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Traveling through the lush paradise of Brazilian music, there are few more scenic byways than música popular brasileira – the enduring alchemy of fusing genres like samba and baião within the larger frameworks of Jazz, rock, classical and popular music. Even without a map, exploring this unique terrain with its rich harmonic complexity, elaborate lyrics, and remarkable emotive metaphors, leads musicians towards an inescapable reality: all roads lead to Guinga – the master guitarist, composer arranger and Brazilian music legend.

Having shaped a creative identity that embraces the signature energy of Brazil’s diverse artistic enterprise, Guinga’s legacy lives within the spirit of crafting a voice that’s essentially Brazilian while cultivating a vivacious universal appeal. A spirit lovingly captured by trombonist Natalie Cressman and guitarist Ian Faquini within their new GroundUP album GUINGA, releasing on April 12, 2024.

Trombone/classical guitar duos are very rare in Jazz. While few dare to exist beyond the occasional recording or live performance, Cressman and Faquini have transformed their platform into a sophisticated medium showcasing the extraordinary influence Brazilian contemporary artistry has had on music throughout the world. Tagged as the “Bossa Nova girl” while studying at the Manhattan School of Music, Cressman has always been inspired by Brazilian culture, frequently attending the California Brazil Camp in the mountainous enclave of Cazadero, California where she met Faquini, a Guinga protégé teaching at this annual summer gathering.

In time they discovered the dynamic nature of their instrumental pairing as well as the unique aperture it lends to the intricate nature of Brazilian music. Having mastered a resonant, open, and full bodied sound, Cressman and Faquini utilize a spacious tonal vocabulary, deft harmonic pairings and meticulous arranging that perfectly lends itself to the unique repertoire they’ve cultivated over the years.

Organic, improvisational and often initiated by humming out melodies, Guinga’s compositional style has played a significant role in shaping Cressman and Faquini’s artistic chemistry. Having spent years watching the master at work, both are fluent in the processes that powers Guinga’s magic, as his fluid incorporation of musical influences blends seamlessly with the florid temperament of their own creative ambitions. After recording albums exploring their personal relationship to contemporary Brazilian music, it was only a matter of time before Cressman and Faquini decided to focus on Guinga, a musician who’s been a mentor, teacher, collaborator and friend throughout the course of their careers.

Unlike most tribute albums celebrating artists long past, Guinga’s contributions are central to the process of the recording. Composing, arranging, and collaborating as a lyricist, Guinga’s ingenuity is matched only by his evocative and often haunting vocals. Compact, discreet, remarkably positioned with no less than fourteen songs, the album flows effortlessly like a personal juke box supplied by an endless roll of Brazilian centavos, all while unfolding into a delicate mosaic of Guinga’s musical world view.

Simplicity can feel like a rare commodity in our increasingly complex world. Knowing this, Natalie Cressman and Ian Faquini recognize that the simplicity of their instrumentation provides an introspective way to celebrate the legacy of música popular brasileira and the remarkable manner in which Guinga extends the vocabularies of its exceptional harmonic and melodic systems. Managing the perfect balance of space, pacing and musicianship, Cressman and Faquini have mastered the mechanics of unpacking the deep musical authority that defines the DNA of Brazilian music and the core of Guinga’s genius.

Cressman’s musical pedigree is impeccable, growing up as the daughter of vocalist Sandy Cressman and Santana trombonist Jeff Cressman, gaining fame as a member of Phish leader Trey Anastasio’s solo project, and working with Nicholas Payton and Wycliffe Gordon. A virtuosic instrumentalist and gifted singer, she’s a former member of the SFJAZZ High School All-Stars who has made good on her prodigious beginnings, working with a diverse range of artists including salsa icon Pete Escovedo’s Latin Jazz Orchestra, world music giant Jai Uttal and the Pagan Love Orchestra, and iconoclastic multi-instrumentalist Peter Apfelbaum.

