, Tacho Utrera Luna has been performing with his family group since its formation in 1992. His father, Esteban Utrera, is the group’s leader and is considered as a prominent son jarocho musician. For several generations, the family has combined and cultivated farm life and music. Tacho creates instruments such as jaranas and guitarras de son that are used to play son jarocho. He has also crafted jaranas barrocas for well-known baroque musicians Pat O’Brien, Lee Santana, Andrew McGinley, Susan Hellauer, Isabelle Villey, Eloy Cruz, and Andrew Lawrence King.

Watch the Sonando Sur Collective in action below!

Admission: $10-15. Doors at 7:00pm. Show at 7:30pm. All ages welcome.
Tickets will not be sold in advance for this event. Please arrive at the Red Poppy when doors open to purchase tickets.
Join the conversation at the Poppy – volunteer with us! Click here.

David Tanenbaum Presents: Jon Mendle: 19th Century Virtuoso Guitar
2016-06-12 16:00 - 18:30 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
Curated by classical guitarist David Tanenbaum, Jon Mendle is set to perform a repertoire of both forgotten gems and well-known concert works from the 19th century on original and reproduction 19th century guitars. The program will include works by Antoine de L’Hoyer, Napoléon Coste, Felix Horetzky, Giulio Regondi, and Johann Kaspar Mertz and will be performed in period-appropriate dress.
Jon Mendle made his Carnegie Hall debut at the age of 19. He received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music where his teachers included David Tanenbaum, Lawrence Ferrara, Marc Teicholz, Dusan Bogdanovic, and Sergio Assad. Jon has performed throughout North America and Germany and has toured with Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble. Released in January 2011 on In A Circle Records, his first album, L’infidele, was produced by his teacher and Latin Grammy-winner Sergio Assad.
Preview Jon’s music on YouTube.

Admission: $15-20. Doors at 3:30pm. Show at 4:00pm. All ages welcome.
Tickets will not be sold in advance for this event. Please arrive at the Red Poppy when doors open to purchase tickets.
Join the conversation at the Poppy – volunteer with us! Click here.

Ismail Lumanovski & Alex Conde: Piano and Clarinet Improvisations
2016-06-16 20:30 - 22:00 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
From Spain to San Francisco and Macedonia to New York City, Alex Conde and Ismail Lumanovski join together for an impassioned evening of original compositions. This duo of improvisers will explore the intersection of piano and clarinet, navigating their sonic homelands of jazz, balkan, classical and flamenco influences.
Described by The New York Times as “a brilliant, fearless young clarinetist,” Macedonia-born Ismail Lumanovski brings classical training to his Balkan roots. Lumanovski studied at Julliard and has performed as a headlining artist around the globe. He founded and leads the NY Gypsy All Stars and co-founded both The Secret Trio and the Grneta Ensemble. Thriving on musical conversation, he has collaborated with bands like Inspector Gadje Balkan Brass Band, Ljubojna, as well as an international set of musicians including Trilok Gurtu, Erkan Ogur, Al Di Meola, and Husnu Senledirici.
After graduating at the conservatory of music in Valencia, Spain, Alex Conde came to study at Berklee College in Boston with Danilo Perez, Joe Lovano and George Garzone. He has toured around the globe with flamenco companies and has appeared in various jazz festivals. His compositions for flamenco guitar and orchestra have been premiered in Miami with Jose Luis Rodriquez, Federico Britos and Omid Zoufonoun. Conde’s 2015 album, Descarga for Monk, a bold and creative tribute to the great Thelonious Monk, was released through ZOHO Music to rave reviews from prominent jazz critics such as Bill Milkowski.

Admission: $18 online / $15-25 door. Doors at 8:00pm. Show at 8:30pm. All ages welcome.

Join the conversation at the Poppy – volunteer with us! Click here.

