Violinist/composer Colm Ó Riain and some stellar musical friends mix the soul of his native Ireland with rhythms and melodies from all over the world — jazz, blues, Roma, India, Cuba, Brazil, and more — while exploring new frontiers of sound, all with a developed sense of humor. Featuring: Colm Ó Riain - violin, vocals […]
Joined by New York vocalist Diana Mangano, four Bay Area musical treasures convene for one night to present the music of Beth Custer and David James, and to explore spontaneous improvisations. Custer's growling bass clarinet meets James's versatile guitar, on a bed of grooves by Amendola and Glasgow. Featuring: Beth Custer - clarinets David James […]
Acclaimed jazz vocalist Kellye Gray–renowned for her powerful voice, four-octave range, and 1990 Top 20 hit, Standards in Gray–comes to the Poppy to celebrate the release of a new album, Rendering. Featuring: TBA Texas native Kellye Gray has recorded seven albums as a leader, performed nationally and internationally at world-class venues and festivals, and shared […]
Pianist Myra Melford, bassist Lisa Mezzacappa, and saxophonists Angela Morris and Steve Adams perform original compositions and spontaneous improvisations. Ranging from melodic free jazz to energetic sonic explorations, they bring their unique chemistry to the West Coast for the first time this fall. Featuring: Myra Melford - piano Angela Morris - tenor saxophone Lisa Mezzacappa […]
Highest Ani plays traditional Armenian songs blended with diverse musical influences. Committed to paying homage to Armenian music, while incorporating musical identities taken from rock, jazz, indie, blues, and others, Highest Ani is a band that strives to carve out its own sound. Featuring: Mark Sarkis Ohanesian - qanon Avo Chalaganyan - drums, vocals Marina […]
Blending elements from their own musical upbringings with influences from Spain, Brazil, Venezuela, and other Latin American countries, Los Angeles-based Primary Colors focuses on original compositions and arrangements. At their first Red Poppy show, expect to hear selections from their upcoming debut album. Featuring: Liza Wallace - harp, vocals Josh Johnson - saxophone Ryan Knudsen […]
Fred Frith, revolutionary of the electric guitar and pioneer of a form of improvisation which refuses all constraints, stylistic or otherwise, will present his first Bay Area solo performance in many years. Featuring: Fred Frith - prepared electric guitar Fred Frith learned his craft playing in rock bands, notably Henry Cow, and creating music in […]
Readings, live music accompaniment, and vivid projected images will recreate an episode of "The Republic of Sin" podcast, the story of a lost English-speaking colony of pirates, spies, and mercenaries on the legendary Coast of Sin, a tropical paradise full of dark secrets. After the intermission, writers will explore the ebullient linguistic space of animals, […]
Degenerate Art Ensemble’s Skeleton Flower is an immersive performance that combines rich imagery, live music and song, visceral solo dance, and storytelling ritual. The work will be performed in a rare duo performance by the company's two co-artistic directors, dancer Haruko Crow Nishimura and musician/composer Joshua Kohl, over two nights at the Poppy. Featuring: Haruko […]
Join French Oak Gypsy Band as they take you on a caravan ride through many lands, with songs in French, Spanish, Roma, Catalan, Portuguese, Russian, and English. Highlighting both French music and the French relationship to American jazz, French Oak aims to reach into the depths of an emotion-fueled Piaf song and the light coquettishness […]
Due to unforeseen circumstances, this event has been cancelled. We apologize for any inconvenience. EVENT DETAILS Time: — Admission: —
Join us Saturday night at the Red Poppy for an art-making jam in celebration of exploring your creativity! No previous art experience is necessary, and everyone from experienced artists to blooming creatives are welcome. Bring your current works-in-progress, or start a new piece with art supplies we’ll have available. If you’re new to visual art, […]
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. […]
Oakland-born Iranian-American artist Adrienne Shamszad blends folk, soul, and singer-songwriter elements with traditional Persian music and lyrics that are as inspired by the mystic poets of Iran as they are by the folk poet-songwriters of the 1960s and ’70s. At her Red Poppy debut, expect to hear songs from her recent EP, which features her […]
The Kilbanes kick off Halloween weekend with songs from the forthcoming record of their rock opera, Weightless, which has played to sold-out crowds in several Bay Area theaters. Voci Angelica Trio debuts at the Poppy with a set that straddles Western classical and folk music from around the world, aiming to reinvigorate traditional songs for […]
