BIRD & BECKETT CULTURAL LEGACY PROJECT
Tony Robles, born and raised in San Francisco, is co-editor and a revolutionary worker scholar of Poor magazine, and recently published Cool Don’t Live Here No More: A Letter to San Francisco. In 2010 he was nominated for the Pushcart Prize by Mythium Literary Journal for his short story, “In My Country.” Robles is also a housing rights advocate and board member of the Manilatown Heritage Foundation, and has written two children’s books, Lakas and the Manilatown Fish and Lakas and the Makibaka Hotel. Tommi Avicolli-Mecca, born and raised in the infamous South Philly, is a former member of Gay Liberation Front who has never stopped being an activist for queer and social justice causes. He is editor of Smash the Church, Smash the State: The Early Years of Gay Liberation (City Lights Books), and co-editor of Avanti Popolo: Italians Sail Past Columbus (Manic D Press). Avicolli-Mecca’s writings have appeared in…
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Bruno Pelletier, guitar Matt Renzi, saxophone Ken Lenga, bass Tom Hassett, drums Bruno Pelletier-Bacquaert was born in Paris, France in 1960. He says, “I grew up in a musical family and was encouraged at an early age to develop a talent as a composer and instrumentalist.” Note: Bruno asserts, “It has been said that my dad had played with gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt. That is true. However, it should be mentioned that they only played pool together…” Since 1987, Bruno has been in San Francisco, where he’s built a career as a jazz musician.  Along the way, he’s  played with a who’s who of wonderful musicians — Buddy Collette, Sonny Simmons, Norah Jones, Bruce Dunlap, Trevor Dunn (Mr. Bungle, Fantomas, John Zorn), Reid Anderson (The Bad Plus), Jenny Scheinman, Ben Monder, Steve Cardenas, Kenny Wollesen (Bill Frisell), Phillip Greenlief, Flip Nuñez, Jerry Granelli, Adam Levy (Tracy Chapman, Joey Baron, Norah Jones),…
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The Jazz Philanthropists Union presents… jazz club! at Bird & Beckett–every Saturday night, when lights are low… B3B4 Tom Griesser, saxophone Kevin Gerzevitz, organ Scott Foster, guitar Dan Foltz, drums This one will make your hair stand on end… put that tingle in your spine… take your breath away, turn it around and cause it to infuse your very soul. B3B4 is steeped in blues and bop, with a repertoire that includes masterpieces by Jimmy Smith, Billy Strayhorn, Neal Hefti and Miles Davis, in addition to their own compositions. Top musicians building groove after groove to feed your soul. Hear them here!
Read MoreTalk about your San Francisco jazz… On the fourth Friday of each month, our weekly jazz in the bookshop series features The 230 Jones Street, Local 6 Literary Jazz Band — five musicians whose history on the local jazz scene dates back four or five decades. Ray Loeckle & Jerry Logas, reeds Glen Deardorff, guitar Dean Reilly, bass Tony Johnson, drums
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Tonight, the In Crowd features Joe McKinley on bass and Pete Devine on drums. Eric met Joe in 1969, in Joe’s high school play… Joe played bass on Eric’s first piano recording “Blood Sugar” in 1988. Eric played with Pete in the “Big Money in Jazz” band with Mal Sharpe. All three were in the short lived Tom Small Big Butter & Egg Band. Bring your ears, your enthusiasm and some cash for the performers! The In Crowd is somethin’ for sure, but it ain’t nothin’ without you! With you, it’s the happenin’ thing… every last Thursday of the month, it’s just the thing to ease the pain of what’s gone by and set the stage for the pleasures to come.
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Flying Salvias is an alt-everything duo from Brisbane, CA– the City of the Stars! A quartet for this appearance, actually! We appear to be at a watershed moment with the Salvias this April! As a twosome, they’ve been characterized as everything from “Ameri-kinda Alt Everything” to “Alt Cabaret”. Henry is well known for his expressive piano style and impressive chops, and Kathleen’s voice can go from a whisper to a roar and back again with heartfelt emotional appeal. She is a musical gadabout. He is a musical sponge. Their backstory? She was in Classic Country Heaven in San Francisco. He was in Top 40 Hell in Detroit. She co-founded The Rayons, a new wave girl group, in 1982 and went on to help form the original progressive metal band Holy Mary. She also became a founding member of the Incredible 60’s Rock and Soul Review (IRS) with blues king Chris…
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The Linchpins, a quintet comprising the personnel of two fine trios, pivoting on their bassist-in-common. Philip Greenlief and Cory Wright, reeds Scott Foster, guitar Dan Seamans, bass Tom Hassett, drums  This quintet is an intriguing prospect, one that appears to have caught fire in the minds of these five adventuresome and very fine musicians (Greenlief, Seamans and Hassett of The Lost Trio; Foster, Wright and Seamans of the Scott Foster Trio), as they begin to pick the tunes and contemplate their collaboration on the Bird & Beckett bandstand.