Americano Social Club: Music for La Dolce Vita!
2016-06-17 19:30 - 22:00 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
The Americano Social Club is led by Michael Zisman on mandolin and features guitarist Jason Vanderford and bassist Joe Kyle Jr. In addition to performing their own dramatic original pieces, they play music for “la dolce vita,” a mix of romantic and eclectic melodies from all over the world. From Brazil to European cafés, the trio’s sound draws from various influences including pop, jazz, folk, classical, rock, and opera – all of it re-imagined so you will hear the melodies you love, or didn’t know you loved, like new again. (Photo: Dennis Hearne)
Featuring:
Michael Zisman – mandolin
Jason Vanderford – guitar
Joe Kyle – bass
Anna Laura Quinn – vocals
Scott Foster – guitar
Follow Americano Social Club on Facebook, YouTube and SoundCloud.

Admission: $10-20. Doors at 7:00pm. Show at 7:30pm. All ages welcome.
Tickets will not be sold in advance for this event. Please arrive at the Red Poppy when doors open to purchase tickets.
Join the conversation at the Poppy – volunteer with us! Click here.

[DOUBLE BILL] Ben Zaidi and RZN8R: Future Hypnotic Grooves
2016-06-18 19:30 - 22:00 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
Electronic producers/singers Ben Zaidi and RZN8R join together for a night of future-soul and sonic grooves.
Featuring:
Ben Zaidi – vocals, keyboards, electronics
Tree Palmedo – trumpet
RZN8R – vocals, controllers
Austan Found – electric guitar

Seattle-based electronic artist Ben Zaidi (Photo: Riley Corr) creates intimate, plaintive songs in his bedroom studio. He spent several years studying poetry and creative writing at Harvard University before returning to his hometown of Seattle this past year to begin recording and performing full-time. For this performance, his self-produced songs will be brought to the world with the help of Portland jazz prodigy Tree Palmedo.
RZN8R (pronounced “resonator”) is the moniker of Oakland-raised producer/singer Derek Buckwalter. Derek draws from a wide array of influences, fusing his passions for singing, new thought spirituality, and beats to craft deep, lush, hypnotic grooves.

Follow Ben on SoundCloud.
Follow RZN8R on Facebook and SoundCloud.

Admission: $10-25. Doors at 7:00pm. Show at 7:30pm. All ages welcome.
Tickets will not be sold in advance for this event. Please arrive at the Red Poppy when doors open to purchase tickets.
Join the conversation at the Poppy – volunteer with us! Click here.

[DOUBLE BILL] Rebecca Mimiaga and Bird Call: A Night of Cinematic Chamber Pop
2016-06-23 20:00 - 22:00 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
Born and raised in California, Rebecca Mimiaga has been performing her own music since age 16, fronting various rock, folk and blues projects. She completed her BFA in Vocal Performance Studies at the New School For Jazz and Contemporary Music in New York City. Her music and debut EP, Words in the Dark, feature strong, intimate vocals set to piano and orchestral arrangements. When she’s not Rebecca Mimiaga, she is the voice and writer for LOUIZA, her loud indie-rock project. (Photo: Matt Mimiaga)
Chiara Angelicola is an American singer-songwriter and musician known for her work in the musical projects Motel Pools and most notably Bird Call. Bird Call explores a range of emotional territory with Angelicola’s voice, vulnerable lyrics and candid stage presence whilst providing an aural backdrop that is variably danceable, electronically driven and, at times, futuristic and experimental.
Follow Rebecca Mimiaga on Facebook and SoundCloud.
Follow Bird Call on Facebook and SoundCloud.

Admission: $20. Doors at 7:30pm. Show at 8:00pm. All ages welcome.
Tickets will not be sold in advance for this event. Please arrive at the Red Poppy when doors open to purchase tickets.
Join the conversation at the Poppy – volunteer with us! Click here.

