Red Poppy Art House

[DOUBLE BILL] Rebecca Mimiaga and Bird Call: A Night of Cinematic Chamber Pop
2016-06-23 20:00 - 22:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | 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
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
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
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.
Join the conversation at the Poppy – volunteer with us! Click here.

Sparks Fly: 21st Century Street Jazz ft. Saxophonist Avram Fefer w/ Vijay Anderson & Dan Seamans
2016-07-01 19:30 - 22:00
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.
Join the conversation at the Poppy – volunteer with us! Click here.

Sound Underground: Acoustic Chamber Jazz from Miami
2016-07-03 19:30 - 22:00
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.
Join the conversation at the Poppy – volunteer with us! Click here.

Beyond the Blues: Ending the Prison Industrial Complex, Series 4, Discussion 5 w/ Marcus Shelby & Jackie Ramos
2016-07-07 19:30 - 21:30
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
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
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.
Join the conversation at the Poppy – volunteer with us! Click here.

Rumberos de Radio Habana: Community Rumba
2016-07-10 15:00 - 18:00
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.
Join the conversation at the Poppy – volunteer with us! Click here.

Ultrafaux w/ Rob Reich: Jazz Manouche & Musette Waltzes
2016-07-15 19:30 - 22:00
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
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.
Join the conversation at the Poppy – volunteer with us! Click here.

Tito Gonzalez y Su Son de Cuba: Una Noche Cubana
2016-07-16 19:30 - 22:00
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
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
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
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
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
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.

Jacqui Sutton with the Frontier Jazz String Quartet: Jazz and Bluegrass Swing Together
2016-08-05 19:30 - 22:00
Jacqui Sutton returns to the Red Poppy with her Frontier Jazz String Quartet. Imagine if Billie Holiday, Dolly Parton and Aaron Copland came together to create music for a night; this would be the sound of Jacqui Sutton. Described by music/arts critic C. Michael Bailey as the place “where jazz meets the American frontier,” Jacqui draws from over 20 years of musical and stage experience, interweaving jazz and bluegrass with orchestral, pop and Americana influences. In her ears, the banjo, mandolin and fiddle continually intermingled with jazz, eventually coalesce into her distinctive frontier jazz sound. She was recently featured in Chris Becker’s Freedom of Expression: Interviews with Women in Jazz (November 2015), a book discussing the contributions made by women in the jazz world.
Featuring:
Jacqui Sutton – vocals
Paul Chester – banjo, guitar
Anthony Sapp – bass
Max Dyer – cello
Henry Darragh – piano
*This performance is proudly sponsored by Ifshin Violins.

Admission: $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.

August 6th MAPP: "Surface" Artist Reception & Crossover Collaborative Residencies
2016-08-06 13:00 - 20:00
The exhibit Surface: Rodney Ewing & Joyce Nojima brings together works on paper by the two Bay Area artists. Ewing and Nojima have created work offering a transmutation of tactile and visual experience across the surface of the paper. This pairing allows for exploration of the various ways in which this familiar material is treated and how the marks made upon the surface may evoke diverse readings and interpretations. The curators, Modesto Covarrubias and Monica Lundy, present these works in the performance space of Red Poppy Art House with an aim to spark a dialogue between music, voice, movement, and the act of seeing. With an interest in how to interact and live with art, the curators seek out work that enlivens and engages the space in which it exists.
Crossover Collaborative Residencies provides a framework to support the exploration of collaborative processes between artists in dance and music disciplines. Pairing six choreographer/dancers and six composer/musicians, the program follows a four-stage development from preliminary artists gatherings and orientation workshops, to early-stage “raw” presentations of works-in-progress, a middle-stage free community-engaged presentation, and a final performance/presentation. The third month of the residency utilizes the Mission Arts & Performance Project’s bimonthly neighborhood festival as a platform to put the work before a larger and more spontaneous audience.
Schedule:
1:00-4:00pm – Surface Exhibition
Artist reception with curators Modesto Covarrubias and Monica Lundy and artists Rodney Ewing and Joyce Nojima
6:00-7:30pm – Crossover Residencies
Collaborative works in progress with resident artists Daniel Riera/Latanya Tigner; Erika Oba/Sammay Dizon; Sandra Ndu/Larry Arrington
7:30-8:00pm – Crossover Residencies
Discussion with resident artists and curator Amara Tabor-Smith

