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!
Curious about Glen Park and wanting an extra excuse to visit the neighborhood? Or perhaps you’re a lucky resident looking for a a good excuse to stay local! We have poetry with cello Wednesday evening, extemporaneous musings on Walt Whitman and democracy Thursday, two varieties of jazz on Friday and jazz of another stripe altogether on Saturday… and a sweet little jazz trio on Sunday. Do you get the sense that poetry and jazz are centerpieces of the Bird & Beckett cultural offerings? You’re on to something good! Poets Diane Frank and Stewart Florsheim read new and recent work on Wednesday, 10/16, at 7:30pm, opening with Bach compositions performed on cello by Erik Levins. Diane and Erik happen both to be cellists in the Golden Gate Symphony Orchestra, while Diane’s Blue Light Press has for years been a major conduit for poets throughout the western states. Among the poetry volumes…
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We have so many plans, so many commitments and so little to rely on save hard work, luck and fate! Make your mark on the culture by staking us to our plans, schemes, habits and dreams! Jazz and poetry don’t pay well in this alternative reality we call capitalism! It’s the hardscrabble commitment of the average citizen and the largesse of a few that allow organizations like ours to pay the artists AND keep the lights on. Thank you those who have our back! We do it for you and with you, and for and with the artists. If a tax deduction is a high priority for you, you’ll want to wait awhile before cutting us a check. We understand that, and in a few months we’ll have our nonprofit status back, we’re quite sure. Meanwhile, this drive is a pitch for non-deductible donations! The Bird & Beckett Cultural Legacy…
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From the mouths of babes… and their teachers… we have come to know that Kamala, yes, that Kamala, attended Berkwood Hedge school in Berkeley as a kindergartner. Berkwood Hedge, Berkeley itself, Oakland, the East Bay at large, and all our progressive hearts were represented at the DNC on the 22nd. A Berkwood Hedge 6th grader led the recitation of the pledge of allegiance Thursday the 22nd, nomination night, at the convention. Luna, the student leading the pledge, knows of Mulla Nasrudin, Coyote, gods and goddesses, dervishes, Flintlock the cat and a host of others, stories and insight accrued to her since her kindergarten years. Her imagination has been broadened by these tales. She has drawn circle designs side by side with a gifted teacher, our own resident visionary mystic philosopher-poet, WBIII. The humble work of a storyteller goes on, from sea to shining sea. We are inheritors of Whitman’s democratic…
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Hungry to hear some of Bird & Beckett’s past live streams? On the home page you can scroll down to read the individual posts for the shows we’ve mounted in the past several months, a hint of what’s gone down since the pandemic lock-down began. In more amazing times, it would take you right back to the very first show of the current period, back on March 12, 2020, but that beautiful skein is no longer quite so easily accessed. Still, the evidence is there for those who dig. The March 12, 2020 show that signaled the shift was a Thursday evening performance by New York saxophonists Jessica and Tony Jones, both alumni of the Berkeley High jazz program, with NYC bassist Stomu Takeishi and local hero Deszon X. Claiborne on drums. The quartet’s booking for the night before at the Backroom over in Berkeley had been cancelled. A few…
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Bird & Beckett’s events open to the public have been back since mid-June 2021. Mask up if you’re inclined, and do come in! (Not vaxxed? Please get vaxxed and be safer!) Jazz, poetry & more live in the shop and live streamed Come to 653 Chenery if you’re in town! Doors open at 7:20 for our 7:30 shows. $20 cover for trios and quartets $25 for quintets, $30 for sextets, etc. Cash at the door please! BYOB and BYOglass, and pack out what you pack in! Please feel free to wear a mask in the shop. We trust the science and its processes, and we trust SF’s DPH to keep us up to date on best practices! Advised best practices as of early September 2021 was to wear a mask indoors around people. If that makes you a little more comfortable being inside this winter, then do feel free. Sure…
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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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You are invited to read a poem at Poets For Palestine, a poetry reading marathon that raises funds for the children of Palestine. October 14 (Indigenous Peoples Day) 12 noon to 8 pm at Bird & Beckett Books 653 Chenery St, San Francisco, CA 94131 * Pick one poem (3 minutes max) * Make an online donation (minimum $5) to MECA . * Send your name and best times to read to: [email protected] You’ll receive a confirmation email. * Attend the Marathon at Bird and Beckett Books. * If you are unable to attend, you may make a donation and send in a poem to [email protected] and we will read the poem for you at your requested time. Bird and Beckett will live stream the entire event: https://www.youtube.com/@birdbeckett1601/streams All donations directly benefit the Middle East Children’s Alliance (MECA). All the cash collected on that day will also go into the MECA fund. This…
Read MoreKim Shuck, former San Francisco Poet Laureate, hosts S.A. Griffin and Linda Ravenswood in her ongoing, twice monthly online poetry reading series. The first session of each month, on the 2nd Mondays, leads off with two featured readers and concludes with an open mic. The second session, on the 4th Mondays is all open mic. Karma bum, Vietnam era veteran of the USAF and left handed lefty from Los Angeles, S.A. Griffin is most recently the author of Pandemic Soul Music (Punk Hostage Press) which includes art by his late sister Robin Lynne Griffin, Suckers & Losers (River Dog) and Good Madness is Hard to Come By with Michael Lane Bruner (Rose of Sharon Press). Editor The Outlaw Bible of American Poetry (Basic Books, Firecracker Award) and along with Rich Ferguson, Alexis Rhone Fancher and Kim Shuck, S.A. is the co-editor of Beat Not Beat (Moon Tide Press). Queued up for publication, he is the co-editor of Sparring with Beatnik Ghosts with…
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Bay Area singer/songwriters George Kincheloe, Scott Beynon, Glenn MacPherson and vocalist Nancy Carroll combine their unique talents and instrumental artistry in this popular, harmony-rich band whose music leans toward Americana/acoustic with lots of original material by three accomplished songwriters. $20 cover charge (cash or venmo, please); byob.
