Red Poppy Art House

June 4th STOOP: Mission Stoop Fest
2016-06-04 14:00 - 17:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
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.

[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.

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.

CARNAVAL WEEKEND: Post-Parade Samba Pagode de Mesa: Community Open House w/ Jorge Alabe and Friends
2016-05-29 12:30 - 15:30 | 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.

CARNAVAL WEEKEND: Kata-Vento Brazilian Sextet: Reunion Concert ft. Guitarist Carlos Oliveira - Double Show!
2016-05-28 19:00 - 22:00 | 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.
After a hiatus, Kata-Vento reunites to play the moving music of Carlos Oliveira, a long-time important Bay Area musical presence. The concert will feature original compositions by Oliveira written specifically for this ensemble’s unique instrumentation of three flutes, two guitars and percussion. Inspired by the music of his native northeast Brazil, his compositions invoke the traditional sound of the pífano flute as well as jazz, samba, maracatu, choro and even “cholypso.”
Kata-Vento (meaning “wind catcher” in Portuguese) has performed at the San Jose Jazz Festival, the National Flute Convention in Las Vegas, and widely in California for several years. Their first album together, Kata-Vento: Music by Carlos Oliveira, was released in 2012.
Featuring:
Carlos Oliveira – compositions, guitars
Q Morrow – guitar
Rebecca Kleinmann – flutes
Sonia Caltvedt – flutes
Chloe Scott – flutes
Brian Rice – percussion

Follow Kata-Vento on Facebook and Bandcamp.

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.

*Advance tickets available! Admission: $15 online / $15-20 door. Doors at 6:30pm. First show at 7:00pm, second show at 8:30pm. All ages welcome.

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

CARNAVAL WEEKEND: Pagode Dos Amigos w/ Jorge Alabe & Special Guest Beicola do Cavaco
2016-05-27 19:30 - 22:00 | 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.
For a special Carnaval weekend show, master drummer Jorge Alabe and friends bring to the Poppy an authentic Rio-style pagode. Pagode, meaning “party,” is the small group style of samba that is played in samba schools, bars, cafes and backyards of Rio de Janeiro. Featuring the cavaquinho (small four-stringed guitar) and percussion, the celebration incorporates a rich, lively mixture of songs with active audience participation.
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: $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.

Jessica Fichot: French Chanson & Shanghai Jazz
2016-05-26 20:00 - 22:00 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
Drawing from her French and Chinese heritage, chanteuse and songwriter Jessica Fichot performs a combination of French chanson, 1940’s Shanghai jazz, swing and international folk.
LA-based Jessica Fichot is a lot like her hometown of Paris: French at heart, but with a soul that’s truly international. She has performed in packed venues across France, China, Spain, Mexico, Canada, and the U.S. Armed with her accordion, toy piano and multilingual vocals, Jessica is backed by a fiery band of clarinet/saxophone, upright bass, and guitar.
Featuring:
Jessica Fichot – vocals, accordion, toy piano
Michael Papillo – upright bass
Sylvain Carton – clarinet, sax
Adrien Prévost – guitar

“Delightful. (…) tunes that evoke the feel of a bygone time and place; where the cultures of east and west collide in unexpected ways.” – LA Weekly
Preview Jessica’s music here.
Follow her on Facebook.

Admission: $12-15. 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.

The Gonzalo Bergara Quartet: "Claroscuro" Album Release
2016-05-22 19:30 - 22:00 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
With music heavily influenced by Django Reinhardt and traditional jazz of Buenos Aires, the quartet returns to the Red Poppy to present their latest album, Claroscuro.
The Gonzalo Bergara Quartet takes an all-acoustic, contemporary approach to 1930’s Reinhardt-inspired jazz. Composer and leader Gonzalo Bergara mixes a cascade of arpeggios (chord notes played in succession) with the sounds of Paris and his native Argentina. His first CD, Porteña Soledad, was Editor’s Pick in Guitar Player Magazine and was called a “masterpiece” in Vintage Guitar Magazine.
Featuring:
Gonzalo Bergara – lead guitar
Max O’Rourke – rhythm guitar
Daisy Castro – violin
PJ Wyderka – upright bass

Follow the quartet on Facebook.
Check out the music here and pre-order the album here.

Admission: $20-25. 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.

CANCELLED - Trio Balkan Strings: Balkan Swing
2016-05-21 20:00 - 22:00 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
*Due to unforeseen circumstances, this performance has been cancelled. We apologize for any inconvenience.

On tour throughout the US and Canada, Trio Balkan Strings performs at the Poppy for a night of virtuosic Balkan instrumental music. From asymmetrical rhythms to original guitar interpretations, the ensemble’s melodies are rich with elements of jazz, swing, classical, and a combination of cultural influences.
Trio Balkan Strings is a Belgrade, Serbia-based family project formed by guitarist/composer Zoran Starcevic and sons Nikola and Zeljko. Spontaneous and brimming with energy, the trio is known for their trademark of having six hands playing one guitar. They have performed in many festivals around the globe and have taught master classes for classical and jazz guitar students in Europe and the US.
Featuring:
Zoran Starcevic – guitar
Nikola Starcevic – guitar
Zeljko Starcevic – guitar
Follow the trio on Facebook and YouTube.