Mostly Kosher: Indie-Global Collective
2016-06-24 19:30 - 22:00 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
Mostly Kosher, a Los Angeles-based indie-global collective band, radically reconstructs Judaic and American cultural musical roots. Through ravenous post-klezmer beats and arresting Yiddish refrains, Mostly Kosher highlights the architecture of heritage music with influences of jazz, Latin, rock, hip hop and folk.
Mostly Kosher has accumulated an international legion of fans and is on a trajectory to bring their rhythmic hullabaloo to all of the streaming sound waves across the planet. The band most recently graced the stage of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion for a live television broadcast to over half a million viewers. Their self-titled debut album has won international acclaim through recognition by World Music Network, Songlines Magazine and BBC radio.
Featuring:
Leeav Sofer (bandleader) – vocals, piano, clarinet, percussion
Janice Mautner Markham – violin
Michael Bolger – trumpet, accordion
Eric Hagstrom – drums, aux percussion
Mike King – trombone
Adam Levy – upright bass
Shane Savala – guitar
Follow Mostly Kosher on Facebook and YouTube.
Watch their music video for Ikh Hob Dikh Tsufil Lib below!

Admission: $10-15. Doors at 7:00pm. Show at 7:30pm. All ages welcome.
Tickets will not be sold in advance for this event. Please arrive at the Red Poppy when doors open to purchase tickets.
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Jure Pukl Trio: East Coast Tenor Sax
2016-06-26 20:00 - 22:00 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
Performing a repertoire of standards and originals, Jure Pukl Trio invites you for a night of swinging music with a hint of contemporary jazz.
Recipient of the Slovenian highest national award for arts (Nagrada Presernovega sklada 2015), Jure Pukl is one of the most prolific and creative saxophonists of the younger Slovene jazz generation. He obtained university education abroad studying both classical and jazz saxophone. Throughout his studies, Pukl performed and recorded extensively with his own projects as well as with a number of great musicians and orchestras, including Maceo Parker, Branford Marsalis, Dave Liebman, Vijay Iyer, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Big Band RTV Slovenia, and European Movement Jazz Orchestra among many others. In 2005, he won the first Jury Prize and Best Composition Audience Award at the Jazzon International Music Workshop and Festival in Novo Mesto, Slovenia. His auctorial projects, such as the Virus Quintet, Pukl creates a special combination of avant garde, free jazz and impressionistic contemporary music that gives prominence to the interplay between his band members.
Featuring:
Jure Pukl – tenor saxophone
Hans Glawischnig – bass
Andre Sumelius – drums

Admission: $10-20. Doors at 7:30pm. Show at 8:00pm. All ages welcome.
Tickets will not be sold in advance for this event. Please arrive at the Red Poppy when doors open to purchase tickets.
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3 Leg Torso: Cinematic Chamber Music with Punk Attitude
2016-06-30 19:30 - 22:00 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
Formed in 1996, 3 Leg Torso began as a violin, cello and accordion trio with the mission of creating original, contemporary chamber music for their distinctive instrumentation. Over the following years, the ensemble has expanded its musical mission and size to become a quartet that performs an eclectic synthesis of chamber music, tango, klezmer, Latin, and Roma music. The cinematic nature of their compositions has led to work with many filmmakers, including Oscar-nominated documentary artist Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me), Teller (of Penn & Teller), Academy Award-winning animator Joan Gratz (The Dowager’s Feast and The Dowager’s Idyll), and more.
Featuring:
Béla R. Balogh – violin
Courtney Von Drehle – accordion
T.J. Arko – percussion
Mike Murphy – double bass
Preview 3 Leg Torso’s music here.

