653 Chenery Street
in San Francisco's Glen Park neighborhood
1-415-586-3733
[email protected]
Open to walk-in trade and browsing
Tuesday to Sunday
noon to six
Live Streams every weekend!
Refresh your browser to catch a show in progress!
Visit our Facebook page or YouTube channel!
But nothing beats being in the room with the music & the musicians!
Gus Hurteau, vibraphone. Alan Jones, bass. Miles Turk, drums. $20 cover charge, byob. Students $10. For reservations, call 415-586-3733. Young players on the rise! Catch them while they’re making their mark on the way to vibrant careers in jazz. Here’s video of Gus’s last trio date at Bird & Beckett, in June of this year, with Hannah Mayer on piano and Giulio Cetto on bass: Here’s Miles Turk on drums in pianist Rumi Abe’s quartet at Bird & Beckett on May 24th: Here’s Alan Jones in drummer Sheldon Alexander’s quintet at Bird & Beckett on June 6th:
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The Scott Foster Quintet dives into the South African jazz repertoire, playing the music of Allen Kwela, Dudu Pukwana, Johnny Dyani, Abdullah Ibrahim (Dollar Brand), Hugh Masekela and their countrymen. $25 cover charge requested, students $10.
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Nothing like it this side of Bernal! Or any other side, really. BYOB and a twenty for the trio!
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10/18, 5pm: Poet Kim Shuck + Colossal friends Colossus: Currents poetry / climate / change. 10/18, 7:30pm: Jinx Jones Trio with Kenan O’Brien & Ken Owen. 10/19, 5pm: Vince Lateano Trio with guest guitarist/vocalist Erich Ippen. ____ Tuesday to Thursday 10/21 to 23, three literary events: 10/21 – Diane Frank introduces her novel, Mermaids and Musicians: with poet Janet Popesco Archibald. 10/22 – Walker Brents livestreamed talk on Gary Snyder: “the wayless way.” 10/23 – John Curl introduces his two new poetry volumes, America Beyond the Well and Memory of a Kiss; joined by poet Alice Rogoff reading new poems. _____ Friday, 10/24, early show: The 230 Jones Street Band – McCarthy/Cady/Bennett/Johnson Friday, 10/24, late show: LOBE, a South Bay quintet, at Bird & Beckett to kick off their 10-day, 5-stop California tour in support of their debut album “was that on purpose?” —…
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Here at Bird & Beckett Books, we’ve always relied on the kindness of neighbors and strangers to make it all work; and we’ve always found that strangers don’t stay strangers long! Your tax-deductible donations to our 501(c)3 nonprofit, the Bird & Beckett Cultural Legacy Project, FEIN 261906810, are the secret sauce. Book sales and cover charges at the shows are crucial, but only go so far to fill the cornucopia of culture that you’ll find here at Bird & Beckett! You can donate through our website using PayPal. Or if you prefer, you can drop off or mail us a check made out to the “Bird & Beckett Cultural Legacy Project” — write “tax-deductible donation” in the memo line. Cash is fine if you prefer. Use your donor-advised fund if you have one. See if your employer offers a matching donation. You can also donate on a recurring, monthly basis…
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The posts that follow show you what’s come and gone. Search the videos on our youtube channel or facebook page to find evidence of what you remember, or what you missed! Then, make sure you catch the next thing that catches your fancy. The live streams are great, but live music in a room with folks you know or ought to get to know, that’s irreplaceable…
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Max Bessesen, saxophone. Ethan Philion, bass. Devin Drobka, drums. $20 cover charge; byob. Students, $10. For a reservation, call the shop at 415-586-3733. Love Call has been together since the lock down, when bassist Philion and saxophonist Bessesen coped with their lack of performance opportunities by exploring adventurous new repertoire and free improvisation together. When restrictions were lifted, the duo reunited with longtime-collaborator Devin Drobka and the unit began to collaborate on new music and to perform this material publicly. Love Call has been performing several times a year since 2021, despite the fact that the group members live in different cities (Bessesen in New York, Philion in Chicago and Drobka in Milwaukee). The trio has a distinctive musical approach marked by a congenial sense of trust and a unique, intuitive group language. Their performances feature free improvisation and compositions by each member of the group. Love Call was selected…
