Michael Boughn worked in the Teamsters for nearly 10 years before returning to university to earn a PhD in 1986 after studying with poets John Clarke and Robert Creeley. He is the author of ten books of poetry, including Iterations of the Diagonal, Dislocations in Crystal, 22 Skidoo / SubTractions, and Great Canadian Poems for the Aged Vol. 1 Illus. Ed. Cosmographia – a post-Lucretian faux micro-epic was short listed for the Canadian Governor General’s Award for Poetry in 2011, prompting a reviewer in the Globe and Mail to describe him as “an obscure veteran poet with a history of being overlooked.” With Victor Coleman he edited Robert Duncan’s The H.D. Book for the University of California Press. He has also published books for young adults, including the Maple Award nominated Into the World of the Dead,a mystery novel, Business As Usual, a descriptive bibliography of the American poet, H.D., and numerous essays on film, writing, architecture and music.…

Store closed today! You’re invited to join us to accept the City’s commendation!    

Joe Goldmark, pedal steel guitar Mitch Polzak, lead guitar and vocals Hank Maninger, bass guitar and vocals Kenny Owen, drums $10-20 suggested donation. Just the thing to cap off Mothers Day… the Seducers take Bird & Beckett down an entirely different highway, offering up classic, outlaw and honky tonk country music. It’s an all-star band led by pedal steel master Joe Goldmark, with Mitch Polzak, the heart-throb mayor of Port Costa on lead guitar and vocals, the wry and brilliant Hank Maninger on bass guitar and vocals, and Zen poet Kenny Owen on drums.

Aaron Hammerman and Dave Eagle are the Deep Basement Shakers, delivering primal, joint-rockin’, steady-rollin’ barrelhouse blues n’ boogie from the deep musical traditions of places like St. Louis, Texas, Chicago and New Orleans. Instrumental stuff from the 20’s, 30’s through to the early days of R&B, Jimmy Yancey to Clarence Lofton, Professor Longhair to Cow Cow Davenport & Meade Lux Lewis, Maxwell Street to Frenchman Street, they dig into the ancient styles of the new century… the 20th century, that is… “But this ain’t no history museum where you can’t touch the glass,” say the Shakers… Aaron Hammerman, piano, kazoo and vocals Dave Eagle, washboard, suitcase, spoons, bones, bells & whistles $10 suggested donation

The Jazz Philanthropists Union presents… jazz club! when lights are low. $20 cover charge tonight (sliding scale available to those with limited means) Tonight, we present two major creative talents working together with improvisational brilliance on material brought to the table by each. Their album “Collect My Thoughts” was recorded 25 years ago, in 1994, and released in 1995, and they’ve collaborated frequently in the intervening years. Both are highly regarded musicians with international careers and reputations that have been cemented over many years of work at the highest level. Both have graced our stage in various contexts numerous times, for which we are extremely grateful. Regarding their collaboration, Phillip writes: “Scott and I began working together not long after I returned to the Bay Area in 1993. We composed a few things and explored compositions by other composers, but the music really began to flow when we began to…

Ask at the store for details, directions & the inside dope! Your host Jerry Ferraz turns 69 today… born May 11, 1950 in San Francisco. He was on the first poetry reading Bird & Beckett ever hosted, back in 1999, on a bill with Dan Richman and Justin Demangles. And he’s been the impresario of our twice-monthly poetry series for 18 years. Stop in the shop and we’ll give  you the address and directions to his place nearby, just across the Bernal Cut — on Mission Street near Highland. The party starts at 1pm, and goes ’til it’s done… but if you’ve got a little energy left in the early evening, you may well want to float back to the bookshop for our 7:30 “jazz club” date with the Scott Amendola/Phillip Greenlief Duo. At the party, the food and wine are on Jerry; we’ll spring for the beer and soda…