Admission: $15-20. Doors at 7:00pm. Show at 7:30pm. All ages welcome.
Tickets will not be sold in advance for this event. Please arrive at the Red Poppy when doors open to purchase tickets.
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Sparks Fly: 21st Century Street Jazz ft. Saxophonist Avram Fefer w/ Vijay Anderson & Dan Seamans
2016-07-01 19:30 - 22:00 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
Avram Fefer’s explosive trio work has been well documented over the years with critically acclaimed albums and international tours. He draws from the musical worlds of Ornette Coleman, Miles Davis, Fela Kuti, Ethiopiques, and Charles Mingus. With tunes that create fertile ground for development and improvisation, Avram’s music encompasses soulful intelligence, lyricism, and groove.
Featuring:
Avram Fefer – saxophones, bass clarinet, composition
Vijay Anderson – drums
Dan Seamans – bass
Saxophonist Avram Fefer spent his formative years in the company of musicians like Roy Hargrove, John Medeski, and Jeff Parker. He made his professional debut with Archie Shepp, the Last Poets, Sonny Murray and Tony Allen, and has since played with David Murray, William Parker, Marc Ribot, and Vernon Reid among many others. Avram has performed in over twenty countries, released eleven albums as a leader, and has recently been presenting the Resonant Sculpture Project which features his solo musical interactions with the sculptures of Richard Serra. His latest album, Big Picture Holiday: Shimmer and Melt, is a six-piece electric groove project.
Follow Avram on Facebook and YouTube.

Admission: $10-20. Doors at 7:00pm. Show at 7:30pm. All ages welcome.
Tickets will not be sold in advance for this event. Please arrive at the Red Poppy when doors open to purchase tickets.
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Sound Underground: Acoustic Chamber Jazz from Miami
2016-07-03 19:30 - 22:00 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
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 2014, they released their self-titled debut with an Eastern European tour, performing at major international jazz festivals in Bulgaria and Serbia. The trio has been on the rise ever since, being recognized in Downbeat Magazine and touring on both sides of the U.S. – including their first appearance in California last year. Their sophomore effort, Quiet Spaces, will be released this summer.
Follow Sound Underground on Facebook and Bandcamp.
Check out a performance of See You Never at the Bansko Jazz Festival below:

Admission: $10-20. Doors at 7:00pm. Show at 7:30pm. All ages welcome.
Tickets will not be sold in advance for this event. Please arrive at the Red Poppy when doors open to purchase tickets.
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Beyond the Blues: Ending the Prison Industrial Complex, Series 4, Discussion 5 w/ Marcus Shelby & Jackie Ramos
2016-07-07 19:30 - 21:30 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
The Red Poppy Art House is pleased to present the fourth series of Beyond the Blues: Ending the Prison Industrial Complex on March 16, April 20, May 18, June 8, and July 7. Marcus Shelby and Jackie Ramos return to delve into our justice system, its flaws, and show how music and the arts can be used as agencies for reform and change—both in front and behind bars. These interactive discussions explore the blues, the prison industrial complex, mass incarceration, the school-to-prison pipeline, restorative justice, public health, families impacted by incarceration, immigration, and more.
The discussions will feature guest speakers/artists, readings, recorded and live music, poetry, and videos. These events are open to anyone interested in reforming our criminal justice system and understanding how the arts can be part of that process.
Series 4 Discussion Schedule:
Mar 16 – Racial Disparities in the Criminal Justice System: A Call for Reform
Apr 20 – Incarceration and Its Connection to Immigration
May 18 – Ending the Death Penalty
June 8 – Community Building and Restorative Justice
July 7 – Music and the Arts as Weapons of Critical Resistance

The Beyond the Blues series is supported by the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival.