Rent Romus’ Life’s Blood Ensemble: An Exploration in Contemporary Jazz - "Rising Colossus" Album Release
2016-05-20 19:30 - 22:00 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
Saxophonist Rent Romus’ visionary group Life’s Blood Ensemble presents the album release performance of Rising Colossus, a milestone project of musical exploration of emergence and multiple movements. Featuring original compositions and a reprise of work written for Romus by late saxophonist legend John Tchicai, the ensemble will also perform a version of Anthony Braxton’s Composition 23J provided by Tri-Centric Foundation.
Featuring:
Rent Romus – alto saxophone
Timothy Orr – drums
Max Judelson – double bass
Safa Shokrai – double bass
Joshua Marshall – tenor saxophone
Mark Clifford – vibes
Heikki “Mike” Koskinen – e-trumpet

Rent Romus is a saxophonist/multi-instrumentalist, composer, bandleader, music producer, and community leader hailed by DownBeat as having “…a bold sound, unmistakable sincerity and conviction.” Born in upper Michigan and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, his work on the saxophone has been dubbed “ferocious” by SF Weekly and “central to the creative music world of the West Coast” by jazz critic Frank Rubolino. Romus has recorded over 40 albums exploring music in a variety of musical settings working with musicians such as Chico Freeman, John Tchicai, and Vinny Golia.
Follow Rent on Facebook and preview Life’s Blood Ensemble on SoundCloud.
Pre-order for the LP can be found here.

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 3 w/ Marcus Shelby & Jackie Ramos
2016-05-18 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. In March 2013, San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee appointed Shelby to the San Francisco Arts Commission.
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.

David Tanenbaum Presents: Antoniy Kakamakov - Classical Guitar: From Baroque to Contemporary
2016-05-15 19:30 - 22:00 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
Curated by David Tanenbaum, join prize-winning guitarist Antoniy Kakamakov for a night of powerfully emotional and virtuosic classical guitar music. From Bach, Weiss and Mertz to Latin Grammy-winning guitarist/composer Sérgio Assad, the program will explore major works from the Baroque repertoire as well as more recent compositions influenced by early musical form.
Antoniy Kakamakov is a professional classical guitarist, chamber musician, and educator. He attended the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where he received his Bachelors, Masters, and Professional Studies Degrees. He has received awards from guitar festivals including the Sierra Nevada and the Wesley Day Classical Guitar Recording Competition as well as the Portland, Louisville, Tennessee, and SFCM Guitar Concerto Competitions. Kakamakov actively performs both as a soloist and with the Pacific Guitar Ensemble, a group consisting of SFCM guitar faculty and selected alumni. With a passion for teaching, Antoniy is currently the classical guitar faculty at Oakland School for the Arts.
“Tony Kakamakov is a terrific young guitar player. Having come to the U.S. to study guitar at age 14, he was one of the hardest workers in the San Francisco Conservatory Guitar Department. He tackles the most difficult repertoire with aplomb, and his interpretations have intensity as well as beauty.” ‒ David Tanenbaum, San Francisco Conservatory of Music Guitar Department Chair

Preview Antoniy’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. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.
Join the conversation at the Poppy – volunteer with us! Click here.

Brian Andres & The Afro-Cuban Jazz Cartel ft. Sandra Garcia Rivera: Latin Jazz Meets Spoken Word
2016-05-14 19:30 - 22:00 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
Performing together for the third time at the Red Poppy, poet/vocalist Sandra Garcia Rivera joins Brian Andres & The Afro-Cuban Jazz Cartel for an evening of hard-hitting Latin jazz and spoken word.
Featuring:
Christian Tumalan – piano
Javier Cabanillas – congas
Steffen Kuehn – trumpet
Aaron Germain – bass
Brian Andres – drum set
Sandra Garcia Rivera – spoken word, vocals

Led by drummer Brian Andres, The Afro-Cuban Jazz Cartel was formed in 2007 with its roots in Latin jazz, a tradition which has thrived historically in the San Francisco Bay Area. Over the past decade, the Cartel has earned a sterling reputation as a turbo-charged vehicle for interpreting challenging material with confidence, poise, and rhythmic imagination. Their latest recording, This Could Be That, includes compositions and arrangements by top-shelf writing talent from within and outside the band’s rank. Featuring a core octet comprised of prominent local players, the album includes guest appearances by Cuban-American vocalist Venissa Santi, Fania All-Stars timbalero Louie Romero, bata master Michael Spiro, Peruvian percussionist Alex Acuña, and percussion maestro John Santos.
Sandra Garcia Rivera has captured audiences throughout the U.S., Caribbean, and Europe as a spoken word poet, vocalist and percussionist. She has published two chapbooks, Divination of the Mistress and Shoulder High, and her work has been printed in numerous anthologies and journals. As a vocalist, she has performed and recorded with international Latin jazz and Caribbean roots music artists and ensembles in NY, Puerto Rico, and the Bay Area. Sandra is currently Host & Curator of Lunada Literary Lounge, a monthly literary series at Galeria de la Raza, and is a teaching artist of creative writing and performance with WritersCorps and SFJAZZ Center in San Francisco.
Check out the track Limite here.
Follow the group on Facebook.