Sylvia Cuenca has recruited magnificent players to join her in a quartet tonight, the late show on the first night of our eleven-day 20th anniversary celebration! Andrew Speight, saxophone Ben Stolorow, piano Doug Miller,bass Sylvia Cuenca,drums Sylvia is a fabulous drummer, well traveled. She hails originally from San Jose — though she’s established her career from her base in New York, including four years in the Joe Henderson Quartet, eleven years in trumpeter Clark Terry’s band, and much much more. She’s well known and highly regarded on both coasts and internationally. Sylvia played her first professional gig while still in her teens, hired for the job by the great San Francisco guitarist Eddie Duran — the one guy we know who played with Charlie Parker… That gig (Sylvia’s with Eddie, not Eddie’s with Bird) was at Pearl’s Jazz Joint, when Pearl’s was a basement club in the Great Eastern Restaurant…

A $10 per set (suggested) donation would be much appreciated to help us compensate the  musicians. Kristen Strom, saxophone Tammy Lynne Hall, piano Alex Baum, bass Ruthie Price, drums Tammy Lynne Hall began playing the piano at age four, in Dallas, Texas, where she was raised by two grandmothers, a grandfather and numerous aunts and uncles. Her earliest memories of the piano were of climbing onto the piano bench and pick out the notes to tunes she heard either on the radio, record player or something the choir sang at church. Later, Tammy became the pianist not just for the Junior Choir at her home church but also the pianist and organist for her godfather’s church in Terrell, TX, some 40 miles away and she was sometimes the rehearsal accompanist for her school choir from sixth grade at Pearl C. Anderson Junior High to her senior year at the Hockaday School.…

Tammy Lynne Hall Quartet at 5:30 Kirsten Strom, saxophone Tammy Hall, piano Alex Baum, bass Ruthie Price, drums   Sylvia Cuenca Quartet at 9:00 Andrew Speight, saxophone Ben Stolorow, piano Doug Miller, bass Sylvia Cuenca, drums Scroll down for details!

c’est franÏ‚ais! pretty fancy, non? Pardon our French, but do we have some shows for you! From pianist Tammy Lynne Hall on the 10th to poet Nicholas James Whittington on the 20th, and stops along the way that include Jerry Ferraz’s backyard party on the 11th and Scott Foster’s All-Star Septet on the 17th, we’ll have more than enough on offer to show that Bird & Beckett has tapped a rich cultural vein in the San Francisco cultural bedrock… And books! We’ve got books! There’s always plenty more of both at Bird & Beckett… & we’re in it for the long haul, with 20 more years to come here on Chenery Street in charming little ol’ Glen Park. You’ll want to pick up a schedule at the store, keep an eye on our events calendar at the link in the navigation bar above, and poke through the posts that follow to…

When Gavin Newsom took the courageous and politically perilous step of declaring a moratorium on California’s death penalty, he gave Californians an unexpected chance to think about what having a death penalty tells us about ourselves as a society or even as human beings. Michael A. Kroll has spent a significant portion of his life opposing capital punishment. In his words, “I don’t know which I hate more, the fact that many states still execute their citizens, or the fact that so many of us still want it to happen.” On May 9, Michael Kroll will discuss the issues of capital punishment in California. He will read excerpts from his published pieces on the subject, and engage in conversation. He will also read from his memoir, Beijing & Beyond (subtitled: Eating (and spending) our way through China with personal reflections on China’s coming of age criminal justice system… and of…

It’s his birthday, and we’ll cry if we want too. You should too. But you won’t feel like it. Jerry!!!!

            Heikki “Mike” Koskinen: e-trumpet & piano Steve Heckman: saxes. flutes, clarinet ‘MONK MEETS NORDIC WINDS’. Heikki & Steve will present their latest material, ranging from Nordic traditional songs to straight ahead jazz. Their long collaborative history includes CD projects such as “Midnight Sun”, “Full Moon” and “Northern Winds & Voices”. “Beautifully melodic, wonderful discovery” – Alisa Clancy / KCSM Radio “Full Moon takes the music to new and interesting heights! A match made in jazz and improvisational heaven!” – Melanie Berzon, Program Director, KCSM ” A delightful listening experience by two master musicians. Varied in mood and texture, this is a work of art full of surprises and adventures. Highly recommended.” – Dick Conte, KCSM Before his move to the Bay Area HEIKKI “MIKE” KOSKINEN was chosen as Finland’s top jazz trumpet player in “Rytmi” magazine polls. He left his native land to study…