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This will be a fun band! Wonderful musicians: David Boyce, saxophone Scott Foster, guitar Noah Schenker, bass Cairo McCockran, drums Scott Foster leads the date on the 3rd Friday of each month, assembling a new group and repertoire for each outing. We can’t remember an occasion on which we’ve been disappointed! In fact, it’s been a delight each time.
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Come trout fishing at Bird and Beckett! Since 1992 JimBo Trout and the Fishpeople have been brewing a good-time musical gumbo made up of bluegrass, blues, ragtime, jazz, cowboy, country, early rock+roll, jug band, old-time Appalachian, and more. The band features JimBo Trout on guitar, banjo, harmonica and vocals, along with Steve Neil on bass and Paul Shelasky on fiddle. “Twang lovers couldn’t ask for much more.” East Bay Express
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Matteo Montanari and Rocco Malagoli are two passionate musicians from Italy with worldwide performing experience; seeking always to discover new musical ideas in the world and new environments to convey the inspiration classical music gives us every day. Their travels have brought them through San Francisco, occasioning this impromptu addition to the bookshop’s concert schedule. Both Matteo and Rocco are also enthusiastic teachers, believing in the importance of sharing their experience and passion with the next generation of musicians. The Violin and the Cello offer a wide possibility of performances and a heterogeneous repertoire. Sample program J.S. Bach – Sonata BWV 1021 A. Vivaldi – The 4 Seasons W.A. Mozart – Duet KV 423 L.V. Beethoven – Duet WoO 27 n.1 F. Schubert – Serenade J. Brahms – Hungarian Dances J. Massenet – Meditation from “Thais†F. Tarrega – Recuerdos de la Alhambra S. Joplin – Ragtimes J. Williams – Music…
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Poet David Watts reads his work. Joined by members of the “Poets on Parnassus” workshop: Jenny Qi - Bill Vlach - Sarah Paris - Laura Moore. An open mic follows. POETS! every first and third Monday night Jerry Ferraz, m.c.
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Ed Ivey hit town in the punk era with the Rhythm Pigs out of Austin, Texas. Now he’s a bandleader and padrone of the North Beach scene and its satellites… as well as a booker, erstwhile club owner (50 Mason Social Club), jam session leader (Swig and the Lucky Horseshoe) and restauranteur (Soluna across from the Asian Art Museum), and all around favorite human person. Wonderful musician, too– did we mention? The Ed Ivey Orchestra covers a lot of ground in a big little package! Rootsy, bluesy, a little Tex Mex, a little Blue Note jazz… Dylan, Hank Williams, Mexican songs, the occasional Nina Simone song… and of course some Chicano vibe in the L.A. style. Ed Ivey on guitar and vocals, Blake Ritterman on drums, Andrew Couttie on bass and Derek Fairchild on dobro.
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Dmitri Matheny, flugelhorn Matt Clark, piano Perry Thoorsell, bass Mark Lee, drums On April 15th, Dmitri Matheny concludes a five-date swing through major Bay Area venues with a performance at Bird & Beckett of material from his 2016 release JAZZ NOIR. Dmitri Matheny, born in Nashville in 1965, became proficient on trumpet during his teens in Tucson and carried his studies further at Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan and Berklee College of Music in Boston. On reaching Boston, Matheny’s development on trumpet was shaped by the noted New York brass teacher Carmine Caruso, but in 1988-89, his final year at Berklee, he switched his focus from trumpet to flugelhorn under the tutelage of the great Art Farmer (1928-1999). Farmer, a key figure on trumpet beginning in the early 1950s, became the defining voice on flugelhorn after taking up the horn in about 1960. Farmer’s warmth and lyricism on that instrument…
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Delta blues juggernaut! Joshua Howell, guitar, harmonica, vocals Joe Kyle, Jr., bass Pete Devine, drums
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