With soaring vocals that tell dramatic tales of love, loss, and redemption, Fátima Santos breathes life into fado, Portugal’s passionate, soul-stirring version of the blues. Her repertoire, a mix of original compositions and traditional songs, showcases her command of Coimbra fado style, an operatic vocal technique seldom practiced by women. Featuring: Fátima Santos - vocals […]
The Red Poppy Art House warmly welcomes the AZA Band–with Arouna Diarra, Biko Casini, and special guest Yacuba Diarra–for an evening of traditional music from Burkina Faso. Inspired by the pulsing melodies and infectious dance grooves of the balafon, Tennessee native Biko traveled to Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso’s second-largest city, to study djembe in 2007. Five […]
Oakland's Redwood Tango Ensemble presents a set of brand new compositions as well as arrangements of contemporary tango favorites. Featuring: Charles Gorczynski - bandoneon Elyse Weakley - piano Anton Estaniel - cello Kendra Vernon - violin Mia Bella D'Augelli - violin Daniel Fabricant - double bass Dedicated to the study and performance of traditional Argentine […]
Mission Stoop Fest (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 […]
An interdisciplinary residency program supported by the Kenneth Rainin Foundation and San Francisco Arts Commission, Crossover Collaborative Residencies provides a framework to support the exploration of collaborative processes between artists in dance and music disciplines. Pairing six choreographer/dancers and six composer/musicians, the program follows a four-stage development from preliminary artists gatherings and orientation workshops, to […]
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. […]
Bay Area trio StringQuake uses unusual instrumentation–electric harp, cello, and percussion–to explore far-flung sounds inspired by Greece, India, Africa, and the Americas. With a penchant for improvisation and unexpected meters, the group boasts a wide-ranging repertoire that runs the gamut from contemplative to vigorous. Featuring: Amelia Romano - electric harp Misha Khalikulov - cello Josh […]
Hard-swinging Bay Area ensemble La Mixta Criolla returns to the Red Poppy with music rooted in the criollo culture of Puerto Rico and the Latin-Caribbean. Performing both originals and funky renditions of classic tunes, the quintet combines a variety of swinging Afro-Caribbean grooves, from plena, bomba, guaracha jíbara, seis, and aguinaldo to merengue, son, cumbia, […]
Two highly acclaimed jazz saxophonists, Patrick Wolff and Grant Stewart, light up the night with dexterous and exhilarating renderings of the classic two-tenor groups. Alongside a vibrant trio of experienced musicians, Wolff and Stewart pay tribute to the time-honored compositions of Charles Mingus, Al Cohn, Freddie Redd, and Duke Ellington, brought to life in a […]
Songstresses Nicole Stromsoe and Amber Gougis co-headline an evening of original material intermingled with old-school classics. Accompanied only by acoustic guitar and double bass, Stromsoe and Gougis aim to captivate audiences with enchanting vocals inspired by jazz, blues, R&B, and folk. Featuring: Nicole Stromsoe - vocals Amber Gougis - vocals Dorian Michael - guitar Ken […]
Producer, composer, electronic musician, and percussionist Charles Xavier performs jazz standards, as well as compositions by his former band, ’70s jazz ensemble SATORI. Join Xavier and his quartet, who specialize in “unconventional music for unconventional minds,” as they touch on jazz, new age and ambient music, and holiday classics. Featuring: Clifford Brown III - trumpet […]
Ready to forget everything you thought you knew about marching bands? Don’t miss the eight-piece Axon Orchestra’s dazzlingly electrified Red Poppy debut, which promises to use urban and rural musical styles of the Balkans and Middle East to take listeners on a post-punk, postmodern sonic journey like no other. Featuring: Miles Jay - buzuk, bass […]
Makrú’s unifying ethos is more than just talk: This pan-cultural five-piece uses Spanish and English lyrics to blend reality and fiction, and their signature mix of rumba flamenca, reggae, cumbia, and ska promises to bring everyone to the dancefloor. Featuring: Jenny Rodriguez - vocals Raúl Vargas - cajón, vocals Haluk Kecelioglu - oud, violin Bob […]
With a setlist that ranges from Bulgarian wedding tunes to hot club jazz, the Alex Hand Band mines the common ground between swing and Eastern European folk dance music–the soundtrack of Western music moving across Balkan borders and being changed by European village music. Featuring: Alex Hand - guitar Kevin Gerzevitz - keys, accordion Gabe […]
In collaboration with FRESH Festival 2017, the Red Poppy Art House is pleased to present FRESH Exchanges, free and by-donation events made to cultivate, cross-pollinate, invigorate, create access, and generate outreach within and outwith the dance, music, and performance communities. Get down, get loose, and get refreshed at the start of FRESH 2017 with Dis·co·theque […]
In collaboration with FRESH Festival 2017, the Red Poppy Art House is pleased to present FRESH Exchanges, free and by-donation events made to cultivate, cross-pollinate, invigorate, create access, and generate outreach within and outwith the dance, music, and performance communities. These interactive exchanges include Experimental Structures on Tuesdays, January 3, 10, 17. Hosted by Abby […]