Faquini, who was born in Brasília and now lives in Berkeley, California 15, was mentored by legendary Brazilian composer Guinga. He went on to study at the California Jazz Conservatory in Berkeley and immediately after graduating joined the faculty there. He is also on the faculty at California Brazil Camp, alongside musical legends including Ivan Lins, Guinga, Chico Pinheiro, and Spok. Ian has become one of the most unique and respected guitar players in the San Francisco Bay Area, with his distinct compositional style and harmonic sense. He is also a brilliant accompanist, which has made him an in-demand collaborator with vocalists in the Bay Area and beyond.

Tickets at Ian Faquini & Natalie Cressman

Marina Crouse grew up with a deep love for the Spanish-language albums Eydie Gormé recorded with Los Panchos -- always played by her grandmother at family gatherings and celebrations. She says, 'The songs on Canto de mi corazón are such a big part of me; of my past and my present. I really love this music and I hope you will too!'"

Marina Crouse is one of the most notable talents on the San Francisco/Bay Area music scene. Her early classical training is reflected in her powerful and versatile vocal style that creates a genuine excitement in every performance. Blessed with an incredibly expressive voice early in life, Marina Crouse applies her distinctive talents to a wide range of material while delivering an emotional authenticity that consistently cuts deep. “When I sing,” she says, “I feel like I break myself open and let a little piece of myself come out. I’m reaching out to people with hopes to connect on a personal level. And when we do, that to me is better than anything else."

Joining Marina for this performance will be Danny Caron and Dave Bell on acoustic guitar, Ruth Davies on bass, Vicki Randle on percussion and backing vocals, and Natalie John on backing vocals and trumpet.

Ticekts at Marina Crouse: Cantos de mi corazón

Jazz is an art form defined by surprise and uncertainty, but one safe bet is that Scott Amendola’s presence on the bandstand means that something interesting is about to go down. The Berkeley drummer has provided a turbo-charged flow of creativity for the Bay Area music scene since the mid-1990s both as a ubiquitous sideman (Charlie Hunter, T.J. Kirk, and Jenny Scheinman) and a bandleader with a knack for composing thrilling anthems.

His latest combo is SticklerPhonics featuring tenor saxophonist Raffi Garabedian and trombonist Danny Lubin-Laden. A Modern Micro Brass Band... Jazz, Groove, Funk, and much more! Drums, saxophone, and trombone, why not? With each player in The SticklerPhonics, the concept of working as a unit is crucial. Playing in the pocket, giving each other space, getting the audience to move... Like nothing you’ve heard. Playing original music.

The trio has plunged into the unmediated terrain that opens up in the absence of the usual guidelines,“a situation where there’s no bass and no chords,” Amendola said. “The sound is ever evolving.We’re really settling in, but there’s also the feeling like there are places to go. We’ve been adding my electronics and Danny bringing in a little looper. We’re just getting started.”

With all three players contributing original compositions, SticklerPhonics is a volatile combo that can draw on a vast continuum of jazz practices, from traditional jazz polyphony and ambient soundscapes to funk and free jazz. Amendola, who first gained national attention in the Grammy-nominated three-guitar and drums band T.J.Kirk, has a deep well of experience in unusual instrumental settings. His long-running duo with Hammond B-3organist Wil Blades got its start when they developed an impressively detailed version of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn’s late masterpiece Far East Suite.

”Born in New Jersey and long based in Berkeley, Amendola has woven a dense and far-reaching web of bandstand relationships that tie him to leading artists in jazz, blues, rock, new music and beyond.A creative catalyst as a bandleader, composer, and accompanist, he’s collaborated closely with artists such as guitarists Nels Cline, Jeff Parker, John Schott and Charlie Hunter, organist Wil Blades, violinists Jenny Scheinman and Regina Carter, saxophonists Larry Ochs and Phillip Greenlief, and clarinetist Ben Goldberg, players who’ve all forged singular paths within and beyond the realm of jazz. He’s led or co-led some two dozen albums and contributed to more than 100 recordings.

