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!
Visit our Facebook page or YouTube channel!
But nothing beats being in the room with the music & the musicians!
You are invited to read a poem at Poets For Palestine, a poetry reading marathon that raises funds for the children of Palestine. October 14 (Indigenous Peoples Day) 12 noon to 8 pm at Bird & Beckett Books 653 Chenery St, San Francisco, CA 94131 * Pick one poem (3 minutes max) * Make an online donation (minimum $5) to MECA . * Send your name and best times to read to: [email protected] You’ll receive a confirmation email. * Attend the Marathon at Bird and Beckett Books. * If you are unable to attend, you may make a donation and send in a poem to [email protected] and we will read the poem for you at your requested time. Bird and Beckett will live stream the entire event: https://www.youtube.com/@birdbeckett1601/streams All donations directly benefit the Middle East Children’s Alliance (MECA). All the cash collected on that day will also go into the MECA fund. This…
Read MoreKim Shuck, former San Francisco Poet Laureate, hosts S.A. Griffin and Linda Ravenswood in her ongoing, twice monthly online poetry reading series. The first session of each month, on the 2nd Mondays, leads off with two featured readers and concludes with an open mic. The second session, on the 4th Mondays is all open mic. Karma bum, Vietnam era veteran of the USAF and left handed lefty from Los Angeles, S.A. Griffin is most recently the author of Pandemic Soul Music (Punk Hostage Press) which includes art by his late sister Robin Lynne Griffin, Suckers & Losers (River Dog) and Good Madness is Hard to Come By with Michael Lane Bruner (Rose of Sharon Press). Editor The Outlaw Bible of American Poetry (Basic Books, Firecracker Award) and along with Rich Ferguson, Alexis Rhone Fancher and Kim Shuck, S.A. is the co-editor of Beat Not Beat (Moon Tide Press). Queued up for publication, he is the co-editor of Sparring with Beatnik Ghosts with…
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Bay Area singer/songwriters George Kincheloe, Scott Beynon, Glenn MacPherson and vocalist Nancy Carroll combine their unique talents and instrumental artistry in this popular, harmony-rich band whose music leans toward Americana/acoustic with lots of original material by three accomplished songwriters. $20 cover charge (cash or venmo, please); byob.
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Krishna Parthasarathy, vocal & violin Ben Kunin, sarod Akshay Naresh, bansuri Ferhan Qureshi, tabla $20 cover charge (cash or venmo at the door, please); byob. Reservations can be made by calling the shop at 415-586-3733 during regular business hours, noon to six pm, Tuesday to Sunday. Doors open for the show 15 minutes before the concert. Reservations are held only until show time. This evening will feature a presentation of South Asian raga music led by Krishna Parthasarathy. Krishna is an accomplished Carnatic and Hindustani classical musician, displaying prowess over both musical formats via violin and vocal expositions. He has studied with eminent musicians representing both traditions and performs throughout the Bay Area with ensembles of accompanying artists that thrive on spontaneous creativity. For this first recital of his at Bird and Beckett, Krishna will be accompanied by Ben Kunin on sarode, Akshay Naresh on bansuri (flute), and Ferhan Qureshi…
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Empyrea travels the spaceways with thrilling improvisational forays that venture into uncharted sonic terrain. Listeners will experience instrumental combinations rarely heard on this planet. Empyrea is Ian Dogole – doumbek, African talking drum, udu, kalimba, maracas llaneras Richard Howell – saxophones, misc. aerophones & vocals Kash Killion – cello, double bass, sarangi, bolon, masenqo
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Every second Friday of the month, Eric Shifrin brings in a trio to have a little fun with tunes written by some of the master composers of popular music that have become standards played in piano bars, restaurants, clubs and concert halls through the decades throughout the land. This month, he’ll present tunes by the writers behind “Violets for Your Furs,” “Makin’ Whoopee” and “Autumn in New York” and many more. BYOB and a twenty for the band! Featuring tunes by Matt Dennis, Vernon Duke and Walter Donaldson this time out, you’re in for a packed show of wonderful music. Matt Dennis is familiar to you due to Sinatra and Billie Holiday, think Angel Eyes, Everything Happens to Me and Violets for Your Furs. Walter Donaldson was prolific between the two world wars, composing American Songbook chestnuts, often with lyricist Gus Kahn, like Makin’ Whoopee, My Baby Just Cares…
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Apply for your jazz passport this month on a visit to any one of four great San Francisco jazz clubs — Keys, Tipples, Black Cat or Dawn Club and patronize those wonderful joints! We wish them all great success, and we want their help keeping San Francisco jazzy and literary! You won’t need a passport to pay a visit to Bird & Beckett, the best cozy little listening room in town, heavy in jazz and ranging freely afield week after week after week. We’ve offered steady programming for 21 years and counting — and a twenty will be plenty to get you a wonderful couple of hours of music, with the books in all their profuse glory for your browsing & buying! Bring something to sip, bring your kids, bring your friends! We’re counting on you to come on in and to proselytize to your friends, relations & airbnb guests.…
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Litquake turns 25! Litquake’s 2024 festival kicked off with the Booksellers Ball on Thursday the 10th, an opening night bash at Club Fugazi in North Beach when the Litquake community came together to fête San Francisco’s independent bookstores. It was a catered event with abundant libations and a sizzling lineup of literature-themed drag performances hosted by Joe Wadlington of Happy Endings, a.k.a Jubilee! With festive grooves from Bff.fm DJ Lead Teddy and a reading nook curated by 17 of San Francisco’s best independent booksellers — including Glen Park’s own Bird & Beckett — folks kicked up your heels with local literati and celebrated 25 years of Litquake! Find the schedule for Litquake’s 10-day literary cavalcade of events here!