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Pam Brandon, bass and vocals. Forrest Allen, fiddle, mandolin and vocals. Iggy, guitar and vocals. $20 cover charge / $10 for students / kids, native peoples & navy sailors of all nations free during the Indigenous Peoples Day weekend.* For a reservation, call the shop at 415-586-3733. All ages. Wheelchair accessible. San Francisco pickers, Trouble Town boils a hot pot of folk, bluegrass, swing, jazz and rock into a rebel blend of music with a big acoustic sound. The band’s musical chemistry and diverse influences have allowed them to pull from a deep musical well to make a special stew all their own. Trouble Town is led by Western Swing Hall of Famer Pam Brandon (AKA Belle, of Belle Monroe and Her Brewglass Boys) on bass and vocals, with Forrest Allen (Dusty Green Bones Band, Deep Thicket Dwellers) on fiddle, mandolin and vocals, and Iggy (Burl Haggard, Boots and The…
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Ben Slater, saxophone. Luke Schwartz, guitar. Sam Heminger, bass. $20 cover charge (cash at the door, please), byob. Students, $10; kids and mariners, free.* All ages. Wheelchair accessible. For reservations, call the shop at 415-586-3733. Tonight, the Ben Slater Trio plays a summer’s worth of Ben’s new compositions and arrangements. Born and raised in San Francisco, Ben Slater spent time on the East Coast and New Orleans before returning to the City. Here, he’s been a leading member of the band Mean to Me since 2013 and regularly plays around town as a leader and sideplayer in other small combos. On saxophone, he draws on the lyricism of Wayne Shorter and Lester Young; on piano, he’s internalized the rhythm-centered approaches of Ahmad Jamal, Erroll Garner, Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk. Luke Schwartz, also a native, is a guitarist, bassist, pianist, composer and arranger, who spent time in New Orleans and…
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Four Fabulous Females play the blues & the funk for the swabbies and waves! Pat Wilder, guitar and vocals. Jennifer Jolly, piano. Ruth Davies, bass. Daria Johnson, drums. $20 cover charge / students $10 / kids & sailors free!* All ages. Wheelchair accessible. Reservations 415-586-3733. Deets on the crew and their captain… Ruth Davies has played and recorded with Charles Brown, Elvin Bishop, Clark Terry, John Lee Hooker, Bonnie Raitt, Jay McShann, Van Morrison, Maria Muldaur, Junior Mance, Linda Tillery, Barbara Dane, Barbara Morrison, Etta Jones, Elvis Costello, Eric Bibb, Keb’ Mo’, Terry Gibbs, Jimmy Witherspoon and Little Jimmy Scott, and her discography includes Platinum and Grammy-winning recordings of jazz, blues and movie soundtracks. She has recorded with Charles Brown, Bonnie Raitt, John Lee Hooker, Van Morrison, Sammy Hagar, Clark Terry, Vassar Clements, Toots Thielemans, Ernie Watts, Elvin Bishop, Maria Muldaur, Clairdee, Tammy Hall, Jackie Ryan, Pamela Rose and Ramblin’ Jack…
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Rhonda Benin, vocals. John R. Burr, piano. Ron Belcher, bass. Mark Lee, drums. $20 cover charge (cash at the door, please); byob. Students $10. Just catching a tune while waiting for dinner? Drop $5 in the bucket by the register for the musicians! All ages, wheelchair accessible. BLUES is jazz’s greatest influence. From the time when jazz evolved from the sounds of the Mississippi Delta a century ago right up to the modern jazz of today, the blues has been a benchmark for jazz musicians. Its influence on jazz from its inception to today cannot be explained by mere words alone; one has to hear their sounds to truly comprehend their meaning.” Vocalist Rhonda Benin has created AIN’T NO JAZZ WITHOUT THE BLUES, a musical experience to do just that! Rhonda Benin has headlined widely, including SFJazz, Yoshi’s, MOAD, The Healdsburg, Sonoma, Burlingame, Sausalito, Fillmore, and Calistoga Jazz Festivals. In…
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Chris Planas, guitar, Ben Luis, bass. Matt Willlis, drums. $20 cover charge; byob. Students, $10. For a reservation, call the shop at 415-586-3733. Just catching a tune while waiting for dinner? Drop $5 in the bucket for the musicians! Guitarist and leader Chris Planas was a founding member of Hawaii’s world beat favorites Pagan Babies, a band that played Afro-pop, reggae, soca and Latin musics. Pagan Babies had 12-year residency at Anna Bannana’s with a regular mention in Fodor’s, produced well-reviewed cds and significant airplay for Chris’s tunes “Where’s the Party” and “Healing Rain.” The band performed in Papua New Guinea, Bangkok and California clubs such as Slim’s in SF and the Palomino Club in LA, and shared the stage with Black Uhuru, UB40 and Third World. Since then, Chris has been the bandleader for classic acts such as the Drifters, the Shirelles, Mitch Ryder, Mark Lindsay (of Paul Revere…
