BIRD & BECKETT CULTURAL LEGACY PROJECT
The Bird & Beckett Cultural Legacy Project presents twenty-odd events every month in the bookshop, including at least 3 live concerts each week, plus poetry readings, talks, and all manner of cultural happenings.
See below for info on our next several events, or click here to view our extended calendar for details on events a bit further out.
Seating is limited! For a reservation, call the shop at 415-586-3733. BYOB.
Jazz in its essence! The piano trio is the traditional heart of the art form. If you don’t grasp that yet, you surely will over the course of the evening! Three musical minds, long experienced in developing their ideas, skills and technique, listening to each other, conversing in a common language without words on topics dear to their hearts… ballads, blues and burners… exuberance, lamentation, subtle thought, wistful desire, clever asides, moments of bombast, tenderness and joy… All welcoming you into the extended moment amidst friends old and new.. On the stage, Erick Peralta, piano Aaron Germain, bass Brian Andres, drums $20 cover charge; cash or venmo at the door, please! Just checking it out for a tune? Throw a few bucks in the bucket. byob. Students and teens, $10. Kids free and welcome! Leave the dog home and enjoy a bite and beer at One Waan, La Corneta, Win…
Read More
Beau Beausoleil is a poet and activist (Al-Mutanabbi Street Starts Here) based in San Francisco. He is the author of 15 chapbooks of poetry. His most recent titles are the Killing of George Floyd, Poems for Ukraine, and War News I. Michael Koch hosts. An open mic will follow, conducted by Jerry Ferraz.
Read More
Patrick James Dunagan commences at 7pm to read aloud from “City Bird”—the long title poem from his new book from City Lights—and doesn’t quit till the whole thing’s been aired. Bring a pigfoot and a bottle of beer, a box of wine, or whatever keeps your gears turning, and head on out to Bird & Beckett Books. This one’s not to be missed!
Read More
Mamboleo! From Ruth Asawa School of the Arts: Amaru Duran-Calahorrano – Drums. Santiago Winton – Piano. Sai Ray – Trumpet. Mateo Siguenza – Bass. From Oakland School for the Arts: Vito Marcacci – Trombone. From Berkeley High School: Mario Barragan – Congas. On the first Sunday of most months (subject to the academic calendars of our fine Bay Area colleges, high schools and such), Bird & Beckett plays host to budding jazz musicians performing in combos and participating in a jam session. This month, we’re excited by the return of Mamboleo, a group that wowed our audience a few months back, made up of students drawn from the jazz programs at San Francisco’s Ruth Asawa School of the Arts, the Oakland School for the Arts and the legendary Berkeley High. Bring your checkbook or a wad of cash to help us sustain our commitment to giving young musicians the opportunity…
Read More
Betty Wong–musician, composer and 50+ year veteran teacher at San Francisco’s century-old Community Music Center and long-time Glen Park resident–presents her annual CMC Chinese New Year world music and jazz celebration! Teachers, students and friends of the CMC will cover a diverse range of music as befits San Francisco, one of the world’s great multi-cultural hubs. From traditional Chinese melodies to western classical compositions to the tango, the first segment of the afternoon will display the talents of new and long-time CMC musicians, followed by a set featuring Betty’s dear jazz friends in the Randy Craig Trio — Ken Rosen, saxophone; Randy Craig, piano; Richard Saunders, bass. Join us to pay tribute to the cycle of the Chinese zodiac, and to enjoy the great spirit that inhabits Betty Wong and all the musicians touched by the greatness of the Community Music Center! Read more about Betty in this great article…
Read More
Marc Caparone, trumpet. Jeff Hamilton, piano. Sam Rocha, bass. Benny Amón, drums. $25 cover charge; byob. For a reservation, call the shop at 415-586-3733. Jazz in the Neighborhood (a 501(c)3 nonprofit funded by folks like you) has offered to subsidize this date, augmenting your $20 cover charge to help us pay the musicians a guaranteed fair wage. A decade and a half ago, drummer Benny Amón—California born, raised and trained in jazz — finished a music degree at UC Berkeley and left for New Orleans, where he lived and played for the ten years from 2011 to 2021, and where his love for the oldest jazz traditions was nurtured and flowered. Tonight, with the capable collaboration of two seasoned musicians, Marc Caparone and Jeff Hamilton, and a generational ally in the bassist Sam Rocha, Benny will deliver two generous sets of music reaching back to the earliest days of jazz.…
Read More
Ben Davis – cello. Darren Johnston – trumpet. Lisa Mezzacappa – acoustic bass. Larry Ochs – tenor and sopranino saxophones. $20 cover charge; byob. For a reservation, call 415-586-3733. Jazz in the Neighborhood (a 501(c)3 nonprofit funded by folks like you) has offered to subsidize this date, augmenting your $20 cover charge to help us pay the musicians a guaranteed fair wage. Larry Ochs (Rova Saxophone Quartet) unveils his latest musical collective featuring Lisa Mezzacappa, Darren Johnston & Ben Davis In the perfect environment for close listening, Larry Ochs once again brings a new ensemble to Bird & Beckett and invites you, the listeners, to join the musicians in enjoying their spontaneous but carefully sculpted music as it happens, in real time. Through repeated performances, musical discussions after shows, and rehearsals, this music slowly but confidently evolves. The audience and the performance environment matter. There’s no more perfect environment than…
Read More
