Red Poppy Art House

Danielle Wertz ft. Dillon Vado & Jeff Denson: Emotions, Stories & Improvisation
2019-03-01 19:30 - 22:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
Danielle Wertz, Dillon Vado, and Jeff Denson come together for the first time in this new trio setting. Presenting both arrangements of jazz standards and original compositions, their approach to the music comes from a place of honesty and raw emotion. Using this unconventional instrumentation, they work with new sonic possibilities to evoke deep emotions from the listener.

FEATURING:
Danielle Wertz – vocals, pedals
Dillon Vado – vibraphone
Jeff Denson – bass

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
Danielle Wertz is an internationally recognized jazz vocalist, composer, arranger, and educator. After being named a semi-finalist in the 2015 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Vocals Competition, she self-released a duo project, Intertwined. The album was recorded at ABC Studios in Sydney, Australia, and has been receiving high praise since its 2017 release. Wertz is quickly gaining recognition as one of the Bay Area’s most in-demand vocalists. She frequently plays at local venues, as well as larger-scale national venues including Blues Alley in Washington, DC.
Dillon Vado is a professional drummer, vibraphonist, and educator in the San Francisco Bay Area, and a recent graduate of the California Jazz Conservatory. He has performed locally with Art Lande, Hafez Modirzadeh, Marcus Shelby, Erik Jekabson, Jeff Denson, Alan Hall, Sandy Cressman, and Marcos Silva. Vado regularly performs on vibraphone with Alan Hall’s Ratatet, on drums with the Electric Squeezebox Orchestra and the Jeff Denson Quartet, and leads several of his own projects, including the Table Trio, Never Weather, and Beyond Words: Jazz and Poetry.
Jeff Denson has balanced a full career as both an acclaimed performing musician and a highly respected educator. Currently leading or co-leading four distinct ensembles, he has toured extensively throughout the U.S. and Europe with both his own groups, worked with some of jazz’s finest artists—such as Brian Blade, Jane Ira Bloom, Dave Douglas, Charles McPherson, Cuong Vu, Joe Lovano, Ralph Alessi, Walter Smith III, Dayna Stephens, Vadim Neselovskyi, Florian Weber, Dan Weiss, and Paul Hanson—and had an ongoing relationship with the legendary Lee Konitz since 2007. Denson’s most recent album, Outside My Window, is a feature for his “elastic vocals” (Jazz Times Magazine), where he has composed four original pieces and arranged four pieces by inspiring vocalists in an array of genres: Jeff Buckley, Peter Gabriel, Chris Cornell, and Abbey Lincoln. He is currently a full professor and head of the Bass Department at the California Jazz Conservatory in Berkeley, California.

Learn more: Facebook | YouTube

EVENT DETAILS

Time: 7:00pm doors / 7:30pm show
Admission: $20-25 sliding scale. A limited quantity of additional tickets will be available for purchase at the door.
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Water Feature: Modern Jazz
2019-03-02 19:30 - 22:00 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
Water Feature is comprised of some of the Bay Area’s young emerging talent. Together, the group explores original compositions and other tunes that pull from influences such as jazz, hip-hop, and global music.

FEATURING:
Nora Stanley – saxophone
Danielle Wertz – vocals
Luis Salcedo – guitar
Owen Clapp – bass
Matt Buckner – drums

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
Nora Stanley is a Bay Area-based saxophonist and composer. She attended Berkeley High School and participated in conglomerate programs, such as SFJAZZ High School All-Stars and Latin Jazz Youth Ensemble of SF, before moving to Ohio to study with Gary Bartz at Oberlin College and Conservatory, where she received a BM in Jazz Studies and a BA in Latin American Studies. Stanley has shared the stage with such greats as Ambrose Akinmusire, Gary Bartz, Dayna Stephens, and Jerry Gonzalez, as well as performed at Monterey Jazz Festival, SFJAZZ, and internationally in Spain, Cuba, and Brazil.
Danielle Wertz is an internationally recognized jazz vocalist, composer, arranger, and educator. After being named a semi-finalist in the 2015 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Vocals Competition, she self-released a duo project, Intertwined. The album was recorded at ABC Studios in Sydney, Australia, and has been receiving high praise since its 2017 release. Wertz is quickly gaining recognition as one of the Bay Area’s most in-demand vocalists. She frequently plays at local venues including the Black Cat and Red Poppy Art House, as well as larger-scale national venues including Blues Alley in Washington, DC.
With a firm grasp on the jazz idiom, Luis Salcedo is a featured member of several ensembles, as well as the leader of his own groups, covering original material, jazz repertoire, and beyond. Having graduated from the California Jazz Conservatory, where he received the Jamey Aebersold Scholarship, he has performed at Yoshi’s Oakland, the Fillmore Jazz Festival, the Herbst Theater, SFJazz, in addition to other venues in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Colombia, Spain, and Canada.
Owen Clapp is a bass player, composer, and songwriter living in the San Francisco Bay Area. His versatility on upright bass, electric bass, and keybass has given him the opportunity to work with a variety of artists across a range of genres, including hip-hop artists Anderson .Paak, Dumbfoundead, and George Watsky, as well as Grammy Award-winning jazz musicians Kenny Burrell, John Clayton, Ruslan Sirota, Mads Tolling, and Evan Price. Clapp’s recording credits include sessions for Sony Pictures, Lyft, and various Los Angeles-based commercial licensing agencies.
Matthew Buckner is a drummer, composer, and producer hailing from Minneapolis, MN. Known for his musicianship and versatility, Buckner has worked with a wide range of artists and has performed at clubs and festivals throughout the U.S. and Canada. He is currently an active member of the SF Bay Area jazz scene and can be heard with bands such as Aaron Kruziki’s Education Reform.

EVENT DETAILS

Time: 7:00pm doors / 7:30pm show
Admission: $15-20 sliding scale. A limited quantity of additional tickets will be available for purchase at the door.
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Alash Ensemble: Tuvan Folk Music (TWO SHOWS)
2019-03-07 19:00 - 22:00 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
SECOND SHOW ADDED! Advance tickets are now available online for the 8:45pm show.
Additional tickets will be available for purchase at the door for both the 7:00-8:15pm (6:30pm doors) and 8:45-10:00pm (8:30pm doors) shows. Please arrive when doors open the day of the event.

The Alash Ensemble performs and presents the art of xöömi, the tradition of Tuvan throat singing. Featuring original compositions and their versions of Tuvan folk music, the ensemble will certainly bring you on a musical journey all the way to Tuva.

FEATURING:
Bady-Dorzhu Ondar – vocals, igil, guitar
Ayan-ool Sam – vocals, doshpuluur, igil, guitar
Ayan Shirizhik – vocals, kengirge, shyngyrash, shoor, murgu, xomus

ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Alash are masters of Tuvan throat singing (xöömi), a remarkable technique for singing multiple pitches at the same time. Known for mixing the traditional music of Tuva with contemporary influences, one can find complex harmonies and Western elements—but a decidedly Tuvan sound—in the ensemble’s music.
Learn more: Facebook

EVENT DETAILS

Time: (First Show) 6:30pm doors / 7:00-8:15pm show
(Second Show) 8:30pm doors / 8:45-10:00pm show
Admission: $15-20 sliding scale. A limited quantity of additional tickets will be available for purchase at the door.
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Lara Solnicki ft. Jeremy Siskind: Poetic Art Songs
2019-03-08 19:30 - 22:00 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
Lara Solnicki makes her Red Poppy debut in a program featuring new music from her soon-to-be-released album, The One and the Other—a cinematic, creative music project produced by multi-award-winning Canadian musician and composer Jonathan Goldsmith. The concert also includes music from her sophomore release, Whose Shadow?, tunes from the Great American Songbook, as well as free improvisation. Solnicki is joined by pianist, composer, and arranger Jeremy Siskind—winner of the 2012 Nottingham International Jazz Piano Competition and the second place winner of the 2011 Montreux Solo Piano Competition.

FEATURING:
Lara Solnicki – vocals
Jeremy Siskind – piano

ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Honored as a “world class jazz singer” with a “spellbinding voice” (All About Jazz), Canadian, Brooklyn-based vocalist, poet, and composer Lara Solnicki has been praised on four continents, with #1 songs on Canadian jazz radio charts. She has carved a distinct artistic path for herself, combining various, often conflicting, elements from classical, jazz, improvised music, and poetry. Solnicki is the recipient of numerous grants from The Canada Council for the Arts, Chalmers Foundation, Ontario Arts Council, Toronto Arts Council, and FACTOR. She has released two albums, A Meadow in December (2010) and Whose Shadow? (2014), on Greg Osby’s label Inner Circle Music, and is currently preparing to release The One and the Other later this year. Solnicki holds a BA in classical voice/opera from The Glenn Gould School.
Learn more: Facebook | SoundCloud

EVENT DETAILS

Time: 7:00pm doors / 7:30pm show
Admission: $20 general / $15 student (with ID). A limited quantity of additional tickets will be available for purchase at the door.
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Music Action Women Collective: A Global Collective Advancing Women's Rights (ONE SHOW @ 8PM)
2019-03-14 20:00 - 22:00 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
*UPDATE: Please be advised this event has been changed to a SINGLE SHOW with an 8:00pm start time. Doors will open at 7:30pm. We apologize for any inconvenience.

The Music Action Women Collective brings together world-class musicians from Singapore, Venezuela, Serbia, Armenia, and the U.S. to create new, original music advancing the rights and causes of women worldwide. At the Red Poppy, the Collective debuts the material they have created in collaboration through the Music Action Women residency, produced by San Francisco’s social impact music organization Giant Steps Music.

FEATURING:
Sevana Tchakerian (Armenia) – accordion, keys, vocals
Mafer Bandola (Venezuela) – bandola
Jasna Jovicevic (Serbia) – saxophones, woodwinds
Claire Marie Lim (Singapore) – electronics, vocals
Liz Draper (USA) – bass
Barb Duncan “The MD” (USA) – drums

ABOUT THE ARTIST:
The Music Action Women Collective features Venezuelan bandola virtuoso Mafer Bandola—member of the all-female supergroup Ladama, internationally touring Serbian saxophonist, and leader of the all-women’s New Spark Jazz Orchestra—multi-instrumentalist extraordinaire Sevana Tchakerian via Armenia and France; Singaporean electronic soundscape master Claire Marie Lim; America’s own ever-versatile and dexterous bassist Liz Draper from the Twin Cities; and Philly eclectic groove drummer, producer, community advocate, and educator Barb “Muzikaldunk” Duncan.
Learn more: Facebook

EVENT DETAILS

Time: 7:30pm doors / 8:00pm show
Admission: $20-25 sliding scale. A limited quantity of additional tickets will be available for purchase at the door.
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Music of the Banned - Chapter One: Borders Without Bans (Sudan • Iran • Venezuela) - TWO SHOWS
2019-03-16 17:00 - 22:00 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
Musical influence has never and can never be limited by the borders of nations. The far-reaching effect of the arts has created crossover music, with artists adopting elements of each other’s musical traditions. During this concert series, audiences will hear different cultural and artistic linkages across and between the banned nations and the West. The March 16th event features Sudanese musician Tarawa with Seoulstice, Iranian musician Emad Bonakdar with flamenco dancer Mizuho Sato, and Venezuelan-flamenco group Trio Caminos.

MARCH 16TH PROGRAM:
SUDAN: Tarawa ft. Seoulstice
Sudanese Roots, Global Expressions
Tarawa – ukelele, calabash drum, ngoni, Sudanese bongos
Seoulstice – guitar, loop and effect pedal
IRAN: Emad Bonakdar & Mizuho Sato
Persian Music Meets Flamenco
Emad Bonakdar – tar, tanbur, guitar
Mizuho Sato – flamenco dance
VENEZUELA: Trio Caminos
Venezuelan Grooves in California
Carlos Caminos – acoustic guitar
Marlon Aldana – cajón flamenco, bongo
Angelo Tomandl – harmonicas

*Poster design by Mohsen Ghaffari

ABOUT MUSIC OF THE BANNED

Since January 27, 2017, President Trump has issued three travel bans to citizens from countries deemed by his administration: Chad, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Sudan, Yemen, Somalia, North Korea, and Venezuela. In the face of the president’s travel ban, Music of the Banned (MOTB) seeks to build a sonic bridge between peoples. The ten countries of the ban are a source of rich music and art that we can explore in a journey of peace and understanding.
Art will break down the barriers that isolate us — the barriers that either governments or media have worked hard to create. We are inviting the artistic ambassadors of these countries to lay down the drawbridge to their countries’ soundscape and beauty, and invite us all in.
So many have been suffering from a lack of understanding and from this travel ban in particular. Let’s stand to welcome the culture of the unknown, make ourselves aware of those that came to this country for a better life just as our ancestors. This concert series will give voice to musicians from the Banned Nations, breaking the barriers of fear and ignorance by responding with love, peace, and empowerment.
MOTB was first incubated by Dina Zarif, an Iranian artist, during a Mission Arts & Performance Project (MAPP) event at Red Poppy Art House on August 5, 2017. Its success inspired a concert at Yerba Buena Gardens Festival in June 2018. In 2019, with support from the California Arts Council, San Francisco Arts Commission, and Red Poppy Art House, Zarif as lead artist will organize three interdisciplinary concerts, an exploration of performing and visual arts, which feature artists from the countries on President Trump’s travel ban. The three concerts will take place on March 16 (“Borders without Bans”), April 6 (“Sacred and Traditional Music of the Banned” as part of MAPP), and May 5 (“Her Banned Voice” at Brava Theater).

