Ben Stolorow, piano.
Peter Barshay, bass.
Vince Lateano, drums.
Special guest Kai Lyons, guitar.

$20 per person donation encouraged; byob.
Students, $5-$10. Kids free.

Guitarist Kai Lyons is a uniquely talented guitarist and a musicologist much admired by his peers and friends, adaptable to any congenial bandstand assembly like the one on hand this afternoon at Bird & Beckett. Though well schooled in the San Francisco public school system, in the constellation of opportunities revolving around the San Francisco Community Music Center, San Francisco Carnaval and many another of the wonderful regional music hubs in these parts, at William Paterson University in New Jersey and at San Francisco State University back home, Kai’s knowledge of the music has benefited most from his wide travels and immersion in the traditions of Africa, the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America and South America. He has a deep understanding of bebop and the jazz traditions preceding and following that mid-20th century revolution in jazz, and a terrific facility on guitars and their cousins. Mostly, he’s just a joy to hear.

Vince Lateano is one of the great jazz treasures keeping San Francisco culture rich in spirit and tradition. He’s a Sacramento kid who rousted out of the Army in 1965 and settled into the City by the Bay in 1966. He’s been a key player in the San Francisco jazz scene ever since, with indomitable good cheer and an easy going facility on the drum kit that never fails to provide the swing that propels this music. Vince has known and played extensively with all the great talents that have made San Francisco renowned as a major hub of jazz culture worldwide.

When Vince took up residence in the City, the drummer John Markham, a legendary figure in these parts, took him under his wing, subbing out dates to Vince whenever John went on the road. Vince played all the clubs with all the best jazz players from the get go. He also traveled, playing in bands headed by Woody Herman, Earl Hines and others. He led the house band at the historically crucial club called Jazz at Pearls operated by Pearl Wong and Sonny Buxton opposite City Lights bookshop from 1990 to 2003. When Pearl closed it down after unsuccessful lease negotiations, that marked the demise of the “last full-time jazz club” in the City. Vince moved on, leading legendary jam sessions at Pier 23, the Dogpatch Saloon and the Seven Mile House, as well Sweetie’s Art Bar down by Fisherman’s Wharf. Now, you’ll find Vince every month, various Sundays at 5pm, at Bird & Beckett out in Glen Park!