A Berkeley native now living in Oakland, Lubin-Laden studied with Art Baron, Alan Ferber, Lee Konitz and Ambrose Akinmusirie at the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music. In addition to SticklerPhonics,he performs in a wide array of settings, including the Jackie McLean repertory band JACKNIFE, Oakland R&B legend Johnny Talbot and DeThangs, the Electric Squeezebox Orchestra, and Brass Magic, the stylistically encompassing ensemble he co-led with Raffi Garabedian. Healso leads his own projects.

Born and raised in Berkeley, Garabedian studied with jazz heavyweights such as Tony Malaby, Mark Turner, Chris Cheek, Bill McHenry and Andrew Cyrille at the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music.He’s recorded and performed with a variety of artists, including Jorge Rossy, Ben Street,Dayna Stephens, and R&B innovator Johnny Talbot. He can be found playing around the Bay Area with the ElectricSqueezebox Orchestra and leading his own quartet and octet, and also performs with his brother, New York bassist Noah Garabedian.

Tickets at SticklerPhonics

Homage to Brazil embraces the diversity of Brazil's musical traditions, rather than simply focusing on Brazilian standards that have already crossed over into the jazz world. While many an American jazz singer flirts with the Brazilian Songbook, San Francisco vocalist Sandy Cressman made a name for herself as a true devotee of the country’s greatest contemporary composers, interpreting songs by post-bossa masters like Milton Nascimento, Hermeto Pascoal, Gilberto Gil, and Filó Machado in Rio-accented Portuguese. The friendships forged with Brazilian musicians during her musical travels course through her music.

Fo this special event, they will be spotlighting new arrangements from the Milton Nascimento project.

Sandy Cressman, voice/percussion

Murray Low, piano

David Belove, bass

Dillan Vado, drums

Sheldon Brown, saxophone

Tickets at Homenagem Brasiliera

After years of intensive recording projects and concerts for jazz aficionados throughout the U.S., four San Diego-based musicians came together with a purpose: explore the art of song in their own unique way! Renowned jazz, blues and gospel singer Leonard Patton teamed up with the critically acclaimed Danny Green Trio to form LP And The Vinyl. The band’s wide array of influences includes everything from jazz, R&B, and rock, to 80’s and 90’s hits, Brazilian music, and classical music. Blending these sounds together, LP And The Vinyl has created a highly unique and personal approach to music-making that leaves its audiences energized and craving more. The group’s repertoire draws from three separate areas: beautifully reimagined renditions of favorite hits by artists including Stevie Wonder, The Beatles, and David Bowie, fresh and funky explorations of jazz standards, and their own original songs. What lends consistency to their approach is the group’s ability to bring something new to the music every time. They play with no safety nets, and every emotion is on full display. Through Patton’s infectious charisma, and the virtuosic interplay between pianist Danny Green, bassist Justin Grinnell, and drummer Julien Cantelm, the audience is taken along for the ride every step of the way!

Since their formation in 2015, LP And The Vinyl has performed at notable festivals and venues including the Telluride Jazz Festival, the Vail Jazz Festival, the St. George Jazz Festival, Laguna Festival of the Arts, Chandler Center for the Arts, Tempe Center for the Arts, and the Strings Music Festival. They won the prestigious Jazz Road Tours grant in 2023 in support of their touring activities in Florida and Georgia. LP And The Vinyl has also participated in multiple residencies for organizations including Quad City Arts and Alpine Artisans. The residencies included a mix of educational outreach programs, community engagement, and performances.

Their debut album, Heard And Seen was released in April 2020 on Origin Records and features music by The Beatles, Quincy Jones, Tears for Fears, David Bowie, Oasis, as well as jazz standards, and original songs. Jazz critic Travis Rogers Jr. said of the album, “From tight arrangements to free-wheeling improvisations, this telepathic trio evolves into an equally intercommunicating quartet with Leonard Patton. If there is a group worthy of special attention and reintroduction in jazz, it is LP and the Vinyl.”