ABOUT THE PROJECTS & ARTISTS

Tarawa ft. Seoulstice
Sudanese Roots, Global Expressions
Tarawa shares with you his journey back home through the themes of love, grief, migration, and revolution that weave through his heritage. In three languages and through the styles and instruments of four countries, we will also see how the waters of the Nile River, which runs through his ancestral land, splash and swirl with the cultures of West Africa, Latin America, Black America, and the Middle East. Accompanied by his best friend, music partner, and “accountability buddy,” Seoulstice, aka Jordon Jo, come sing along and take a deep breath!
* * *
Tarawa (Lead Artist), aka Mazin Jamal, is a community organizer, dancer, leadership trainer, and coach dedicated to social and environmental impact — in the hours between banging out beats, plucking his harp, or channeling his ancestors’ melodies. Born and raised in the Bay Area, Dubai, and Sudan—his family’s place of origin—and currently immersed in the rich Latino cultural heritage of the Mission District, Tarawa’s music pulls in the influences of all the love he’s found on his journey. He is the founder of Holistic Underground.

When not strumming his guitar and singing soulful tunes, Seoulstice, aka Jordon Jo, is an entrepreneur, men’s work and consent workshop facilitator, and hopeful romantic. Born in Arizona and raised in Southern California, he is the co-founder of Wild SF Walking Tours, a company that employs artists and activists to tell the radical history of San Francisco’s diverse communities and social movements.

Emad Bonakdar & Mizuho Sato
Persian Music Meets Flamenco
Where East meets West, musician Emad Bonakdar and dancer Mizuho Sato combine Iranian traditional tunes with flamenco music.
* * *
Emad Bonakdar (Lead Artist) is a composer, multi-instrumentalist, and performer who initially started his training in jazz and pop. Eventually, he found a home in flamenco, a style that touched his heart and allowed him to express his deep emotions and passion in a way that no other music could. His love of traditional Persian music, coupled with expressive and soulful flamenco music, created a style that is distinctively his. His first concert in crossover music was in Tehran, Iran, in 1991, and his first album, ARG (iTunes), was inspired by the immense culture of the ancient Persian Empire. Bonakdar composed a full film score for Momâs Guest in Iran. In 2004, he was nominated for the best fusion album at World Music Festival in New York. Since moving to the U.S. in 2006, he has performed at SF Yoshi’s, Red Poppy Art House, and many house concerts.

Born in Iwate, Japan, Mizuho Sato started classical ballet at the age of three. As she performed on stage and attained years of experience in winning balletic competitions, she pursued her career as a dancer and took summer school in the Royal Ballet Academy of England. Entering Sophia (Jochi) University in Tokyo brought her a strong encounter with flamenco, and she decided to shift her career. The following year she was in Seville, Spain, taking classes from prestigious instructors like Manolo Marin, Maria del Mar Verranga, Javier Cruz, and Alicia Marquez. After her studies, Sato returned to Tokyo and started performing in several well-known tablaos. In 2000, she received awards from the Japanese Flamenco Association and the Ambassador of Spain. Shortly afterwards, Sato started teaching in Tokyo and in her hometown, Iwate. She developed classes of flamenco history and music for further appreciation and comprehension on the tour of Manuel Reyes Company, of which she was a participant. Two years later, she returned to Spain to further develop her skills under Cristobal Reyes, la China, and Manuel Liñan, as well as studied the Spanish language.

Trio Caminos
Venezuelan Grooves in California
Featuring Venezuelan guitarist Carlos Caminos, Mexican drummer Marlon Aldana, and Peruvian harmonica funk player Angelo Tomandl, Trio Caminos’ repertoire is a distinct expression of Venezuelan music and flamenco combined with Afro-Caribbean, Afro-Venezuelan, jazz, and Latin influences. Venezuelan music is very diverse and is the result of European, African, and indigenous cultures that found their home in the South American country. This project intends to show elements found in Venezuelan songs and melodies—including the characteristic 6/8, 3/4, and 5/8 rhythms—while incorporating them in the trio’s own style.
* * *
Carlos Caminos (Lead Artist) is a Venezuelan musician who began playing guitar at age nine and had his first performances at age 14. A long career has taken him on a journey of very diverse projects and collaborations. The Caminos Music Project is the result of years of developing a passion for learning various musical styles including flamenco (bulerías, soleá por bulería, alegrías, fandangos de huelava), Venezuelan music (joropo, vals, merengue), Latin music (bolero, son, tangos, cumbia), and Latin jazz. Caminos has co-founded several projects such as Raíz de Agua, Latifonía, A Tono Acústico, New Caminos Duo, and Trio Caminos. He has also collaborated with groups such as David Byrd and Byrds of a Feather, Mirada Interna, and Café Pa’ Tres.

Born in Guadalajara, Mexico, Marlon Aldana has explored many genres under several great mentors, learning about solid, sensitive, simple drumming with dynamics and unique sound. He has been part of a variety of projects across genres, including jazz, Afro-Cuban, funk, rock, cumbia, reggae, electronic, folk, and many others. He has worked with outstanding musicians such as Jason McGuire “El Rubio,” Antonio Rey, Terceto Kali, T-Sisters, Alex Conde Quartet, La Gente, The Astronauts, Nuvo Chamber Quartet, Caminos Flamencos, Agua Clara, SF Flamenco Dance Company, Rebecca Kleinmann Quartet, ShimShai, Tina Malia, J.A.B, and Trio Caminos. Aldana’s most recent work is with drummer and producer Juan Manuel Caipo as a session musician in a variety of styles. With J.M. Caipo as a mentor, Aldana is now learning about the music production world, along with better ways to communicate and express clearer as a drummer. He currently lives in Oakland, CA, where he works as a graphic designer, photographer, and musician.

Angelo Tomandl is a Latin American harmonica player from Peru. He is known for his energetic solos, musical ingenuity, and passion for music. He has played with a broad variety of projects and musical genres such as Nika Rejto, Victoria Theodore, Janice Maxie Raid, D. Edward, Fantastic Negrito, Adley Penner, and Omega Rae among others. Tomandl has recently performed with Bicicletas Por La Paz, Sang Matiz, and Trio Caminos. He is currently working on a new project called Spondylus in collaboration with different musicians and artists that blend various styles of music like jazz, funk, Latin, rock, and more.

PREVIEW THE MUSIC

VISUAL COMPONENT

Nima Dehghani
Video Installation: “WE ARE STILL LIVING HERE”
What “media” shows us, what “media” doesn’t show us. In the world of mainstreams, we–people–are lost in the news that media wants us to see.
Regarding the banned countries, what do we see on the internet? Who decides what we should see? Journalists or politicians? “They” decide for us. “People” are usually excluded.
This multichannel curatorial video installation shows the contradiction between what the media presents about BANNED countries in comparison to what ordinary people capture from the same countries (collected by artists of BANNED countries in this project). Which one should we look at? Sometimes we just need to see that people are still living, existing, and dancing in those countries; then we can decide about the news…
* * *
Nima Dehghani is a San Francisco-based multi-disciplinary artist whose work explores the relationships between society, politics, and audience interactions in public spaces. Born in Tehran, Iran, Dehghani works predominantly in the mediums of visual art, theater, performance art, and new media, where he focuses on issues such as social discrimination, political ideology, and notions of displacement and diaspora. He has been working directly with immigrant communities since 2013, creating a number of different art projects that have worked to raise awareness about the global refugee crisis. Dehghani’s work has been showcased worldwide, appearing in Iran, Spain, the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Georgia, Germany, and the United States. As a playwright and director, he has been the recipient of multiple awards and fellowships, including being named “Best Young Director of the Year” by the Iranian Theater Directors’ Center in 2012 and receiving the Konrad and Gisela Weis Fellowship from the Carnegie Mellon School of Art in 2014.

ABOUT THE CURATOR

Dina Zarif is a performer, vocalist, designer, and art manager whose sound combines Western classical singing with Middle Eastern styles inspired from her Persian roots. She has performed in various festivals, venues, and productions such as SF Palace of Fine Arts, the chamber opera The Passion of Leyla in San Jose, the theatrical dance performance Home, and Golden Thread Theater Company’s staged reading of Layla and Majnun at BAMPFA. Zarif was also a featured singer in Syria Mon Amour, Golden Thread’s 2017 celebration of International Women’s Day that was dedicated to Syria.
As an actress, she performed in three of Iranian playwright and director Bahram Beyzai’s plays: Ardaviraf’s Report (2015), Tarabnameh (2015-2016) as the role of Dancer/Singer, and Crossroads (2018) in the Stanford Iranian Studies department. Additionally, Zarif is a costume designer and performer in the shadow production Feathers of Fire: A Persian Epic. As the character Princess Roudabeh, she has performed at SF Cowell Theater, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Harvard University, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Wallis Annenberg Hall, and has internationally toured in Poland, Taiwan, and Canada between 2015 and 2018.
As a working artist in the community, Zarif is the program director and a lead performance host at the Red Poppy Art House in San Francisco. She most recently curated the project Music of the Banned in response to the travel ban, highlighting the music of eight countries—the majority Muslim nations—Iran, Syria, Libya, Sudan, Yemen, Somalia, Venezuela, and North Korea. The project has been performed at the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival in June 2018 and Red Poppy Art House in August 2017. Zarif received her MA in Landscape Architecture from the University of Tehran, College of Fine Arts.

EVENT DETAILS

Time: (First Show) 4:30pm doors / 5:00-6:45pm show
(Second Show) 7:30pm doors / 8:00-10:00pm show
Admission: $20-25 sliding scale. A limited quantity of additional tickets will be available for purchase at the door for both shows. *No late seating.
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Hernán Reinaudo & Scott O'Day: The Guitar in Argentine Tango
2019-03-22 19:30 - 22:00 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
Argentine tango guitarist and composer Hernán Reinaudo is joined by local tango guitarist Scott O’Day for a tour of the best music that tango has to offer. Coming together for the second time in North America, Reinaudo and O’Day combine artistry and virtuosity to showcase the distinct voice of the guitar in tango. The duo will also feature original compositions and arrangements by Reinaudo.

FEATURING:
Hernán Reinaudo – guitar
Scott O’Day – guitar

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
Hernán Reinaudo is one of the most outstanding guitarists of the new generation of tango musicians that has emerged over the last years in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He has accompanied renowned Argentine singers including Susana Rinaldi, Ariel Ardit, Alberto Podestá, and Soledad Villamil among many others. Reinaudo was awarded the Clarín and nominated twice for the award Carlos Gardel for best tango group. He has performed with 34 Puñaladas and Hugo Rivas Quartet, and has also toured throughout America, Europe, Asia, and Oceania. With more than 40 album productions under his belt, Reinaudo and his quintet recently released a new album, Neocriollo, which won first prize in the category Best New Work given by the National Foundation of Arts of Argentina. Since 2014, he has toured the U.S. in concerts, as well as conducted workshops and classes.
Scott O’Day is a local Bay Area favorite for tango music, appearing regularly in concert and at the milonga. He attended La Escuela de Música Popular de Avellaneda, a tango music school in Buenos Aires, and has performed with several tango groups all around the U.S., Canada, and Argentina to popular acclaim. Currently, O’Day is also the instructor for the Community Music Center Tango Ensemble in San Francisco.

EVENT DETAILS

Time: 7:00pm doors / 7:30pm show
Admission: $15-20 sliding scale. A limited quantity of additional tickets will be available for purchase at the door.
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The Billie Holiday Project ft. Stella Heath: Celebrating Lady Day
2019-03-23 19:00 - 20:15 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
The Billie Holiday Project brings you back to the swinging jazz clubs of the 1930s and 1940s. Featuring some of the Bay Area’s finest jazz musicians, the project captures the intensity and intimacy Lady Day is known and loved for. With stories of her life and music interspersed throughout the evening, the performance will include some of Billie’s most recorded songs, as well as lesser-known tunes from her earlier years.

