653 Chenery Street
in San Francisco's Glen Park neighborhood
1-415-586-3733
[email protected]
Open to walk-in trade and browsing
Tuesday to Sunday
noon to six
Live Streams every weekend!
Refresh your browser to catch a show in progress!
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But nothing beats being in the room with the music & the musicians!
Fresh Print Some new books to please the avid reader: Patti Smith is an icon and a touchstone for hundreds of thousands of us… from the arrival of “Horses” in 1975 to the 2010 release of her memoir, Just Kids, and her HSBG appearance that same year, and the many stops along the way… In 1992, a talismanic little book bearing her name and called Woolgathering appeared on the counter at places like City Lights & Moe’s, on cafe tables at the Trieste, in squalid rooms at the Chelsea Hotel… places where the tribe tended to gather to muse, to share a meal, to conceive of new modes of expression… Woolgathering was one in a series of small (3″x4″) handmade books put out by Raymond Foye & Francesco Clemente’s Hanuman Books, printed at Kalakshetra, near Madras (now Chennai), India, under the supervision of George Scrivani. Like Patti herself, the gem-like…
Read MoreYour support is what makes it work! The community that’s grown up around Bird & Beckett has been a delight to be part of. Glen Park has been hugely supportive of the bookshop and our programs. As individuals, you’ve helped by buying books, of course– and also by coming to the shows and underwriting the cost of putting them on. For many years now, this community has been providing a sweet venue, a welcoming and appreciative environment and generous monetary support to writers, musicians and other performing artists by way of Bird & Beckett. We can all be very proud of that fact! Friends of the bookshop helped us establish a 501(c)3 nonprofit several years ago — the “Bird & Beckett Cultural Legacy Project” — which is charged with accomplishing the cultural programming that we do. And individuals can take a full tax deduction for any direct contributions they make…
Read Morewondering what you’ve missed? here’s a sample… also hit the “older posts” button below to stroll back through the weeks… a few sundays ago… Sunday, November 27 – three events At 1 pm: I’m Not a Tourist! I Live Here! Ex-Glen Parker & committed activist Elizabeth Boardman sold her house here and moved to Davis a couple of years ago, but not before compiling the stories of quotidian San Francisco in her book I’m Not a Tourist, I Live Here! Elizabeth will be joined by one of the locals she’s observed and gotten to know over her long tenure here — Doc — a gracious and good humored man who’s lived by his wits in this town for a good long time, using his dulcimer to break the ice with folks scurrying through the BART stations on their way hither & yon. As for Elizabeth, herself, she’s stood in front…
Read MoreFresh Print Some new books to please the avid reader: The Swerve: How the World Became Modern by Stephen Goldblatt. In this gloriously learned page-turner, both biography and intellectual history, Harvard Shakespearean scholar Greenblatt (Will in the World) turns his attention to the beginning of the Renaissance as the origin of Western culture’s foundation: the free questioning of truth. It hinges on the recovery of an ancient philosophical Latin text that had been neglected for a thousand years. In the winter of 1417 Italian oddball humanist, smutty humorist, and apostolic secretary Poggio Bracciolini stumbled on Lucretius’ De rerum natura. In an obscure monastery in southern Germany lay the recovery of a philosophy free of superstition and dogma. Lucretius’ On the Nature of Things harkened back to the mostly lost works of Greek philosophers known as atomists. Lucretius himself was essentially an Epicurean who saw the restrained seeking of pleasure as…
Read MoreMonday, November 21, 7 pm Poets! Daniel Yaryan & Marc Olmsted open mic follows As a teenager in Santa Cruz, Daniel Yaryan fell under the thrall of poetry, particularly the poetry of the beats, in a big way. With his work, as a writer and as a impresario of poetry readings celebrating and extending the beat ethos, he has become, while still a young man, a major figure in the west coast poetry scene. We’ve lost track of how many readings Daniel has staged in venues all over the state in the series he calls “Sparring With Beatnik Ghosts” — each boasting a deep roster of energized and engaged voices revealing the breadth and depth of the poetry impulse that persists today. Daniel’s own voice will be on display at our reading tonight. He has invited Marc Olmsted to join him on this reading, indicating his respect for a poet…
Read MoreFriday, November 25th, 5:30-8:00 pm The Chuck Peterson Quintet jazz in the bookshop a neighborhood tradition since 2002 Also known as the 230 Jones Street, Local 6 Literary Jazz Band, this group comprises jazz in the bookshop founder Chuck Peterson (tenor sax) and four of his long-time associates: Howard Dudune (reeds), Glen Deardorff (guitar), Dean Reilly (bass) and Tony Johnson (drums). A quintet date that showcases the music we love best– straight ahead, bebop-based, west coast fashioned jazz. It’s a lively time in the neighborhood every Friday evening — in the venue that many a jazz player has declared the best place to play in town. That tribute is in no small way due to the audience that comes to enjoy the music and the convivial vibe. Come enjoy the music and the company. All ages are welcome, and there’s no cover charge — but if you can spare the…