The members of LP And The Vinyl are all dedicated and experienced music educators. They hold faculty positions at the University of San Diego, Grossmont Community College, as well as school and community performing arts programs. They have given lectures, workshops, and clinics at venues across the United States.

Tickets at LP & The Vinyl

Delicious, delightful, bodacious, brave, insightful, seductive, and fun - just some of the many adjectives one might use to describe Judith Owen’s fascinating and alluring new album- ‘Come On & Get It.’

Celebrating the unapologetic and often unsung badass ladies of 1940’s and 50’s jazz and blues, Owen, shares the stories, and embodies the spirit, accomplishment, and delicious joy of these risqué trailblazers, for the rest of 2023 thru 2024, with a hi-octane live show, accompanied by her New Orleans Allstar band- ‘The Gentlemen Callers’.

Described by Rolling Stone as “an exercise in style”, and “one of the most joyous releases of the year”, by the London Times, Owen and her band bring you retro with a fresh feel, and a live show that will leave you entertained, educated, uplifted, and inspired.

The latest iteration of Owen began with the arrival of her 13th album, Come On & Get It. The project is rooted in her childhood fascination with the jazz music of some of the ballsiest women of the Jazz and Blues world, including unsung trailblazers – Nellie Lutcher and Julia Lee – whom she discovered hidden on the shelves of her father’s record collection.

Captivated and enchanted by these “unapologetic” chanteuses of the 40’s/50’s (along with Pearl Bailey, Dinah Washington, Blossom Dearie, Peggy Lee, Julie London), Owen made it her mission to dig deep and find out more from both a musical and historical perspective.

The album was recorded at Esplanade Studios in New Orleans – the city Owen now calls home – with a stellar cast of musicians, including Jason Marsalis, Donald Harrison, Charlie Gabriel, Nicholas Payton, David Torkanowsky, Kevin Louis, Evan Christopher, Ricardo Pascal and many more.

The result is the most joyful, uplifting, and empowering project. With the London Times calling it ‘one of the most joyous releases of the year’, and garnering support from flagship Jazz radio stations Jazz FM in the UK, TSF in France, and plays across NPR stations in the US.

Owen kicked off 2023 performing to thrilled audiences at sold out shows in Paris and Milan, followed by two ‘home-coming’ performances for the New Orlean’s Jazz Fest and a 5 night residency at New York’s McKittrick Hotel. She headed back to Europe for a series of summer festivals before she ’tore the roof off’ London’s Jazz Cafe in a packed-out show hosted by Jazz FM.

Accompanied by her New Orleans All-Star Band, Owen’s live shows are an ‘exercise in confidence’ as she “lights up the room with her red hair and her charisma.”

“In a snap of her fingers, she takes her .. audience with her, and dictates the tempo to her musicians with a naturalness that is almost divine.” [Toute la Culture]

NY showbiz critic Roger Friedman exclaimed ‘If you love real music, you can’t miss this show’.

Headline shows are planned for the fall which will take ‘Judith Owen & her Gentlemen Callers’ to select cities across the US and back to Europe. DON'T MISS THIS SHOW!!!

Tickets at Judith Owen & her Gentleman Callers

The Josh Nelson Trio is a dynamic collaboration between pianist/composer Josh Nelson, bassist Luca Alemanno, and drummer Dan Schnelle. The Trio is a cornerstone of the Los Angeles and California jazz scene, and performs dedicated trio concerts as well as supporting many talented vocalists and instrumentalists. Having recently been featured on Josh’s album “LA Stories: Live at Sam First”, the trio has a wide and versatile musical palette to draw from. They perform evocative and engaging original music, classic standard arrangements, and even film scores and pop tunes.

