Bob Kenmotsu, saxophone Keith Saunders, piano Eric Markowitz, bass Tony Johnson, drums Bebop to bossa, and always swingin’ $20 cash cover charge – doors open at 7:20 for the 7:30 show BYOB and a mask, as covid still stalks the fringes of the land… capacity is just 20 at the moment to make for more…

Andrew Stephens – trumpet (in town briefly from NYC!). Ben Goldberg – clarinet. Daniel Fabricant – bass. Rob Reich – piano, accordion. Rob Reich returns to Bird & Beckett with his group “Swings Left”. Rooted in the classic swing music of the late 1930s, “Swings Left” plays the tunes of Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, Count…

  YAY! THE MOBY DICK SET The Literary Side of The Evangenitals Catch them at Bird & Beckett while they’re in town to headline El Rio’s 25th Anniversary Shit Kicker Memorial Day Bash. $15-25 sliding scale, byob, and a mask for the lowdown on this high flown band, visit their site!    

Jazz musicians, this one’s for you. Drummer Vince Lateano leads the session with Peter Barshay on bass and Ben Stolorow on piano. No fee to play. Audience, bring a $20 to help us pay the rhythm section. BYOB, and a mask for when you’re not playing, or if you’re not playing. Covid, you know…

Francis Wong, saxophone William Roper, tuba Karl Evangelista, guitar Deszon X. Claiborne, drums Heavy cats, light on their feet. Memorializing the meaning of music by playing it. Feel the spirit $20 cover charge, byob and a mask capacity is 20, so call for a reservation (415) 586-3733

Jeffrey Zable is a teacher, conga/bongo player, and a writer of poetry, flash fiction and non-fiction. His writing has appeared in hundreds of literary magazines and anthologies—more recently in Fiery Scribe, Third Wednesday and Fleas On The Dog. Ken Weichel has been writing and creating collages for the last fifty years. His latest book Azure,…

Imagine the Charlie Gurke Quartet and add another musician! You’re 4/5 the way there!

The Pedro Pastrana Quartet is for sure a latin jazz ensemble, though it’s one like no other. On paper, the group might seem like your traditional jazz quartet — a wind instrument, bass, drums and a chordal instrument, in this case, the cuatro. But it’s the integration of the cuatro that defines the Ensemble’s unique…

THE LOST TRIO (June 10)…MICHAEL ZILBER QUARTET (June 11)…AMERICAN EXPAT POET FROM THE CZECH REPUBLIC LUCIEN ZELL (June 12)…FREE BEER, A NEIGHBORHOOD PARTY FOR TONY FROM CRITTER FRITTERS, WITH THE LARRY VANN TRIO (June 16, with free beer)…SCOTT FOSTER PROJECT (June 17)…DAMERONIA OBSCURE & CLASSIC (June 18)…CBOP (June 19)…NOEL JEWKES QUARTET (June 22)…ED CHERRY QUARTET…

  TAKE ACTION TODAY AT 4PM: CAMP CONLAN AT CCSF OCEAN CAMPUS 4-4:30 SUPERVISOR DEAN PRESTON VISITS & THEN A GROUP WILL BE TAKING DIRECT ACTION TO DEFEND CITY COLLEGE. ALL SUPPORTERS ENCOURAGED TO BE PRESENT & MAKE THE FIGHT FOR CCSF VISIBLE. IF YOU CANNOT MAKE IT IN PERSON, HERE’S THE LIVESTREAM: https://fb.me/e/2kD12p9Ru CCSF…

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…

Bird & Beckett’s events open to the public have been back since mid-June 2021. Mask up and come in! (do please bring proof of full vaccination. Not vaxxed? Please get vaxxed and join us!) Jazz, poetry & more live in the shop and live streamed Come to 653 Chenery if you’re in town! Doors open…

Saxophonist and good friend Chuck Peterson passed this past Friday, February 18, 2022. Born February 8, 1931, he was 91 when he left us. Many of you have heard or lived some of Chuck’s story along the way. We know it imperfectly but we have a feel for it, for Chuck, for those who traveled…