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.

Dusty Brough Trio: Surf Jazz
2016-05-13 19:30 - 22:00 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
Guitarist Dusty Brough steps out front to lead his own trio of fine jazz instrumentals, featuring Paul Bertin on saxophone and Julien Cantelm on drums.
Based in San Diego, Dusty Brough brilliantly integrates his roots in flamenco with jazz, folk, Romani, Brazilian, Balkan music. His nylon string guitar playing is marked by an agile technique that supports a buoyant aesthetic. As a composer, Dusty seamlessly combines harmonies, intricate rhythms and improvisation with a fluidity that can be compared to the rolling waves of the ocean.
Featuring:
Dusty Brough – nylon guitar
Paul Bertin – saxophone
Julien Cantelm – drums
Listen to the trio’s track The Forest and the Giant Mechanical Saw here.
Follow Dusty on Facebook.

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.

Vadalma: Hungarian Folk Songs in Handmade Arrangements
2016-05-12 19:30 - 22:00 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
Vadalma (“Wild Apple”) is a collaborative project led by Zina Bozzay with Matthew Szemela and Misha Khalikulov that explores vibrant, intimate arrangements of old Hungarian folk songs. Singing songs directly from village traditions of Transylvania, Moldavia, Transdanubia and other parts of the Carpathian Basin, the musicians integrate both traditional and original accompaniment to frame these rich melodies.
Trained in Hungary, Zina Bozzay has performed at the Táncháztalálkozó, Hungarian Heritage House, and National Theatre in Budapest. She has been a soloist at the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival, the Golden Festival in New York, and for Hungarian community events. Zina holds a Masters in Music Composition, and with her ensemble Vadalma, she creates historically-informed, innovative chamber arrangements using both traditional and non-traditional accompaniment. As the founder and leader of the Hungarian Folk Singing Circle (Népdalkör), her work also involves teaching, research, lecturing, and community-building.
Featuring:
Zina Bozzay – vocals
Matthew Szemela – violin
Misha Khalikulov – cello
Follow Vadalma on Facebook.

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.

San Francisco Youth Theatre Presents: HAMLET: The Slings and Arrows of Outrageous Fortune. San Francisco 2016.
2016-05-05 19:30 - 2016-05-07 22:00 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
The Poppy’s youth arts partner, San Francisco Youth Theatre is proud to present SFYT DREAM Ensemble in William Shakespeare’s classic tragedy, Hamlet. Directed by Cliff Mayotte, SFYT’s production is set against the backdrop of present day San Francisco with Shakespeare’s Danish monarchy transformed into tech giant Elsinore.com. This shortened version focuses on the domestic tragedy of Hamlet: power, love, violence and loss. The Red Poppy Art House is the perfect setting for this intimate production, representing a contemporary art-filled Mission District tech hub. The live musical score, composed by Schuyler Rhodes, adds a distinctly cinematic feel, complementing the play’s evocative language, beauty, and imminent dread.
San Francisco Youth Theatre creates cutting-edge theater that speaks to the unique sensibilities of youth. SFYT’s DREAM Ensemble consists of high school and college-aged actors dedicated to creating and performing works of art that tell the compelling stories of their community. Hamlet is co-produced by MAPA@Brava, (Mission Academy of Performing Arts), a consortium of youth arts organizations serving San Francisco’s Mission District, and the Red Poppy Art House. Additional support by the Henry Newhall Foundation.

Date: May 5-7, 2016
Time: 7:30pm (2:00pm showcase on May 7th)
Admission: $8/18 advance / $10/20 door (pay as you can for May 7th showcase)

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Amelia Romano: "New Perspectives" Album Release
2016-04-30 19:30 - 22:00 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
Performing arrangements as dynamic and diverse as Bach and blues to Mexican boleros, Amelia Romano combines Latin rhythms and personal lyrics to produce an intimate and energizing musical experience. With her signature blue electric lever harp, she experiments with various rhythms, tones and textures that demand the listener to re-think the lever harp’s role in today’s music.
Amelia Romano takes the path less traveled. A composer and arranger, she draws on life experience and inspiration to inform her work, using the harp as her vehicle of artistic expression. Her time living and working in South Africa from 2010-2011 has been woven into the fabric of her latest release, New Perspectives. The music for the album is inspired by the heart of a South African township, the American South, Mexico, Spain, and Venezuela.
Featuring:
Amelia Romano – harp, vocals
Josh Mellinger – percussion (cajon, congas, frame drum, cymbal)
Misha Khalikulov – cello
Schuyler Karr – bass
Pablo Davila – guitar
Paul Bertin – saxophone
Rebecca Kleinmann – flute

Follow Amelia on Facebook and YouTube.