Pianist, composer and recording artist Josh Nelson maintains an active and creative schedule. He has performed and recorded with some of the most respected names in jazz and beyond, including Natalie Cole, Ivan Lins, Anthony Wilson, George Mraz, Jeff Hamilton, Walter Smith III, Dayna Stephens, Eddie Daniels, Gaby Moreno, Sinne Eeg, Richard Galliano, Michael Buble, Benny Golson, Sheila Jordan, Greg Hutchinson, John Clayton, John Pizzarelli, and Lewis Nash. Josh has performed around the world and contributed to numerous recordings, films and television shows.

Currently based in Los Angeles (originally from Lecce, Italy), upright/electric bassist Luca Alemanno is considered by critics “among the finest young modern jazz musicians that currently Italy has to offer.” An alumnus of the world-renowned Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance (2018), Luca studied and performed with jazz legends including Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Chris Potter, Danilo Perez, Terri Lyne Carrington, Jeff “Tain” Watts, Jimmy Heath, Billy Hart, Billy Childs and many more. In 2017, Luca won first place in the jazz division of the International Society of Bassists Performance Competition held in Ithaca, New York. Additionally, he won first prize at the 2009 European Bass Day. He is currently part of several other projects with artists including Cyrille Aimée, Simon Moullier, Anne Ducros, Stanley Jordan and Nicola Conte.

Dan Schnelle is one of the most talented, in-demand drummers in the Los Angeles area. Known for an intuitive ability to provide precisely what is necessary for each performance, Schnelle understands how to make other musicians comfortable, while bringing enough of the unexpected to his playing to keep it consistently exciting. Unsatisfied with the idea that the drum set is merely a time-keeping device, Schnelle is thoughtful about how this unique instrument, with its nearly limitless variety of sounds, can be tastefully and effectively deployed in a wide variety of musical situations.Notable collaborators in the studio and on tour have included Billy Childs, John Daversa, David Benoit, Jeff Parker, Karrin Allyson, David Binney, Josh Nelson, Laurence Hobgood, Larry Goldings, Alan Ferber, Joshua White, Sara Gazarek, Tim Lefebvre, Phillip Dizack, Jeff Babko, Dayna Stephens, Tigran Hamasyan, Walter Smith III, Anthony Wilson, Ben Wendel, James Torme, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, Dick Oats, and many others.

Tickets at Josh Nelson Trio

Michael O’Neill, a mainstay on the San Francisco Bay Area jazz scene, began studying clarinet at age 10. One of his first influences was his neighbor, the great jazz and studio drummer John Guerin who helped Michael with his first jazz band in Junior High School. Growing up in San Diego, he also participated in school bands and orchestras. After a stint in the Air Force Band, he entered college as a biology major with a music minor, studying composition, arranging and jazz performance, all while playing jazz clubs in the evenings..

He has had several high-profile gigs including a 13 year engagement at the Ritz Carlton in Half Moon Bay, a 7 year stint at Cetrella on the coast, and a 6 year steady gig at the Sofitel on the San Francisco peninsula. He has played and/or recorded with Idris Muhammad, Joe Locke, Geoffrey Keezer, Michael Wolff, Rodney Jones, Kenny Washington, Jackie Ryan, Tony Lindsay, Akira Tana, Michael Bluestein, Nicolas Bearde, Smith Dobson, and many others. He performs frequently at all the major venues in the Bay Area.

Michael has teamed up with an amazing band to produce a new CD Synergy

Michael O’Neill, tenor & soprano saxophones/bass clarinet; Tony Lindsay, vocals; John R. Burr, piano; Dan Feiszli, bass; Jason Lewis, drums; Omar Ledezma, percussion; Erik Jekabson, trumpet/ flugelhorn.

