With a setlist that ranges from Bulgarian wedding tunes to hot club jazz, the Alex Hand Band mines the common ground between swing and Eastern European folk dance music–the soundtrack of Western music moving across Balkan borders and being changed by European village music.Featuring:
Alex Hand - guitar
Kevin Gerzevitz - keys, accordion
Gabe Case - bass
Valentino - percussionAlex Hand, who has traveled to the Balkans to study folk music, is involved with various projects in the Bay Ar...
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Makrú’s unifying ethos is more than just talk: This pan-cultural five-piece uses Spanish and English lyrics to blend reality and fiction, and their signature mix of rumba flamenca, reggae, cumbia, and ska promises to bring everyone to the dancefloor.Featuring:
Jenny Rodriguez - vocals
Raúl Vargas - cajón, vocals
Haluk Kecelioglu - oud, violin
Bob Sanders - guitar
OriAche - percussionLearn more: Website | Facebook | Bandcamp
EVENT DETAILS
Time: Doors 7:00PM / Sho...
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Producer, composer, electronic musician, and percussionist Charles Xavier performs jazz standards, as well as compositions by his former band, ’70s jazz ensemble SATORI. Join Xavier and his quartet, who specialize in “unconventional music for unconventional minds,” as they touch on jazz, new age and ambient music, and holiday classics.Featuring:
Clifford Brown III - trumpet
Terry Rodriguez - piano
Richard Saunders - bass
Charles Xavier - drumsA jazz drummer from the age of 16, Bay A...
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Songstresses Nicole Stromsoe and Amber Gougis co-headline an evening of original material intermingled with old-school classics. Accompanied only by acoustic guitar and double bass, Stromsoe and Gougis aim to captivate audiences with enchanting vocals inspired by jazz, blues, R&B, and folk.Featuring:
Nicole Stromsoe - vocals
Amber Gougis - vocals
Dorian Michael - guitar
Ken Hustad - double bassWith a voice that has been described as “nourishing,” “sensual,” and “rich,” Nicole Stromso...
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Two highly acclaimed jazz saxophonists, Patrick Wolff and Grant Stewart, light up the night with dexterous and exhilarating renderings of the classic two-tenor groups. Alongside a vibrant trio of experienced musicians, Wolff and Stewart pay tribute to the time-honored compositions of Charles Mingus, Al Cohn, Freddie Redd, and Duke Ellington, brought to life in a magnetic convergence of East and West Coast virtuosity.Featuring:
Grant Stewart – tenor saxophone
Patrick Wolff – tenor and alto...
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Bay Area blues singer Tiffany Austin partners up with Spanish flamenco jazz pianist Alex Conde for an evening of blues, jazz, and piano flamenco exploration.Featuring:
Tiffany Austin - vocals
Alex Conde - pianoTiffany Austin's much-anticipated debut recording, Nothing But Soul, has received a warm reception from audiences and critics alike, including a four-star DownBeat Magazine review, a feature on NPR’s Fresh Air radio program, and inclusion on KQED’s Top 10 Bay Area Jazz Releases o...
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Music, poetry, and history converge powerfully in LOAN, a collective of artists integrating new-generation, African-American avant-garde poetry and jazz-influenced musical exploration. The quartet, founded by poet Tongo Eisen-Martin and guitarist Peck the Town Crier, aims to give musical shape to the longing for revolution by way of word and chord.Featuring:
Tongo Eisen-Martin – poet
Peck the Town Crier – guitar
Jon Rogers – drums
Miles Wick – upright and electric bassTongo Eisen-Mar...
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Arm Sized Legging gets its signature sound both from its unusual instrumentation–woodwinds (saxophone/oboe/clarinet), cello, bass and drums–and an all-original repertoire. Using both free-form improvisation and traditional song forms as the basis of collective soloing, composer/bandleader Renzi’s music explores textures, colors, and sonorities while adding a contemporary classical touch to the mix with cello.Featuring:
Matt Renzi - saxophone, oboe, clarinet
John Wiitala - bass
Hamir Atwal...
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Composer/bandleader/bassist Seth Ford-Young leads his dream quartet on a mission to integrate the transparent textures of chamber music and the ebullient bounce of Django Reinhardt-style jazz. The group will perform pieces from their newest release, Time Memory Beauty Hope, as well as favorites from their first album, Seth Ford-Young.Featuring:
Seth Ford-Young - bass
Evan Price - violin, octave violin
Rob Reich - accordion
Jason Vanderford - guitarSeth Ford-Young has collaborated wi...
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Drawing inspiration from ’70s jazz, funk, and the rhythmic tug of post-Dilla hip-hop, Daniel Riera presents new music for flute, wind controller, and electric ensemble. The multi-instrumentalist is well known for his impressive performances on the wind controller, a digital woodwind delivering earth-shaking bass, acidic melodies, and even chords.Featuring:
Daniel Riera - flute, wind controller
Kev Choice - keyboards
Dame Drummer - drums
Kai Lyons - guitar
Camille Mai - vocalsSan Fra...