Admission: $20-25. 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. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.
Join the conversation at the Poppy – volunteer with us! Click here.

Ross Hammond and Sameer Gupta: Improvisations for 12-String Guitar and Tabla
2016-04-29 19:30 - 22:00 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
Having shared a musical partnership for nearly twenty years, Ross Hammond and Sameer Gupta come together as a duo through the combination of jazz improvisations and global elements rooted from their respective cultures. This most recent project finds them stripping away layers and presenting music for acoustic 12-string guitar and tabla.
Featuring:
Ross Hammond – guitar
Sameer Gupta – tabla
Sameer Gupta is known as one of the few percussionists simultaneously representing the traditions of American jazz on drumset and Indian classical music on tabla. He has held workshops on Indian music and cross-over drumming styles at Carnegie Hall Global Encounters, the Jazzschool in Berkeley, and Berklee College of Music in Boston. From bebop to avant-garde jazz, European classical percussion to North Indian classical tabla, Gupta continues to compose and perform music from a multicultural perspective that now bridges several continents.
Sacramento guitarist Ross Hammond has played on large stages and in small corners throughout the United States. His sound is equal parts jazz, folk, blues, spirituals and world music. His latest solo release, Flight, is a record of originals and spirituals for 6-string, 12-string and acoustic slide guitar. The Sacramento News and Review called Hammond “one of Sacramento’s greatest jazz generators and arguably its most accessible.”

“Guitarist Hammond and tablaist Gupta have made a record, Upward, that is a dazzling set of songs and improvisations that get at the global, human roots of the blues… New, ancient, unclassifiable, powerful, fantastic.” – George Grella, Brooklyn Rail
Listen to their latest track, Upward, here.

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.

Brooklyn Raga Massive Presents: A Night of Cross-Coastal Raga-Inspired Music
2016-04-24 17:00 - 22:00 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
Ranging from collaboration and impromptu performances to casual musical appreciation, Brooklyn Raga Massive presents an evening inspired around Indian classical ‘raga’ music. The NYC-based collective of artists, alongside several raga-influenced musicians in the Bay Area, join together to perform multiple showcase-style sets as well as to facilitate group discussions with the community. Through Q&A and networking, fellow raga musicians and appreciators can learn how to build their audience and networks for further sustainability and fair practices among individual artists.
Featuring:
Sameer Gupta (Brooklyn Raga Massive) – drumset, tabla
Parag Chordia – sarod
Gautam Tejas – vocals
Rohan Krishnamurthy – mridangam
Prasant Radhakrishnan – saxophone
Ferhan Qureshi – tabla
Arun Ramamurthy – violin
Jim Santi Owen – percussion
Amali Premawardhana – cello
Trina Basu – violin
Perry Wortman – bass

Brooklyn Raga Massive is a cooperative alliance between Indian classical musicians in the Brooklyn, NYC area. The Massive is dedicated to representing raga-inspired music and expanding its audience through diversity and by breaking conventional formalities. Through BRM, artists can network and find a platform to present their work influenced by Indian Classical music as well as get involved with presenting concerts, lecture demonstrations, festivals, and educational outreach to all ages.
Follow BRM on Facebook.

Admission: $20. Doors at 5:00pm. Show at 5:30pm. 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.

Bay Area Dance Week: Congolese Rumba Workshop with Byb Bibene & Chris Babingui
2016-04-24 10:00 - 12:00 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
For the 18th annual Bay Area Dance Week, dancers Byb Bibene and Chris Babingui offer a special class, the Rumba Congo. The Congolese rumba (not related to Cuban rumba) is a social dance that is very prominent throughout the Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Every bar and club offers a selection of rumba music en vogue or in retro. The music is soft, slow, lyrical, and intimate. With variations in music and body rhythms, the dance is performed between couples. This is not a fitness dance. Couples can wear everyday attire, including jeans!
Byb Chanel Bibene is a choreographer and performer working in theater and contemporary dance. His own technical and aesthetic sensibility is rooted in the culture and dances of his country of origin, the Republic of Congo. He has toured the world and performed internationally with companies and choreographers from Africa, England, France and the USA. Artistic Director of Kiandanda Dance Theater, Bibene launched Mbongui Square, a multidisciplinary arts event that gathers artists from the Bay Area and around the world. Outside of his professional careers of theater and dance, Bibene holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics/Finance and has a passion for writing. He is pursuing his MFA in Dance at Saint Mary’s College of California.
Chris Babingui was born in Enyelle, Congo. At the age of five, he learned the ndombolo and other traditional dances of Congo through the imitation of his elders. After completing his secondary education in 2006, Babingui began his artistic career in hip-hop with the group Boom Danger de Massamba Flash. He has since toured internationally in Africa and Europe. In 2012, Chris participated in Gregory Makoma and Florent Mahoukou’s creation of a piece titled Wake Up. His other works include the choreography for Nibo Nabo (2014) and a collaboration with Zora Snak on The News Territories (2015).
About Bay Area Dance Week:
Presented by Dancers’ Group, Bay Area Dance Week is a 10-day celebration of dance featuring hundreds of free classes, performances, open rehearsals, lecture demonstrations, and the return of the wildly popular Kick-Off at Union Square Park, SF.
The Bay Area has one of the largest, most active and thriving dance communities in the country. BADW invites participants and volunteers to celebrate dance, offering hundreds of free events representing the diversity of dance forms practiced in the region. From established company programs to one-time events, BADW provides an opportunity for dance-lovers of all ages and experience-levels to take a grand tour of the many movement styles, including Argentine tango, classical Indian, jazz, hip hop, ballet, traditional hula, fire dance, Samba, modern, Chinese classical, belly dance, aerial dance, West African, contact improvisation, and more.