Review of the New CD
Tony Lindsay has one of those rich, full, warm voices that intoxicates as soon as you hear him sing. He is an 11-time Grammy winning vocalist, legendary for his long tenure with the popular Santana group. As Michael O’Neill and Erik Jekabson lay down a strong, harmonic horn groove, O’Neill’s voice floats above them, warm as sunshine. He draws us into this Latin-tinged arrangement of the popular Bill Withers tune, “A Lovely Day.” John R Burr takes a spirited solo on piano, followed by Erik Jekabson’s power-packed trumpet improvisation. Michael O’Neill dances into the spotlight on soprano saxophone and the band gives the drummers some space to shine. Percussionist Omar Ledezma shows off his percussive skills, locking in with the drums of Jason Lewis. This is a great, energetic way to start Michael O’Neill’s Sextet album.

Tickets at Michael O’Neill Sextet featuring Tony Lindsay

If you are a fan of Latin Jazz, this is a DON'T MISS EVENT!

A night of Contemporary Latin Jazz with Original Compositions and intriguing Arrangements

Performing the premiere of“Caminos” a Panamerican Jazz suite in 8 parts; Written and arranged by Saul Sierra - a project made possible in part by the Intermusic SF Musical Grant Program.

Featuring: Marco Diaz, Charlie Gurke, Julio Perez, Carlos Caro, with giuests John Santos, Jackie Rago, Edgardo Cambon, Anthony Blea, Braulio Barrera, Brian Rice, Manuel Constancio, Arwen Lawrence, Jorge Liceaga.

For the past 20 years Saúl Sierra has been a member of some of the leading bands in the Bay Area, including The John Santos Quintet/Sextet, Bobi Cespedes’ band, Dr. Loco’s Rocking Jalapeño Band, El Tren Trío, Anthony Blea y su Charanga, The Snake Trío, Jesús Díaz y su QBA, The Bay Area Afro-Cuban All Stars, The Venezuelan Music Project, Corazón Sur, Sababa band, Cascada de Flores, SJZ Collective, LaTiDo.

Marco Diaz is an accomplished recording musician who has shared the stage with Grammy Award winning artist, Israel “Cachao” Lopez, Nelson Gonzales, Jimmy Bosch, Pete “El Conde” Rodriguez, Ska Cubano (Europe), Tito Rojas, Nino Segarra, Anthony Cruz, Anthony Blea, Jovino Santos Neto, Joe Santiago, and is an integral member of the John Santos sextet, and the musical director for Bobi Cespedes.

Charlie Gurke is a saxophonist, composer, and educator active in the jazz and latin music scenes in the San Francisco Bay Area. You can hear him perform at venues and festivals around the bay with his own ensemble, Gurkestra, with cuban son quintet Latido, and with the salsa band Candela.

Julio Pérez and Carlos Caro on percussion are two of the most sought after musicians in the Latin Jazz world. Hailing from Cuba, they bring an infectious Afro-Cuban backbeat.

Tickets at Saul Sierra Latin Jazz

StorySlam Oakland is Oakland's longest-running true storytelling show, where people tell short and true stories from their lives. Or just listen and laugh. The theme changes every month. You can tell any story about yourself that touches on the theme in some way.

HOW THE SHOW WORKS:

Anybody can put their name in the hat for a chance to tell their true, personal story on the theme.

Storytellers will be mostly picked at random from the names in the hat. We may have one or two special picked guests. We usually have time for 8 to 10 open-mic storytellers. We also present one or two Featured Storytellers from our wonderful storytelling community. These are people who have won awards at various shows, or just are known to us for their great storytelling style and charisma. The Featured Storytellers tell true, personal stories, but a little longer than the open-mic'ers.

There is excellent food and drink available from the Sound Room cafe.

The venue is wheelchair accessible. There will be one intermission.

StorySlam Oakland rules for storytelling:

Put your name in the hat for a chance to tell

Stories must be about YOU

Stories must be TRUE

Length should be about 5 to 6 minutes, but no longer

Stories must be told aloud, not read and NO notes! Tell it just like you're telling friends around a dinner table.