About the MAPP:

Launched in 2003, the Mission Arts & Performance Project (MAPP) is a homegrown bi-monthly, multidisciplinary, intercultural happening that takes place in the Mission District of San Francisco. On the first Saturday of every even month of the year, the MAPP transforms ordinary spaces, such as private garages, gardens, living rooms, studios, street corners, and small businesses, into pop-up performance and exhibition sites for a day/night of intimate-scale artistic and cultural exchange among a kaleidoscope of individuals and communities.
Learn more about the program at http://mappsf.com/.

About the Artists (Cohort 1):

Sandra Lawson-Ndu is an Oakland-based musician. As a vocalist and songwriter, she has contributed to and collaborated on a number of live and recorded projects, including works with DJ Center (Everything in Time LP) and Nomadic Wax (Diaspora Mix Tape Volume 2). She helped found and organize the Trinity International Hip Hop Festival, and in the last two years, she has been invited to participate in both the Zoo Labs Artist Residency and Revolutions Per Minute Artist Lab. Currently, Sandra is co-leading the band Bells Atlas and working on her solo project.

Laura Larry Arrington is a dance-artist working in hybrids of idea and practice. Her work in dance (time/space/body/whole) pivots around a desire to orient towards the capacities in us all that can glimpse unseen and unutterable horizons. Her body is her life and her life is her work. (Photo by Robbie Sweeny)

Erika Oba is a composer, pianist/flutist, and educator based in the SF Bay Area. She is a member of the Montclair Women’s Big Band, the Mara Performance Collective, Ends Meat’ Catastrophe Jazz Ensemble, and the Oba/Bastian duo. She received her BM in Jazz Piano Performance from Oberlin Conservatory and her MA in Music Composition from Mills College.

SAMMAY is a Bay Area-based emerging choreographer/producer and interdisciplinary performing artist of Kapampangan, Ilokano, and Bikol descent. Her work has been performed at SOMArts Bay Gallery, Diego Rivera Art Gallery, Dance Mission Theater, and Oracle Arena among others. She is the founder and producer of URBAN x INDIGENOUS, an inter-generational multi-disciplinary arts festival which celebrates the indigenous spirit in the urban environment of our present day.

Daniel Riera is a flutist, EWI player, bassist, producer, composer, and sound designer from San Francisco. He is active as a stage performer with groups such as Soltron, Camille Mai, as well as his own ensemble. His musical training began at the age of ten with Latin-jazz flute virtuoso and composer John Calloway. Daniel continued his studies at San Francisco’s School of the Arts High and Berklee College of Music, where he earned his degree in Music Synthesis. Since 2012, Daniel has been an instructor at Academy of Art University teaching music theory and notation. He is also involved with the group Today’s Future Sound which provides music production education to underserved middle and high school communities in the Bay Area.

Latanya d. Tigner is a choreographer who has performed professionally with Dimensions Dance Theater since 1986. She has studied and toured nationally and internationally, performing multidisciplinary works rooted in African diasporic dance forms. Latanya holds a B.A. in Physical Education/Dance, a Master’s Degree in Arts Administration, and currently teaches dance at Contra Costa College. Her current research and study of the Second Line parading traditions of New Orleans has enabled her to create one of her most notable pieces, The Last Dance/St. Anne and N. Rampart. Latanya recently completed her second commissioned work for Dimensions, The Town on Notice.(Photo by Kimara Dixon)

CANCELLED - Soup SF: Summer Edition
2016-08-07 18:00 - 20:00
Due to unforeseen circumstances, this event has been cancelled. We apologize for any inconvenience!

SOUP is like Shark Tank meets Kickstarter for social good in our community. Come together with great folks over a delicious meal and fund a creative, community-benefit project with your vote!
How It Works:
1) $15-25 donation gets you soup and a vote (no one will be turned away for lack of funds)
2) Three creative community-benefit projects present and answer our Q&A
3) We vote to grant the proceeds from the meal to the most inspiring project

More About Soup SF:
Soup SF is a volunteer effort and exercise in community, food, creativity and good times. The SF edition was instigated by a group of folks that were wanting for more chances to be with and participate in their community. Inspired by stories of FEAST in Brooklyn and InCUBATE’s original Sunday Soup in Chicago, they decided to bring the goodness to SF (with blessings).
Read about Soup SF’s previous projects here.
Join the Facebook event here.

