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. […]
This all-star group of Bay Area jazz-scene stalwarts is as traditional as they come: Tenor and alto saxophones in the front line, with piano, bass, and drums in the rhythm section. Their setlist is comprised of standards with new arrangements and original tunes by the band, all featuring pianist/composer/vocalist Mike Greensill. Featuring: Mike Greensill - […]
Multi-string player Gari Hegedus and Arabic percussionist Faisal Zedan return to the Poppy with a concert of original compositions by Hegedus and traditional instrumental music from various regions in the Middle East. Their focus: Dialogue and interplay between melody and rhythm. Gari Hegedus began devoting his life to music more than 25 years ago […]
"Our Spring" in the Mission: Through music, art, and song, we reflect traditions of protest and resilience inspired by the popular demonstrations in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan between 2010 and 2013. ABOUT STOOP: Mission Stoop Fest (STOOP) is a civil society arts experiment that transpires on the front […]
The next edition of MAPP, on April 1, highlights the work of an international collective of producing artists who will be featured in the New Experimental Works Festival at CounterPulse on May 4-7th, 2017. The N.E.W. Festival, dedicated to radical theater-making and performance, is part of a collaborative effort between the California Institute of Integral […]
The Jimmy Grant Ensemble infuses swing-era pieces, originals, and traditional Roma tunes with Django Reinhardt’s crunchy rhythms and hot harmonies, creating a signature mix that includes Russian folk, bluegrass, Celtic, and classical music while remaining true to Django’s innovative guitar technique. Featuring: Jimmy Grant - guitar Javi Jiménez - guitar Sascha Jacobsen - bass Northern […]
Combining funky Balkan rhythms, gritty Appalachian ballads, arresting vocal harmonies, and enchanting acoustic textures, Janam unites some of the Bay Area's most playful and imaginative devotees of southern Balkan and American roots music to weave together folk tunes and their own colorful compositions, taking their audiences on a labyrinthine musical ride. Featuring: Dan Auvil - […]
Guitarist/singer Anne Carol Mitchell and violinist Nissa Gustafson perform beautiful melodies that invite listeners to reconnect with the natural world. The Muted Jewel Tones, a vocal harmony trio, perform songs from the sophisticated to the ridiculous, bringing a little jazz, a little folk, a little pop–and hopefully, a little smile–to the audience. Featuring: Sandy Lindop […]
Minsky Duo makes its Red Poppy debut with an all-Russian/Soviet program that includes the first San Francisco performance of living composer Nikolai Kapustin’s rollicking “Sonata for Violin and Piano,” Prokofiev’s “Violin Sonata No. 1 in F minor” (described by the composer as "wind whistling through a graveyard"), Tchaikovsky's beautifully lyric “Meditation,” Scriabin's explosive “Piano Sonata […]
New York-based pianist Jason Yeager returns to the Red Poppy for an evening of catchy and quirky melodies inspired by Kurt Vonnegut's fictional characters, re-imagined standards by the likes of Thelonious Monk and Duke Ellington, grooves from Argentina and Brazil, and musings on Messiaen. He will also perform music from his forthcoming album with violin/mandolin […]
Acclaimed Bay Area poet/playwright/percussionist/radio host Avotcja (pronounced “ah-va-cha”) returns to the Red Poppy with her quartet, whose name means “gratitude” in Yoruba. Expect a set of jazz, blues, Afro-Cuban polyrhythms, and powerful poetry. Featuring: Avotcja - poetry, percussion Jon Jang - piano Sandi Poindexter - violin Francis Wong - saxophone, flute “Heshima” Mark Williams - […]
With an all-acoustic sound, rich harmonies, and soul-soothing rhythms, Soul y Agua blends influences from Mexico, Cuba, and Spain with jazz, R&B, and pop. The Bay Area-based quartet promises truly authentic original compositions along with select favorite traditional pieces. Featuring: Monica Maria Fimbrez - vocals, jarana, guitar Angelica Rodriguez - vocals Daniel Fabricant - bass […]
This trio of vocalists/musicians from France, the U.K., and the U.S.–Laure Sancho on upright bass, Paola Vera on piano, and Rachael Magidson on drums and trumpet–brings a swinging all-Gershwin program to the Poppy that will feature award-winning musicianship and their signature harmonies. Featuring: Paola Vera - vocals, piano Rachael Magidson - vocals, drums, trumpet Laure […]
A trio of acclaimed Bay Area musicians makes its Red Poppy debut with an evening of looped and plugged-in improvisations. Expect daring solo, duo, and trio hijinks, as well as originals and reimagined covers. Featuring: Alex Kelly - cello Matthew Szemela - violin PC Muñoz - drums, percussion Dr. Alex Kelly is a San Francisco-based […]
Join artists Jason Wyman, Donna Marchesano, Andrea Fuenzalida, Ginger Snap, Keegan Roberson, Steve Piasecki, and senseofplace LAB for a special one day only pop-up shop. It's the perfect spot to check out fine art works and handcrafted merchandise. Pick up something for yourself or a loved one. Items for sale include metal prints, Voodoo Kitties, […]
Boca do Rio, the immensely danceable result of a two-decade musical partnership between guitarist/singer Kevin Welch and percussionist Alex Calatayud, brings their multi-layered electro-funk party boat to the Poppy this Friday. Their musicá organicá, born of Brazil and the San Francisco Bay, showcases the rhythms of living and working between the Americas. Featuring: Alex Calatayud […]
Due to unforeseen circumstances, this event has been cancelled.
Jazz vocalist/composer/arranger Andrea Claburn will be joined by an all-star band to celebrate the release of her debut, Nightshade, a collection of original compositions and new arrangements of lesser-known standards by Duke Ellington, Betty Carter, and Pat Metheny. Featuring: Andrea Claburn - vocals Dan Zemelman - piano Aaron Germain - bass Greg Wyser-Pratt - drums […]
The Poppy invites you to join the artist and curators behind its second exhibition of 2017, Spectrums & Prisms, Bodies & Realms, on view until June 24. For her first exhibition at the Red Poppy Art House, Lise Silva Gomes has created a fiber art installation that serves as a metaphysical exploration where woven knots […]
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, […]