Bring a poem, or just come to listen to the poets! Topic: Bird and Beckett Online Open Mic!  Time: This is a recurring meeting Meet anytime Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84350265713?pwd=eE84V3BYdWxiSFBHNHhmdUt1WTUzdz09 Meeting ID: 843 5026 5713 Passcode: 244211

SF-born & raised, NY-based Latin jazz drummer & percussionist Annette Aguilar is in town to play Carnaval this weekend! Catch her at Bird & Beckett Thursday 5/26 at 5pm with Anthony Blea on violin, Murray Low on piano and Mike Arnold on bass $20 cover charge – BYOB & a mask Capacity is 20 –…

Says Dave: The name Slug Teacher is derived from a line in “Here In This Spring”, a poem written in 1933 by iconic Welsh poet Dylan Thomas. I’ve long been fascinated by his work, not least for the sheer musicality of the rhythms, textures and timbres of his creations. Slug Teacher takes off on musical…

George Cotsirilos, guitar Keith Saunders, piano Robb Fisher, bass Ron Marabuto, drums $20 cash cover charge; $10-20 sliding scale – first time free! Covid numbers are rising, so we’ll be limiting the audience to about 20 people and returning to masks for the time being. Reservations, call 415-586-3733. Doors open at 7:20pm. Show at 7:30.…

Tom Hassett, drums Dan Seamans, bass Jim Peterson, saxes Scott Foster, guitar $20 cash cover charge; $10-20 sliding scale – first time free! Covid numbers are rising, so we’ll be limiting the audience to about 20 people and returning to masks for the time being. Doors open at 7:20pm. Show at 7:30. BYOB as well…

Sukhawat Ali Khan returns to Bird & Beckett with an ensemble of musicians steeped in Sufi music and Sukhawat’s own family’s 600-year-old Hindustani classical musical tradition, the Sham Chorasi Gharana, best known to contemporary audiences worldwide from the work of his father and uncle, the brothers Salamat and Nazakat Ali Khan. The Sham Chorasi Gharana was established…

Celebrate the life of Floyd Salas, with friends and family. Floyd Salas (1/24/31-10/17/21) was a novelist, social activist, boxer and boxing coach. A cofounder of PEN Oakland in 1989, he was a key figure in San Francisco Bay Area literary and social justice circles for six decades. His literary work is highly regarded by aficionados…

Please join us for a book launch party! The Witches of Glen Park the second book of Mark Shoffner’s DarkHouse series (after Miriam: The Witch of Glen Park) Author reading & treats; all ages welcome! What’s not normal about a family of… witches? Ruth Levin has settled into a nice routine with her mother Miriam.…

Francis Vanek, tenor sax Randy Vincent, guitar Chris Amberger, bass Jeff Minneweather, drums Francis Vanek leads an all-star quartet, musicians long embraced by Bird & Beckett audiences. Francis is a well known North Coast tenor player. He hails from Pittsburgh, PA, having cut his teeth with such masters as Carl Arter, JC Moses and Roger…

Drummer Pepe Jacobo returns with his terrific quartet featuring Bob Crawford on piano, Ayla Avila on bass and Oscar Soltero on congas. Pepe is one of the Bay Area’s top Afro Cuban drummers and a first call percussionist, with a degree in music from the University of Costa Rica.  He writes and performs original music…

With B’kongofonic blood at the saxophonic root, well below surface engraving, resonating within its alloy, sounds are gathering to invoke a heroic people: kongo as “gathering”, a Central African people’s homeland; fon as “sound”, a West African people’s language; B’ referring to all “peoples” along the resistance continuum.  Hear ye, the animating force of a strange horn sanctified! Genny Lim – poetry,…

On the second Monday of each month, Kim Shuck, San Francisco Poet Laureate 2019-2021, hosts a poetry reading via Zoom (invitation below), featuring major Bay Area poets followed by a vibrant open mic. Find the invitation below. Bring a poem for the open mic, or join just to hear the work. On the fourth Monday…