Admission: Free. Workshop at 10:00am. All ages welcome.
Join the conversation at the Poppy – volunteer with us! Click here.

Flying Under the Radar, in Collaboration with Derek Lassiter, Presents: As Três Meninas
2016-04-23 19:30 - 22:00 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
Flying Under the Radar, in collaboration with the Red Poppy Art House, presents three nights of international performance featuring Symbiosis (directed by Kiandanda Dance Theater & Bahiya Movement) on April 21, The Supplicants – Celestial Frequencies on April 22, and As Três Meninas (curated by Derek Lassiter) on April 23.
Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, As Três Meninas (The Three Girls) is a musical project formed by three bandleaders: Fabiana Passoni, Stephanie Ozer, and Ami Molinelli. Their repertoire consists of original compositions and timeless Brazilian standards, enriching the ever-expanding American music lexicon. From bossa nova and samba to odd meters and contemporary arrangements, As Três Meninas explores the wide spectrum of Brazilian jazz.
Featuring:
Fabiana Passoni – vocals
Stephanie Ozer – keyboard
Ami Molinelli – percussion

About the Artists:
Brazilian vocalist Fabiana Passoni has spent her career living in New York and Los Angeles as a recording artist of nu jazz, samba, bossa nova, and northeastern styles. Now calling the Bay Area home, she has graced the smooth jazz independent charts (Top 30) with several singles and EPs. Fabiana was awarded the 2012 Brazilian International Press Award for Best Brazilian Singer Living in the U.S.
Pianist Stephanie Ozer performs throughout the nation — solo to sextet — with musical styles ranging between Brazilian jazz, folk and klezmer. Her album, O Começo: New Beginnings in Brazilian Jazz, was recorded in Rio de Janeiro with Grammy-winning vocalist Leny Andrade. Nominated twice as Best Jazz Musician in the North Bay, Stephanie holds a Piano Performance degree from the University of Michigan School of Music.
Ami Molinelli is a professional percussionist and educator specializing in Brazilian and Latin percussion, particularly the pandeiro. Her extensive performance and recording credits include theater, television (NBC) and live performances with artists such as Luciana Souza, Jovino Santos-Neto, George Duke, Alessandro Penezzi, Mike Marshall, and John Santos among many others. Ami is the co-leader of the Brazilian choro and jazz group Grupo Falso Baiano.

About the Curator:
Derek Lassiter, a mainstay on the San Francisco arts scene, has received accolades for both his recordings and live performances featuring Bay Area notables such as pianist/composer Tammy Hall, producer/percussionist PC Muñoz, and composer/pianist Art Khu. Lassiter is profiled in Julian C. R. Okwu’s book, Face Forward: Young African American Men in a Critical Age.

About Flying Under the Radar Festival of the Arts:
Flying Under the Radar Festival of the Arts dedicates itself to the creation of artistic bridges between Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and the San Francisco Bay Area, USA. Working in concert with organizational and artistic partners in Rio and San Francisco, the festival aims to illuminate and invigorate the discourse between these two cultural centers by highlighting their distinctive artistic languages and processes of cultural investigation.
Follow FUTR on Facebook.

Admission: $10-15 student, $15-25 general. 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.