FEATURING:
Stella Heath – vocals
Neil Angelo Fontano – piano
Jason Bellenkes – tenor saxophone/clarinet
Trevor Kinsel – upright bass
Spike Klein – drums

ABOUT THE ARTIST:
The Billie Holiday Project, led by Stella Heath, celebrates the music of Lady Day. Shrouded in mystery, as she was draped in furs, Billie was quintessentially multi-faceted, possessing the sensitivity and ability to make the songs she sang as personal as if she were singing them softly in your very own ear. The Billie Holiday Project evokes the electric and intimate feeling of experiencing Lady Day live in a 1930s jazz club. Drawing from some of Billie’s most recorded tunes—such as “Blue Moon,” “Billie’s Blues,” “God Bless the Child,” and “Strange Fruit” to name a few—the band also revives some of the earlier and lesser-known tunes that Billie interpreted.
Learn more: Facebook

EVENT DETAILS

Time: 6:30pm doors / 7:00pm show
Admission: $20 online / $25 door
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Rumberos de Radio Habana: Monthly Community Rumba
2019-03-24 14:00 - 17:00 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
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. Rumberos de Radio Habana bring their own contribution to the Red Poppy on the fourth Sunday of each month for a free afternoon of beat-making, hip-shaking, and good company.

EVENT DETAILS

Time: 2:00pm event
Admission: Free; donations accepted for musicians ($5-10)
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Brian Andres Trio Latino ft. Christian Tumalan & Aaron Germain: Latin Jazz
2019-03-29 19:30 - 22:00 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
A trio is a much more intimate, yet demanding, musical setting for musicians to explore. There is no place to hide, no weak link allowed. In such a small setting, the dynamics must become more acute, the musical idea that much more clear, the technique that much more precise. It is in that context that the Brian Andres Trio Latino, featuring Christian Tumalan and Aaron Germain, thrives. Three musicians making a statement with the freedom of jazz and the cultural richness of the Afro-Latino diaspora. Featuring original compositions and exciting new arrangements of jazz and Latin standards, Brian Andres Trio Latino will head into the studio for their debut album in early 2019.

FEATURING:
Brian Andres – drum set
Christian Tumalan – piano
Aaron Germain – bass
Learn more: Website | Facebook | Instagram

EVENT DETAILS

Time: 7:00pm doors / 7:30pm show
Admission: $20-25 sliding scale. A limited quantity of additional tickets will be available for purchase at the door.
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Hét Hat Club: Balkan Quartet from Budapest, Hungary
2019-03-30 19:30 - 22:00 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
This year, the Hét Hat Club will be collaborating with Kjartan Code from the Szkojani Charlatans, focusing their repertoire on traditional and traditionally inspired original vocal and instrumental folk music from Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Bulgaria, and Turkey, as well as highly energetic jazz manouche in the classic style of Django Reinhardt.

FEATURING:
Kjartan Code – vocals, bass, violin
Valentin Desmarais – saxophone
Bitó János – accordion
Isaac Misri – guitar, tambura

ABOUT THE ARTIST:
The Hét Hat Club is an international traveling Balkan folk and jazz manouche ensemble based out of Budapest, Hungary. The band was formed a little over three years ago by individual traveling street musicians who serendipitously met in Budapest and decided to pursue this project due to their common passion and appreciation for Balkan folk music. The band members have traveled extensively through the Balkans and Caucasus, studying music and dance from local village musicians. They will be returning to the states in March 2019 for their third U.S. tour.
Learn more: YouTube

EVENT DETAILS

Time: 7:00pm doors / 7:30pm show
Admission: $15-20 sliding scale.
Purchase advance tickets for this event:
*Advance tickets for this event are sold out. A limited quantity of additional tickets will be available for purchase at the door. Please arrive when doors open the day of the event.
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Volunteer for this event!

MAPP: Music of the Banned (Chapter Two) - Traditional and Sacred Music of the Banned
2019-04-06 12:00 - 22:00 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
This concert will explore the seminal, traditional, and folk musical traditions of Muslim-majority countries on the travel ban. Audiences will be introduced to the little-known traditional sacred music of Islam, featuring artists such as Sudanese musician Khalid El Awad who will present the Islamic call to worship (“azaan/salah”) and mystical songs of Sufi music (“madeeh”). The concert will also feature traditional secular music that predates the influence of Islam, such as Syrian music performed by Raman Osman & Faisal Zedan, as well as Art of Improvisation based on Iranian traditional “radif” performed by Iranian musicians Samandar and Sina Dehghani and Aydin Kiasat. The last performance will include Kurdish music performed by Sirvan Manhoobi and Isik Berfin. Audiences will discover the region’s rich music developed within pre- and non-Islamic traditions.

WORKSHOPS:
Regional & Traditional Music of Iran
Oud, Theory of Iranian Music Workshop with Sirvan Manhoobi
Intro to Syrian Music & Arabic Percussion
Derbakki, Riqq & Frame Drum Workshop with Faisal Zedan

EXHIBITION:
Calligraphy Exhibition
Demonstration by Arash Shirinbab

PERFORMANCES:
SUDAN: Azaan & Madeeh
Islamic Call to Worship & Sufi Songs
Khalid El Awad – vocals, oud (stringed instrument)
SYRIA: The Diverse Land
Traditional Arabic & Kurdish Folk Music
Faisal Zedan – derbakki, riqq, frame drum (Arabic percussion)
Raman Osman – vocals, baglama (Kurdish/Turkish stringed instrument)
IRAN: Art of Improvisation
Iranian Traditional Musical Journey
Samandar Dehghani – tar (Iranian stringed instrument)
Sina Dehghani – tombak (Persian goblet drum)
Aydin Kiasat – kamancheh (Iranian bowed string)
KURDISTAN: Dora Rengin (All Colors in Zazaki Language)
Kurdish, Sufi & Zaza-Alevi Music
Isik Berfin – vocals, daf (large Middle Eastern frame drum)
Sirvan Manhoobi – oud (stringed instrument)
Ozden Oztoprak – vocals, baglama (Kurdish/Turkish stringed instrument)
Rumen “Sali” Shopov – davul (percussion instrument)

*Poster design by Mohsen Ghaffari

EVENT TIMELINE

Time
Event Type
Title

12:00pm – 1:15pm
Workshop
Regional & Traditional Music of Iran with Sirvan Manoobi

1:45pm – 3:00pm
Workshop
Intro to Syrian Music & Arabic Percussion with Faisal Zedan

6:00pm – 7:00pm
Visual
Calligraphy Exhibition/Demonstration by Arash Shirinbab

7:25pm – 7:40pm
Music
SUDAN: Azaan & Madeeh

7:50pm – 8:20pm
Music
SYRIA: The Diverse Land

8:30pm – 9:00pm
Music
IRAN: Art of Improvisation

9:15pm – 10:00pm
Music
KURDISTAN: Dora Rengin (All Colors in Zazaki Language)

ABOUT MUSIC OF THE BANNED

Since January 27, 2017, President Trump has issued three travel bans to citizens from countries deemed by his administration: Chad, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Sudan, Yemen, Somalia, North Korea, and Venezuela. In the face of the president’s travel ban, Music of the Banned (MOTB) seeks to build a sonic bridge between peoples. The ten countries of the ban are a source of rich music and art that we can explore in a journey of peace and understanding.
Art will break down the barriers that isolate us — the barriers that either governments or media have worked hard to create. We are inviting the artistic ambassadors of these countries to lay down the drawbridge to their countries’ soundscape and beauty, and invite us all in.
So many have been suffering from a lack of understanding and from this travel ban in particular. Let’s stand to welcome the culture of the unknown, make ourselves aware of those that came to this country for a better life just as our ancestors. This concert series will give voice to musicians from the Banned Nations, breaking the barriers of fear and ignorance by responding with love, peace, and empowerment.
MOTB was first incubated by Dina Zarif, an Iranian artist, during a Mission Arts & Performance Project (MAPP) event at Red Poppy Art House on August 5, 2017. Its success inspired a concert at Yerba Buena Gardens Festival in June 2018. In 2019, with support from the California Arts Council, San Francisco Arts Commission, and Red Poppy Art House, Zarif as lead artist will organize three interdisciplinary concerts, an exploration of performing and visual arts, which feature artists from the countries on President Trump’s travel ban. The three concerts will take place on March 16 (“Borders without Bans”), April 6 (“Sacred and Traditional Music of the Banned” as part of MAPP), and May 5 (“Her Banned Voice” at Brava Theater).

ABOUT MISSION ARTS & PERFORMANCE PROJECT

Launched in 2003, the Mission Arts & Performance Project (MAPP) is a homegrown bi-monthly, multidisciplinary, intercultural happening that takes place in the Mission District of San Francisco. On the first Saturday of every even month of the year, the MAPP transforms ordinary spaces, such as private garages, gardens, living rooms, studios, street corners, and small businesses into pop-up performance and exhibition sites for a day/night of intimate-scale artistic and cultural exchange among a kaleidoscope of individuals and communities.

ABOUT THE PERFORMANCES & ARTISTS

Azaan & Madeeh
Islamic Call to Worship & Sufi Songs
Azaan is the Islamic call to worship (“salah”) and is recited by the muezzin at prescribed times of the day. The root of the word is “adhan” meaning “to listen, to hear, be informed about.” Madeeh is the mystical songs of Sufi music in Sudan and aspires to achieve the perfection of worship through music.
* * *
Khalid El Awad (vocals, oud) comes from a lineage of esteemed Sudanese musicians and culture keepers. He is an accomplished oud player, vocalist, and teacher of the various traditional Sudanese styles. He is also a talented multi-instrumentalist and composer of Sudanese music, as well as a scholar of the musical history of the region. As a father of three brilliant daughters who love to carry on their cultural heritage, he is always learning how to innovate and grow to bring these traditions to the new generation.

The Diverse Land
Traditional Arabic & Kurdish Folk Music
Syria has been a place for variety of music, most of it drawing from Arabic influences and some from Kurdish, Syrianic, and Armenian traditions. The musical heritage is made of classical, urban, and folk styles. In addition, many local dance forms are practiced, especially folk dancing. Faisal Zedan and Raman Osman present music from different regions of Syria, including songs in the Arabic and Kurdish languages.
* * *
Faisal Zedan (derbakki, riqq, frame drum) is a Syrian/Lebanese percussionist and Arabic drumming teacher. He has been performing Arabic and Middle Eastern styles of music for over 25 years and plays instruments such as derbakki, riqq, and frame drums. Zedan is an active member of a community of musicians who care about preserving, teaching, and performing many styles of Middle Eastern music. He has been collaborating with many musicians both locally and internationally. Learn more at faisalzedan.com.

Raman Osman (vocals, baglama) is a Kurdish composer and master tembûr (saz) musician from Al-Hasaka, Syria. He has performed Kurdish music at a variety of venues, including the Damascus Opera House and universities in Syria. He currently lives in Northern California where he performs Kurdish music as a solo artist, as well as with artists from various global traditions. Osman performed as a guest artist with the UCSB Middle East Music & Dance Ensemble for the fall concert in 2014. His other performances include many concerts in Agoura Hills, Topanga, Berkeley, San Jose, Davis, Oakland, and San Francisco

Art of Improvisation
Iranian Traditional Musical Journey
Musicians Samandar Dehghani, Sina Dehghani, and Aydin Kiasat present Art of Improvisation with a repertoire based on the traditional modal music of Iran, including Radif.
* * *
Born in Esfahan, Iran, Samandar Dehghani (tar) is a professional musician who plays two Persian classical instruments—tar (stringed instrument) and daf (hand drum). He started playing daf at age 15 under the mentorship of his brother and percussionist Sina Dehghani. He started tar with Hasan Tafazoli in Esfahan, and after preliminary studies, he continued his path with master musicians such as Behrouz Hemmati and Keyvan Saket in Tehran. Dehghani moved to the U.S. in 2012 to pursue a professional career in music. He now performs regularly in the San Francisco Bay Area and throughout the country. A composer as well, he released his debut album, Light on Fire, in collaboration with Sina in 2016.

Sina Dehghani (tombak) is known for his innovative style and improvisational mastery on the ancient Persian classical drums—tombak (wooden drum) and daf. He studied with prominent Persian master percussionists such as Bijan Kamkar, Masoud Habibi, and Navid Afghah. Dehghani has performed in renowned music ensembles in Iran. He has been teaching music for a number of years and currently performs in the San Francisco Bay Area and throughout the U.S.