Bay Area rhythm all-star Javier Navarrette and his mighty vocal/percussion ensemble celebrate Día de los muertos at the Poppy with an evening of personal songs, as well as music originating from the Afro-Cuban and Afro-Mexicano song traditions, including rumba, palo, makuta, and son jarocho. Featuring: Javier Navarrette - vocals, percussion Sergio Duran - vocals, percussion […]
Bay Area-based quartet WaterSaw and brass band Sisu Brassland make their Red Poppy debut with a body of music exploring the raw beauty and viscerally moving aspects in the transition from life to death. Through the layering of musical textures, WaterSaw's sound is sparse, ethereal, rhythmic, and sometimes haunting. Sisu is a Finnish word that […]
Music, poetry, and future converge powerfully when Bonafide Rojas, Tongo Eisen-Martin, Bonnie Kwong, and Josiah Luis Alderete explore themes of imperialism, cultural identity, cultural resistance, love, and revolution through collaborations with guitarists Peck the Town Crier, Oliver Mok, and Eli Carlton-Pearson. FEATURING: Bonafide Rojas - poetry, guitar Tongo Eisen-Martin - poetry Peck the Town […]
Violin-guitar duo Doralice unveil a new 10" vinyl record of original cinematic acoustic music, featuring everything from moody waltzes to serpentine gypsy rhythms and creaky Americana. Records will be available and include custom papercut art by Bianca Levan, who will share some of her work during the show. Opening the evening will be an intimate […]
Wandering troubadour Wonder and dapper BART six-stringer William Smith usher in Daylight Savings Time with two distinct flavors of guitar. Wonder makes her Poppy debut with a set of original songs and stories brought to life by vocals, acoustic guitar, ukulele, and effects pedals, while Smith’s "100 Years of Guitar" project explores the last century […]
Join us for the opening reception of Development and Maintenance, the new solo exhibition by Tana Quincy Arcega at the Red Poppy Art House, which revolves around the meaning of these pivotal systems within our culture and within contemporary art. The artist turns mass-produced, functional, and disposable items (such as spackling compound, aluminum window screens, […]
Brazilian percussionist Tulio Araujo returns to the Poppy with a project that’s two years in the making: A contemporary jazz ensemble (bass, piano, 7-string guitar) built around the pandeiro, a tambourine-style frame drum ubiquitous in Brazilian music. Expect tunes from his new album, Monduland, along with a rainbow of surprising grooves and harmonic colors. […]
Flamenco dancer Bianca Rodriguez and New York-based Balkan/Turkish singer Jenny Luna team up with clarinetist Calvin Lai and guitarist Gopal Slavonic for a night of music from Turkey, Spain, and the Balkans. FEATURING: Jenny Luna - vocals, cajon Gopal Slavonic - guitar Calvin Lai - clarinet Bianca Rodriguez - flamenco dance Learn more: […]
Opera on the Spot presents a double bill of Lee Hoiby’s “The Italian Lesson,” followed by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi’s “La Serva Padrona” (“The Servant Turned Mistress”). Based on the famed character sketch by Ruth Draper, “The Italian Lesson” lyrically recounts the hectic day of a New York society matron, and the fun continues in “La […]
The Poppy is proud to welcome back New Orleans native Michelle Jacques, who has solidified her rep as Oakland's "Queen of New Orleans Music" by stirring jazz, funk, soul, Creole, Cajun, gospel, Caribbean, African, Zydeco, rock, and Mardi Gras Indian chants into a musical gumbo that leaves audiences wanting more. FEATURING: Michelle Jacques - […]
Red Poppy favorites Guarandinga, led by singer Rowan Jiménez and bassist/producer Jeremy Allen, return with a signature style of Latin Afro-Pop that integrates hip-hop, rock, and Venezuelan folklore with gritty East Bay funk. FEATURING: Rowan Jiménez - vocals, percussion Jeremy Allen - bass, vocals, cuatro, percussion Kenya Moses - percussion, vocals Chris Carter - […]
Bringing together original compositions and creative covers of music from the Great American Songbook and the Beatles, Berklee College of Music faculty members Jason Anick and Jason Yeager’s "jazz without borders" approach to music-making features adventurous improvisations and a commitment to melody and group interplay. At their first Red Poppy show together, expect to hear […]
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. […]
Pianist/composer Dahveed Behroozi, whose focus is jazz, classical, and new music, makes his Red Poppy debut as a leader with an evening of Great American Songbook explorations and improvisations. FEATURING: Dahveed Behroozi - piano (Additional performers TBA) ABOUT THE ARTIST: Pianist and composer Dahveed Behroozi is a New York City-based musician who currently […]
The Poppy is proud to present the inaugural collaboration between jazz harpist Destiny Muhammad, trumpeter/composer Darren Johnston, and bassist Giulio Xavier, three longtime contributors to the Bay Area music scene. Expect fresh takes on jazz standards, some premieres of original music, and selected covers from around the globe. FEATURING: Destiny Muhammad - harp, vocals […]