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Krishna Parthasarathy, vocal & violin Ben Kunin, sarod Akshay Naresh, bansuri Ferhan Qureshi, tabla $20 cover charge (cash or venmo at the door, please); byob. Reservations can be made by calling the shop at 415-586-3733 during regular business hours, noon to six pm, Tuesday to Sunday. Doors open for the show 15 minutes before the concert. Reservations are held only until show time. This evening will feature a presentation of South Asian raga music led by Krishna Parthasarathy. Krishna is an accomplished Carnatic and Hindustani classical musician, displaying prowess over both musical formats via violin and vocal expositions. He has studied with eminent musicians representing both traditions and performs throughout the Bay Area with ensembles of accompanying artists that thrive on spontaneous creativity. For this first recital of his at Bird and Beckett, Krishna will be accompanied by Ben Kunin on sarode, Akshay Naresh on bansuri (flute), and Ferhan Qureshi…
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Empyrea travels the spaceways with thrilling improvisational forays that venture into uncharted sonic terrain. Listeners will experience instrumental combinations rarely heard on this planet. Empyrea is Ian Dogole – doumbek, African talking drum, udu, kalimba, maracas llaneras Richard Howell – saxophones, misc. aerophones & vocals Kash Killion – cello, double bass, sarangi, bolon, masenqo
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Every second Friday of the month, Eric Shifrin brings in a trio to have a little fun with tunes written by some of the master composers of popular music that have become standards played in piano bars, restaurants, clubs and concert halls through the decades throughout the land. This month, he’ll present tunes by the writers behind “Violets for Your Furs,” “Makin’ Whoopee” and “Autumn in New York” and many more. BYOB and a twenty for the band! Featuring tunes by Matt Dennis, Vernon Duke and Walter Donaldson this time out, you’re in for a packed show of wonderful music. Matt Dennis is familiar to you due to Sinatra and Billie Holiday, think Angel Eyes, Everything Happens to Me and Violets for Your Furs. Walter Donaldson was prolific between the two world wars, composing American Songbook chestnuts, often with lyricist Gus Kahn, like Makin’ Whoopee, My Baby Just Cares…
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Apply for your jazz passport this month on a visit to any one of four great San Francisco jazz clubs — Keys, Tipples, Black Cat or Dawn Club and patronize those wonderful joints! We wish them all great success, and we want their help keeping San Francisco jazzy and literary! You won’t need a passport to pay a visit to Bird & Beckett, the best cozy little listening room in town, heavy in jazz and ranging freely afield week after week after week. We’ve offered steady programming for 21 years and counting — and a twenty will be plenty to get you a wonderful couple of hours of music, with the books in all their profuse glory for your browsing & buying! Bring something to sip, bring your kids, bring your friends! We’re counting on you to come on in and to proselytize to your friends, relations & airbnb guests.…
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Litquake turns 25! Litquake’s 2024 festival kicked off with the Booksellers Ball on Thursday the 10th, an opening night bash at Club Fugazi in North Beach when the Litquake community came together to fête San Francisco’s independent bookstores. It was a catered event with abundant libations and a sizzling lineup of literature-themed drag performances hosted by Joe Wadlington of Happy Endings, a.k.a Jubilee! With festive grooves from Bff.fm DJ Lead Teddy and a reading nook curated by 17 of San Francisco’s best independent booksellers — including Glen Park’s own Bird & Beckett — folks kicked up your heels with local literati and celebrated 25 years of Litquake! Find the schedule for Litquake’s 10-day literary cavalcade of events here!
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Ava Koohbor is a poet, visual and sound artist. Through sound, words, and objects she seeks to find balance in everyday’s chaos. Her latest works have been exhibited and performed at Audium, APICC Festival 2023: Reimagine Horizons, and as a part of group exhibition at RootDivision: ME in a(ME)rica. Her latest publication, a collection of her poetry, Death Under Construction, has been published by Ugly Duckling Presse. She believes that each artist is a medium to transfer the world of possibilities to what is. She holds an MFA in Electronic Music from Mills College. avakoohborarts.com Evidence Trio is an improvisational group whose points of reference are free jazz, dark ambient, and radio emissions from the early universe. Andrew Joron, theremin; Kersti Abrams, sax and flute; Michael Wilcox, electric bass. $20 suggested donation; byob.
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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." We've been doing that very thing for more than a decade and a half, continuing the work we began when the store was established in 1999.
Due to lapses in tax filings during and post-pandemic, the BBCLP's status as a registered nonprofit was suspended at the beginning of April 2024 while we reapply, which is expected to take about six months. Donations made after April 1st will not be tax-deductible until nonprofit status is restored.
However, we continue to present a full slate of programming live music and poetry, and producing literary chapbooks, and we seek and welcome your continued financial support in the interim. If a tax-deduction is not a major reason for your support to date, we hope you'll continue to ride with us while we navigate these next several months.
Click on "donate" in the navigation bar above, drop off a check at the bookshop, or drop one in the mail 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.
TAKE OUR SURVEY
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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
