Pianist Grant Levin has been heard at Bird & Beckett time and again, in many formations– as leader, as sideman… in duos, trios, quartets, quintets… Tonight, he’s leading a trio with two players making big waves– bassist Giulio Xavier Cetto, out of Stockton, and drummer Louis Sweatt, out of Brentwood. Grant himself was born in San Diego and raised there and in Humboldt… went to University of Nevada in Reno, joined the faculty in Chico, then found San Francisco irresistible as the locus for jazz in the modern day. He’s plying his trade practically in the shadows, but he’s been acclaimed everywhere he’s played. He’s just the most amazing pianist we’ve yet heard, and that’s in a town with scads of incredible pianists. Don’t miss this date!

Like all great songwriters/storytellers, Maurice uses humor, pathos, and metaphor…to spin tales of sometimes heroic, sometimes conniving, seductive and/or hapless characters. Characters deep in the throes of urban/country angst, unrequited love, love affairs gone wrong—in a nutshell—country noir. A master of clever lyrics and gorgeous melodies…Maurice’s warm powerful voice animates the songs into a kind of technicolor experience. – Kathryne Cassis

The voice with a heart! Denise Perrier is known for her elegant contralto, for her phrasing and swing, for her unparalleled interpretation of tunes drawn from the “Great American Songbook” — the timeless popular music that poured out of Tin Pan Alley, Broadway and the little offices and garrets of songwriters across the land from the teens and ’20s through the 1950s. Her place among the top rank of San Francisco’s jazz vocalists has been unquestioned. And fortunately for us, her affection for the Bird & Beckett stage and audience brings her on occasion out to Glen Park, to our intimate room with 35 seats and space for a dozen more avid standing room guests… Tonight, Denise performs with saxophonist Jerry Logas, pianist Alan Steger, bassist Adam Gay and drummer Tony Johnson, fine and seasoned musicians all, with ample experience in her company.

Don Prell captains the ship of jazz for another evening of bebop and standards. Don’s been keeping this thing afloat at Bird & Beckett since late 2002, when he joined the Friday night crew. His career in jazz reaches back to the 1950s, however, when he was a key participant in the Los Angeles jazz scene – touring and recording with Bud Shank, playing constantly at clubs including the Lighthouse in Hermosa Beach and the Haig in downtown L.A. Tours with Shank took him across the country and to the Netherlands, France and South Africa. This pianoless quartet echoes the Gerry Mulligan / Chet Baker unit that made waves in early 1950s. Don was there at its birth.