Kristine Barrett presents an evening of experimental folk melodies exploring the concept of refuge: a place that nurtures, extends, bridges; that asks us to appeal to our highest selves, to seek deeply the difficult questions and to be brave in the face of them. Her setlist: traditional music and ritual song from Norway, Iran, Estonia, […]
The Poppy warmly welcomes Ryan McKasson and Eric McDonald, masters of tradition who purposefully explore the dark corners floating on its edges. Pulling from parallel strands of influence, the duo creates a swirling level of intensity that traverses darkness, light, and everywhere in between. Their new album focuses on the relatability of music hundreds of […]
This Canadian quartet explores instrumental music that draws inspiration largely from film scores, jazz, rock, surf, and elements of Eastern European, African, and South American music. At the Poppy, the only San Francisco stop on their first U.S. tour, Atlas Revolt promises music from their acclaimed debut alongside selections from their upcoming album, due this […]
Ready for authentic storytelling, original compositions, and selections from the Great American Songbook? Globetrotting Arizona native and Los Angeles resident Kathleen Grace brings a pure sound and her honest and soaring voice to the Poppy for an evening of jazz, folk, and Americana. Featuring: Kathleen Grace - vocals Storm Nilsson - guitar Jeff Denson - […]
Led by bansuri flutist John Wubbenhorst, a composer influenced by decades of studying classical Indian music, Facing East combines Hindustani and Carnatic sounds with modal jazz in the vein of icons such as Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Weather Report, John McLaughlin, and Oregon. Featuring: John Wubbenhorst - flutes, keyboards, vocals Eric “Doc” Smith - Zendrum […]
Written, directed, acted, and produced by San Francisco Youth Theatre students, Homegrown is a brilliant collection of original, one-act plays that tells stories of having an incarcerated parent, Black Lives Matter, the beauty standard, LGBT relationships, being an artist, and yes, our changing San Francisco. This project is supported by The Youth Empowerment Fund. Playwrights: […]
With songs emphasizing lyrics and storytelling, as well as world-class musicianship that prizes spontaneity and dialogue, this highly adaptable ensemble led by trumpeter/composer Darren Johnston brings poetry, interplay, vocal harmonies, and a cross-section of musical interests into a curious new blend of roots/art/dance music. Featuring: Darren Johnston - trumpet, vocals David Phillips - pedals, steel […]
Performance artist Naina Shastri and visual artist Salma Arastu collaborate on a show that uses Indian classical dance, poetry, video projection, and live music to connect 13th-century Persian mystic Mevlana Rumi and 16th-century Indian saint Meera Bai, who both spoke of finding salvation in love. Featuring: Naina Shastri - dance Salma Arastu - Rumi poetry […]
Often-rambunctious Balkan quartet Édessa, known for playing intricate time signatures and highly ornamented modal music with authority and joy, brings to the Poppy a night of wide-ranging, non-dance repertoire and new material. Featuring: George Chittenden – clarinet, gaida, zurna, guitar Ari Langer – violin Lise Liepman – santouri, accordion Sean Tergis – davul, darabuka, defi […]
Music, poetry, history, and future converge powerfully when three poets–Tongo Eisen-Martin, Bonnie Kwong, and Josiah Luis Alderete–explore themes of immigration, migration, language, cultural identity, social justice, revolution, and love through collaborations with guitarists Peck the Town Crier, Oliver Mok, and Eli Carlton-Pearson. Featuring: LOAN (Tongo Eisen-Martin, poetry; Peck the Town Crier, guitar) Contraband (Bonnie Kwong, […]
Dina Maccabee performs lush, ethereal music using viola, vocals, and electronic processing. Taking an experimental approach to folk sensibilities, she crafts a singular, intimate sound world around each of her original and often personal songs. Ron Shalom presents songs from the peripheries of consciousness utilizing electronics, video, and storytelling. Featuring: Dina Maccabee - viola, vocals, […]
Standout Bay Area producer/songwriter/guitarist/vocalist Pamela Parker brings her trio to the Poppy for a dynamic performance that will feature selections from her upcoming album, Fantastic Machine, a fresh rock & roll landscape that evokes Alabama Shakes, Thin Lizzy, and Funkadelic. Featuring: Pamela Parker - vocals, piano, guitar Spence Murray - bass Chris McGrew - drums […]
Best known for being co-frontman of The Head and The Heart, Josiah Johnson heads an evening of songwriting based in a folk tradition that emphasizes connection to the internal source while recognizing the importance of communion and the connection to the light of others. Featuring: (Full lineup TBA) Southern California native, current Bay Area resident, […]
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. […]
New York City-based musicians and visual artists Ali Dineen and Hannah Sassoon present an evening of music and shadow puppetry, telling personal and historical tales of healing and resistance. They will perform original music, including new songs from Ali's recent album Light Comes In, as well as selections from different folk music traditions with guitar, […]
