Three Friday late nights in a row with triple-threat trumpeter Darren Johnston. Call him Mr. 3D! June 8 – DARREN JOHNSTON/DESTINY MUHAMMAD QUARTET (featuring Leon Joyce Jr. and Eric Vogler) Expect fresh takes on jazz standards, some premieres of original music, and selected covers from around the globe. Destiny Muhammad – harp Darren Johnston –…

Bob Kenmotsu is one of the great tenor players on the Bay Area jazz scene, and has been for years. He’s joined this evening by bassist Adam Gay and drummer Vince Lateano. Three generations of great jazz players share the stage. Bob notes that tonight’s tenor-bass-drums format is a particularly nice set-up “that we sometimes call…

Pianist Steve Rudolph, based in Harrisburg, PA, is on tour with Ali Ryerson; and after a week of workshops with her in the Carmel Valley, leads a trio at Bird & Beckett in the eve of their concert at Piedmont Piano.  Bassist John Wiitala and drummer Akira Tana are two of the finest, most experienced…

The Twelve Chimes Players record the season 2 episode finale for the radio drama podcast “Twelve Chimes It’s Midnight” with live foley sound effects! Live music will be provided between plays by The Nick Rossi Trio with Annabelle Zakaluk. No cover, but donations are more than welcome! Check out the podcast at www.twelvechimesradio.com!

Born and raised in San Francisco, Thea Matthews is an awarded poet, spoken word artist, activist, curator, bruja, revolutionary, collaborator, and scholar. She writes on the complexities of trauma, grief, resiliency, and ultimately, the triumph over trauma. Her work can be found in For Harriet’s Soar, Rag Queen Periodical, as well as SoundCloud, YouTube, and Ello….

Guitarist Bruno Pelletier  leads a quartet featuring Rob Sudduth on saxophone, Ken Lenga on bass and Tom Hassett on drums, playing original composition and jazz standards. Born in Paris, France in 1960, Pelletier grew up in a musical family  and was encouraged to be a musician at a young age. Bruno notes that it’s been…

Author event! Tango Lessons: A Novel by Adriana Díaz   “Adriana Díaz has captured perfectly the soul of Buenos Aires. Tango Lessons invites us into the suspense of a tango thriller infused with the unfortunate sinister days of the military dictatorship in Argentina. Her perspective recreates the uniquely porteño alchemy of sensuality, love, and death in…

In one of the sweetest rooms in the City, Imperial Jazz Co. brings together some of the brightest lights on the Bay Area music scene performing songs and instrumental standards with maximum swing, scorching solos, and delightful vocals.  The band includes: Phillip Greenlief (Lost Trio, Orchestra Nostalgico, Animals & Giraffes), reeds John Hanes (Smith Dobson…

Drummer Lorca Hart brings in guitarist Mike Scott and organist Brian Ho for two sets of music rooted in the classic jazz organ sound (Jimmy Smith, Kenny Burrell, Larry Young, jazz standards and be‐bop) while also exploring more contemporary elements (John Scofield, Larry Goldings, r&b, pop, and original compositions).

It’s always a blast at Bird & Beckett at the end of the (conventional) work week. Jazz in the bookshop on Fridays from 5:30 to 8:00 pm every single week (since 2002!). And a 9:00 to 11:00 pm late show as well. Tonight in the early show, it’s the quintet they call Oop Bop Sh’Bam!…