Lavay Smith: The Songs and Sounds of Duke Ellington
2016-08-12 19:30 - 22:00
Internationally recognized chanteuse Lavay Smith and her world-class band come to the Red Poppy to pay tribute to the great Duke Ellington. Performing popular favorites, as well as obscure gems, Lavay and her band evoke an authentic feeling of classic blues and jazz.
Featuring:
Lavay Smith – vocals
Jules Broussard – alto and tenor sax
Danny Armstrong – trombone, vocals
Chris Siebert – piano
Ron Belcher – bass
Lavay Smith is the vocalist and bandleader of the San Francisco-based Red Hot Skillet Lickers, one of the top swingin’ jazz and blues bands in the world. Growing up in Southern California and the Philippines, Lavay developed a singing style influenced by greats like Billie Holiday, Dinah Washington, Bessie Smith, and Little Esther Phillips. Her lush, bluesy vocals and enthralling stage personality recalls an era of jazz queens and sensuous pinups in the authentic style of the 1940s and 1950s. Smith and her seven-piece band maintain a busy schedule, performing original compositions, as well as a large repertoire of classic tunes throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, and Japan.
“A living testament to the jump-blues era, Lavay is an impassioned singer.” — JAZZIZ

Admission: $15-20. Doors at 7:00pm. Event at 7:30pm. All ages welcome.

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

Jeff Denson Quartet: Jazz CD Release Celebration
2016-08-13 20:00 - 22:00
Bay Area-based double bassist/composer/vocalist Jeff Denson performs a CD release show with his quartet at the Red Poppy Art House for his fifth album, Concentric Circles. Steeped in the jazz tradition, Denson’s music features uncommon instrumentation and a highly individual juxtaposition of composed and improvised material.
Featuring:
Jeff Denson – double bass, vocals
Paul Hanson – bassoon
Dan Zemelman – piano
Alan Hall – drum set
Jeff Denson has balanced a full career as an acclaimed performing musician, a professor at the California Jazz Conservatory, and the Artistic Director of Ridgeway Arts, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit arts organization. Jeff has toured with his own groups throughout the U.S. and Europe and has worked with some of jazz’s finest artists, such as Anthony Davis, Joe Lovano, Jane Ira Bloom, Kenny Werner, Charles McPherson, Dave Douglas, Ralph Alessi, Cuong Vu, and Warren Wolf.

“From his hard-driving quarter-note swing, to cello-like bowed melodies and interactive counterpoint, Denson is always surprising and inspiring!” — Lee Konitz, National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master

Admission: $20. Doors at 7:30pm. Show at 8:00pm. All ages welcome.

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

Rumberos de Radio Habana: Community Rumba
2016-08-14 14:00 - 17:00
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 musical styles, such as country, rock, and blues, and continue to impact the genres of today. Rumberos de Radio Habana bring 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 2:00pm. All ages welcome.
Join the conversation at the Poppy – volunteer with us! Click here.

Jessica & Tony Jones, Peter Apfelbaum & Howard Wiley: Tenor Madness
2016-08-14 19:30 - 22:00
Improvisations, originals, and an exploration of standards unite the four independent viewpoints of tenor saxophonists Jessica Jones, Tony Jones, Peter Apfelbaum, and Howard Wiley. With a deep respect for jazz history and rhythm, and a dedication to finding their own voices, these musicians meet with collective improvisation in its wildest, mercurial incarnation.
Featuring:
Jessica Jones, Tony Jones, Peter Apfelbaum, Howard Wiley – tenor saxophones

Spearheaded by Jessica Jones, this grouping of four strong, creative tenor sax players from Berkeley illustrates the power of unity across diverse voices. A shared love of the saxophone, self-expression and jazz brings this crew together to explore sonic territory inhabited by shared history and imagined landscapes. All products of Berkeley High School, Jessica, Tony and Peter currently live in Brooklyn performing music from around the world. Howard has been a recognized saxophonist/drummer in the Bay Area and beyond since he was 12 years old.