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Pianist/composer Danny Green and his trio return to the Red Poppy to showcase their melodically charged blend of jazz, Brazilian, Latin, and classical sounds. As a rising force on the national jazz scene, Green distinguishes himself with a beautifully articulated touch and deep affinity for Brazilian music.Featuring:
Danny Green - piano
Justin Grinnell - bass
Julien Cantelm - drumsSouthern California native Danny Green has garnered a reputation in the jazz community as an emerging ar...
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On their debut, self-titled album, Opaluna, Colombian vocalist Susana Pineda and Bay Area guitarist Luis Salcedo present a fresh approach to contemporary jazz and Latin music, exploring every facet of their instruments while incorporating electronic techniques to create new textures and effects. The duo, joined at the Red Poppy by bassist Jeff Denson and drummer Zach Mondlick, melds their disparate backgrounds through a soulful intermingling of cultures, rhythms, and traditions.
Featuring:
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Synthesizing elements of jazz, flamenco, tango, and Latin American music, Trio Caminos is a new acoustic ensemble led by Venezuelan guitarist Carlos Caminos. After moving to the Bay Area, Caminos connected with bassist Sascha Jacobsen and percussionist Sage Baggott to create original compositions and play music by composers such as Astor Piazzolla and Michel Camilo. Together, Trio Caminos boasts a rich, diverse repertoire that marries Latin American music to Afro-Caribbean, Spanish, and joropo b...
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Fresh off the release of his debut album, Shadowbox, accordionist, pianist, and composer Rob Reich and his quintet return to the Red Poppy. Mixing improvisational romps with refined and melodic ensemble arrangements, Rob’s idiosyncratic accordion style mixes doses of wry humor and elements of spontaneous revelation that help propel the instrument’s modern renaissance.Rob Reich (photo by Eddy Joaquim) grew up in Long Island, New York, and began studying piano at the age of three. After gradua...
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Using a modern and fluid approach to improvisation, oud player Dimitris Mahlis and frame drummer Chris Wabich explore Greek, Persian, and Indian sounds that date back to antiquity. Described by Digital Jazz News as “eclectic, organic, and unplugged in the truest sense of the word,” Wahid’s newest release, Inside Silence, synthesizes their cross-cultural music into a distinctive jazz idiom.Featuring:
Dimitris Mahlis - oud
Chris Wabich - tuned frame drums
Admission: $10-20. ...
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Broun Fellinis present an evening of postmodern Afro-futurist jazz featuring improvisations and compositions that span their 25-year existence. Their sound, informed by the legacy of black American music, pays homage to the creative women and men who gave us this vast library of music. From field hollers to blues, jazz, funk, hip-hop, and the experimental, Broun Fellinis are part of an ongoing aesthetic cosmic continuum that the Art Ensemble of Chicago coined “Great Black Music from the Ancient ...
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Taking its name from the Southern California foothills, jazz pianist Richard Sears’ Altadena is a five-part suite that features drummer Albert “Tootie” Heath in a mostly free-form musical context, blurring the line between soloist and accompanist.Featuring:
Steven Lugerner - alto saxophone, bass clarinet
Patrick Wolff - tenor saxophone
Richard Sears - piano, compositions
Garret Lang - bass
Tootie Heath - drumsBrooklyn-based pianist Richard Sears has performed with some of the grea...
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Steph Johnson brings her trio to the Red Poppy to celebrate the release of her new album, Music is Art, produced by Grammy Award-winner Kamau Kenyatta. Steph’s rich, fervent vocals and soothing guitar will be accompanied by double bassist Rob Thorsen and drummer Fernando Gomez for an evening of compassionate soul jazz.Featuring:
Steph Johnson - vocals, guitar
Rob Thorsen - bass
Fernando Gomez - drumsSan Diego-based Steph Johnson is a self-taught musician whose distinctive style of voc...
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Ridgeway Arts presents vocalist and composer Tammy Scheffer as a featured artist in their National/International program, which brings high-profile artists from around the globe to the Bay Area. The Brooklyn-based Scheffer joins double bassist and vocalist Jeff Denson and special guests for a night of contemporary jazz at the Red Poppy.Featuring:
Tammy Scheffer - vocals
Jeff Denson - double bass, vocals
Special guests TBATammy Scheffer has been a creative voice in NYC’s jazz circle fo...
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Internationally recognized chanteuse Lavay Smith and her world-class band come to the Red Poppy to pay tribute to the great Duke Ellington. Performing popular favorites, as well as obscure gems, Lavay and her band evoke an authentic feeling of classic blues and jazz.
Featuring:
Lavay Smith - vocals
Jules Broussard - alto and tenor sax
Danny Armstrong - trombone, vocals
Chris Siebert - piano
Ron Belcher - bassLavay Smith is the vocalist and bandleader of the San Francisco-based Red ...