No pressure! Just have fun. There is no voting and no judging.

Tickets at StorySlam Oakland

Rebecca Kleinmann, internationally acclaimed flutist and singer returns to the Bay Area to lead a night of Venezuelan music with master musicians Zack Pitt-Smith, winds; Carlos Caminos, guitar; Bil Hager, bass; and Marlon Aldana, percussion

Based in California until 2022, Rebecca Kleinmann has led her Quintet in various formations since 2001, touring internationally with this and other projects to Brazil, Australia, Europe, Africa and within the US. Pianist Benny Green made special note of her unique pursuit of artistic growth, explaining that “Rebecca is masterful and selfless in her ability and inclination of melding her sound with her environment.” In the words of Latin Grammy Nominated pianist and composer, Jovino Santos Neto, Rebecca plays flute with the passion of a flamenco dancer. Upon completing a June 2023 recording session in NYC, Grammy winning pianist, Taylor Eigsti said Rebecca "brought the music to life."

She began synthesizing her diverse musical interests as a flutist and vocalist at Indiana University, where she began her studies as a Classical Flute Performance major and historically graduated as the first Jazz Flute major in the history of the school’s Jazz Studies program, thanks to the support of her beloved mentor, the late David Baker. In addition, she has studied vocal performance with Fabiana Cozza and Jennifer Barnes. Her varied experiences as a vocalist include performances with the Taylor Memorial Gospel Choir and teaching vocal performance to thousands of elementary school children as an Orff-certified music educator in public schools. Both in teaching and in performances with the RKQ, Rebecca often utilizes her fluencies in Portuguese and Spanish.

In early 2022 Rebecca moved from Oakland to Durham, North Carolina and immediately began planting seeds to continue her musical career on the East Coast. Since the time of her last California concert in 2023, she has become a professor at UNC Chapel Hill, directing the university's "Charanga Carolina" ensemble, recorded and performed with Grammy winning pianist Taylor Eigsti, and received a Chamber Music America grant to fund her next album. Come enjoy this astral ensemble full of shining stars in the intimate setting of the Sound Room.

Tickets at Rebecca Kleinmann Quintet

Among the greatest compliments a musician can receive is praise from his fellow artists. With more than three decades of touring and fourteen previous albums, master blues guitarist and vocalist Chris Cain has earned his reputation as a musician’s musician. Since his first release in 1987, Cain has created his very own blues sound inspired by his heroes—B.B. King, Albert King, Ray Charles, Albert Collins, Grant Green and Wes Montgomery. His jazz-informed blues guitar playing is fiery, emotional and always unpredictable. His vocals—gruff, lived-in and powerful—add fuel to the fire. His indelible original songs keep one foot in the blues tradition and both eyes on the future. The pure joy Cain brings to his playing and singing is palpable, and draws fans even closer in.

"Hands down my favorite blues player on the scene today. He’s an absolute blinder of a guitarist, with the voice of B.B. King and the chops of Albert King." –Joe Bonamassa

"Chris Cain? Now that boy can PLAY the guitar!" –B.B. King

"Chris Cain is a hot-shot guitarist and a singer with the maturity of blues masters like Bobby Bland and B.B. King." –The Washington Post

Take some influence from B.B. King, Albert King, Ray Charles, and a pinch of Albert Collins. Add in dazzling blues and jazz guitar chops, a rich soulful baritone vocal delivering original, often wry and beleaguered lyrics with sophisticated chord changes and instrumentation, and skills on various horns and keyboards, all delivered with an uptown cool that never lacks searing passion. It all adds up to the one and only Chris Cain, who has gone from being a newcomer phenomenon bursting onto the blues scene in 1987 with a classic debut release, to being a legend, inspiration and long-established member of the blues pantheon.