Flying Under the Radar Presents: The Supplicants - Celestial Frequencies
2016-04-22 19:30 - 22:00 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
Flying Under the Radar, in collaboration with the Red Poppy Art House, presents three nights of international performance featuring Symbiosis (directed by Kiandanda Dance Theater & Bahiya Movement) on April 21, The Supplicants – Celestial Frequencies on April 22, and As Três Meninas (curated by Derek Lassiter) on April 23.
Sameer Gupta and David Boyce invite you to embark on a journey across the universe with their duo project, Celestial Frequencies. They offer a glimpse into their sound alchemy of new worlds, ideas and meanings. Through organic improvisations and the pursuit of divine duality, Celestial Frequencies pays sonic homage to the goddess ideal ‒ one of the main tenets of cosmic spiritual music. This is jazz from an unknown planet.
Featuring:
Sameer Gupta – drumset, tabla
David Boyce – tenor/soprano sax, moog synth, efx, beats, basslines

About the Artists:
Sameer Gupta is known as one of the few percussionists simultaneously representing the traditions of American jazz on a drumset and Indian classical music on tabla. He has held workshops on Indian music and cross-over drumming styles at Carnegie Hall Global Encounters, the Jazzschool in Berkeley, and Berklee College of Music in Boston. From bebop to avant-garde jazz, European classical percussion to North Indian classical tabla, Gupta continues to compose and perform music from a multicultural perspective that now bridges several continents.
David Boyce spent his formative years in NYC soaking up the city’s vast multicultural offerings. After being bitten by the jazz bug in elementary school, David began his studies of the saxophone. He graduated from Cornell University with a B.S. in Industrial and Labor Relations and taught junior high school in the Bronx before moving to San Francisco. Living in the Bay Area inspired him to pursue music as a full-time obsession. He is a co-founder of his avant jazz group, Broun Fellinis, and is an active freelance musician involved in many musical pursuits that include jazz, post-rock, hip-hop, electronic, improv, and more. David currently performs with Broun Fellinis, 6Roses, The Afro Funk Experience, Black Quarterback, David Mihaly’s Shimmering Leaves Ensemble, The Supplicants, and Black Edgar’s Musik Box.

About Flying Under the Radar Festival of the Arts:
Flying Under the Radar Festival of the Arts dedicates itself to the creation of artistic bridges between Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and the San Francisco Bay Area, USA. Working in concert with organizational and artistic partners in Rio and San Francisco, the festival aims to illuminate and invigorate the discourse between these two cultural centers by highlighting their distinctive artistic languages and processes of cultural investigation.
Follow FUTR on Facebook.

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.

Flying Under the Radar, in Collaboration with Kiandanda Dance Theater & Bahiya Movement, Presents: Symbiosis
2016-04-21 19:30 - 22:00 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
Flying Under the Radar, in collaboration with the Red Poppy Art House, presents three nights of international performance featuring Symbiosis (directed by Kiandanda Dance Theater & Bahiya Movement) on April 21, The Supplicants – Celestial Frequencies on April 22, and As Três Meninas (curated by Derek Lassiter) on April 23.
Kiandanda Dance Theater (directed by Byb Chanel Bibene) and Bahiya Movement (directed by Afia Thompson) present Symbiosis, a shared evening of performance featuring recent dance projects: Weighted Acceptance and Nkisi Nkondi. Each choreographer presents work that speaks about a part of their identity, a self-reconnection to their past and present stories. Both pieces will be presented, followed by a Q&A and the sharing of soup. Come join this wonderful evening of food, dance, and insightful discussion.

About the Pieces:
Nkisi Nkondi by Kiandanda Dance Theater
The body memory of the myths, facts and stories behind the Nkisi Nkondi statue, a medium between the visible and the invisible world, between humans and divinities in the culture of the Kongo people. This project examines the lost values of justice, healing, sacred medicines and divine protection and human connection that the Nkisi Nkondi represented in the central African society.
Watch a clip of Nkisi Nkondi here.
Weighted Acceptance by Bahiya Movement
Collectively we all carry our own and each other’s weight(s). Through words and movement, we learn to accept the weight of who we are as we move through the world.
Preview a performance by Bahiya Movement here.
About the Directors:
Byb Chanel Bibene is a choreographer and performer working in theater and contemporary dance. His own technical and aesthetic sensibility is rooted in the culture and dances of his country of origin, the Republic of Congo. He has toured the world and performed internationally with companies and choreographers from Africa, England, France and the USA. Artistic Director of Kiandanda Dance Theater, Bibene launched Mbongui Square, a multidisciplinary arts event that gathers artists from the Bay Area and around the world. Outside of his professional careers of theater and dance, Bibene holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics/Finance and has a passion for writing. He is pursuing his MFA in Dance at Saint Mary’s College of California.
Afia “Beautiful 1” Thompson has been performing professionally since the age of 11 with her dance roots in West African traditions. Over the past 20 years, she has performed both nationally and internationally in genres such as jazz, hip-hop, lindy hop, freestyle, and modern dance. She is constantly refining her skills and versatility as a performer through yearly conferences, workshops, and performances. Ms. Thompson continues to expose herself to different forms of dance, drama and musical theatre, which adds a more finished touch to her skill and choreography level.
*Photo credits: Kaveri Seth (KDT) & Chani Bockwinkel (BM)

About Flying Under the Radar Festival of the Arts:
Flying Under the Radar Festival of the Arts dedicates itself to the creation of artistic bridges between Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and the San Francisco Bay Area, USA. Working in concert with organizational and artistic partners in Rio and San Francisco, the festival aims to illuminate and invigorate the discourse between these two cultural centers by highlighting their distinctive artistic languages and processes of cultural investigation.
Follow FUTR on Facebook.