Read MoreSunday, November 20, 4:30 & 5:30 pm (two sets) The Homespun Trio which way west? Sunday concert series Well, this isn’t a picture of the trio we’re presenting this week, but we went looking for photos and couldn’t resist this one. Martinique, circa 1944… Ernest Hemingway wrote the book, and Howard Hawks made the movie… the laconic pianist and songwriter Hoagy Carmichael made the music… Bogart and Bacall made the romance… “To Have and Have Not”… A title as enigmatic and evocative as any in modern literature… Oh yes, about this week’s “which way west?” concert! Bassist Fred Randolph, a much sought after musician about town in the clubs and concert halls, proposed this trio to us– featuring himself, the exquisite pianist Grant Levin, and the sweetly nuanced drummer Bryan Bowman. This may well be Grant’s first appearance at the shop. If so, it’s long overdue. You’re guaranteed to be…
Read MoreMonday, November 14th, 7 pm Ambush! A reading to celebrate issue #2 of a great new San Francisco literary magazine Co-Editors and Co-Publishers Bob Booker and Patrick Cahill host a raft of contributors at Bird & Beckett to present the beautifully done second issue of Ambush Review — a terrific addition to the long tradition of literary magazines emanating from this most literary city! Join us for a toast to the creators, writers and artists involved. Watch this YouTube video of Bob Booker introducing the first issue at Live Worms Gallery in North Beach in December 2010.
Read MoreFriday, November 11th, 5:30 to 8:00 pm The Jimmy Ryan Quintet jazz in the bookshop a neighborhood party every Friday evening Drummer Jimmy Ryan has been part of the Friday evening jazz tradition since its beginning in late 2002. Jimmy learned the trade in L.A. in the ’50s as well, and hit the San Francisco scene in 1960 — and never looked back. Jimmy has played with legendary musicians like Putter Smith, Vince Wallace, Kent Glenn and Bishop Norman Willliams, putting in significant time at legendary San Francisco clubs like Jimbo’s Bop City and the Gathering Cafe. For his monthly Bird & Beckett dates, trumpeter Henry Hung and trombonist Danny Grewen, two active young players on the local scene, give a rich, fiery and romantic tone to the front line, while guitarist Scott Foster, a Bird & Beckett favorite since the beginning, handles the chordal duties and spins out beautiful…
Read MoreSunday, November 13th – 4:30 & 5:30 pm (two sets) Pan-Arabic music concert by The Georges Lammam Ensemble which way west? Sunday concert series all ages welcome Violinist Georges Lammam was born in Beirut, Lebanon into a family of film and music professionals, the child of a Palestinian father and a Palestine-born Greek mother, and grew up in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates. As a youth, Georges played with his brothers Elias on accordion and Antoine (Tony) on doumbeq throughout the Middle East before settling in San Francisco. Here, for a couple of decades, he has been renowned for transporting a pure expression of Arab culture through his soulful violin. As artistic director of the Georges Lammam Ensemble, noted for its mastery of the panoramic range of the Arab musical repertoire, Georges is devoted to bringing the rich diversity and passions of Arabic music to listeners everywhere. The music is…
Read MoreFriday, November 4 – double date! jazz in the bookshop + the jazz of poetry: a Kenneth Patchen Moment Seabop rides the waves and then, Jonathan Clark reads from the poems of Kenneth Patchen while Don Prell lays down a bass line Every week, the neighborhood gathers for a long running jazz party we’ve hosted since late 2002– now, as we enter our tenth year of Friday jazz sessions, it’s got a life of its own for sure, and at the heart of it all is bassist Don Prell, who assembles a terrific ensemble on the first Friday of each month to play some of that west coast bebop we love so much… he calls his band the Seabop Ensemble, and it’s always a fine thing. If you want to meet the neighbors, there’s no better place to do it than at Bird & Beckett on a Friday evening… And…
Read MoreThursday, Nov. 3rd, 7 pm Book Club 1st Thursday of each month all welcome! Falconer, by John Cheever, will be the book discussed this week. Next up: Jonathan Franzen’s Freedom This group has been meeting monthly since long before there was a Bird & Beckett! Formed when our predecessor “Glen Park Books” was first established on Diamond Street back in 1995 and continued without missing a beat when Bird & Beckett took up the reins in 1999, this book group is still going strong, with several of the original members and many new recruits picked up along the way. Anyone can come, so if you’re looking for a book group feel free to check this one out. At the end of the each session, the group usually picks the book for the session two months down the line, so you’ll have ample time to get in the loop… Be sure…
Read MoreOctober 30th – Sunday, 4:30 to 6:30 pm All ages welcome – no cover – kids free Suggested donation for adults – $10 Tango No. 9 which way west? Sunday afternoon concert series Tango No. 9 has been making audiences swoon for 13 years with their exquisite sets of classic, nuevo and orginal tangos, and we’re overheated with excitement every time they hit the stage in our cozy little bookshop. Violinist Catharine Clune, pianist Joshua Raoul Brody and trombonist Greg Stephens have been joined in this group by the dashing Zoltan de Bartolo who vocalizes those Argentinian, Spanish and Italian tunes that stir the soul. From Astor Piazzola’s Buenos Aires and Paris to your own fog shrouded city of love, they deliver music that is haunting, inspiring and soulfully satisfying.