Marcus Shelby is an accomplished teacher, composer, arranger, and bassist who currently lives in San Francisco, California. Shelby was awarded a 2009 Black Metropolis Research Consortium Fellowship in Chicago to conduct research for his commission to compose “Soul of the Movement”—a 12 part musical suite on MLK and the Civil Rights Movement—and received the City Flight Magazine 2005 award as one of the “Top Ten Most Influential African Americans in the Bay Area”. Marcus is also very active in music education and currently teaches at The Community Music Center and the Stanford Jazz Workshop. In addition to leading many of the San Francisco Jazz Festival Family Matinee Concerts, Marcus is the artistic director/leader of The Marcus Shelby Orchestra, the music director of the Healdsburg Jazz Festival Freedom Jazz Choir, and an artist-in-residence with the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival. He is currently working with playwright and actress Anna Deveare Smith on her new work, Pipeline to Prison.
Jackie Ramos is a womanist warrior integrating public health with expressive arts to break down walls of oppression and inhumane fear targeted at communities of color. While pursuing a career as a poetess and actress, she has extensive research background in HIV/AIDS and substance use prevention working with people who have been impacted by the criminal justice system. Jackie also teaches poetry to the youth at San Francisco’s Juvenile Hall and the Young Women’s Freedom Center. With every breath in her, she will not stop fighting for the people—for their right to shine, live, and thrive.

Admission: $10 suggested donation. Doors at 7:00pm. Discussion at 7:30pm. All ages welcome.
Tickets will not be sold in advance for this event. Please arrive at the Red Poppy when doors open to purchase tickets. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.
Join the conversation at the Poppy – volunteer with us! Click here.

Shades of Love: Padams & Javalis
2016-07-08 19:30 - 22:00 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
In this concert, Ganesh Vasudeva and Snigdha Venkatramani showcase a selection of poems from South India through Bharatanatyam, a form of Indian classical dance that originated in the temples of Tamil Nadu. These male-oriented and heroine-based poems are taken up to portray myriad shades of love.
Featuring:
Ganesh Vasudeva – abhinaya (miming)
Snigdha Venkatramani – abhinaya, vocals
Srinivas Pisharath – vocals
Akshay Venkatesan – percussion
Nyantara Narasimhan – violin
Ganesh Vasudeva, one of the Bay Area’s leading Bharatanatyam dancers, has trained for 30 years with renowned teachers and has performed extensively in India, the U.S. and France. Over past few years, Ganesh has choreographed and presented his own work to critical acclaim. As a researcher, his interests include male-oriented compositions that are suitable to present on stage.

Admission: $15. Doors at 7:00pm. Show at 7:30pm. All ages welcome.
Tickets will not be sold in advance for this event. Please arrive at the Red Poppy when doors open to purchase tickets.
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The Village Road Trio: Folk-Inspired Classical Music
2016-07-09 19:30 - 22:00 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
The Village Road Trio reimagines classical music with their folkloric instrumentation for a program of spirited and expressive sounds. From American bluegrass and swing, to Romanian tunes and favorite classical melodies, the trio takes on an extensive range of styles.
Featuring:
Alisa Rose – violin
Rob Reich – accordion
Daniel Fabricant – bass

Bassist Daniel Fabricant grew up in Ashland, Oregon, where he began playing guitar and trumpet in grade school. Since moving to the Bay Area ten years ago and transitioning to double bass, he has performed as a freelance sideman for numerous national acts. Locally, he is a member of the SF Weekly “Best Jazz Band” award-winning Nice Guy Trio, Los Boleros, Lavay Smith and the Red Hot Skillet Lickers, and other classical chamber groups, orchestras, and dance bands. He has worked various theater companies as well as in high school and university musical theater productions.
Rob Reich grew up in Long Island, New York studying piano from age three. After graduating with a degree in Music Composition from Oberlin Conservatory of Music, he moved to the San Francisco Bay Area, where he discovered the accordion, now his primary instrument. Whether it’s composing art songs based on the poetry of E. E. Cummings with Tin Hat, writing circus music for Circus Bella, or pioneering new jazz repertoire for accordion with the Rob Reich Trio, his music combines strong melodic ideas, rhythmic drive, and a spirit of irreverence and experimentation.
Fiddler and violinist, composer and improviser, Alisa Rose easily navigates between many musical styles. With roots in classical music as well as American traditional music, she attracts attention with her expressive lyrical voice on the violin. Alisa is a member of the Real Vocal String Quartet, Supermule, and the Club Foot Orchestra. From 2008 to 2012, she was a member of Quartet San Francisco; their record QSF Plays Brubeck was nominated for a Grammy in 2009, for which Alisa was featured on NPR’s Weekend Edition.

