Jazz in the Bookshop

San Francisco’s longest running neighborhood jazz party every Friday evening since Oct. 2002

Every Friday, 6-8pm! Plus the occasional (frequent) late show, 8:30-10pm.

Third Friday of each month – The Scott Foster Combo — Guitarist Scott Foster assembles a fresh group with a new focus every month.  Always an amazing session!

Fourth Fridays — Drummer Tony Johnson, still sporting the Aussie accent of his own youth, swings effortlessly and keeps time with unerring precision. He brings in a quartet of talented musicians, often The 230 Jones Street Band.

Our weekly Friday “jazz in the bookshop” series is the cornerstone of our live music programming.  Come hear what it’s all about!   jazz in a bebop / straight-ahead mode by some consummate long-time professionals and many of the best of the Young Turks on the local scene…

Reed man Chuck Peterson was the one who got it all going, back in late 2002, when he told us he’d make sure we always had good musicians if we’d just guarantee them a venue — and he’s more than kept his word. He’s a veteran of the 1950s San Francisco scene and the 1960s live tv bands (remember Don Sherwood? and did you know Tennessee Ernie Ford used a live jazz combo in his local tv show here as well?). Chuck’s career continued with decades in the pit orchestras of the San Francisco theatre district and playing bari sax in the Rudy Salvini Big Band.  Since he got the jazz ball rolling at Bird & Beckett, we’ve presented more than 600 consecutive Friday performances, with never a missed date!

Your contributions at the shows make up the lion’s share of what we use to pay the performers each week augmented as necessary from our general fund raised through the direct annual contributions to the nonprofit by “people like you.”