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Bay Area-based double bassist/composer/vocalist Jeff Denson performs a CD release show with his quartet at the Red Poppy Art House for his fifth album, Concentric Circles. Steeped in the jazz tradition, Denson’s music features uncommon instrumentation and a highly individual juxtaposition of composed and improvised material.Featuring:
Jeff Denson - double bass, vocals
Paul Hanson - bassoon
Dan Zemelman - piano
Alan Hall - drum setJeff Denson has balanced a full career as an acclaimed...
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Combining elements of rock, pop, jazz, folk, and classical, pianist/composer Marta Sanchez creates music that is rhythmically complex and spontaneously melodic. Her most recent release, Partenika, has been hailed as one of the best albums of 2015 by The New York Times, Downbeat, AllMusic and Jazz Journalist Association. Sanchez, a Madrid native who is currently active in New York City’s contemporary music scene, continues to tour around the globe as both a bandleader and sideman.Featuring:
...
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Improvisations, originals, and an exploration of standards unite the four independent viewpoints of tenor saxophonists Jessica Jones, Tony Jones, Peter Apfelbaum, and Howard Wiley. With a deep respect for jazz history and rhythm, and a dedication to finding their own voices, these musicians meet with collective improvisation in its wildest, mercurial incarnation.Featuring:
Jessica Jones, Tony Jones, Peter Apfelbaum, Howard Wiley - tenor saxophones
Spearheaded by Jessica Jones, this...
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An integration of abstract jazz with breakbeats and improvised grooves, Jaz Sawyer explores an instrumental experiment including both originals and arrangements of jazz and pop standards.Featuring:
Jaz Sawyer - drums, percussion
Sarah Voynow - harp
Cava Menzies - piano, keyboards
Imalu Menzies - percussion, keyboardsJaz Sawyer began playing drums at the age of two in the Haight Ashbury District of San Francisco. His musical studies have taken him through the various programs at the ...
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A tribute to saxophone giants, San Francisco’s Michael Zilber performs music from his upcoming album of all originals. The recording features New York jazz greats Dave Kikoski on piano, James Genus on bass, and Clarence Penn on drums. Accompanying Zilber at the Red Poppy is a group made up exclusively of New York expatriates, including pianist Matt Clark, bassist Peter Barshay, and drummer Akira Tana.Saxophonist and composer Michael Zilber is described by NEA Jazz Master David Liebman as "on...
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The Village Road Trio reimagines classical music with their folkloric instrumentation for a program of spirited and expressive sounds. From American bluegrass and swing, to Romanian tunes and favorite classical melodies, the trio takes on an extensive range of styles.Featuring:
Alisa Rose - violin
Rob Reich - accordion
Daniel Fabricant - bass
Bassist Daniel Fabricant grew up in Ashland, Oregon, where he began playing guitar and trumpet in grade school. Since moving to the Bay Are...
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Miami-based trio Sound Underground traverses the lengths of acoustic jazz and beyond. Intimate and conversational, their music ranges from from artful compositions and introspective ballads, to unusual instrumentation and clever sonic explorations.Featuring:
Jonah Udall - guitar
David Leon - alto saxophone
Alec Aldred - trumpetSound Underground was formed as a natural extension of the shared musical explorations and mutual admiration of three roommates with disparate backgrounds. In 2...
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Avram Fefer’s explosive trio work has been well documented over the years with critically acclaimed albums and international tours. He draws from the musical worlds of Ornette Coleman, Miles Davis, Fela Kuti, Ethiopiques, and Charles Mingus. With tunes that create fertile ground for development and improvisation, Avram’s music encompasses soulful intelligence, lyricism, and groove.Featuring:
Avram Fefer - saxophones, bass clarinet, composition
Vijay Anderson - drums
Dan Seamans - bass...
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Mostly Kosher, a Los Angeles-based indie-global collective band, radically reconstructs Judaic and American cultural musical roots. Through ravenous post-klezmer beats and arresting Yiddish refrains, Mostly Kosher highlights the architecture of heritage music with influences of jazz, Latin, rock, hip hop and folk.Mostly Kosher has accumulated an international legion of fans and is on a trajectory to bring their rhythmic hullabaloo to all of the streaming sound waves across the planet. The ba...
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With music heavily influenced by Django Reinhardt and traditional jazz of Buenos Aires, the quartet returns to the Red Poppy to present their latest album, Claroscuro.The Gonzalo Bergara Quartet takes an all-acoustic, contemporary approach to 1930's Reinhardt-inspired jazz. Composer and leader Gonzalo Bergara mixes a cascade of arpeggios (chord notes played in succession) with the sounds of Paris and his native Argentina. His first CD, Porteña Soledad, was Editor’s Pick in Guitar Player Maga...
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