Admission: $10-20. Doors at 7:00pm. Show at 7:30pm. All ages welcome.
Tickets will not be sold in advance for this event. Please arrive at the Red Poppy when doors open to purchase tickets.
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Rumberos de Radio Habana: Community Rumba
2016-07-10 15:00 - 18:00 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
Rumba music originated in the Afro-Cuban neighborhoods of Havana and Matanzas as the soundtrack to community, partnered dancing and get-togethers as a means of cultural expression. Its global diaspora means rumba rhythms have found their way into other genres of music such as country, rock, and blues, and continue to impact the genres of today. Rumberos de Radio Habana are bringing their own contribution to the Red Poppy for a free afternoon of beat-making, hip-shaking and good company.

Admission: Free, donations accepted for musicians ($5-10). Event at 3:00pm. All ages welcome.
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Ultrafaux w/ Rob Reich: Jazz Manouche & Musette Waltzes
2016-07-15 19:30 - 22:00 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
Drawing influences from manouche, Romani and Balkan music, Ultrafaux joins together with accordionist Rob Reich and chanteuse Alexis Tantau for an evening of traditional musette, Piaf tunes, and originals.
Featuring:
Michael Joseph Harris – guitar
Sami Arefin – guitar
Eddie Hrybyk – upright bass
Rob Reich – accordion (featured artist)
Alexis Tantau – vocals (featured artist)

Baltimore band Ultrafaux performs original music with musette, swing manouche, funk, blues, and Dixieland influences. The band is an acoustic powerhouse of Sami Arefin and Michael Joseph Harris trading dazzling leads on guitar and Eddie Hrybyk on upright bass who brings his passion for improvisation to the group. Ultrafaux’s song Latcho Dromo from their 2014 release was chosen to be featured on Django Festival #9, an international compilation of Django Reinhardt-inspired music by legendary producer Jon Larsen in Norway.
Accordionist Rob Reich is quintessentially what makes the San Francisco music scene a vibrant and vital mecca for independent music; he’s become one of its stalwart underground artists. His music combines strong melodic ideas, rhythmic drive, and a spirit of irreverence and experimentation. Reich is best known for his work with Tin Hat, Gaucho, and Circus Bella.

Admission: $10-20. Doors at 7:00pm. Show at 7:30pm. All ages welcome.
Tickets will not be sold in advance for this event. Please arrive at the Red Poppy when doors open to purchase tickets.
Join the conversation at the Poppy – volunteer with us! Click here.

Pagodinhos SF: Monthly Rio-Style Pagode de Mesa
2016-07-16 13:00 - 16:00 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
As a followup to our SF Carnaval weekend of Brazilian music, the Red Poppy Art House presents the first of a monthly Rio-style pagode de mesa featuring a revolving cast of the finest players in the Bay Area. Pagode, meaning “party,” is the small group subgenre of samba that is played in samba schools, bars, cafes and backyards of Rio de Janeiro. From cavaquinho and guitar, to vocals and percussion, the musical style includes a lively mixture of songs with active audience participation.

Admission: Free, donations accepted for musicians ($5-10). Event at 1:00pm. All ages welcome.
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Tito Gonzalez y Su Son de Cuba: Una Noche Cubana
2016-07-16 19:30 - 22:00 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
Tito y Su Son de Cuba takes you back to old Havana, interpreting and redefining classic Cuban son at its best. With his mastery of the tres guitar, Tito Gonzalez combines the traditional music of Cuba including chachacha, son montuno, guaracha, bolero and danzon.
Featuring:
Tito Gonzalez – guitar, tres, lead vocals
David Frazier – congo
Sandy Poindexter – violin
Rubin Hurtado – piano
Antonio Garcia – bass
Singer/composer Tito Gonzalez is a master showman with a voice that has been compared to that of classic son singer Daniel Santos. Gonzalez delivers songs that are deceptively simple – between their fluid melodies and retrograde rhythms, they evoke a focus and introspection that Tito attributes, in part, to his life in America. Along with son, his music demonstrates a broad range of Cuban genres such as rumba, guaracha and the most romantic boleros. His latest album, La Vida Te Da Sorpresas, features a contemporary take on classic Cuban son backed by extraordinary talent in his band.