Aydin Kiasat (kamancheh) was born in Tabriz, Iran, into a family of accomplished musicians. He started studying music, particularly Azeri modal systems on the accordion, when he was six years old. At the same time, he started to learn the classical violin in Tabriz. Since then, he has found himself passionate about learning and playing Western classical music. At 13, his passion drew him to the kamancheh, which he studied as his principal instrument under the greatest masters from Iran and Azerbaijan. From an early age, Kiasat began performing publicly, including major music festivals in his hometown, as well as in Turkey, Germany, and Iran. His collaborations in the U.S. have included numerous Azeri ensembles, Silk Road Music Festival, Cal Poly Music Festival, San Francisco World Music Festival, and Zaryab Ensemble. Kiasat is a senior electrical engineering student at San Jose State University and also studies jazz at Berklee College of Music. His knowledge in traditional folk, Western classical, and jazz music allows him to create a body of work that brings his music to the forefront of global music fields. Currently, he is teaching kamancheh and violin in the Bay Area, as well as playing as a soloist in his band Eastern Fusion Ensemble. Learn more at aydinkiasat.com.

Dora Rengin (All Colors in Zazaki Language)
Kurdish, Sufi & Zaza-Alevi Music
Presenting Kurdish music, Sirvan Manhoobi and Isik Berfin are joined by Ozden Oztoprak and Rumen “Sali” Shopov for the final performance of the evening.
* * *
Sirvan Manhoobi (oud) started his musical journey at age 13 taking tar/sehtar, studying with Keivan Saket and Behrooz Hemati. He chose oud as his primary instrument and attended classes with Arsalan Kamkar. Other masters he has studied under include Mohamadreza Lotfi (Radif Navazi-Iranian classical music repertoire), Mehran Rohani (principles and history of music), Siamak Jahangiri (improvisation and analysis of Radif). Upon taking workshops in improvisation with Hossein Alizadeh, Manhoobi was also introduced to the shoorangiz instrument. He was awarded Best Soloist in Iranian music festivals and collaborated with Ardeshir Kamkar. Manhoobi formed the Bamdad Music Ensemble, focusing on Kurdish and Iranian classical music. He is a MA graduate of archaeology from Tehran University and has worked with Bahram Bezaei as a composer and tar player for his most recent play, Tarabnameh, at Stanford. Manhoobi currently lives in San Jose, performing, composing, and teaching Iranian and Kurdish music.

Isik Berfin (vocals, daf) is from Turkey’s ethnic minority Kurdish-Alevi community, which has historically suffered persecution. As a child in Turkey, she grew up surrounded by her mother’s songs and instruments made by her great-grandfather. Berfin and her mother later moved to San Francisco, where music took on even more meaning in their lives. Their distinct melodic voices wowed a packed audience at the Bayview Opera House in San Fransisco in May 2018. As a duo, their distinct Kurdish repertoire of songs stem from a Sufi spiritual tradition that was passed down behind closed doors.

Ozden Oztoprak (vocals, baglama) is a graduate from Istanbul Conservatory. As a duo with her daughter Isik, their distinct Kurdish repertoire of songs stem from a Sufi spiritual tradition that was passed down behind closed doors from Oztoprak’s grandparents to their great-granddaughter Berfin.

Rumen “Sali” Shopov (davul) is a master Turkish-Romani drummer, singer, and string player from Gotse Delchev, Bulgaria. Romani music is not taught formally and does not have a system of notation, but is passed on from musician to musician, generation to generation. Shopov’s primary mentor was his uncle, Mustafa Kobalishtaliev, the best drummer in the region and the first Romani instrumentalist in the Nevrokopski Ensemble, Bulgaria’s first national folk ensemble. He also learned from his cousin Avdraman Teshovski and directors of the Nevrokopski Ensemble, Kyril Traikov and Zaprju Ikonomov. A charismatic and patient teacher, Shopov has taught at the Eastern European Folklife Center’s Balkan Music and Dance Workshops, Berkeley’s JazzSchool, UC Berkeley, University of Oregon, and more.

ABOUT THE WORKSHOPS

Sirvan Manhoobi
Oud, Theory of Iranian Music Workshop
Iran is an ancient country with diverse ethnicities. Each ethnicity of Iran has its specific culture and art and music. Music of Iran is sometimes studied as part of so-called Middle Eastern music. Main Iranian music divisions are classical Iranian music, which is referred to by native Iranians as “traditional music,” and folk music, regarded as “regional music.”
This workshop is about the diverse musicology of Iran. During the first part of the workshop, with a summary about regional music of Iran, Sirvan Manhoobi will talk about the specific instruments of different regions. The second part of the workshop will continue with the theory of classical Iranian music. The classical music of Iran consists of melody types developed through the country’s classical and medieval eras, such as the musical mode “dastgah.” The influence of dastgah is seen as the reservoir of authenticity from which other forms of musical genres derive melodically and performances are inspired.
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Faisal Zedan
Derbakki, Riqq & Frame Drum Workshop
In this workshop, Faisal Zedan provides an introduction to Syrian music and covers a brief history of the drum, noting regional differences and approaches to the instrument. Learning the basic tones of the drum, as well as emphasizing the proper technique and hand placement, will help develop the necessary mechanics for continued play and study. Students will be introduced to traditional Arabic rhythms, such as maqsoum and malfouf/lef, and will have many opportunities to incorporate the techniques covered at the beginning of the class. This workshop is interactive, with lots of time for playing built in, and appropriate for large groups of beginner (and some intermediate) students. Some drums can be provided, but for larger groups students will also need to bring their own.
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PREVIEW THE MUSIC

VISUAL COMPONENT

Arash Shirinbab
Calligraphy Exhibition & Demonstration
“My work has revolved around the social, political, historical, and spiritual dimensions of Persian poetry and has been informed by questions of transitioning Iranian society from traditional to modernity. My interdisciplinary art practice includes painting, ancient and traditional Arabic-Persian calligraphy styles, ceramics, mixed media, time-based and site-specific work, and collaborative projects. In working with poetry, I revive the use of the Kufic Arabic calligraphy script which developed around 7th century and gradually fell extinct fourth centuries later. My work transmutes Kufic into a tangible form that can survive and even thrive as a modern aesthetic element. Kufic has a very simple, angular, and nomadic form and was used to document both spiritual yet literary texts, both secular and religious. I have explored this style expansively in my work and believe it resonates with the voice in Persian poetry by women and men. This undervalued and overlooked script enlivens poetry by transforming its individual words and letters into illustrations that encapsulate and reflect their lost pasts/histories.”
* * *
Arash Shirinbab has managed to be a successful blend of award-winning artist, Arabic-Persian calligrapher, and designer, as well as art administrator, art curator, and entrepreneur for the past ten years. He studied industrial and product design at University of Tehran from 2001 to 2006 and earned a BA and MA in the field of design. He then graduated with an MBA in design strategy from California College of the Arts in 2010. In 2008, Shirinbab engaged in classical study of traditional Arabic-Persian calligraphy scripts under masters from the Iranian Calligraphists Association and learned two of the oldest Islamic calligraphy scripts. He has participated in over 70 exhibitions (over 10 solos) nationally and internationally—U.S., Spain, Poland, Canada, Russia, France, Italy, Japan, Taiwan, India, and Iran—such as Triton Museum of Art in California, the Kunsthaus-Berlin-Marbella in Spain, and the Saadabad Palace in Tehran. Shirinbab has led over four dozen public art programs, has curated over 10 international exhibitions, and has conducted over two dozen calligraphy workshops and demonstrations, including workshops at Fremont Main Library in California, University of Toronto in Canada, and masterclass at the Contemporary Museum of Calligraphy in Moscow.
Shirinbab’s calligraphy and artworks with his personal painting style, Poem-Painting, have won several national and international awards. Among his awards are the 1st Place and Best of the Show Award for the 50 Shades of Gray competition by Focus Point & Shape Gallery 2014; Special Recognition Award for My Art international competition from Art Quench Magazine 2013; and a prestigious grant award as the leading artist and calligrapher from Creative Works Fund 2015. Shirinbab moved from his home country of Iran to the U.S. in 2010, and in the course of a few years has become a visible and active artist, calligrapher, and cultural producer in the San Francisco Bay Area. Learn more at arash-shirinbab.com and containandserve.com.

ABOUT THE CURATOR

Dina Zarif
Curator, Program Director & Project Manager

Dina Zarif is a performer, vocalist, designer, and art manager who combines Western classical singing with Middle Eastern styles inspired from her Persian roots. Some of her credits include SF International Arts Festival (May 2016 & 2018), Palace of Fine Arts (Sept 2018), the chamber opera The Passion of Leyla in San Jose, Yerba Buena Gardens Festival (June 2018), and the staged reading of Layla & Majnun at BAMPFA as part of the symposium with Mark Morris Dance Group and the Silk Road Ensemble. She was the featured singer in Syria Mon Amour, Golden Thread’s 2017 celebration of International Women’s Day at Brava Theater.
As an actress, Zarif performed in three of influential Iranian playwright and director Bahram Beyzai’s plays: Ardaviraf’s Report (2015), Tarabnameh (2015-2016) as the role of Dancer/Singer, and Crossroads (2018) in the Stanford Iranian Studies department. She is also a costume designer and performer in the shadow production Feathers of Fire: A Persian Epic. As the character Princess Roudabeh, she has performed at SF Cowell Theater, Brooklyn Academy of Music, UCLA, Harvard University, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Wallis Annenberg Hall, and has internationally toured in Poland, Canada, Taiwan, China, and France between 2015 and 2018.
Zarif serves as Program Director at Red Poppy Art House. She received her MA in landscape architecture from the University of Tehran, College of Fine Arts.

EVENT DETAILS

Time: 12:00pm event
Admission: Free
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Bal du Kor: West African Trio
2019-04-12 19:30 - 22:00 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
Three veteran performers/composers/recording artists join forces to create an enchanting blend of traditional and original West African melodies and rhythms. The heart of this dynamic and captivating ensemble are the indigenous instruments balafon (marimba), dun-dun (talking drum), and kora (harp), combined with alto flute, ukulele, melodica, djembe, djun-djuns, shekere, bells, tambourine, and vocals. The band’s emotional range spans from the delicate and longing to the inspiring and ecstatic, while its collective cosmopolitan backgrounds give birth to unpredictable musical excursions.

FEATURING:
Michael Smolens – balafon, djun-djuns, shakers, bell, dumbek, tambourine, alto flute, melodica, vocals
Ben Issacs – djembe, dun-dun, udu, shekere, bell, cajon
Daniel Berkman – kora, djembe, bell, tambourine, electric ukulele, vocals

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
Michael Smolens leads a host of different trios, quintets, and large ensembles. Whereas all of these other groups are highly arranged, Bal du Kor is primarily improvised, combining his love for free improvisation with his fascination for West African music. Smolens has been composing for nearly a half a century and freely incorporates colors, moods, and arranging concepts from a multitude of influences. His primary sources of inspiration include modern jazz, modern vocal flights, 20th-century classical, North Indian classical, contemporary Brazilian music, accompanied Sufi poetry, and stage magic. His works have been recorded by jazz legends Stefon Harris, Paul McCandless, and Pandit Zakir Hussain. Smolens is also a veteran teacher, consultant, author, and poet.
Ben Isaacs (“Professor Slap”) has been playing music his whole life. Starting with violin at age seven, he played trumpet, guitar, piano, voice, clarinet, and saxophone during his youth. When 19, he was introduced to West African percussion and started a passionate connection with hand percussion that has grown for the last three decades. At the same time, he started playing bass and has been working with the instrument in many different styles—from American funk, rock, jazz, and R&B to working with many African artists from different countries on the African continent. P-Slap has traveled four times to West Africa to better understand the culture from which the music comes and to study with master percussionists there, as well as here in the U.S. His teachers include Abdoulaye Diakite, Karamba Dioubate, Abdoul Doumbia, Mabiba Bagne, Sulemon Diop, Dibi Diop-Faye, Mohammed Camara, Moussa Traore, Diop Percussion, Bolocada Conde, Mamady Keita, Fara Tolna, and others.
Daniel Berkman is a composer, multi-instrumentalist (keyboard, guitar, percussion, drum set), vocalist, electronic musician, RTFM recording artist, and innovator on the kora—a 21-stringed harp from West Africa. Upon finding this ancient jewel in 1996, Berkman wasted no time in unearthing the kora’s compositional and sonic potential, first by exploring its rich heritage of traditional playing techniques and repertoire, then by extending its electronic possibilities through devices such as the Whammy Pedal and the Oberheim Echoplex. His first three albums—Heartstrings, Feverdreams, and Headlands—mark this period between 1996 and 2000 which feature Berkman creating other worldly soundscapes and a playing technique drawing on his myriad influences. His latest work, Calabashmoon (2005), is a collection of crafty and poignant kora pieces woven into a tapestry of recorded samples and impressions of West Africa.

