Lourdes Figueroa was born in California during a trip her parents made from Mexico to the USA when they worked in the campo tilling the soil for tomatoes. Lourdes is a proud 2009 and 2011 VONA alum. Her work has been published in the SF Poet’s 11 2008 & 2010 and in Generations. She received her MFA in Creative Writing at the University of San Francisco. Her first chapbook, yolotl, was published by Spooky Actions Books. Jeremy Michael Vasquez is an artist, author, activist, and educator in San Francisco. He uses his expression of art to facilitate healing workshops for youth in the Bay Area. As a spoken word and musical artist, he has performed at many community events and correctional facilities. Serving as a keynote speaker at conferences, colleges and universities, and public high schools nationwide, Jeremy has used his pain as a platform. With his 2017 book, Unshackled,…

Grant Levin, piano; Giulio Xavier, bass; Hamir Atwal, drums. A classic piano trio, led by the most remarkable pianist we know. And that’s saying a lot in a region boasting dozens of fantastic jazz pianists.    

The Jazz Philanthropists Union presents… Drummer John Cavalier leads a quintet showcasing fellow students in the San Francisco Conservatory of Music’s “Roots, Jazz & American Music” undergraduate program. They’ll play two sets of jazz standards, bebop and original compositions. Jackson Cotugno, saxophones Skyler Nolan, saxophones Michael Potter, piano Spencer Hoefert, guitar Cris Carrera, bass John Cavalier, drums All six musicians on the bandstand tonight are first- and second-year students in the San Francisco Conservatory of Music’s “Roots, Jazz & American Music” undergraduate program, now in its second year. You’ll be amazed at what these talented youths are capable of. Amazed and well pleased! The musicians in the SFCM’s RJAM program have been drawn from all over the country to take part in the SFCM’s first foray into jazz education, after 100 years of focus on classical music. The RJAM program is directed by recent Glen Park resident Simon Rowe and…

$10-20 suggested donation; $5-10 suggested for students, musicians, limited income. Guitarist Scott Foster puts together a new line up every third Friday, and its always amazing. This time out, maybe more amazing than ever! Three giants of the local jazz scene join forces with Scott on originals and jazz standards. Scott Foster, guitar Rob Reich accordion/keys Dan Seamans bassEric Garland drums  

The book club convenes on Wednesday, February 13th at 7pm to discuss The Doomsday Machine: Confessions of Nuclear War Planner, by Daniel Ellsberg.  In 1971, Daniel Ellsberg leaked the Pentagon Papers to the press in hopes they would help end the Vietnam War. He looks back on his early days as a national security analyst in The Doomsday Machine. Rose Rosenthal, a book club member at Bird & Beckett since its inception in the mid-1990s, declares that this is among the best books she’s ever read. Note: The bookshop sells the book club selections at a 10% discount to people attending the book club. To defray costs and keep our spirits up, we encourage and very much appreciate a $5 donation to the shop from those attending the book club who aren’t interested in buying the book from us. Join the email list for the book club by emailing [email protected]

2nd year! Students in the SF Conservatory of Music’s “Roots, Jazz & American Music” BMUS degree program host their peers from Bay Area colleges and high schools. No cover charge. Donations to support the bookshop that supports the students are very much appreciated.

Close up the honky tonks! Hank & Lynne are hitched and don’t need to be hanging out in those dimly lit dens of debauchery when they can be warbling in the bookshop instead! Though, truth be told, we suspect they enjoy singing in the bars, too… their songs ring true there, for sure. Hank Maninger & Lynne Maes, guitars and vocals; Joe Goldmark, pedal steel guitar; Tim Wagar, bass guitar; Kenny Owen, drums $10-20 suggested donation. $5-10 suggested for those of limited means. But you’ll be b-ing y.o.b., so this’ll be a cheap night out for you. Go ahead and be generous toward the musicians. It’ll make you feel like a right decent human being!

Liberty Street plays Americana and roots music, including a bit of jazz and a bit of old blues. They’ve mostly been gigging at farmers’ markets, street fairs, holiday parties and the like for the past three years. The band consists of: Al Carlson – Bass Dave Johnson – Guitar and Vocals Jeff Faulkner – Guitar and Vocals Stephanie Johnson – Vocals Ben Howard – Mandolin, Violin Ron Gersten – Guitar (Gibson L5)

Vocalist Ed Reed celebrates his 90th birthday in a sequence of Bay Area concerts culminating in this Bird & Beckett date, in the company of Adam Shulman on piano, John Wiitala on bass and Lorca Hart on drums. Mr. Reed, recording and performing jazz singer, and 2014’s #1 Rising Star Male Vocalist (DownBeat magazine Critics Poll), has been singing all his life, though it was not until 2007 that he recorded and released his first album, just before his 78th birthday. He has since recorded three additional critically acclaimed albums, performed in many of the world’s prominent jazz venues, including three sold out nights at Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola at Jazz at Lincoln Center, been reviewed in major jazz publications, was a guest on the legendary Marian McPartland’s Piano Jazz NPR radio program, and was profiled by Nat Hentoff in the Wall Street Journal. His story of addiction, incarceration, recovery…

Jules Broussard, legendary sax player and a Bay Area treasure, is featured with pianist Grant Levin’s quartet at Bird & Beckett Friday evening, 5:30 pm. With Chris Amberger on bass and Hamir Atwal on drums. Four top notch musicians on one bookshop stage! Best jazz anywhere! B.Y.O.B. and some cash for the donation buckets. $10-20 per solvent adult requested; less is fine, if  you haven’t got your rent fully covered! Whether you’ve got the scratch or no, come dig the jazz! You won’t find a better venue than Bird & Beckett for getting intimate with the music and those that make it swing!

Twin Talk is on tour supporting their new, acclaimed record release “Weaver.” Read about it in Downbeat Magazine here! Since forming in 2012 Chicago’s Twin Talk has steadily drifted from the conventions of the saxophone trio. While reedist Dustin Laurenzi, bassist-singer Katie Ernst, and drummer Andrew Green are deeply rooted in jazz tradition, they’ve spent their time on the bandstand together making their music more elastic, spontaneous, and open, embracing new inspirations without stifling the improvisational heart of their work. All three musicians are active members in Chicago’s bustling jazz community, each playing in numerous working bands, but they’ve found a true collective voice as Twin Talk. They’ve used live performances as opportunities to stretch—expanding on composed material and ditching set lists in favor of calling tunes on the fly—but on their upcoming album “Weaver” they’ve pushed themselves further than ever, using the recording studio as a place for experimentation,…

Dan Neville- vibes; Adrian Areas- Moperc tumbadoras; Brian Andres- drums;Jordan Brysk- bass.

Bird & Beckett is pleased to welcome Kahil and the Ensemble back for its third annual appearance on our stage! And that’s not counting the date when Kahil brought saxophone titan David Murray in for a duo date back in 2017! The EHE is on tour in support of the documentary film “Be Known.” View a clip from the film here! https://vimeopro.com/user1790076/be-known The story of life on the road for El’Zabar and the EHE is vividly depicted in the film. Their tours are rigorous and Kahil’s personal life is complicated, yet his unique genius shines through. Narrated by the filmmaker Dwayne Johnson-Cochran, “Be Known” is a raw look at music at its creation. Executive Producers Angela Bassett and Courtney B. Vance.