Admission: $15-20. Doors at 7:00pm. Show at 7:30pm. All ages welcome.
Tickets will not be sold in advance for this event. Please arrive at the Red Poppy when doors open to purchase tickets.
Join the conversation at the Poppy – volunteer with us! Click here.

Eva Salina & Peter Stan: Romani Songs from the Balkans via Brooklyn
2016-07-20 19:30 - 22:00 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
Drawing on their strong musical friendship and shared love of Romani music, Eva Salina & Peter Stan create an inviting, intimate space where mournful contemplation nestles amongst songs of riotous joy.
Featuring:
Eva Salina – vocals
Peter Stan – accordion
Santa Cruz native Eva Salina is an internationally recognized interpreter of Balkan song traditions. A remarkable performer and devoted educator, she has spent the last three years immersed in the Šaban Bajramović songbook. Based in Brooklyn, Eva has been collaborating with Serbian/Romanian accordionist Peter Stan for the last 12 years.
Photo: Deborah Feingold

Admission: $15-20. Doors at 7:00pm. Show at 7:30pm. All ages welcome.
Tickets will not be sold in advance for this event. Please arrive at the Red Poppy when doors open to purchase tickets.
Join the conversation at the Poppy – volunteer with us! Click here.

Scott Amendola Trio: Original Music & Sonic Soundscapes
2016-07-22 19:30 - 22:00 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
The Scott Amendola Trio presents original music from Scott as well as a selection of cover songs. From structured forms to more outside-the-box sonic soundscapes, the trio’s breadth of possibilities are endless.
Featuring:
Karl Evangelista – guitar
Jason Hoopes – electric bass
Scott Amendola – drums/electronics
For Scott Amendola, the drum kit isn’t so much an instrument as a musical portal. As an ambitious composer and savvy bandleader for some of the world’s most inventive musicians, Amendola applies his wide-ranging rhythmic virtuosity to a vast array of settings. His closest musical associates include guitarists Jeff Parker, Nels Cline, Charlie Hunter and Henry Kaiser, Hammond B-3 organist Wil Blades, ROVA saxophonist Larry Ochs, and Tin Hat clarinetist Ben Goldberg ‒ players who have each forged a singular path within and beyond the realm of jazz. While rooted in the San Francisco Bay Area scene, Amendola has woven a dense and far-reaching web of bandstand relationships that tie him to influential artists in jazz, blues, rock, and new music.

“…drummer/signal-treater Scott Amendola is both a tyrant of heavy rhythm and an electric-haired antenna for outworldly messages (not a standard combination).” – Greg Burk, LA Weekly
Follow Scott on Facebook.

Admission: $15-20. Doors at 7:00pm. Show at 7:30pm. All ages welcome.
Tickets will not be sold in advance for this event. Please arrive at the Red Poppy when doors open to purchase tickets.
Join the conversation at the Poppy – volunteer with us! Click here.

Michael Zilber: A Saxophonist's Tribute to Jazz Greats
2016-07-23 19:30 - 22:00 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
A tribute to saxophone giants, San Francisco’s Michael Zilber performs music from his upcoming album of all originals. The recording features New York jazz greats Dave Kikoski on piano, James Genus on bass, and Clarence Penn on drums. Accompanying Zilber at the Red Poppy is a group made up exclusively of New York expatriates, including pianist Matt Clark, bassist Peter Barshay, and drummer Akira Tana.
Saxophonist and composer Michael Zilber is described by NEA Jazz Master David Liebman as “one of the best players and composers around anywhere. Period!” The Canadian-born ex-New Yorker has 7 CDs to his name as a leader and has also been a sideman on a myriad of recordings. He co-led a band with drumming great Steve Smith for 8 years and throughout his career has performed, toured, and recorded with numerous leading jazz artists such as Liebman, Miroslav Vitous, and Mike Clark among many others.

