Dan Liberthson is a Glen Park resident, and a poet with five published collections to his credit, including his newest, A Poetry of Birds: Poems About Birds and the Photographs that Inspired Them (2017). A Poetry of Birds comprises 38 poems about various bird species paired with photographs of the birds by naturalist and wildlife photographer Ron LeValley. The poems reflect on the beauty, lives, and behaviors of the birds, both in themselves and as they relate to human life. Dan was born in Rochester, New York, and attended Reed College, Northwestern University (BA, history) and SUNY at Buffalo (PhD, English). His poetry and writing are driven by a few core beliefs: the importance of telling a story, the need to tell it in a disciplined way, and a belief that the sound of the language, too often neglected, is a forceful agent of expression. Most of his books of…

wordWind is QR Hand, Lewis Jordan and Brian Auerbach — 3 poets, with Lewis Jordan doubling on saxophone. Two very special guests will also be on hand — trumpeter George Sams and poet Tongo Eisen-Martin. q.r. hand, jr., voice and poetry, moved to the SF Bay Area from NYC about forty years ago. Originally published in the 1968 classic, Black Fire: An Anthology of Afro American Writing, edited by Amiri Baraka (Leroi Jones) and Larry Neal, which has recently been reproduced by Black Classics Press, he is the author of three poetry books, i speak to the poet in man (jukebox press), how sweet it is (Zeitgeist Press) and whose really blues, new & selected poems (Taurean Horn Press). Lewis Jordan, saxophone and poetry, is the producer of Music at Large (an interdisciplinary music and arts project).  He focuses on creative structures for improvisation, and his interest continues to be meeting and working with performers who delve into their deeper resources…

The Jazz Philanthropists Union presents…   James Mahone, tenor saxophone; Ian Carey, trumpet; Josh Thurston-Milgrom, bass; Mike Mitchell, drums  

Chestnuts of early jazz & popular music Robert Young, saxophone, cornet & vocals Jeff Hamilton, piano & vocals Bill Reinhart, guitar & banjo Mikiya Matsuda, bass

  Scott Foster, guitar Lorenzo Farrell, organ Dan Foltz, drums Taking it down to the fundamental blues base of jazz, in myriad forms.

Joe Goldmark, pedal steel guitar Hank Maninger, lead guitar and vocals Tim Wager, bass guitar and vocals Kenny Owen, drums [arve url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7S2j5JvYm6M” /]

Randy Craig and Robbie MacGregor convene a revolving cast of characters, veteran players all, at the Marsh in Berkeley on a regular basis, for a romp through a cavalcade of rock, jazz and pop tunes. Tonight they bring their show to Bird & Beckett! [arve url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifP0KU5qslg” /]

The Cartoon Jazz Octet plays classic tunes from the 1930s, ’40s and ’50s by Raymond Scott & John Kirby plus a slew of originals! Jeff Sanford, reeds Eric Wayne, trumpet Hal Richards, reeds Andy Ostwald, piano Randy Johnson, guitar, banjo & vocals Zachariah Spellman, tuba Simon Planting, bass  Mark Rosengarden, drums

Reasons for Moving Darren Johnston, trumpet Larry Ochs, sax Fred Frith, guitar Allison Miller, drums This all-improvised concert at Bird & Beckett by the group “Reasons for Moving” is in preparation for a 2018 tour of Europe starting at the Jazzdor festival in France, and will feature a first meeting of core members Frith/Ochs/Johnston with one of NYC’s most in-demand and creative drummers, Allison Miller.           This will surely be an exciting event not to be missed!! A limited number of seats can be reserved in advance by calling the bookshop Tuesday, January 2nd, until the allotment is exhausted. Some seats will also be available at the door. The cover charge for this show is $20.           This concert will mark a special reunion of the group, featuring guitar iconoclast Fred Frith, ROVA co-founder Larry Ochs, and musical chameleon trumpeter Darren Johnston, this…

jazz in the bookshop, every Friday evening, 5:30-8:00 pm Jonathan Bautista, sax Grant Levin, piano Chris Amberger, bass Jaz Sawyer, drums

The San Francisco Conservatory of Music’s brand new bachelor’s of music Roots, Jazz & American Music program sponsors this monthly jam. Local college and high school players particularly encouraged to come out! Free

Avotcja small percussion and spoken word Sandi Poindexter, violin Francis Wong, sax and flute Jon Jang, piano Sascha Jacobsen, bass Myron Cohen, snare drum $10-20 suggested donation; students – $5