Bird & Beckett’s legacy band! Charlie McCarthy, saxophone; Sam Cady, piano; Chuck Bennett, bass; & Tony Johnson, drums continue a 23-year tradition of jazz in the bookshop! $20 suggested donation helps us pay these long-time professionals a decent guaranteed wage for the night’s work. BYOB. It’s a cheap night out, and high quality, we assure you! Teens and students: $10 is fine. Kids free
Read More
The Good War is just out, and writer Elizabeth Costello has invited Rent Romus and Suki O’Kane to share the stage to raise funds for Romus’s most excellent Outsound New Music Summit and to celebrate Elizabeth’s debut as a novelist. Suggested donation for the event, $20 cash/venmo. BYOB. Bring your checkbook or the digital equivalent to make a donation to the Outsound New Music Summit, now under preparation for your enjoyment in July! 50% of Bird & Beckett’s profit from the sale of Elizabeth’s book (about $5 a copy) will go to Outsound. But that’s just a drop in the bucket! Your donation will make the difference! The Outsound Summit performance schedule includes music and sound ranging from free improvisation, to electronic manipulation, to noise, to sonic sculptural art reflecting genre-busting exploration and creativity. In addition, the festival promotes intermedia arts, fostering cross-pollination through film, dance and writing. The Summit…
Read More
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 to the very first show of the current period, back on March 12, 2020, but that beautiful skein is no longer quite so easily accessed. Still, the evidence is there for those who dig. The March 12, 2020 show that signaled the shift was a Thursday evening performance by New York saxophonists Jessica and Tony Jones, both alumni of the Berkeley High jazz program, with NYC bassist Stomu Takeishi and local hero Deszon X. Claiborne on drums. The quartet’s booking for the night before at the Backroom over in Berkeley had been cancelled. A few…
Read More
David K. Mathews, piano Wayne de Silva, tenor saxophone John Wiitala, bass Akira Tana, drums $20 cover charge; byob. Reservations, call 415-586-3733 20 years with Santana after 15 years with Etta James, Dave Mathews first made his mark with three years in Tower of Power. Once he left Tower Of Power he worked on that playing with artists like Pete Escovedo, Sheila E. and Ray Obiedo. Eventually jazz became his great love, though Etta James and Carlos Santana have kept him very busy and happy indeed for decades… But he’s on break with Santana just now, and he’s having a blast re-integrating to the gigging jazz scene in San Francisco. For his Bird & Beckett date, he’s assembled a killer quartet. You don’t want to miss out on this. “Home grown Dave Mathews… he can play everything.” –Etta James “Dave K Mathews is imperative to the band because he’s got knowledge…
Read More
You never know who might drop in. Maybe you! The Vince Lateano Trio will make you feel right at home! BYOB and a twenty for the trio.
Read More
Luxurious guitar and exotica. Cool swing and soul with a hot trio. That’s Jinx’s jazz bag! Welcome a true apostle of the many towering gods of the jazz guitar traditions, from Freddie Green to Charlie Christian to Tal Farlow to Wes Montgomery to Barney Kessel to Joe Pass to Kenny Burrell to Grant Green to Emily Remler to Mimi Fox… byob and a twenty for the trio! Jinx Jones, guitar Kenan O’Brien, bass Ken Owen, drums $20 cover charge — cash or venmo at the door teens and students, $10 kids free for a reservation, please call the shop at 415-202-4870
Read More
Swerve Control is a ferociously adventurous new band featuring and co-led by Darren Johnston on trumpet, Kai Lyons on guitar, Rob Ewing on bass and Dillon Vado on drums. This band is known for playing expansive and strikingly original music; their improvisational approach is inspired by the late 60’s Miles Davis groups, informed by individual group members’ experiences with Brazilian, Cuban and Balkan rhythms. Swerve Control is dynamic, playful and fearless while also playing with sincerity and a deep passion for listening to one another. $20 cover charge, cash or venmo at the door; byob. For a reservation, call the shop at 415-586-3733.
Read More
Scott Foster, guitar. Luke Schwartz, guitar. $15 suggested donation, byob. teens and students, $5. kids free. Two generations, once teacher and student, now colleagues in the San Francisco jazz galaxy. Scott and Luke have developed their own unique style of duo guitar performance over several years of performing together, with an emphasis on counterpoint, conversation and texture, all the while staying true to the standard tradition. Luke Schwartz, born and raised in San Francisco, returned to the Bay Area to make his mark on the local scene after stints in New Orleans and New York. His guitar style is influenced by contemporary and old-school jazz players such as Jim Hall, Joe Pass, Jesse Van Ruller, Peter Bernstein & Kurt Rosenwinkel. His compositional style is also inspired by that of Steve Swallow, Wayne Krantz & Bud Powell. Scott Foster–Performing Arts Department Chair and Jazz Band Director at Urban School of San…
Read MoreLive Streaming every show!
Refresh your browser to catch a show in progress, or visit our Facebook page or YouTube channel!
Better yet, come on down to the shop and join the performers in our one-of-a-kind space!
Help us keep the arts alive and thriving!
Donate!
Your tax-deductible donations to the Bird & Beckett Cultural Legacy Project help us pay the performers and cover a myriad of operating expenses necessary to present, promote and preserve local music, poetry, and more.
Make a one-time or recurring donation via Paypal, by clicking below, or make a check out to the “Bird & Beckett Cultural Legacy Project” and drop it off or mail it to:
Bird & Beckett Cultural Legacy Project
653 Chenery Street
San Francisco, CA 94131