Learn more: Website

EVENT DETAILS

Time: 7:00pm doors / 7:30pm show
Admission: $20-25 sliding scale. A limited quantity of additional tickets will be available for purchase at the door.
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Ricardo Peixoto and Carlos Oliveira + Special Guests: An Evening of Brazilian Guitar
2019-04-13 19:30 - 22:00 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
Brazilian guitarists Ricardo Peixoto and Carlos Oliveira return to the Red Poppy to celebrate Oliveira’s return visit to the Bay Area. The duo will be joined by percussionist extraordinaire Alex Calatayud.

FEATURING:
Ricardo Peixoto – guitar
Carlos Oliveira – guitar
Alex Calatayud – percussion
+ TBA

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
Originally from Rio de Janeiro, guitarist and composer Ricardo Peixoto‘s eloquent style evokes images far beyond his Brazilian territory. His background in classical guitar, Brazilian music, and jazz—which informs his fluid, melodic sense—along with his original harmonic approach place him among the top representatives of Brazilian guitar in the U.S. today. His recent works include Berkeley Choro Ensemble’s 2018 album, The View from Here, featuring three of his compositions, one of which was commissioned specifically for the recording by SFIntermusic and premiered with BCE and the Echo Chamber Orchestra. Peixoto’s recent release, Scary Beautiful (2019), is a mesmerizing collection of compositions, players, and ensembles from the Bay Area as well as Rio de Janeiro. He has recorded, performed, and collaborated with Claudia Villela, Berkeley Choro Ensemble, Flora Purim and Airto, Bud Shank, Paul McCandless, Dom Um Romão, Sivuca, Toots Thielemans, Dori Caymmi, Guinga, and Claudio Roditi among others.
A native of Recife, Brazil, who resided in California for years, acoustic guitarist Carlos Oliveira briefly returns to the U.S. after spending the past several years in his hometown. Oliveira is a master guitarist and arranger, as well as a prolific composer, whose work is influenced by the traditional music of northeastern Brazil and from his extensive performance experience in Recife with local samba, choro, and frevo groups. He is currently recording his next album, to be released at the end of this year, and has also been collaborating with, as well as arranging and composing for, many singers and instrumentalists in Recife and in the U.S. Oliveira has previously performed in California with musicians such as Claudia Vilella, Mike Marshall, and Harvey Wainapel, and has contributed compositions and arrangements to many recording projects.

EVENT DETAILS

Time: 7:00pm doors / 7:30pm show
Admission: $20-25 sliding scale. A limited quantity of additional tickets will be available for purchase at the door.
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Carlos Oliveira & Kata-Vento: Music from Northeastern Brazil
2019-04-19 19:30 - 22:00 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
This reunion concert features original compositions by Brazilian guitarist Carlos Oliveira written for Kata-Vento’s distinct instrumentation of three flutes, two guitars, and percussion. Inspired by the music of Northeastern Brazil, the tunes invoke the traditional sound of the pífano flute, as well as jazz, samba, maracatu, choro, and even “cholypso.”

FEATURING:
Carlos Oliveira – guitars, compositions
Rebecca Kleinmann – flutes
Chloe Scott – flutes
Daniel Riera – flutes
Brian Rice – percussion
Plus special guests!

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
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 was released in 2012.
A native of Recife, Brazil, who lived in California for a number of years, acoustic guitarist Carlos Oliveira briefly returns to the U.S. after spending the past several years in his hometown. His compositions and arrangements are influenced by the traditional music of Northeastern Brazil, as well as his extensive performance experience in Recife with local samba, choro, and frevo groups. Oliveira is currently recording his next album, to be released at the end of this year, and has also been collaborating, arranging, and composing for many singers and instrumentalists.
Learn more: Bandcamp

EVENT DETAILS

Time: 7:00pm doors / 7:30pm show
Admission: $20-25 sliding scale. A limited quantity of additional tickets will be available for purchase at the door.
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French Oak Gypsy Band: French Manouche Meets New Orleans Swing
2019-04-26 19:30 - 22:00 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
Join French Oak Gypsy Band for an evening of chanson from around the globe, including French classic and contemporary, American traditional jazz, Spanish, Romani, Catalan, and Russian traditional songs as well!

FEATURING:
Stella Heath – vocals
Gabriel Pirard – guitar, harmony vocals
Jimmy Inciardi – saxophones
Skyler Stover – bass
Jamie Foster – drums

ABOUT THE ARTIST:
French Oak Gypsy Band is a wild-around-the-edges band, melding French jazz manouche and chanson, New Orleans jazz, Roma traditionals, and global folk. North Bay native and vocalist Stella Heath leads the band which also features French/American guitarist Gabriel Pirard, reed player James Inciardi, standup bassist Skyler Stover, and percussionist Jamie Foster. With their French-inspired global panoply of sounds spotlighting Heath’s magnetic vocals and the band’s tight rhythms, they transport their audience to lands unknown.

EVENT DETAILS

Time: 7:00pm doors / 7:30pm show
Admission: $20 online / $15-20 door. A limited quantity of additional tickets will be available for purchase at the door.
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Motoshi Kosako and Luminance: An Evening of Jazz Harp & Improvisation
2019-04-27 19:30 - 22:00 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
Luminance celebrates the intersection of jazz, classical, and folk repertoire, bringing musical creativity to an unlikely instrument combination. Also sharing the stage, Motoshi Kosako performs improvisation, jazz, and original compositions in conversation with innovative fret-less bassist Michael Manring.

FEATURING:
Amelia Romano – electric lever harp
Matt Ebisuzaki – trumpet
Motoshi Kosako – pedal harp
Michael Manring – fret-less bass

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
Formed in the Mission District of San Francisco, Luminance—an electric harp and trumpet collaboration—is a celebration of folk and concert traditions. The duo’s collaborative process highlights each member as a composer, improviser, and arranger. Together, harpist Amelia Romano and trumpeter Matthew Ebisuzaki bring spontaneous improvisation, contagious rhythms, and soulful melodies to the stage for an unforgettable conversation.
Motoshi Kosako took up harp in 1997 after moving from Japan to the United States. He has received instruction from various teachers and was the principal for Stockton Symphony (2005-2010) and a featured soloist for the 2009-2010 season. He has toured internationally since 2008, giving performances and workshops, as well as featuring in numerous music festivals including The Future of Harp in Yokohama, Japan; VIII Rio Harp Festival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; American Harp Society National Conference 2014 in New Orleans; and World Harp Congress, Sydney 2014 in Australia.

EVENT DETAILS

Time: 7:00pm doors / 7:30pm show
Admission: $20-25 sliding scale. A limited quantity of additional tickets will be available for purchase at the door.
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Maxi Larrea Trio ft. Teresa Tam: Argentine Tango & Folklore
2019-05-03 19:30 - 22:00 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
The Maxi Larrea Trio is an exciting new Argentine tango project in the Bay Area, led by Argentine guitarist Maxi Larrea. Drawing together original and new arrangements, they present an exciting selection of Argentine tangos, waltzes, milongas, and folklore repertoire. With rich melodies and syncopated rhythms dancing between guitar, bandoneon, and piano, they carry listeners through different emotional textures and climates, interspersing occasional duos into the trio repertoire to change the mood and add dynamics. Joining the trio for the evening is special guest singer Teresa Tam.

FEATURING:
Maxi Larrea – guitar
Charles Gorczynski – bandoneon
Sumi Lee – piano
Teresa Tam – vocals

ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Maximiliano Larrea is an accomplished guitarist, arranger, and composer from Rosario, Argentina, and one of the leading interpreters of classical and contemporary guitar of the new tango generation. He came to the U.S. in 2015 and moved to San Francisco in the fall of 2018. After completing a degree in classical guitar in Rosario, he moved to Buenos Aires where he studied tango and folk music in the prestigious Manuel de Falla Conservatory under legendary guitarist Juan Falú, as well as tango arranging and composition from renowned tango masters Diego Schissi, Nicolas Ledesma, and Gabriel Senanes. In Argentina, Larrea worked as a guitarist, arranger, and director of multiple acclaimed tango and Argentine folk music groups including Cuartero Revirado, Quinteto Negro La Boca (Sony Argentina), Quinteto Clandestino, and Aires Trio, and has performed in prestigious milongas and concert halls across Buenos Aires. He has also performed at national music festivals including the World Tango Championships and the Pre-Cosquin Folklore Festival, where he received recognition as a competition finalist. Larrea has recorded on multiple tango albums and participated in international tango tours in Europe, Canada, and Mexico.
Learn more: Facebook | YouTube

EVENT DETAILS

Time: 7:00pm doors / 7:30pm show
Admission: $20-25 sliding scale. A limited quantity of additional tickets will be available for purchase at the door.
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Music of the Banned (Final Concert): Her Banned Voice @ Brava Theater
2019-05-05 19:00 - 22:00 | Brava Theater, 2781 24th Street, San Francisco, CA, United States
Musical influence has never and can never be limited by the borders of nations. The far-reaching effect of the arts has created crossover music, with artists adopting elements of each other’s musical traditions.
In the face of the president’s travel ban of citizens from Iran, Syria, Libya, Sudan, Iraq, Chad, Yemen, Somalia, North Korea, and Venezuela from coming into the U.S., Music of the Banned seeks to build a sonic bridge between peoples. Organized by Iranian-born performer Dina Zarif, the concert series will give voice to musicians and artists from the Banned Nations, breaking the barriers of fear and ignorance by responding with love, peace, and empowerment.
Focusing on women artists, “Her Banned Voice” is the culminating performance of the Music of the Banned concert series. Within most banned Muslim-majority countries exist bans on women who are prohibited to perform as a solo performer and are permitted to sing only in ensembles or as backup vocalists. These restrictions cause many female singers to travel or emigrate to other counties to perform freely. However, with the current travel ban, female artists are not only prohibited from performing in their homelands but also banned from coming to the U.S. to pursue a music career.
In this performance at Brava Theater, female artists—including Iranian singer Dina Zarif, Sudanese singer Salma El Assal, and Kurdish singer Rojan—will express themselves freely without limitations of religion, borders, and politics. They will also be joined by Venezuelan musician Jackeline Rago and her VNote Ensemble, bringing the audience the joy and beauty of Venezuelan music. Preceding the concert is a visual art exhibition in the theater lobby by female artists from Iran: Mobina Nouri and Samaneh Salehi.

Exhibition: 5:30 – 6:30pm
Doors Open: 6:30pm
Concert: 7:00 – 10:00pm

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MAY 5TH PROGRAM

KURDISTAN: Rojan and Bamdad Ensemble
Symbolizing the Kurdish Culture Through Hope & Vibrant Melodies
Rojan Feyz – vocals
Sirvan Manhoobi – oud (stringed instrument)
Farzin Dehghan – kamancheh (Iranian bowed string instrument)
Ehsan Matoori – santur
Rumen “Sali” Shopov – davul
Nariman Assadi – daf, tombak, bendir, frame drum
IRAN: Dina Zarif Ensemble
Iranian Classical & Folk Music, Soundscape of Tragedy & Triumph
Dina Zarif – vocals
Amelia Romano – harp
Josh Mellinger – frame drum, cajón, tabla
Asaf Ophir – clarinet
Sascha Jacobsen – bass
VENEZUELA: The VNote Ensemble
Venezuelan Folk Music with Adventurous Jazz Explorations
Jackeline Rago – cuatro, bandola, vocals, percussion
Donna Viscuso – flute, alto saxophone
Michaelle Goerlitz – percussion
Saúl Sierra – bass
SUDAN: Salma El Assal & Sudan Music Ensemble
Folk & Contemporary Sudanese Music
Salma El Assal – vocals
Khalid El Mahi – oud (stringed instrument)
Tarawa aka Mazin Jamal – bongoz
Hafiz Bushra – jambia
Lee Dynes – guitar

*Poster design by Mohsen Ghaffari

ABOUT MUSIC OF THE BANNED

Since January 27, 2017, President Trump has issued three travel bans to citizens from countries deemed by his administration: Chad, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Sudan, Yemen, Somalia, North Korea, and Venezuela. In the face of the president’s travel ban, Music of the Banned (MOTB) seeks to build a sonic bridge between peoples. The ten countries of the ban are a source of rich music and art that we can explore in a journey of peace and understanding.
Art will break down the barriers that isolate us — the barriers that either governments or media have worked hard to create. We are inviting the artistic ambassadors of these countries to lay down the drawbridge to their countries’ soundscape and beauty, and invite us all in.
So many have been suffering from a lack of understanding and from this travel ban in particular. Let’s stand to welcome the culture of the unknown, make ourselves aware of those that came to this country for a better life just as our ancestors. This concert series will give voice to musicians from the Banned Nations, breaking the barriers of fear and ignorance by responding with love, peace, and empowerment.
MOTB was first incubated by Dina Zarif, an Iranian artist, during a Mission Arts & Performance Project (MAPP) event at Red Poppy Art House on August 5, 2017. Its success inspired a concert at Yerba Buena Gardens Festival in June 2018. In 2019, with support from the California Arts Council, San Francisco Arts Commission, and Red Poppy Art House, Zarif as lead artist will organize three interdisciplinary concerts, an exploration of performing and visual arts, which feature artists from the countries on President Trump’s travel ban. The three concerts will take place on March 16 (“Borders without Bans“), April 6 (“Sacred and Traditional Music of the Banned” as part of MAPP), and May 5 (“Her Banned Voice” at Brava Theater).