Admission: $12-20. 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 2 w/ Marcus Shelby & Jackie Ramos
2016-04-20 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”. As the 1991 winner of the Charles Mingus Scholarship, Shelby’s studies include work under the tutelage of composer James Newton and legendary bassist Charlie Haden. 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. In March 2013, San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee appointed Shelby to the San Francisco Arts Commission.
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.

Abbos Kosimov & Sirojiddin Juraev: Instrumental Masterworks of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan
2016-04-17 19:30 - 22:00 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
Master percussionist Abbos Kosimov is joined by dutar and tanbur virtuoso Sirojiddin Juraev for a rare performance of instrumental masterworks of folk and classic traditions. Spanning musical geographies from the remote mountain highlands of Tajikistan, to the ancient urban centers of Bukhara and Samarkand in Uzbekistan, this special evening will highlight the musicians’ technical mastery and innovative virtuosity in the rhythms of timeless Central Asian music.
Featuring:
Abbos Kosimov – doira drum
Sirojiddin Juraev – dutar, tanbur
Abbos Kosimov is widely acknowledged as an international percussion phenomenon, particularly for his many innovative techniques of the Uzbek doira, an ancient frame drum. Having recognized his percussive talents at a young age, he studied under doira masters Mamurjon Vahbov, Tuychi Inogomov, and the Brothers Islamov. Abbos went on to establish his own school of doira playing in Uzbekistan and later taught at the Tashkent State Institute of Culture. Among his many accolades, he was given the prestigious title of Honored Artist of Uzbekistan by the country’s president in 2001. Currently residing in Sacramento, CA, Abbos continues to tour and explore the boundaries of tradition and innovation in rhythmic cross-cultural collaborations worldwide.
A prominent virtuoso of the dutar and tanbur (traditional stringed instruments), Sirojiddin Juraev is considered among the top masters of both the folk and classic tradition of shashmaqom. He comes from a lineage of dutar players in his native region of northern Tajikistan. In addition to performing at many prestigious concert halls, he has participated in various cross-cultural collaborations with other world-class masters of traditional music including Wu Man, Humayoun Sakhi, Mukhtar Muborakqadamov, Abduvali Abdurashidov, and Abbos Kosimov. Sirojiddin is currently an artist-in-residence in Harvard University’s music department where he teaches dutar and tanbur performance.

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.

Joe Warner Trio: Jazz and Blues Piano From Then to Now
2016-04-16 19:30 - 22:00 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
The Joe Warner Trio plays music that is creative and grooving, drawing from such diverse influences as Ray Charles, Ahmad Jamal and Professor Longhair. Expect to hear many familiar and beloved songs as well as tunes that will become new favorites.
Featuring:
Joe Warner – piano
Sly Randolph – drums
Schuyler Karr – bass
Pianist Joe Warner is one of the Bay Area’s brightest young talents. He frequently works with The Dynamic Miss Faye Carol and bassist/composer Marcus Shelby and has also performed with Johnny Talbot, The California Honeydrops, John Handy, Valerie Troutt, Denise Perrier, and Stephanie Crawford among others.
Preview his music on YouTube.

Admission: $15-25. 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. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.
Join the conversation at the Poppy – volunteer with us! Click here.

Steven Lugerner’s JACKNIFE ft. Piano Legend Larry Willis: Exploring the Music of Jackie McLean
2016-04-15 19:30 - 22:00 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
San Francisco-based saxophonist Steven Lugerner continues his explorations of the music by jazz legend Jackie McLean with JACKNIFE, a hard-hitting post-bop quintet.
Paying homage to the late American jazz alto saxophonist Jackie McLean and his seminal Blue Note albums, JACKNIFE brings together a formidable cast of rising talent. This CD release performance will feature the virtuoso pianist and McLean’s former sideman, Larry Willis. Willis made his recording debut on McLean’s 1965 release, Right Now, and appeared on the original Jacknife album. Each member of the quintet has collaborated with their fair share of jazz masters, such as drum legend Albert “Tootie” Heath, pianist Fred Hersch, and trumpeter Wynton Marsalis.
Featuring:
Steven Lugerner – alto saxophone
JJ Kirkpatrick – trumpet
Larry Willis – piano
Garret Lang – bass
Michael Mitchell – drumset

Multi-instrumentalist and composer, Steven Lugerner maintains musical ties between multiple scenes including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago and New York City. As a bandleader, Lugerner has released several albums to critical acclaim – Gravitations Vol 2 (2015), Gravitations Vol 1 (2013), For We Have Heard (2013), Narratives (2010), and These Are The Words (2010).
Follow Steven on Facebook and Bandcamp.

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.