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Ava Koohbor is a poet, visual and sound artist. Through sound, words, and objects she seeks to find balance in everyday’s chaos. Her latest works have been exhibited and performed at Audium, APICC Festival 2023: Reimagine Horizons, and as a part of group exhibition at RootDivision: ME in a(ME)rica. Her latest publication, a collection of her poetry, Death Under Construction, has been published by Ugly Duckling Presse. She believes that each artist is a medium to transfer the world of possibilities to what is. She holds an MFA in Electronic Music from Mills College. avakoohborarts.com Evidence Trio is an improvisational group whose points of reference are free jazz, dark ambient, and radio emissions from the early universe. Andrew Joron, theremin; Kersti Abrams, sax and flute; Michael Wilcox, electric bass. $20 suggested donation; byob.
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Friday, October 4th, 8:30-10pm, Swerve: Darren Johnston, trumpet; Kai Lyons, guitar; Rob Ewing, electric bass; and Dillon Vado, drums. Darren says the combo, Swerve, is “not a swing thing, more a collective groove band doing each others originals.” It’s always a thrill to hear what Darren and his cohorts cook up. At a simmer or a rolling boil, it’ll be delicious. _________________ Saturday, October 5th, 7:30-9:30pm, pianist Larry Dunlap’s trio with Ken Miller on bass and Akira Tana on drums. Larry Dunlap’s tenure on the San Francisco jazz scene and internationally over six decades has included memorable work in long associations with singers Bobbe Norris and Amandio Cabral. As a pianist, composer, arranger and music director, he’s among the best in the business, with wonderful stories to relate. ___________________ Sunday, October 6th, 7-8pm, Mamboléo, a six-piece latin jazz band out of Ruth Asawa School or the Arts up at the…
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Come out to the neighborhood for the Art Walk! Merchants and cafes up and down Diamond Street between Bosworth and Chenery will feature fine and graphic art for your pleasure, perusal & purchase from noon to five on Saturday. Take a leisurely stroll in the canyon after you’ve stowed your treasures in your trunk, enjoy a leisurely drink at Glen Park Station and catch dinner in one of the neighborhood’s pleasing dining establishments, then trail up to the bookshop to browse awhile and catch the great Larry Dunlap Trio from 7:30-9:30pm. BYOB and a twenty for the musicians! You’ll be pleased that you did. We’ll keep the shop open for you past our usual 6pm closing time, so you can poke around while we set up for the trio. Then at 7:30 we’ll bring the lights down, and voilà, it’s jazz club at Bird & Beckett, a Saturday night tradition…
Read MoreSara Biel is a social worker and poet in Oakland, CA. She is an editor with Colossus Press and one of the founders of Oakland’s Starting Points open mic series. Her chapbook, Prescribed Burn was published in 2023. Daphne Gottlieb stitches together the ivory tower and the gutter just using her tongue. She is the author of 11 books in at least 5 genres. Daphne is the winner of the Acker, Audre Lorde and Firecracker Alternative Book Awards. She is currently at work on a new collection of poems and a novel about the ocean that features a shark who wants to wear lipstick. An open mic follows. Sign up at the reading. Time limit 3 minutes. Michael Koch hosts.
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https://www.facebook.com/bird.and.beckett/videos/563350992916034 sound starts at the 1:42 mark… fabulous to the end! The towering master of tenor saxophone (and many another instrument), Noel Jewkes brings his fine quartet that includes Grant Levin on piano, Chris Amberger on bass and Mark Lee on drums. Exceptional jazz beautifully played. We’re always grateful when any of these four fine musicians crosses the Bird & Beckett stage and most especially when Noel Jewkes, aka Dr. Legato, is leading the charge. $20 cover charge, cash or venmo at the door. byob. reservations, call the shop at 415-586-3733.
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Led by bassist Safa Shokrai, with Max Miller-Loran on trumpet, Beth Schenck on saxophone, Mark Clifford on vibes and Jason Levis on drums, the Lost Shapes is a supergroup of players with a taste for jazz on the “out” side. Superb music guaranteed. You’re gonna have a good time with this one. $20 cover charge; byob. Reservations, call the shop at 415-586-3733.
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Pianist James Mitchell, with his trio that includes Curtis Aikens on bass and Evan Williams on drums, pays tribute to Bud Powell, born September 27, 1924. Bud Powell was one of the true geniuses who spurred the evolution of modern jazz in the 1940s and ’50s. $20 cover charge, cash or venmo at the door, byob. For a reservation, call the shop at 415-586-3733.
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SUPPORT BIRD & BECKETT - DONATE TODAY!
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." We've been doing that very thing for more than a decade and a half, 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 through our fiscal sponsor, Jazz in the Neighborhood.
Click on "donate" in the navigation bar above. Better yet, send or drop off a check made out to our fiscal sponsor, Jazz in the Neighborhood, with BBCLP in the memo line. Our mailing address is:
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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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