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Bring $25 cash for the band. Also something to sip, if you wish. Until 5pm, you can call for a reservation — 415-586-3733. Seating starts at 6:45pm. Be prepared to huddle in the front of the store and browse the new releases until then! Waiting for your place at the counter at Le Cygale? Fine and good, but drop $5 in the bucket by the register for the musicians as a courtesy… Bassist Harold Carr has primarily been known as a sideperson (e.g., Lightnin’ Hopkins, Bobby McFerrin, John McCuen, Crystal Gayle, Steve Lacy). He is excited to share his compositions in this album release concert featuring long time friends Andrew Voigt (sax & flute), Bruce Ackley (clarinet), Flavia Cervino-Wood (violin) and Derek Coombs (piano). Harold has been musician/poet-in-residence at the Banff Centre in Canada, guest soloist at the Frutillar Music Festival in Chile, composer/soloist with the Guangdong Modern Dance Company…
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Clive Matson’s roots in the beat generation go back to NYC in the early 1960s, and he’s been an important writing guru in the Bay Area for decades. We’re pleased to welcome him back to the shop with his recent collection, Hello Paradise, Paradise Goodbye. He’s a reliable link to the consciousness that bloomed from the cataclysm of World War II, significant as we enter a period of massive doubt that history will not repeat itself as parody or farce, but as a new cataclysm of profound loss and tragedy. The moment is dire. The Beats looked at a devastated world and plumbed its reality with all the creative tools at their disposal. The beat goes on. Clive is joined tonight by Karen Pierce Gonzalez. Just the titles of her book, Moon kissed, Earth wrought, Vision drunk (Bottlecap Press 2025), and her six chapbooks to include Down River with Li Po (Black…
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Ryan Ancheta is one of our favorite young jazz musicians. He made a good impression on veteran drummer Vince Lateano and his trio partners Peter Barshay and Ben Stolorow at the jam session about three years ago while still a student at RASOTA, and he’s come back on stage here many times since, epitomizing the kind of upcoming player who knows he’s got a lot to learn from the elders on the bandstand, listening and taking part in the musical conversation that goes on with every tune. Now he’s a couple years in at UC Berkeley, a data science major playing music whenever there’s a minute to spare from his studies. And he does find time to spare. He’s never left the music and the music has stood by him, nurtures him, for sure! Ryan has invited friends to play some music together on the 28th, and you’re welcome to…
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SUPPORT BIRD & BECKETT - DONATE TODAY!
Your donation to the Bird & Beckett Cultural Legacy Project helps us pay for a multitude of operating expenses necessary to present, promote and preserve local music, poetry, and more.
Help us keep the arts alive and thriving!
The Bird & Beckett Cultural Legacy Project was created in 2007 "to present, document and archive the creative work of significant living writers and musicians in the San Francisco Bay Area, for a neighborhood audience and future generations," continuing the work we began when the store was established in 1999.
We continue to present a full slate of programming of live music and poetry readings, and produce a literary journal and poetry chapbooks, and we seek and welcome your continued financial support by way of donations.
Click on "donate" in the navigation bar above. Better yet, make a check out to the “Bird & Beckett Cultural Legacy Project” and drop it off or mail it to:
Bird & Beckett Cultural Legacy Project
653 Chenery Street
San Francisco, CA 94131
Call us at (415) 586-3733 to find out how else you might lend your support.
____________
We're immensely appreciative of Jazz in the Neighborhood for having stepped in as our temporary fiscal sponsor for a few months, while we straightened out some paperwork to get nonprofit status restored to the BBCLP. We're happy to say that's been done, and all past, present, and future donations made directly to the BBCLP are fully tax-deductible!
TAKE OUR SURVEY
To take our SURVEY, click here, and help the BBCLP get to know you better! As Duke Ellington always said, we love you madly...
The Bird & Beckett Cultural Legacy Project
Our events are put on under the umbrella of the Bird & Beckett Cultural Legacy Project (the "BBCLP"). That's how we fund our ambitious schedule of 300 or so concerts and literary events every year.
The BBCLP is a [Read More ]
The Independent Musicians Alliance
Gigging musicians! You have nothing to lose but your lack of a collective voice to achieve fair wages for your work!
The IMA can be a conduit for you, if you join in to make it work.
https://www.independentmusiciansalliance.org/
Read more here - Andy Gilbert's Feb 25 article about the IMA from KQED's site
