Sunday, November 25th – 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.
which way west? Sunday concert series.
No cover charge, but your kind donations
help us pay the musicians.  All ages welcome!

The art of the jazz trio, performed by guitarist Widelock together with bassist Fred Randolph and drummer Jim Kassis.

Decades ago, famed Brazlian guitarist and composer Luis Bonfa named Widelock as “a giant of the twelve string guitar… one of my favorite guitarists.”  We’ll attest that Widelock’s skill, sensitivity and ingenuity have only continued to grow since that time.

The David Widelock Trio’s superb cd called “Skating on the Sidewalk” was recorded in 2009 with bassist Randolph and drummer Kassis, featuring Widelock originals as well as covers of Tom Waits’ “Sixteen Shells from a 30-06″ and Leadbelly’s “Black Betty”.  The trio’s work is just the latest phase in an adventurous career — in which the guitarist has engaged in the exploration of multiple sonic pathways, pushing a joyful spirit of exploration and inevitably leading the listener to a deep, intuitive grasp of the connections among contrasting styles of music.

Widelock started out in the ’60s, studying jazz guitar with Warren Black in Portland, Oregon, and improvisation with pianist Art Lande in Berkeley, California.  Active on the Bay Area jazz scene since 1969, Widelock has been called on to perform with the likes Dave Brubeck, Lionel Hampton and Woody Shaw.  In 1978, he was a member of the trio called Lejimda, which was featured at the first Bay Area Loft Jazz Festival and then toured internationally in 1979, appearing that year at the Essen City Festival in Germany.  Along the way, Widelock has played in extraordinarily interesting contexts with the likes of Mark Isham and Bill Douglas (in the group called Bamboo), with pianists Jon Jang and Art Lande, as a member of the Bay Area Jazz Composers Orchestra, in duo format with cellist Matt Brubeck (recording a duo record and touring Europe with him in 1991 and then recording twice more with him over the ensuing decade),  on tour in Europe with The Brubeck Family Project in 1992, etc., etc.

Throughout his career, Widelock has been weaving fluidly in and out of American jazz and world musical concepts.  Don’t miss the opportunity to hear him with Fred Randolph and Jim Kassis at Bird & Beckett as he enters his fifth decade of seasoned, adventurous musical work.