Songs of the silk road… a reading by Mahnaz Badihian and Youssef Alaoui, with music on tambur by Raman Osman, followed by an open mic. Doors at 6:30, poets at 7:00. “Life took me through many different experiences, but art and poetry never left my side. “ Mahnaz Badihian is a poet, translator and artist whose work has been published in multiple languages worldwide and presented in several exhibits. Her publications include several books of poetry in Persian and English, and a Persian translation of Pablo Neruda’s Book of Questions, which became an underground hit within Iran. Her most recent publication is a bilingual CD of poems by Rumi with Jack Hirschman called Like This!. “My brush and pen explain and explore life as it happens,” says Badihian. Currently, she resides in San Francisco, California where she runs an online multilingual literary magazine, MahMag.org and is a member of the…

Supercalifornigraphic songslinger Maurice Tani plays a variety of venues up to large rooms like Freight & Salvage in Berkeley and outdoor festivals, but once a year he stops in at the diminutive jewel in his hometown that is Bird & Beckett with his pal American bassist Mike Anderson. The room is tiny, the vibe is intimate and the interplay is engaging. $10-20 suggested contribution.

Eric Walker was a comet on the North Beach poetry scene in the late 1980s, embraced by the legends of the time. Selected poems have been freshly published in a new volume from Raymond Foye Editions. Raymond Foye Sarah Menefee George Scrivani Tate Swindell Richard Rawles Rosemary Manno Neeli Cherkovski Rudy John Tanner

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 volcanic creativity and technique of Grant Levin has been thrilling San Francisco jazz fans for the past decade and shows no signs of abating!  Grant Levin, piano Aaron Cohn, bass Rick Rivera, drums $20 cover charge; sliding scale available  

Lee Vilensky, guitar Carroll Ashby, trombone Ed Ivey, bass & brass Randy Lee Odell, drums An evening of spy/soul instrumentals with your host Randy Odell on drums and his special guests: Lee Vilensky-guitar; Ed Ivey-bass and brass; and Carroll Ashby-trombone. Culling songs and influences from ’60s spy soundtrack and Stax-era soul mixed with surf, jazz and blues, this side project is a rare opportunity not to be missed!

Natalie John – voice Emily Kuhn – trumpet Lewis Patzner – cello Giulio Cetto – bass Beau Cadigan – drums Trumpet player, composer and arranger Emily Kuhn is based in Chicago, where she is active as a bandleader, sidewoman, and educator. Her chamber jazz ensemble, Helios, which comprises nine players in its full configuration, plays original music influenced by jazz, classical music, and a variety of folk and popular music genres, arranged for a jazz rhythm section, horns, voice, and string quartet. Helios features musicians active in many music scenes across Chicago, including Mercedes Inez Martinez (vocals), Max Bessesen (woodwinds), Lucia Thomas (violin), Erendira Izguerra (violin), Christine Fliginger (viola), Danny Hoppe (cello), Evan Levine (bass), and Gustavo Cortiñas (drums). With a string quartet in lieu of a single chordal instrument, the band plays original music and arrangements that are rooted in jazz and weave between sounds from folk, popular, and…

Come celebrate the release of the eighth issue of AMERARCANA: A Bird & Beckett Review, with two readings by contributors. Robert Glück, Camille Roy, Jocelyn Saidenberg, Aaron Shurin, Kirstin Wagner, and Jamie Townsend (reading for Steve Abbott), hosted by guest editor Eric Sneathen and founding editor Nicholas James Whittington, read Wednesday, July 31, 7pm, at Bird & Beckett.      A second reading, with Bahaar Ahsan, 최 Lindsay, Angel Dominguez, Evan Kennedy, Lauren Levin, and Tatiana Luboviski-Acosta, will be held August 10, 7pm, at Moe’s Books, 2476 Telegraph Avenue, Berkeley. buy a copy here, or at Bird & Beckett, Moe’s and other fine brick and mortar bookshops.   READER NOTES STEVE ABBOTT (1943-1992), whose work will be read by Jamie Townsend at the Bird & Beckett reading on July 31, was a poet, critic, editor, novelist and artist based in San Francisco. One of the original New Narrative writers, Steve was a frequent…

The New York-based quartet Elder Ones — Amirtha Kidambi (compositions, voice, harmonium and synth); Matt Nelson (saxophone), Nick Dunston (bass), and Max Jaffe (drums) — drops in to Bird & Beckett on Sunday July 28, 4:30-6:30 pm, between stops at Santa Cruz’s Kuumbwa Jazz and Oakland’s Studio Grand. $20 cover charge; sliding scale available. Bassist Lisa Mezzacappa opens with a short solo set. Elder Ones scored this assessment in the New York Times from staff writer Ben Ratliff in the New York Times, who put their debut album on his list of Top Ten Jazz & Pop records of 2016 and wrote, “The aggressive and sublime first album by the band Elder Ones, Holy Science, is a kind of gauge for how strong and flexible the scene of young musicians in New York’s improvised and experimental music world can be. At the center of it are drones and phonemes. Elder…