Dream #1: Live Painting by Adrian with Amaranth Quartet and Special Guest La Tania
2016-04-09 19:30 - 22:00 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
Adrián Arias’ studio will move for one night to the Red Poppy Art House to show the painter and poet in his creative process. With the atmosphere of a dream, this multidisciplinary event features a live painting by Adrian and a presentation of his famous ceviche to be shared with the audience. Accompanying his art is a performance by Amaranth Quartet and the music of Phillip Glass, Debussy and more. Flamenco dancer La Tania joins Adrian as a special guest, performing two pieces inspired by the creative moments of the night. The artist and his muses constantly feed back on this dream where the end result is unknown.

Based in the San Francisco Bay Area since 2000, Adrian Arias is an American-Peruvian prize-winning poet, visual artist, curator and cultural promoter. His visual art, like his poetry, explores the absurd, the sensuality of elements, and the connection between reality and dreams. Arias has participated in several international exhibitions showing his video-installations and visual poetry objects and drawings.
With a love of tackling the string quartet canon and as fierce a passion for discovering newly composed works, Amaranth Quartet was founded in 2013 and proudly calls the Bay Area home. Members Emily Botel, Abigail Shiman, Erica Zappia, and Helen Newby strive to present classical music to divergent audiences in a variety of locales. Over the past year, the quartet performed at the historic Fillmore West as part of the venue’s first all-female lineup and has also appeared at Freight and Salvage Coffeehouse, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, and the late Viracocha. Projects this season include appearances on Switchboard Presents, The Legion Listening Series, and Seventh Avenue Performances. Amaranth Quartet is fiscally sponsored by the San Francisco Friends of Chamber Music.
La Tania has been recognized worldwide as a dancer, choreographer and master teacher. She is currently based in Oakland, CA where she has founded La Tania Baile Flamenco Company and School. Active in the community, she imparts her knowledge and creates many events to enrichen the Bay Area cultural landscape. As part of her teaching program, La Tania presents Punta y Tacon, a yearly student showcase at the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts designed to give performance experience to her students and upcoming dancers. (PC: Maite Klein)

Admission: $15 online / $20 at the door. Doors at 7:00pm. Event at 7:30pm. All ages welcome.

*Additional tickets will be available for purchase at the door the day of the event.
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The Danny Green Trio: Converging Classical, Jazz and Brazilian Music
2016-04-08 19:30 - 22:00 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
On tour promoting their upcoming release, Altered Narratives, The Danny Green Trio brings together elements of Brazilian, jazz, and classical music.
A rising creative force on the national jazz scene, pianist/composer Danny Green has distinguished himself with his beautifully articulated touch and deep affinity for Brazilian music. The San Diego native has wowed critics and audiences alike with a growing portfolio of fresh and engaging jazz piano melodies. His trio, featuring bassist Justin Grinnell and drummer Julien Cantelm, recorded their latest album at New York City’s famed Sear Sound studio with award-winning producer Matt Pierson. Consisting of eleven original compositions by Green, Altered Narratives is set to be released in March 2016 on OA2 Records. The trio’s 2014 album, After the Calm, recently won Best Jazz Album at the San Diego Music Awards and was nominated for Album of the Year.
Featuring:
Danny Green – piano
Justin Grinnell – bass
Julien Cantelm – drums

“From zigzagging, post-bop romps, lush ballads and urbane blues to Argentine tango and Brazilian choro, Green and his trio(space)perform with poise and verve.” – San Diego Union-Tribune
Follow Danny on Facebook and YouTube.

Admission: $12. Doors at 7:00pm. Event 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.

Therianthrope: Tabla, Nylon String Guitar & Live Looping
2016-04-07 19:30 - 22:00 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
A duo consisting of nylon string guitarist Dusty Brough and tabla percussionist Miles Shrewsbery, Therianthrope draws from various musical influences and traditions including jazz, flamenco, classical Indian and Romani music.
Featuring:
Dusty Brough – nylon guitar
Miles Shrewsbery – tabla, percussion
Based in San Diego, guitarist Dusty Brough brilliantly integrates his roots in flamenco with jazz, folk, Romani, Brazilian, Balkan music. His nylon string guitar playing is marked by an agile technique that supports a buoyant aesthetic. As a composer, Dusty seamlessly combines harmonies, intricate rhythms and improvisation with a fluidity that can be compared to the rolling waves of the ocean.
Miles Shrewsbery is an American tabla artist and co-owner of Avaaz Records. A student of Sri Abhiman Kaushal and Pandit Nandkumar Bhatlouande of Hyderabad, India, Miles is trained in the Farukhabad Gharana, a prominent playing style of North Indian tabla drums. He has performed all over the world in prestigious venues such as Symphony Space, the Smithsonian Museum (Washington D.C.), Tokyo Museum of Modern Art, The Royal Horticultural Halls, and St. Paul Cathedral (NYC). Currently, Miles is an artist/teacher-in-residence for the Center for World Music in San Diego, CA.
Follow Therianthrope on Facebook and preview their music here.

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.