Photos: Peter Apfelbaum by Tom Erlich, Howard Wiley by James Barry Knox

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.

Marta Sanchez Quintet: Elegant, Melodic Music for Jazz Quintet
2016-08-18 19:30 - 22:00
Combining elements of rock, pop, jazz, folk, and classical, pianist/composer Marta Sanchez creates music that is rhythmically complex and spontaneously melodic. Her most recent release, Partenika, has been hailed as one of the best albums of 2015 by The New York Times, Downbeat, AllMusic and Jazz Journalist Association. Sanchez, a Madrid native who is currently active in New York City’s contemporary music scene, continues to tour around the globe as both a bandleader and sideman.
Featuring:
Marta Sanchez – piano, compositions
Caleb Curtis – alto saxophone
Raffi Garabedian – tenor saxophone
Dave Ewell – bass
Evan Hughes – drums
Photo by Tayla Nebesky

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.

Mamadou and Vanessa: Mali Blues
2016-08-19 19:30 - 22:00
Mamadou and Vanessa perform original, poignant music from Mali. Their sound, influenced by West African rhythms and southern American blues, features the traditional 14-stringed kamele ngoni (hunter’s harp) and the karinye, a traditional percussion instrument.
Master kamele ngoni player Mamadou Sidibe is from the Wassoulou region of Mali, West Africa. He has toured with Malian greats Oumou Sangaré and Coumba Sidibé throughout Europe and Africa. Vanessa Sidibe, from New York, is an accomplished Afro-Cuban and salsa musician. They are joint winners of several prestigious music competitions, including a Billboard world music competition and the John Lennon Songwriting Contest.

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.

Pagodinhos SF: Monthly Rio-Style Pagode de Mesa
2016-08-20 13:00 - 16:00
The Red Poppy Art House presents 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.
Join the conversation at the Poppy – volunteer with us! Click here.

Joanna Wallfisch: The Great Song Cycle
2016-08-20 20:00 - 22:00
Internationally recognized singer-songwriter Joanna Wallfisch comes to San Francisco as part of her West Coast album release tour, which she is doing by bicycle. Beginning in Portland, OR and concluding in Los Angeles, Joanna will celebrate the halfway point at the Red Poppy. She will perform solo, accompanying herself on ukulele, piano, and loop pedal, layering vocals and melodies into textured soundscapes.
London-born Joanna Wallfisch emerges as an important voice in the international music scene. Behind her voice is a composer who explores aesthetics that highlight her playfulness and fruitful imagination. A multi-instrumentalist and master of vocal looping, she creates striking, multi-faceted live performances, generating beguiling vocal and percussive soundscapes to accompany her self-penned songs. Her third and latest album, Gardens in My Mind (2016), is set to be released on Sunnyside Records.
“[With her] clear-eyed poetry… Wallfisch combines the intimate purview of a singer-songwriter with the technical liberties of a jazz improviser. Crossing borders and flouting rules seem to come naturally to the youngest child of a renowned classical-music dynasty” — The Boston Globe

Admission: $10-15. 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.

Willow Steps: Indie Folk Pop
2016-08-21 19:30 - 22:00
With simple song structures and catchy melodies, Willow Steps features folky tunes of love and heartbreak by singer/songwriter Jesse Strickman and vocalist Leiya Mahoney. The duo’s introspective harmonies are accompanied by upright bassist Schuyler Karr for the celebration of their new community-funded EP, A Truth Too Big to See. Opening the evening is an acoustic set by eclectic Nevada City songwriters Cactus Cult.
Featuring:
Jesse Strickman – vocals, acoustic guitar
Leiya Mahoney – vocals, various instruments
Schuyler Karr – bass
Oakland-based indie-folk duo Jesse and Leiya, best friends and fellow music lovers, launched Willow Steps in 2015 after years of collaborating onstage. Both seasoned musicians, Mahoney has founded a kirtan group and performed in choirs and bands, while Strickman has opened for Damien Jurado, Cake, and Jay Brannan.
Photo by Paul Maguire

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.
