Pat Klobas, bass;
Tommy Kesecker, vibes;
Terrence Brewer, guitar;
David Rokeach, drums.

$20 suggested per adult; byob.
$10 teens and music students.
Kids free.
Reservations, call 415-586-3733.

The Klobas/Kesecker Ensemble has an exquisite chemistry that makes for a special concert experience, and they arrive at Bird & Beckett with a new cd on the verge of release, their third, called “Blues Elixer.” They promise a delightful mix of original compositions new and old, and a scattering of beautifully conceived arrangements of jazz standards. Regarding their second cd, “Moment’s Notice” it was noted that “the timbre of textures seems unlimited and is applied with artistic savvy. The recording’s title cut, featuring Kesecker on vibes, is done with a new and distinct K/K Ensemble arrangement that cuts across jazz and Brazilian parameters. Kesecker’s vibes, Brewer’s guitar, Klobas’s acoustic bass and Rokeach’s drums are truly an ensemble that stands out as an original and evocative sound.”

Bassist Pat Klobas has performed with Rosemary Clooney, Jessica Williams, Jeremy Cohen and Quartet San Francisco, San Francisco Symphony Pops, San Francisco Opera and Ballet, The Three Tenors, Skywalker Symphony, the Sun Valley Symphony and Marin Symphony. His Shorenstein/Nederlander “Best of Broadway” performances include “The Producers” with Martin Short and Jason Alexander, “Fosse”, “Kiss Me Kate” with drummer Marty Morell, “42nd Street” and the world premier of Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas”. His bass work has been heard on many movie and TV soundtracks as well as recordings with Linda Ronstadt, Randy Newman, Turtle Island String Quartet and the Grammy Nominated “Star Wars Trilogy” with John Williams.

Vibraphonist Tommy Kesecker graduated from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and joined ‘Zakir Hussain and the Rhythm Experience’ in 1988. Tommy performs with Larry Vuckovich’s Blue Bulkan Ensemble, Noel Jewkes, and Michael Feinstein. He has recorded with Zakir Hussain, Larry Vuckovich, Noel Jewkes, Illana Parker, Ray Scott, Michael Hatfield, The Mallet Band, Jay Lyon, George Brooks, Jim Campilongo, The Tkvibes Trio and Dave Bell.

Guitarist Terrence Brewer has been widely and justly acclaimed — read some of his reviews here. His 2009 album “Groovin’ Wes” (2009, Strong Brew Music) debuted on the JazzWeek national radio chart at #18 and quickly began to climb, settling into the Top 10 a few weeks later. He has performed at Yoshi’s at Jack London Square, Yoshi’s San Francisco, Jazz At Pearl’s, the Monterey Jazz Festival, the Russian River Jazz Festival, SFJazz Festival, and the Fillmore Jazz Festival. In addition to headlining his own shows, Brewer has worked with Michael McDonald (Doobie Brothers), Mary Wilson (The Supremes), Gerald Albright, Dr. Anthony Brown, Pete Escovedo, Dave Ellis, and Calvin Keys.

Drummer David Rokeach toured with Ray Charles from 1990-91. In recent years he has performed/recorded with Aretha Franklin, Patti LaBelle, Aaron Neville, Mavis Staples, Lou Rawls, Joe Henderson, Mark Murphy, Thelma Houston, The George Brooks-Zakir Hussain Group, Wilson Pickett, Linda Tillery, Steve Miller, Joe Satriani, Rita Moreno, Joyce Cooling, Maria Muldaur, Calvin Keys, Barry Finnerty, Merl Saunders, David Grisman, Louis Bellson, Wayne Wallace, The Nelson Riddle Orchestra, Paula West, Marcos Silva, Ernestine Anderson, Oscar Brown Jr., Ingrid Jensen, Maria Schneider, and many more.

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Your cover charge at the show helps us guarantee a fair wage to the musicians that work here. Individual donations from a great many generous members of the Bird & Beckett community are also necessary. If you can and haven’t, please join their number. Bird & Beckett will always be a work in progress… Thanks for being part of the solution with your dollars, ears, intellect and loyalty!

Suggested donation at our
Friday 6-8pm Jazz Happy Hour:
Students and teens $10, kids free.
For adults, $25 suggested donation
for quartets at the Jazz Happy Hour.
Byob.

Pay only what you can,
but be sure to do your part!

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Help strengthen  a vibrant music scene in the Bay Area and beyond by voicing your support for Fair Play for Musicians today. Support the Fair Play Initiative, a Bay Area coalition of musicians, grassroots organizations, organized labor and cultural producers working together to improve freelance musicians’ wages and working conditions. Sponsors include the Bird & Beckett Cultural Legacy Project, the Independent Musicians Alliance, Jazz in the Neighborhood, Whippoorwill Arts , AFM Local 6, the San Francisco Labor Council, the Contra Costa County Labor Council, the Alameda County Labor Council, the South Bay Labor Council, and IATSE Local 16.

Fair Play’s first step is to partner with selected cities to establish a guaranteed pay “floor” secured through a “prevailing wage ordinance” in city charters. It would not put a ceiling on what musicians are paid to work on municipally-financed events, series, and festivals but rather standardize a minimum rate to eliminate unclear or exploitive pay practices that are insufficient to sustain musicians as they work hard and struggle to live in the very expensive Bay Area.

Following up on this prevailing wage effort, Fair Play will further shore up musicians’ working conditions and opportunities:  initiate city-based fair procurement standards that include equity in booking, full disabled access and professional protections and benefits for all working musicians, along with other city-based support favorable to venues, community agencies, and producers who adhere to these protocols (such as permitting help and grants) to help venues & producers who strive to treat Musicians fairly.

Read more about how you can support the Fair Play Initiative here.

It’s up to us, the public, to convince our elected representatives in local governments around the San Francisco Bay to make it possible for freelance musicians to afford to live here, practice their craft here, and enrich our lives!