A fantastic variety of music to choose from. You’ll most always be on the mark if you byob and a twenty for the band. And you can call to reserve a seat for any of these shows – 415-586-3733.

Coming off our Thursday benefit thrown by nine stellar classical musicians (if you count Yuzoh the singing dog who, truth be told, sings along only to bluegrass), we have a cavalcade of six dates over the next three days!

Our Friday happy hour show this week (5:30-8pm) is Eric Shifrin’s second Fridays residency, with the In Crowd comprising a trio this time out, and what a fun & fantastic little trio it is — Eric on piano, Ari Munkres on bass and Mark Lee on drums. Guaranteed pleasure! Bring a twenty for the band and something to sip! If you’re squeezing every dollar ’til the eagle grins, then just bring what you can. That’s always the policy at Bird & Beckett. But remember, we take paying the band very seriously in these parts!

Later the same Friday evening, from 9:00-10:30pm, it’s drummer Brian Melvin’s quartet. A San Francisco native son who got turned on to drumming as a five year old when he saw the Beatles on the Sullivan Show and then, wide-eyed at age seven, received a pair of drumsticks and a signed photo from Buddy Rich at Bimbo’s 365 Club, Brian brings a great quartet. He lives in Estonia now, so he’s got a long commute to the gig. You know it’ll be great, what with saxophonist Wayne DeSilva coming in from Vegas, guitarist Brad Buethe commuting across town and bassist Peter Barshay coming over the Bay Bridge. $20/byob.

Saturday at 3pm, Avotcja and Carlos Reyes perform as a duo. It’s our annual nod to Avotcja’s birthday, a couple weeks belated. As a Afro Nuyorican master poet and percussionist, she’s beyond compare. Carlos, Paraguay-born son of a musical and national hero, began to play violin at 3-1/2 and learned the Paraguayan harp at age ten. He moved with his family as a child to the Bay Area when he was still very young, and soon after performed on harp with the Oakland Symphony and joined the Oakland Youth Symphony on violin. Avotcja and Carlos have a mutual admiration of long standing that has brought them to Bird & Beckett twice before. Read more on Carlos here  and watch this video. Avotcja performs frequently at Bird & Beckett with her award-winning ensemble Modupue, and can be heard on KPFA Tuesday evenings and KPOO Saturday afternoons, playing an incredible array of music from Oakland blues to a panorama of music from the African diaspora with a heavy dose of Latin rhythms. $20 cover/byob.

Saturday evening, from 7:30 to 9:30, we’re pleased to present a return visit by the Fremont-born Taiwanese American saxophonist Tim Lin, now pursuing a New York-based career. Tim is joined by Charles Chen on piano; Steve LaSpina on bass and Jeff Hershfield on drums. Tim returns home for a minute to celebrate the release of his second CD, “Empathy,” a quartet date employing the same stellar rhythm section –  Andy LaVerne on piano, Jay Anderson on bass and Billy Drummond on drums — as his debut “Romance in Formosa.”
“Empathy” has received a strong review from Scott Yanow, who writes, “Tim Lin is a young tenor and soprano saxophonist who has his own individual sound and a personal style within jazz’s modern mainstream. He flies over chord changes (even complex reharmonized ones) with apparent ease, sounding relaxed during his double-time runs while not being shy to caress strong melodies… Empathy is a strong step forward for Tim Lin, a saxophonist who one will be hearing a lot more from in the future.” $20 cover/byob.

Sunday from 5-7pm, Laura Benitez & the Heartache bring the country to the City with a Bakersfield edge. She’s a sharp songwriter with a laser focus on things that matter and a crack band to deliver the message. Her fourth album, “California Centuries,”  is receiving plaudits. BYOB and a twenty for the band!
— “A fresh classic country remains her bedrock, to which Benitez has added layers of rock and bluegrass. While never shirking from tough subjects, she is drawing more on personal experience here. Ranging from the joyous to the somber, Benitez is always completely frank. California Centuries is a tight sounding and complete album.”  Lyndon Bolton, No Depression
— “Benitez sings real country songs in a voice reminiscent of some of the best voices in the history of country music.”  Gary Schwind, Americana Highways
— “That initial assumption of a fundamentally up-tempo slice of country music isn’t entirely misplaced but the sharp edges to the songwriting make this something more. By refusing to respect genre boundaries, in singing of topics many are afraid to even discuss in public, in challenging her own industry and other powerful lobbies, Benitez deserves huge respect.”  Peter Churchill, Americana UK

And finishing out the weekend, Sunday at 8pm we’re excited to greet bassist Sam Bevan, back for a visit in the company of four fantastic local colleagues and long-time friends, saxophonists James Mahone and Howard Wiley, pianist Maya Kronfeld and drummer Eric Garland. Born in Oakland and studying piano early on, Sam attended college out of state and came back to the Bay Area in 1999, when he established himself as a bassist and as one of the most versatile and interesting musicians on the local scene, comfortable and accomplished in musical territory that ranges across jazz, funk, R&B, folk, Afro-Cuban, Afro-Venezuelan and West African modes. Sam moved to New York City in 2016, where he’s continued his career apace. We see he’s due at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Dizzy’s Sarsaparilla Showcase on August 30th, in Dred Scott’s Pacific Jazz combo alongside tenor player Kenny Brooks and drummer Diego Voglino. We’re more than lucky to have him here for a minute!
$20 cover/byob.

Reservations always welcome, though held only ’til showtime.
Call 415-586-3733 if you can make it by the downbeat!
Please bring cash for the cover charge; the financial industry doesn’t need a cut!