Kenneth E. Hartman’s sentence to life without parole was recently commuted by Governor Jerry Brown after he had spent 35 years in prison. He continues as an activist for prison and sentencing reform, as well as a writer.  This afternoon, Mr.  Hartman will read from his book, Mother California: A Story of Redemption Behind Bars, the fierce and affecting memoir of a convicted murderer, whose growing self-awareness enables him to understand his crime and achieve redemption. In 1980, Kenneth E. Hartman murdered a homeless man in a Los Angeles area park after a drug-fueled binge. Sentenced to life without the possibility of parole by the state of California, Hartman was soon considered a potent force by the system’s most brutal convicts. To the hellish chaos of a maximum-security prison he brought his own limitless propensity for violence—he often spent months at a time in solitary confinement, “the Hole.” After years in…

Harvey Wainapel, reeds Matt Clark, piano Peter Barshay, bass Bryan Bowman, drums Originals, standards, “ought to be standards” and a bit of Brazilian spice from Harvey Wainapel and friends. Two sets of top flight jazz from top drawer musicians. Saxophonist/clarinetist Harvey Wainapel has been a Bay Area mainstay since 1982. His jazz experience has led to performances and/or recordings with the likes of McCoy Tyner, Kenny Barron, Joe Henderson, Johnny Coles and the Metropole Orchestra. He has toured internationally with Ray Charles, Joe Lovano, and Airto Moreira & Flora Purim. Japan’s JAZZ LIFE called Wainapel “A musician with his own unique and deep sound.” Sax master Joe Lovano states “It’s a pleasure to listen to Harvey’s soulful interpretations.” www.harvjazz.com Pianist Matt Clark’s performance credits include saxophonists Eric Alexander, Vincent Herring, Teddy Edwards, Mark Turner, Frank Morgan, Sheldon Brown and Andrew Speight; vibraphonists Bobby Hutcherson and Stefon Harris; vocalists Madeline Eastman,…

Mark your calendar for a Deb Lunsford Rent Party! Bird & Beckett, 653 Chenery Street, SF July 26, 2019 – 5:30-8:00pm Featuring Eric Shifrin at the Ivories with the 230 Jones Street, Local 6 Literary Jazz Band Food, drink & music gratis! https://www.tinyurl.com/helpfordeb All proceeds go to Deb! –Glen Park Neighborhood Icon –Weekday Mornings Counter Gal at Destination Bakery, at the corner of Chenery & Castro –Friend and co-conspirator with all small children, neighborhood dogs, etc. –Protector and champion of small birds & cats –Founder of “Living Sidewalks” and designer of sustainable urban environments –San Francisco Original – with a history that includes managing Enrico’s, the North Beach landmark cafe & bar, a few decades ago, when Jazz was King on Broadway! Deb had knee replacement surgery in June and will be laid up for three months without income. The rent and bird food need to be paid! Help a…

A night of improvisation through known and unknown instrumentation, where electronics and mechanical forces connect and agree in creating chaotic sound space and serene landscape of noise.  

Eric Crystal, tenor sax John Wiitala, bass Smith Dobson IV, drums and alto sax Dred Scott, piano and drums Dred Scott, who arrived in the Bay Area in 1989 and co-founded the hip-hop jazz aggregation Alphabet Soup in San Francisco in the watershed year of 1991 (as acid jazz was making its mark at venues including the Up & Down Club, Cafe du Nord, Bruno’s, the Elbo Room), leads this all-star quartet homing in on the recorded output of the Los Angeles-based record label Pacific Jazz, whose stalwarts included Gerry Mulligan, Chet Baker, Shelly Manne, Russ Freeman, Lee Konitz, Bud Shank, Chico Hamilton and their legion of colleagues. Dred had the opportunity to spend time with Hamilton before he died. “What a cat!” says Dred. Hear what four top musicians glean from the recordings made by some of the most brilliant musicians of their time and place in the history of jazz.…

Flying Salvias is an alt-everything duo from Brisbane, CA– City of the Stars! A quintet for this appearance, with John LoGiudici on guitar, Dave Golia on bass and Paul Revelli on drums They’ve been characterized as everything from “Ameri-kinda Alt Everything” to “Alt Cabaret”. Henry is well known for his expressive piano style and impressive chops, and Kathleen’s voice can go from a whisper to a roar and back again with heartfelt emotional appeal. She is a musical gadabout. He is a musical sponge. Their backstory? She was in Classic Country Heaven in San Francisco. He was in Top 40 Hell in Detroit. She co-founded The Rayons, a new wave girl group, in 1982 and went on to help form the original progressive metal band Holy Mary. She also became a founding member of the Incredible 60’s Rock and Soul Review (IRS) with blues king Chris Cobb and the late…

A LaborFest Presentation: Loretta Starvus Stack, Communist Organizer, Community Gardener, and Her Fight for Rights of Free Speech Tucked away in a scenic cul-de-sac on on the crest of Glen Canyon Park Recreation Area sits one of the most charming community gardens in San Francisco. In this LaborFest presentation, Evelyn Rose, Director of the Glen Park Neighborhoods History Project, will share the significant life history of Diamond Heights resident and Communist organizer Loretta Starvus Stack, founder of Crags Court Community Gardens and wife of local icon and Marine, Fireman, Oiler and Watertenders Union member Walter Stack. At the height of the Cold War and McCarthyism, Ms. Stack played a key role in the clarification of the intent of the Alien Registration Act – also known as the Smith Act of 1940 – that originally denied First Amendment rights to those choosing to discuss the overthrow of the Federal government. At…