TICKETS FOR THE MAY 5TH FINAL CONCERT SOLD THROUGH BRAVA:
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ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Rojan and Bamdad Ensemble
Symbolizing the Kurdish Culture Through Hope & Vibrant Melodies

Rojan (vocals) was born in Sanandaj, Kurdistan to a cultured and music-loving family. There, she was introduced to and influenced by Kurdish music, which resonated within her heart and seeped through the fabric of her soul. Before long, destiny led Rojan and her family to Kermanshah where she spent her school years and divorced mystical Persian music. The yearning strings of her spirit vibrated with the ancient Sufi melodies of Iran. She undertook musical studies with the guidance of Hengameh Akhavan and subsequently studied orchestration under the supervision of Tahmoores Poornazeri and Jalal Zolfenoon, leading to the birth of two major albums, Delshodeh and Kurdestan. Rojan may be named the custodian of the songs of the mountains of Abidar, Oraman, Beesotoon, and Tagh Bostan. She is currently recording her new projects and resides with her family in California.

Sirvan Manhoobi (oud) started his musical journey at age 13 taking tar/sehtar, studying with Keivan Saket and Behrooz Hemati. He chose oud as his primary instrument and attended classes with Arsalan Kamkar. Other masters he has studied under include Mohamadreza Lotfi (Radif Navazi-Iranian classical music repertoire), Mehran Rohani (principles and history of music), Siamak Jahangiri (improvisation and analysis of Radif). Upon taking workshops in improvisation with Hossein Alizadeh, Manhoobi was also introduced to the shoorangiz instrument. He was awarded Best Soloist in Iranian music festivals and collaborated with Ardeshir Kamkar. Manhoobi formed the Bamdad Music Ensemble, focusing on Kurdish and Iranian classical music. He is an MA graduate of archaeology from Tehran University and has worked with Bahram Bezaei as a composer and tar player for his most recent play, Tarabnameh, at Stanford. Manhoobi currently lives in San Jose, performing, composing, and teaching Iranian and Kurdish music.

Farzin Dehghan (kamancheh) is an Iranian/American kamancheh player hailing from Isfahan, Iran. Despite his young age, his magnificent talents have taken him to many stages where he has performed Persian, Arabic, Indian, American, Kurdish, Turkish, pop, and cross-cultural music throughout the United States with renowned artists such as Aynur Dogan, Simon Shaheen, Abigail Washburn, Celeste Buckingham, Sandeep Das, Mike Block, Idan Raichel, Wu Man, Shane Shanahan, and Alireza ShahMohammadi. He has been mentored by world-renowned Persian classical music master Kayhan Kalhor and has also studied Arabic classical music with the Palestinian oud and violin virtuoso Simon Shaheen. Dehghan was invited as a fellow to the prestigious Omi International Arts Center Residency. He has recently travelled to China to perform at the World Music Asia 2017 festival in Shanghai, Wuhan, Chonqjing, and Beijing, as well as to work as a teaching artist in international schools in Beijing where he taught Iranian/Middle Eastern music and culture.

Ehsan Matoori (santur) was born in 1979 in Iran. He began learning the santur based on Maestro Faramarz Payvar’s method and studied instrumental and vocal Radif—the Persian musical repertory—with Parviz Meshkatian and Pashang Kamkar. Matoori has also studied music composition and harmony with Farhad Fakhroaldini and kids’ music with Soudabeh Salem. After moving to the U.S. in 2013, he has performed with well-known masters in global music including Sandeep Das, Jamal Mohamed, Paul Sriji, Maeve Gilchrist, Matthew Coley, Andrew Bleck, and Taher Khan. Matoori is the founder and director of AramArt World Music & Art Institute and has been a member of SMU World Music Ensemble since 2013. He currently lives in Dallas, Texas, where he teaches santur. His new album in collaboration with Iranian singer Mohsen Namjoo will be released on April 27, 2019.

Rumen “Sali” Shopov (davul) is a master Turkish-Romani drummer, singer, and string player from Gotse Delchev, Bulgaria. Romani music is not taught formally and does not have a system of notation, but is passed on from musician to musician, generation to generation. Shopov’s primary mentor was his uncle, Mustafa Kobalishtaliev, the best drummer in the region and the first Romani instrumentalist in the Nevrokopski Ensemble, Bulgaria’s first national folk ensemble. He also learned from his cousin Avdraman Teshovski and directors of the Nevrokopski Ensemble, Kyril Traikov and Zaprju Ikonomov. A charismatic and patient teacher, Shopov has taught at the Eastern European Folklife Center’s Balkan Music and Dance Workshops, Berkeley’s JazzSchool, UC Berkeley, University of Oregon, and more.

Nariman Assadi (daf, tombak, bendir, frame drum) was born in Hamedan, Iran, on January 1, 1992. Raised in Tehran, he always felt drawn to percussion instruments. At the age of 13, he began studying tombak under Master Amir Mogharab Samadi. From 2008 to 2013, Assadi performed at Vahdat Hall as a soloist and with the Persian Percussion Ensemble at Pars Academy, the premier music academy for children. After mastering tombak, he then began learning daf under the great Master Bijan Kamkar. With a strong understanding of the daf and tombak, Assadi started learning barbat (oud) under Master Mohammad Firouzi. In 2015, he immigrated to the U.S. and immediately began his professional music career by performing and attending festivals. In 2017, he started learning percussion performance and global music with Professor Daniel Kennedy at Sacramento State University. Along with being a member of various ensembles, Assadi also teaches daf, tombak, and music for children.

Dina Zarif Ensemble
Iranian Classical & Folk Music, Soundscape of Tragedy & Triumph

Dina Zarif (vocals) – see full bio in ABOUT THE CURATOR

Amelia Romano (harp) takes what is known about conventional harp and surpasses every time through an eclectic blend of austere serenity and kinetic vibrancy. Pulling from first-hand experiences in South Africa and from her roots in a cultural hotbed in San Francisco, she not only plays music from the repertoire but reprises them and creates originals. Latin, gypsy, and jazz are all genres that she touches, but her music defines its own path. Romano earned a BA in interdisciplinary studies at UC Berkeley in 2010 while continuing her music education. She spent the following year working in a township music school outside Cape Town, South Africa, sponsored by the Playing for Change Foundation. South Africa deeply shaped her musical creativity and desire to re-conceive her sound. With her return to the Bay Area in 2011, she took up the electric harp and formed StringQuake in 2012 and Luminance Ensemble in the fall of 2016. Romano has been performing in the Bay Area for over 15 years, and has toured in Mexico, the U.S., and Europe.

Josh Mellinger (frame drum, cajón, tabla) graduated with a BFA in percussion performance at the California Institute of the Arts and has been studying percussion for over 20 years. He currently performs with multiple groups in the San Francisco Bay Area, as well as studies tabla with Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri at the Ali Akbar College of Music in San Rafael. Learn more at jmpercussion.com.

Asaf Ophir (clarinet), the son of an Israeli film composer, was exposed to many styles of music from an early age—his father’s love for jazz, the Jewish music of his heritage, a classical upbringing, and the Middle Eastern backdrop of his childhood. From the very beginning, he was drawn to many different sources and genres, as well as to different musical instruments. Ophir began to play woodwinds in Israeli musicals while studying at the Rimon School of Jazz and Contemporary Music and later at the Jerusalem Academy. Arriving in the U.S. in 2014, he began to perform in musicals around the Bay Area, such as the award-winning Love Sick in 2017 and The People in the Picture in 2018. Finding a home away from home, Ophir can most often be seen in global music projects on Jewish, Arabic, and Balkan stages. He has performed on such distinguished stages as Habima, HaCameri, and Jerusalem Theaters in Israel, as well as on many Bay Area stages including the Palace of Fine Arts and the Paramount Theater. Throughout his career, he has shared the stage with artists such as Miri Mesika, Avi Kushnir, David De’or, Rana Farhan, and Barbara Streisand.

Sascha Jacobsen (bass) has performed with The Kronos Quartet, Rita Moreno, Hugh Jackman, Martin Short, Bonnie Raitt, Randy Newman, Josh Groban, Kristin Chenoweth, Eddie Duran, Tommy Igoe, Dave MacNab, Tim Weed, Adam Theis and the Jazz Mafia; tango masters Raul Jaurena, Pepe Motta, Pablo Estigarribia, and Maria Volonte; flamenco greats Chuscales, Jose Luis Rodriguez, Juanito Pascual; and many others. He is the founder of the Musical Art Quintet, which performs his original works. Strad Magazine describes his music as “…stylish and vigorous…beautifully arranged,” and the East Bay Express declared “classical music is sexy again.” Jacobsen also performs with Argentine tango group Trio Garufa and can be found dancing tango when not performing music. Learn more at saschajacobsen.com.

The VNote Ensemble
Venezuelan Folk Music with Adventurous Jazz Explorations

Jackeline Rago (cuatro, bandola, vocals, percussion) is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger, producer, and educator who specializes in Venezuelan folk music, as well as music from other Latin American and Caribbean countries. She was born in Caracas, Venezuela, and began playing Venezuelan music at the age of four. Before coming to the U.S., she spent years studying the cuatro—the national stringed instrument of Venezuela—and classical mandolin at the Caracas Philarmonic Orchestra Conservatory. Her Afro-Venezuelan percussion studies took place with master percussionist Alexander Livinalli and Hector Pacheco from the Fundacion Bigott, Venezuela’s Folkloric Institute. Rago graduated with a BA in classical mandolin from the Music & Arts Institute of San Francisco. She has toured extensively within the U.S. and internationally for over 20 years, showcasing the music of Latin America with an emphasis in Venezuelan folk music.

Donna Viscuso (flute, alto saxophone) is an experienced performer, composer, and educator, having worked in numerous schools, educational programs, and grant-sponsored touring ensembles. She has performed, recorded, and toured with groups such as the Blazing Redheads, Venezuelan Music Project, Altazor, Wild Mango, the KTO project, Chelle and Friends, Chilean singer/songwriter Lichi Fuentes, and international storyteller Diane Ferlatte. A talented composer, Viscuso has written music for several award-winning documentaries and educational CDs. She has traveled to Venezuela to further her musical studies, and while there, she performed and recorded with many renowned musicians including percussionist Alexander Livinalli and members of the Fundacion Bigott. Additionally, Viscuso has recorded with Venezuelan musicians such as Aquiles Baez, Gonzalo Grau, Marco Granados, and Leo Blanco.

Michaelle Goerlitz (percussion) Michaelle is a versatile percussionist specializing in Brazilian and other Latin and Caribbean music styles. In 2007, she was named a rising star under the percussion category in DownBeat Magazine. She has played, recorded, and toured with a variety of artists including Mark Levine, Soul Sauce, the Pickpocket Ensemble, Rhiannon, Wayne Wallace, Val Pettiford, Jami Sieber, Barbara Higbie, Samba Rio, and Maria Volonte. Goerlitz was a founding member of the Bay Area musical ensembles Wild Mango and the Blazing Redheads.

Saúl Sierra (bass) was born and raised in Mexico City, where he started playing professionally in 1990. He moved to Boston, MA, in 1995 and attended the Berklee College of Music where he majored in performance. Some of his teachers included Oscar Stagnaro, Rich Appleman, Daniel Morris, and Jim Stinnet. As a resident of the Bay Area since 1999, Sierra has performed, toured, or recorded with Nestor Torres, Jimmy Bosh, Eddie Montalvo, Johny Rodríguez, Orestes Vilató, Bobi Céspedes, Antonio Sánchez, Miles Peña, John Santos, Jesús Díaz, Rebeca Mauleón, Mark Levine, Greg Landau, Mike Spiro, Jackeline Rago, Chuchito Valdez, Alexander Livinali, Wayne Wallace, Aquiles Baez, Marco Granados, Anthony Blea, Doug Beavers, and María Márquez among others. For the past 10 years, he has been a member of some of the leading bands in the Bay Area, including the John Santos Quintet/Sextet, Bobi Cespedes’ band, Dr. Loco’s Rocking Jalapeño Band, El Tren Trío, Anthony Blea y su Charanga, the Snake Trío, Jesús Díaz y su QBA, the Bay Area Afro-Cuban All Stars, The Venezuelan Music Project, Corazón Sur, and Sababa. Sierra is also a founding member of Vission Latina, the band that he co-leads with percussionist extraordinaire Carlos Caro and virtuoso multi-instrumentalist Marco Díaz. He keeps himself busy performing, composing, arranging, and teaching in the global class musical community of the Bay Area.