Read MoreSunday, October 30 – 2:30 pm Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh Walker Talks! Expository explorations on literary, mythological & historical themes Walker Brents III can always be relied on to entertain and edify as he muses on topics of timeless interest — in this instance, the Shahnameh. Composed by the 10th century Persian poet Ferdowsi, the Shanameh recounts the history of Iran, beginning with the creation of the world and the introduction of the arts of civilization (fire, cooking, metallurgy, law) to the Aryans and ends with the Arab conquest of Persia. Though not precisely chronological, there is a general movement through time in the poem. Some characters live for hundreds of years, but most have normal life spans. There are many shÄhs who come and go, as well as heroes and villains, who also come and go. The only lasting images are that of Greater Iran itself, and a succession of sunrises and…
Read MoreFriday, October 28, 5:30 to 8:00 pm The 230 Jones Street, Local 6 Literary Jazz Band aka The Chuck Peterson Quintet with vocalist Dorothy Lefkovits jazz in the bookshop every Friday! Tenor sax player Chuck Peterson finishes out the month’s schedule of Friday evening jazz sessions at Bird & Beckett with four long-time associates who have been at the top of the jazz scene locally and nationally for six decades. Reed player Howard Dudune plays with the easy grace of Lester Young and a swinging humor all his own, while guitarist Glen Deardorff drives the rhythm with a fierce insouciance. Bassist Dean Reilly, one of the most respected elder statesmen of the local jazz scene and a well traveled pro, looks , acts and plays like a youngster with his first ducktail. And drummer Tony Johnson, still sporting the Aussie accent of his own youth, swings effortlessly and keeps time…
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Your donation to the Bird & Beckett Cultural Legacy Project helps us pay for a multitude of operating expenses necessary to present, promote and preserve local music, poetry, and more.
Help us keep the arts alive and thriving!
The Bird & Beckett Cultural Legacy Project was created in 2007 "to present, document and archive the creative work of significant living writers and musicians in the San Francisco Bay Area, for a neighborhood audience and future generations," continuing the work we began when the store was established in 1999.
We continue to present a full slate of programming of live music and poetry readings, and produce a literary journal and poetry chapbooks, and we seek and welcome your continued financial support by way of donations.
Click on "donate" in the navigation bar above. Better yet, make a check out to the “Bird & Beckett Cultural Legacy Project” and drop it off or mail it to:
Bird & Beckett Cultural Legacy Project
653 Chenery Street
San Francisco, CA 94131
Call us at (415) 586-3733 to find out how else you might lend your support.
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We're immensely appreciative of Jazz in the Neighborhood for having stepped in as our temporary fiscal sponsor for a few months, while we straightened out some paperwork to get nonprofit status restored to the BBCLP. We're happy to say that's been done, and all past, present, and future donations made directly to the BBCLP are fully tax-deductible!
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The Bird & Beckett Cultural Legacy Project
Our events are put on under the umbrella of the Bird & Beckett Cultural Legacy Project (the "BBCLP"). That's how we fund our ambitious schedule of 300 or so concerts and literary events every year.
The BBCLP is a [Read More ]
The Independent Musicians Alliance
Gigging musicians! You have nothing to lose but your lack of a collective voice to achieve fair wages for your work!
The IMA can be a conduit for you, if you join in to make it work.
https://www.independentmusiciansalliance.org/
Read more here - Andy Gilbert's Feb 25 article about the IMA from KQED's site