Admission: $10-20. Doors at 7:00pm. Show at 7:30pm. All ages welcome.
Tickets will not be sold in advance for this event. Please arrive at the Red Poppy when doors open to purchase tickets.
Join the conversation at the Poppy – volunteer with us! Click here.

Jaz Sawyer: Abstract Jazz and Instrumental Experiments
2016-07-30 19:30 - 22:00 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
An integration of abstract jazz with breakbeats and improvised grooves, Jaz Sawyer explores an instrumental experiment including both originals and arrangements of jazz and pop standards.
Featuring:
Jaz Sawyer – drums, percussion
Sarah Voynow – harp
Cava Menzies – piano, keyboards
Imalu Menzies – percussion, keyboards
Jaz Sawyer began playing drums at the age of two in the Haight Ashbury District of San Francisco. His musical studies have taken him through the various programs at the Ruth Asawa School of the Arts, San Francisco Conservatory of Music, SFYO, Stanford Jazz Workshop, and The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music. Jaz has worked with many notable artists including Wynton Marsalis, Abbey Lincoln, George Benson, Bobby Hutcherson, Phil Lesh, and Dee Dee Bridgewater in some of the world’s premier concert venues.
Sarah Voynow has performed extensively with the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony, the San Francisco Opera Orchestra, and the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. She earned a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree from Juilliard and has performed in numerous recordings at Skywalker Sound. As a performer with the ensemble Richard Stoltzman and Woody Herman’s Thundering Herd, she played on the Grammy-nominated recording of Stravinsky’s Ebony Concerto. A highly versatile musician, Sarah also plays rock and roll with an electric harp.
Bay Area native Cava Menzies is a classically trained jazz pianist, composer, producer, and educator. In 2001, she received a BA from the Berklee College of Music in Boston for jazz piano and music education, and in 2008, she received her MM from the University of Miami where she studied composition and music production and recording. Her musical talents extend from collaborations with various hip hop, soul, jazz, and Latin artists, to film documentaries. Cava remains a founding faculty member and teacher at the Oakland School for the Arts (OSA) where she chairs the Music Department, overseeing both the Instrumental and Vocal programs.

Check out Jaz Sawyer’s music on SoundCloud.

Admission: $10-20. Doors at 7:00pm. Show at 7:30pm. All ages welcome.
Tickets will not be sold in advance for this event. Please arrive at the Red Poppy when doors open to purchase tickets.
Join the conversation at the Poppy – volunteer with us! Click here.

Los Vega: Son Jarocho de Veracruz
2016-08-04 20:00 - 22:00 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
Hailing from Veracruz, México, Los Vega brings the tradition of son jarocho music and dance to the Red Poppy. The genre is rich in narrative and performed with traditional instruments such as the jarana, requinto, and the percussive rhythm of zapateado dancing. Los Vega hopes to preserve the rich history of this music and promote the culture of southern Veracruz with notable songs such as Las Poblanas, El Celoso, Zapateado, Balaju, Cascabel and the original Bamba.
Featuring:
Fredi Vega – jarana
Claudio Vega – requinto
Raquel Palacios – jarana
Rosario Cornejo – zapateado
For more than six generations the Vega family has recreated son jarocho in community fandangos and on stages across the world. Since evolving into “Los Vega“, the new generation has carried on the musical tradition with contemporary verses, a variation of tones, and further stories that invigorate the family’s profound roots.

Admission: $20-25 door / $20 online. Doors at 7:30pm. Show at 8:00pm. All ages welcome.

Join the conversation at the Poppy – volunteer with us! Click here.