Salma El Assal & Sudan Music Ensemble
Folk & Contemporary Sudanese Music

Salma El Assal (vocals), originally from El Obain in western Sudan, is one of the leading Sudanese voices today who presents a suite of traditional Sudanese songs. With her birth name literally meaning “Honey Sweet Salma,” she was born to sing and spread love through her music. Some describe her sound as a blend of reggae based in African origins, and her dynamic and powerful voice has been compared by her fans to that of the legendary Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin. Salma started to sing when she was a little girl, and as her talent increased and was noticed, she began to perform at weddings. As her popularity increased, she moved to Cairo, where she performs widely and now lives during part of the year. Salma’s joyous and charismatic style has been welcomed with open arms as she introduced her culture to the Middle East and to the rest of the world. She has performed with numerous musicians and groups, including Sandaleya, Mahmoud Fadl, and Ali Hassan Kuban. Salma has also performed in many European cities, including Berlin and Paris. While she has lived most of her life in Egypt, her pride and love for her culture have kept her close to her Sudanese roots.

Khalid El Mahi (oud) comes from a lineage of esteemed Sudanese musicians and culture keepers. He is an accomplished oud player, vocalist, and teacher of the various traditional Sudanese styles. He is also a talented multi-instrumentalist and composer of Sudanese music, as well as a scholar of the musical history of the region. As a father of three brilliant daughters who love to carry on their cultural heritage, he is always learning how to innovate and grow to bring these traditions to the new generation. His passion of reflecting Sudanese folk music is what drove him to be part of Aswat Ensemble. With Aswat Ensemble since 2016, Khalid has performed in several concerts throughout the Bay Area. His aim is to work with different multi-ethnic and multiracial music ensembles to introduce the Bay Area communities to Sudanese art and music, as well as to create a distinct musical harmony between Sudanese music and the music from other cultures.

Mazin Jamal, aka Tarawa (bongoz), is a first-generation Bay Area native whose family comes from Sudan. Growing up in a musical household where banging on pots and pans was encouraged and singalongs were always happening, his love for the music of his heritage deepened when he moved to Sudan as a young child. Since then, he has learned 12 other instruments and eight other musical styles, and gracefully weaves Sudanese rhythms, melodies, and sensibility into global styles like R&B, Afro-Latin, and hip-hop.

Hafiz Bushra (jambia) is a rhythm keeper and percussionist who has traveled around Africa and the globe bringing Sudanese traditional rhythms to many communities and musical groups. Believing music as medicine, Bushra has studied many musical traditions of the world which place joy, celebration, and community-building at the center.

Lee Dynes (guitar) is a multi-instrumentalist, guitarist, oud player, composer, improviser, and educator located in the Bay Area. He has been playing professionally as a jazz guitarist since he was a teenager growing up in Dayton, OH, and has become a fixture in the Bay Area jazz scene. He has also broken into the realm of Middle Eastern music on the oud, a fretless lute found in the Middle East and North Africa. Dynes specializes in Arabic and Turkish music but also dabbles in Persian, Sudanese, and various North African genres. He recorded his debut album as a leader, Pathways, in 2015 which features all original music. Dynes also teaches daily in Novato at Marin Music Center, specializing in the instruction of guitar, bass, oud, ukulele, and mandolin.

VISUAL ART

The Confident
Visual Art Exhibition

Samaneh Salehi began her career in Iran after studying graphic design at Tehran Noor Conservatory. Since then, she chose painting as her favorite form of art to express her artistic vision. Her work has been exhibited in Iran, Dubai, and Malaysia, and continues to be exhibited both in the U.S. and abroad. Salehi is known for her watercolor and acrylic miniature paintings, inspired by ancient Persian art and combined with contemporary techniques.

ARTIST STATEMENT:
“The Confident” started with my interest in old restored photos of the women of my homeland from the early age of photography in Iran. Common in most of the photos was a unique feeling that these women had when they faced the cameras. These photos are of ordinary people, but there is a mysterious feeling on their faces which makes them special. I can call it “the confident.”

The Seen and the Unseen
Visual Art Exhibition

Mobina Nouri is an Iranian artist currently living and working in San Francisco. She grew up in Iran where she pursued a variety of her interests in art by completing a BA in theatre at Fine Art Tehran University, and an MA in art and design at Art University Tehran. Upon moving to London, she earned a Ph.D. in art and creativity in City, University of London. Nouri’s artwork is deeply rooted in traditional calligraphy and poetry. Her pieces are often created in collaboration with international poets and photographers. Her works blend calligraphy, poetry, and photography. These richly emotive and layered compositions explore her cross-cultural identity as a female immigrant moving and living between Iran, the UK, and the U.S.

ARTIST STATEMENT:
“The journey of the mind cannot be limited. Forbidden poems, forbidden words, forbidden lines, forbidden art, forbidden artists! What is the boundary between forbidden and permitted, what is the boundary between seen and unseen? Things that we cannot see might hold the answers to our questions.”
Mobina began using ink and bamboo pen when she was six years old to write poems. Growing up as a child in a fearful environment of the Iran-Iraq war, poems were a magical escape from reality. As a young woman coming from Iran to the West, she experiences the different pressures, cultural expectations, and demands for conformity of both societies. Moving to London and immersing herself in the creative and intellectual milieu, she developed a new way to explore her evolving identity as a woman in a totally new culture, using powerful photos of women and veiling them over and over with calligraphic fragments of poems—creating mysterious, transcendent layers—as a medium of expression: full of words, sensuality, and layers of meaning.

ARTIST GUIDANCE:
I invite you to soften the gaze, quiet the mind, allow yourself to enter a receptive state and let these artworks speak directly to your subconscious. These poems are not written to be read; they are here to be felt. This is not a normal poetry book that you can open and read. The mystery of the words is part of my works and these words connect to a higher conscious level beyond reading and understanding the poem. Poetry acts like the notes of music and creates a visual melody. I use Rumi, Hafiz, Khayyam, Forough, and other great Persian poets to transfer that collective consciousness. It is important that the viewer connects with the vibration and energy of the poems embedded in each piece.

ABOUT THE CURATOR

Dina Zarif
Curator, Program Director & Project Manager

Dina Zarif is a performer, vocalist, designer, and art manager who combines Western classical singing with Middle Eastern styles inspired from her Persian roots. Some of her credits include SF International Arts Festival (May 2016 & 2018), Palace of Fine Arts (Sept 2018), the chamber opera The Passion of Leyla in San Jose, Yerba Buena Gardens Festival (June 2018), and the staged reading of Layla & Majnun at BAMPFA as part of the symposium with Mark Morris Dance Group and the Silk Road Ensemble. She was the featured singer in Syria Mon Amour, Golden Thread’s 2017 celebration of International Women’s Day at Brava Theater.
As an actress, Zarif performed in three of influential Iranian playwright and director Bahram Beyzai’s plays: Ardaviraf’s Report (2015), Tarabnameh (2015-2016) as the role of Dancer/Singer, and Crossroads (2018) in the Stanford Iranian Studies department. She is also a costume designer and performer in the shadow production Feathers of Fire: A Persian Epic. As the character Princess Roudabeh, she has performed at SF Cowell Theater, Brooklyn Academy of Music, UCLA, Harvard University, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Wallis Annenberg Hall, and has internationally toured in Poland, Canada, Taiwan, China, and France between 2015 and 2018.
Zarif serves as Program Director at Red Poppy Art House. She received her MA in landscape architecture from the University of Tehran, College of Fine Arts.

EVENT DETAILS

Time: 5:30pm exhibition / 6:30pm doors / 7:00pm performances
Admission: $25-45 sliding scale
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Neblinas del Pacífico: Afro-Colombian Marimba Music
2019-05-10 19:30 - 22:00 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
The marimba de chonta (“the piano of the forest”) is an emblematic instrument of the culture of the Afro-Pacific coast of Colombia and Ecuador. The genre known as “Música del Pacífico” represents a profound cultural heritage that developed on the rivers and rainforests along the coast, in relative isolation from outside influences. With little distinction between artists and audience, marimba music is more than a performance; it is a collective community experience and a tool of resistance. Equally enjoyable for dancing, listening, and singing along, you can expect powerful percussion, dynamic arrangements, and serene melodies.

FEATURING:
Andrés Reyes
Dan Neville
Federico Ardila
Juliana Mejía
May-Li Khoe
(on marimba de chonta, bombos, cununos, guasás)

ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Neblinas del Pacífico hail from Colombia, California, and Canada/Holland/Indonesia, and are based between the Mission District and East Oakland. They are associated with several musical projects such as the Golden Circle Sextet, La Pelanga, Calmao, and Mojarra Frita. They are one of the first U.S.-based groups to bring the marimba de chonta musical tradition from the Afro-Colombian Pacífico to the U.S. Pacific Coast.

EVENT DETAILS

Time: 7:00pm doors / 7:30pm show
Admission: $15-20 sliding scale. A limited quantity of additional tickets will be available for purchase at the door.
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Swingatto: Swing & Jazz Manouche
2019-05-11 19:30 - 22:00 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
Swingatto returns to the Red Poppy to play some upbeat jazz and swing in the style of Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli.

FEATURING:
Joe Yamamoto – violin
Antonio Feula – guitar
Michael Price – double bass

ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Swingatto is a swing and jazz manouche band currently based in the San Francisco Bay Area. It was originally founded in February 2014 in London. The project currently features Joe Yamamoto on violin, Antonio Feula on guitar, and Michael Price on double bass. The band’s repertoire includes original jazz manouche songs, as well as Django Reinhardt covers and many other great tunes from the 1920s and 1930s. In 2016, Swingatto released its first EP which is currently available on Spotify, iTunes, and Bandcamp.
Learn more: Facebook | Bandcamp

EVENT DETAILS

Time: 7:00pm doors / 7:30pm show
Admission: $15-20 sliding scale. A limited quantity of additional tickets will be available for purchase at the door.
Purchase advance tickets for this event:

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Arpege Band w/ Behfar Bahadoran: Persian Classical Music (ONE SHOW)
2019-05-17 19:00 - 21:30 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
PLEASE NOTE, THE SECOND SHOW HAS BEEN CANCELLED.
Additional tickets will be available for purchase at the door for the 7:00-9:30pm (6:30pm doors) show. Please arrive when doors open the day of the event to purchase tickets.

Arpege is an attempt to bridge Persian traditional music and modern life. It combines contrasting elements of exhilaration and sorrow, cognizance and ignorance, dynamics and statics, rhythms and free forms, and harmony and monophony to create a modern musical structure while staying loyal to its roots. Arpege is a story about migration.

FEATURING:
Behfar Bahadoran – tar
Sina Dehghani – tombak
Amir Kiani – vocals
Amaan Mehrabian – santour

Learn more: Facebook

EVENT DETAILS

Time: 6:30pm doors / 7:00-9:30pm show
Admission: $20-25 sliding scale. A limited quantity of additional tickets will be available for purchase at the door.
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Karavan Sarai: Live Silk Road Electronica & Mesmerizing Dance
2019-05-18 19:30 - 22:00 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
In this performance, Middle Eastern and Indian melodies meet electronic global beats with lush synths and mesmerizing dance. Karavan Sarai carries listeners on an evocative visual and sonic journey to a nighttime courtyard of a virtual Silk Road inn.

FEATURING:
Narayan Sijan – oud, saz, electronics
Schirin Chams-Diba – dance, vocals, frame drum

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
Karavan Sarai weaves together an electro-acoustic sound and is powered by a core trio of performers—multi-instrumentalist and composer Narayan Sijan, choreographer and dancer Schirin Chams-Diba, and two-time Grammy nominee electronic musician and producer Carmen Rizzo. Their debut album, Woven Landscapes (2015), reached number six on the World Music Charts, while their follow-up, Painted Sands (2018), peaked at number four with over 10 weeks on the charts. The group’s festival highlights range from Symbiosis and Lighting in a Bottle to performing at art centers in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Egypt.
Composer, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist Narayan Sijan lived on the Silk Road from 1994-2006, learning music from mystics, masters, and locals on a shoestring budget. He creates an innovative alchemy of musical storytelling from original compositions and arranged traditional melodies. Choreographer Schirin Chams-Diba offers a visual feast of temple and classic dances of the Silk Road, invoking elegant movement traditions of her native Persian lands, the colorful gypsies of India, and the alluring power of belly dance.
Learn more: Facebook | YouTube

EVENT DETAILS

Time: 7:00pm doors / 7:30pm show
Admission: $15-20 sliding scale. A limited quantity of additional tickets will be available for purchase at the door.
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Ashley Wilson & Noa Levy: That's What Friends Are For
2019-05-19 19:30 - 22:00 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
Join singer-songwriter Ashley Wilson and jazz vocalist Noa Levy as they bring their voices together for a special night celebrating friendship, creativity, and self-expression through song. Featuring a mix of original compositions and arrangements of popular songs, with backing by an incredible band of musicians, this show will honor the female spirit and the creative energy that live inside us all.