In collaboration with FRESH Festival 2017, the Red Poppy Art House is pleased to present FRESH Exchanges, free and by-donation events made to cultivate, cross-pollinate, invigorate, create access, and generate outreach within and outwith the dance, music, and performance communities. These interactive exchanges include Social Practice/Potlucks on Wednesdays, January 4, 11, 18. FRESH Social Practice/Potlucks […]
In collaboration with FRESH Festival 2017, the Red Poppy Art House is pleased to present FRESH Exchanges, free and by-donation events made to cultivate, cross-pollinate, invigorate, create access, and generate outreach within and outwith the dance, music, and performance communities. These interactive exchanges include Alternative Conservatory on Thursdays, January 5, 12, 19. Hosted by FRESH […]
Afro-Caribbean rhythm specialist Javier Navarrette and his mighty vocal/percussion ensemble kick off the Poppy’s first show of 2017 with a musical offering to ancestors and the orishas (Afro-Cuban deities), invoking strength, health, and a community united to face challenges that may lie ahead. Featuring: Javier Navarrette Sergio Duran Katiana Vila Jessie Webber Kevin Repp plus […]
Lavay Smith, best known as the sultry vocalist and bandleader of the acclaimed Red Hot Skillet Lickers, rings in the first weekend of 2017 by bringing an all-star piano/bass/trombone trio to the Poppy for a night of songs made famous by jazz icon Billie Holiday. Featuring: Jules Broussard - saxophone Danny Armstrong - trombone, vocals […]
In collaboration with FRESH Festival 2017, the Red Poppy Art House is pleased to present FRESH Exchanges, free and by-donation events made to cultivate, cross-pollinate, invigorate, create access, and generate outreach within and outwith the dance, music, and performance communities. These interactive exchanges include Experimental Structures on Tuesdays, January 3, 10, 17. Hosted by Abby […]
In collaboration with FRESH Festival 2017, the Red Poppy Art House is pleased to present FRESH Exchanges, free and by-donation events made to cultivate, cross-pollinate, invigorate, create access, and generate outreach within and outwith the dance, music, and performance communities. These interactive exchanges include Social Practice/Potlucks on Wednesdays, January 4, 11, 18. FRESH Social Practice/Potlucks […]
In collaboration with FRESH Festival 2017, the Red Poppy Art House is pleased to present FRESH Exchanges, free and by-donation events made to cultivate, cross-pollinate, invigorate, create access, and generate outreach within and outwith the dance, music, and performance communities. These interactive exchanges include Alternative Conservatory on Thursdays, January 5, 12, 19. Hosted by FRESH […]
Three days after the first anniversary of David Bowie’s death, 30-woman vocal ensemble Conspiracy of Venus hits the Poppy for an extravaganza of beloved songs by Tom Waits, Björk, Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell, the Pixies, and the Thin White Duke himself, as well as original compositions by artistic director Joyce Todd McBride. Drawing inspiration from […]
Among Peter Whitehead’s many custom-made instruments are the Heart Banjo, made from a baking tin; the Lawn Lyre, made from an old lawnmower and a metal oil pan; and the Spoonharp, made from a five-gallon metal drum, a eucalyptus branch, and kitchen spoons. Whitehead’s Red Poppy debut promises to feature vocals, instruments, and sampling for […]
New York-based saxophonist Roxy Coss brings her feel-good take on contemporary jazz to the Red Poppy for an evening of selections from her latest album, Restless Idealism. Coss, a rising composer and experienced educator who’s considered one of the most innovative saxophonists of her generation, is credited with a sound that DownBeat calls “intelligent yet […]
In collaboration with FRESH Festival 2017, the Red Poppy Art House is pleased to present FRESH Exchanges, free and by-donation events made to cultivate, cross-pollinate, invigorate, create access, and generate outreach within and outwith the dance, music, and performance communities. These interactive exchanges include Experimental Structures on Tuesdays, January 3, 10, 17. Hosted by Abby […]
In collaboration with FRESH Festival 2017, the Red Poppy Art House is pleased to present FRESH Exchanges, free and by-donation events made to cultivate, cross-pollinate, invigorate, create access, and generate outreach within and outwith the dance, music, and performance communities. These interactive exchanges include Social Practice/Potlucks on Wednesdays, January 4, 11, 18. FRESH Social Practice/Potlucks […]
In collaboration with FRESH Festival 2017, the Red Poppy Art House is pleased to present FRESH Exchanges, free and by-donation events made to cultivate, cross-pollinate, invigorate, create access, and generate outreach within and outwith the dance, music, and performance communities. These interactive exchanges include Alternative Conservatory on Thursdays, January 5, 12, 19. Hosted by FRESH […]
Amie Cota’s sound, which melds American folk and soul, has been described as “Billie Holiday raised by hippies.” The vocalist formerly known as Amy LaCour returns to the Poppy accompanied only by bass and piano for an evening of music that’s not quite jazz, soul, or folk, but a delectable combination of the three. Featuring: […]