Saxophonist Tom Griesser and his longtime collaborators, bassist Ollie Dudek and drummer Dan Foltz, present selections performed during their three-year stint at the Burritt Room in San Francisco, as well as new compositions to honor visionaries and rebels in a variety of endeavors. The trio draws from a wide range of influences, including 1930s Benny […]
Returning to the roots of improvisation, saxophonist Richard Howell reunites with fellow improvisers from the acclaimed group RHQ, which featured phenomenal pianist Frederick Harris and spirited bassist Gary Brown. Elé Howell, a disciple of the great E.W. Wainwright, brings an energetic flow and a powerhouse approach. Drawing upon the ancestry of jazz, the essence of […]
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-numbered month, MAPP transforms ordinary spaces – such as private garages, gardens, living rooms, studios, street corners, and small businesses – into […]
“Nosotros, los de a pie” Homenajeando a los ciudadanos de a pie, a los ambulantes, los invisibles a la sociedad. Al inmigrante europeo, latino, africano, a ellos y ellas, los ciudadanos del mundo, sosten del planeta. ¡A quiene nadie les canta, ni dedica poemas, a quienes ningún pintor inspira! “We, The Ordinary Ones” We honor […]
Songwriter and producer Nino Arobelidze, born in the formerly Russian republic of Georgia and raised in Chicago, boasts a sound influenced by jazz, soul, indie rock, her time in a funk duo, and her travels around the world. For her Red Poppy debut, Nino will be joined by frequent collaborator Pablo Gordy on guitar and […]
Ready for an easygoing evening of friendly, familiar jazz tunes? Local quintet Zona Blu, whose Italian name is a nod to Milanese jazz club “blue zones” and Miles Davis’ iconic Kind of Blue, presents a laid-back night of Latin, funk, and swing grooves that’s sure to ease you into the weekend. Featuring: David Kaufer - […]
Bay Area performance troupe Opera on the Spot celebrates intense and passionate love, the sublime, the morbid, the beautiful, and the strange with a show dedicated to art songs and arias from the late 18th-century/early 19th-century Romantic era of Western classical music. Featuring: TBA Opera on the Spot is a group of young, classically trained […]
Bay Area-based Brazilian guitarist Ricardo Peixoto welcomes São Paulo pianist/arranger/composer Felipe Senna for an evening of original compositions, as well as selections of Brazilian classics, including choro, samba, baião, and bossa nova. Featuring: Ricardo Peixoto - guitar Felipe Senna - piano Originally from Rio de Janeiro, guitarist/composer Ricardo Peixoto is among the top representatives of […]
Oakland-based Redwood Tango Ensemble presents a concert of new works written by bandoneonist Charles Gorczynski. The sextet focuses on writing that is both fundamentally based in tango and reaching towards a personal and imaginative sound. The new works are influenced by contemporary tango groups in Argentina, modern chamber music, film music, and improvised music. Featuring: […]
Singer/songwriter Alicyn Yaffee makes her Red Poppy debut with an evening of indie-pop sensibilities, punk, jazz guitar, and soulful vocals. Her trio includes Santana bassist/musical director Benny Rietveld, who produced her debut album, Someone Else, which features Cindy Blackman, Ronnie Foster, and Rietveld. Featuring: Alicyn Yaffee - guitar, vocals Hamir Atwal - drums Jeff Cressman […]
Multistyle violinist and champion fiddler Mari Black comes to the Poppy with a spirited musical adventure featuring dance music from around the globe: Celtic, American, and Canadian fiddling, jazz, tango, klezmer, folk, original works, and more. Featuring: TBA Mari Black’s energetic playing, engaging stage presence, and commitment to bringing people together through music have made […]
Kylland and Cinnamon Lips present a night of all-original music that promises to take listeners from the green knolls of Ireland to the golden hills of Laurel Canyon. These two singer-songwriters blend flavors of traditional folk music with harmonically rich songwriting and cinematic storytelling, beautifully buoyed in the velvety sea of their strong vocals. Featuring: […]
Kenyan singer-songwriter/guitarist Naomi Wachira comes to the Red Poppy from her home in Seattle for an evening of folk music influenced by gospel, the music of Tracy Chapman and Miriam Makeba, and a desire to create music that is poignant, hopeful, and life-giving. Expect brand-new songs from her latest release, Song of Lament. Featuring: Naomi […]
Bandleader Adam Theis and this five-piece ensemble will present a night of new original compositions and arrangements, as well as tributes to artists who have influenced them. Expect a wide dynamic range, rock and EDM rhythms, plus melodies, harmony, and phrasing more common to chamber, jazz, and music from around the world – and a […]
David James (Afrofunk Experience, Beth Custer Ensemble) brings his rhythm-horns-and-strings sextet back to the Poppy for an evening of stylistic border-crossing. This performance will feature songs from the acclaimed album Billionaire Blues, as well as new compositions and arrangements. Featuring: David James - guitar, voice Beth Custer - clarinets Alan Williams - trombone Ela Polak […]