FEATURING:
Ashley Wilson – vocals
Noa Levy – vocals
Art Khu – guitar, piano
Lorca Hart – drums
Joe Kyle Jr – bass (first set)
Shimpei Ogawa – bass (second set)
(TBA) – piano (first set)

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
San Francisco-based songbird Ashley Wilson’s new album, Paint the Sky, is a thoughtfully produced artisanal blend of jazz pop and country folk. Described as “a nimble collection of atmospheric, jazz-soaked musings that recalls Norah Jones’ sophisticated debut,” Paint the Sky was released on all streaming platforms in March 2019. With training in jazz piano/composition with producer and multi-instrumentalist Arthur Khu, and experience singing jazz professionally in San Francisco, Wilson is equally at home on stage performing as she is writing at her piano and in coffee shops around San Francisco.
Noa Levy is a jazz-rock vocalist originally from Israel, currently based in the San Francisco Bay Area. With the emotional directness of Carmen McCrae—a powerful voice reminiscent of Eva Cassidy—and the playful energy of Anita O’Day, Levy sings with emotional lyricism and magnetic stage presence. She has performed with top-level artists in Israel, including Yoni Rector, as well as recently at SF JAZZ in San Francisco. Noa Levy & the Experts currently has several monthly residencies at San Francisco jazz clubs, including Cafe Claude and Zingari Ristorante & Jazz Club.

EVENT DETAILS

Time: 7:00pm doors / 7:30pm show
Admission: $25. A limited quantity of additional tickets will be available for purchase at the door.
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Larry Reed & the ShadowLight Gamelan: An Evening of Balinese Shadow Theater
2019-05-24 19:30 - 22:00 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
Wayang Bali, the Balinese shadow play, is one of the most revered traditional art forms in the world. Plots for Wayang Bali are drawn from the Mahabharata myth cycle, in which five brothers are pitted against one hundred jealous cousins in a struggle for power involving gods, demons, magical weapons, and the inevitable beautiful princess. Larry Reed and the Gamelan musicians make it possible for Western audiences to enjoy this classical form of storytelling.

FEATURING:
Carla Fabrizio – gamelan gender
Lisa Gold – gamelan gender
Paul Miller – gamelan gender
Sarah Willner – gamelan gender

ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Larry Reed is a nationally and internationally acclaimed theatre artist and is a trailblazer in the contemporary shadow theatre field. In 1972, he founded ShadowLight Productions to nurture indigenous shadow theatre traditions, as well as to explore and expand the possibilities of the shadow theatre medium. He is one of the first Westerners to have trained in the traditional Balinese shadow theatre (wayang kulit) and is a “dalang,” or “shadow master,” who manipulates over 20 carved leather shadow puppets while simultaneously serving as the conductor of the accompanying gamelan orchestra, the director, and the stage manager.
Learn more: Facebook

EVENT DETAILS

Time: 7:00pm doors / 7:30pm show
Admission: $20-25 sliding scale. A limited quantity of additional tickets will be available for purchase at the door.
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Citizens Jazz: The Music of Billy Strayhorn
2019-05-25 19:30 - 22:00 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
Citizens Jazz, led by bassist Caroline Chung, brings together some of the Bay Area’s most notable jazz musicians to play the compositions of legendary composer, musician, and vocalist Billy Strayhorn.

FEATURING:
Adriana Morerro (guest) – vocals
Riley Bandy – alto saxophone
James Mahone – tenor saxophone
Grant Levin – piano
Caroline Chung – upright bass
Hamir Atwal – drums

ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Citizens Jazz is a collective of some of the Bay Area’s best up-and-coming and veteran musicians. Each combo brings a different element of magic that happens in the spontaneity of the language of jazz and improvisation.
The group is led by bassist Caroline Chung, who has been gigging professionally for over a decade playing in bands ranging from jazz and funk to Brazilian and Latin. She has opened up for the Buena Vista Social Club’s last U.S. tour at Mountain Winery, as well as for Ozomatli at the New Parish with Afro-Latin funk band Sang Matiz. Chung has studied under the late great Herbie Lewis and has also organized several Bay Area Women in Jazz series at Red Poppy Art House. She has many more Women in Jazz concerts scheduled in the near future, so stay tuned!
Learn more: YouTube

EVENT DETAILS

Time: 7:00pm doors / 7:30pm show
Admission: $15-20 sliding scale. A limited quantity of additional tickets will be available for purchase at the door.
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CANCELLED - Kenya Moses Quartet: Inspirações do Brasil
2019-05-31 19:30 - 22:00 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
Due to unforeseen circumstances, this event has been cancelled. If you have already purchased tickets for this event, please note a refund will be issued as soon as possible. We apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for your understanding.

Although no stranger to the walls of Red Poppy Art House, Kenya Moses makes her solo debut with her new ensemble by the same name. Exploring the sounds of Brazil, past and present, Kenya brings the audience on a musical adventure, enjoying everything from bossa nova, samba, and modern song.

FEATURING:
Kenya Moses – vocals
Ami Molinelli – percussion
Brian Moran – guitar
Scott Thompson – bass

ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Kenya Moses is an American vocalist of African and Brazilian heritage, sharing music from Brazil, Latin America, and around the world. Originally a classical vocalist known for her light and mesmerizing tone, Kenya has performed on stages throughout the world including California, New York, and Italy. Her most recent work was as a member of the Afro-Latin band Guarandinga, performing at venues and events such as San Francisco Carnaval, the New Parish, Red Poppy Art House, and the Berkeley World Music Festival.

June 1st MAPP: The René Yañez Mission Salón & Drawing Circle
2019-06-01 18:00 - 22:00 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
Join us for a night of art and interactivity celebrating the life and legacy of René Yañez. The program will feature a drawing performance, mural art, drawing circle, film screening, live music, dance tunes, and a few more surprises. Materials for the drawing circle will be provided, but please feel free to bring your own.
It was a year ago on May 29, 2018, that “El Padrino de la Misión” René Yañez left this world. While we, his community, miss him deeply, he left us with much inspiration to keep making “art fine” and to continue to instigate, resist, envision a brighter future, and to love and respect each other unconditionally. René loved and supported Red Poppy Art House and the Mission Arts & Performance Project. The intention of this gathering is to continue to celebrate the incredible gift of his friendship by joyfully making and sharing art and dancing together.

RPAH PROGRAM:

Time
Performance/Event
Description

6:00pm
Doors open

6:00-6:23pm
Live Drawing
Performance by Adrian Arias

6:00-8:30pm
Mural Creation
Honoring René Yañez by the San Francisco Print Collective

6:30-8:30pm
Drawing Circle
Led by Rio Yañez

8:30-8:50pm
Film Screening:
At Home with René
On December 29, 2017, Lou Dematteis, Vicente Franco, and Ray Telles interviewed René at his Mission District home. In this short film, René shares some of his thoughts with us.

9:00-9:25pm
Live Music
Honoring René by Liliana Herrera

9:25-10:00pm
Dance Tunes
Playlist by KPOO radio host Chelis Lopez

*Image designed by Patrick Piazza from a photograph he took of René in 2017. The design was made for printing on tortillas at the memorial held for René at SOMArts in July 2018.

ABOUT MAPP:
Launched in 2003, the Mission Arts & Performance Project (MAPP) is a homegrown bi-monthly, multidisciplinary, intercultural happening that takes place in the Mission District of San Francisco. On the first Saturday of every even month of the year, the MAPP transforms ordinary spaces, such as private garages, gardens, living rooms, studios, street corners, and small businesses into pop-up performance and exhibition sites for a day/night of intimate-scale artistic and cultural exchange among a kaleidoscope of individuals and communities.

EVENT DETAILS

Time: 6:00pm event
Admission: Free
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Levoná Ensemble: Flamenco, Arabic & Jewish Music & Stories
2019-06-06 19:30 - 22:00 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
Combining flamenco guitar, ethnic percussion, klezmer clarinet, and folk songs from the Middle East, Levoná Ensemble follows melodies and styles that traveled from one side of the ancient world to the other, bringing them together to explore new possibilities. This celebration of sounds is intermingled with storytelling, drawing from folk traditions as well as original stories.

FEATURING:
Faisal Zedan – percussion, vocals
Asaf Ophir – woodwinds, vocals
David McLean – guitar
Josh Mellinger – percussion
Patrick Kelly – upright bass

ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Each member of Levoná is an accomplished musician in his own genre. Sharing stages with artists around the world, each brings his own experiences and abilities into this collaboration, thus creating a rich tapestry that is at once a taste of the orient and a new creation all on its own. The band first came together in the highly acclaimed Bay Area musical Love Sick in 2017, and went on to receive the Theatre Bay Area Award for Best Ensemble along with the rest of the cast, as well as other awards. They have since continued to perform as an independent group, keeping that same energy alive in both dance and concert halls.
Learn more: Facebook

EVENT DETAILS

Time: 7:00pm doors / 7:30pm show
Admission: $20-25 sliding scale. A limited quantity of additional tickets will be available for purchase at the door.
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Vince Delgado's Mid-East Tapestry Ensemble: Middle Eastern Classical & Folk Melodies
2019-06-07 19:30 - 22:00 | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
Vince Delgado’s Mid-East Tapestry Ensemble plays a diverse array of classical, urban, and folk music from the Arabic-speaking countries, as well as Turkish, Greek, Armenian, and Persian traditions along with original compositions. In a time when there is so much negative perception about the Middle East, the ensemble believes that the aesthetics and variety of these cultures would be of interest to American audiences. There is much beautiful music to be heard from these countries that have been developing and evolving their culture for a few thousand years. The Mid-East Tapestry Ensemble is a 501c3 California non-profit organization.

FEATURING:
Vince Delgado – kanun, percussion
Coralie Russo – oud
Rami Ziadeh – riqq, percussion
Tom Shader – acoustic bass

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
Vince Delgado has been playing jazz for 75 years and Middle Eastern music for 59 years. In 1951, he studied Japanese classical music, and in 1965, he began studying North Indian classical music on the tabla. He became the first director of the Ali Akbar College of Music in 1968 and has been featured on numerous recordings as a percussionist. He has performed in Istanbul, Paris, London, Mumbai, Bogota, Mexico City, and other cities around the world with many luminaries including Zakir Hussain, Ali Akbar Khan, Necati Çelik, Halil Karaduman, John McLaughlin, Paul Winter Consort, Mickey Hart, Harry Partch, Simon Shaheen, and Larry Vuckovich.
Coralie Russo has been playing and performing Egyptian, Turkish, Greek, Lebanese, Armenian, Syrian, and Persian music on the oud, an 11-stringed lute, for 40 years. She has studied with master musicians John Belizekjian, Necati Çelik, Georges Lammam, and Haig Manookian. Russo has also performed with Jazayer, Coral Rose, Aywah Dance Company and the Gypsy Caravan, and currently plays with Mid-East Tapestry Ensemble, the Aswat Women’s Ensemble, as well as Larry Vuckovich’s Blue Balkan and Crosswinds Jazz ensembles.
Rami Ziadeh was born in Kuwait. He began playing Arabic tabla at the age of four and was playing professionally by age nine. At 15, he moved to the U.S. and began studying drums with Roy Burns and Tony Williams, as well as tabla with Swapan Chauduri at the CIA. Ziadeh combines Middle Eastern techniques with jazz and flamenco rhythms. He has performed with Shabaz/Ali Khan, guitarists Mark Taylor and David Correa, Desert Wind, flamenco-jazz pianist Alex Conde, jazz bassist Jeff Denson, Pharoah Sanders, and Alonzo King Ballet. Ziadeh has also accompanied flamenco artists La Tania, La Fibi, and other flamenco and Middle Eastern artists.
Tom Shader is an acoustic bass player raised in the Detroit area, where he studied violin, viola, cello, string bass, and voice. He has had the privilege of performing with many fine musicians including Steve Allen, Henry Mancini, and Tommy Newsome. In addition to being a mainstay at many North Bay and San Francisco jazz clubs, Shader has appeared at some of the area’s popular jazz festivals such as Russian River, Cotati, Benicia, Monterey, Mammoth Lakes, Morro Bay, and the Sacramento Jubilee. His Middle Eastern bass work can be heard on numerous CD recordings. He has been playing and recording in the Mid-East genre for 30 years.

EVENT DETAILS

Time: 7:00pm doors / 7:30pm show
Admission: $20 online / $20-25 door. A limited quantity of additional tickets will be available for purchase at the door.
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