Tickets at The Chris Cain Band

Adam Theis and Jazz Mafia take a completely new look at this legendary 1950s album from a 2024 perspective. The music strikes a precarious balance between the old and new - Birth of the Cool’s intricate Chamber/Jazz arrangements are reconstructed and placed in various musical vehicles developed over the past 70 years since the album’s release: Soul Jazz, 70s Fusion, Hip-Hop, Afro-Cuban and even Electronic are also interwoven into the lens of this new perspective. Players in this 6 piece ensemble switch between styles, tempos, feels, genre and even instruments at dizzying speeds, creating a truly unique modern Jazz performance and tribute to a true masterpiece.

“As an organization governed by a radically embracing ethos, the Jazz Mafia is the antithesis of a criminal enterprise. A trombonist, bassist, arranger, composer and inveterate band-builder, Theis seeks to welcome all comers stylistically and demographically, while the band makes the most of whatever it has to offer. It’s a conspiracy of generosity.”— Andrew Gilbert, The Mercury News

Adam Theis - bandleader, trombone

John Palowitch - Alto Sax

Tommy Occhiuto - tenor/bari sax

Colin Hogan - keys

Joshua Thurston Milgrom - upright bass

Henry Plumb - drums

Tickets at Birth of the Cool: Jazz Mafia

Join us for our monthly Blues Blowout. You won't want to miss these!

Jules Leyhe might look like your everyday, average, unassuming guy, but he’s one of the world’s foremost blues slide-guitar players—so much so that even Premier Guitar magazine called his music “the best blues slide licks since Derek Trucks, maybe even Duane Allman.” Those might sound like some big boots, but this Oakland native not only fills them, he wears them out and has to order new ones. This year, he is showcasing a new blues series at the Sound Room, where Leyhe and his Family Jules Blues Blowout will be joined by local blues players from around the Bay each month. This month, they’re joined by guitarist and vocalist Jefferson Bergey.

Oakland based, Chicago native Jefferson Bergey leads a musically schizophrenic life. As a solo act, he has over 500 covers in his arsenal spanning the last 75 years of popular music. He’s musically promiscuous and considers himself genre-fluid which is why you may have seen him at Bawdy Storytelling, Allman Brothers Tribute: Freestone Peaches, Lucky Devils Band, or a Monday night at Scopo Divino. He also teaches privately through his own studio, is a virtual game show host for WEVE.co. , and is the namesake of the Bergey Burger, winner of 48hills’ ‘Best of the Bay’ 2020/2021.

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Fula Brothers are a burst of unbridled creative musicianship and happy-making. This is a high spirited cross-cultural meeting of veteran performers from West Africa and America. Together, they weave West African hunters harp, fingerstyle guitar, drums, vocals, and a bounty of improvisation into an ecstatic groove-based dialogue which the heart - and the feet - cannot resist.
Master kamale ngoni player Mamadou Sidibe is a storied and award-winning West African musician, and a contagious joy. Thirty years ago in Mali, he was the first to break with tradition and take the ancient hunters harp outside the hunters' ceremonies, creating the now widely popular kamale ngoni. He frequently collaborates with West African superstar Oumou Sangare, with whom he recently wrote and recorded the internationally acclaimed CD “Timbuktu”. Mamadou has performed throughout Europe and the US with Malian stars like Coumba Sidibe and Toumani Diabate, and has recorded with American producer Rick Rubin.

Guitarist Walter Strauss' playing is held in high regard in varied corners of the musical world. The great Malian kora player Toumani Diabate calls Walter’s guitar renditions of kora music “inspirational”. British guitar icon Martin Simpson says his playing is “beautiful, fluid, and sophisticated”. His guitar is a rich blend of texture and syncopation, influenced by diverse global stringed instruments, both contemporary and ancient. Walter has collaborated in the US with Grammy-winning Malian kora player Mamadou Diabate, in Havana with violinist Tanmy Lopez Moreno and in Scotland with Old Blind Dogs fiddler Jonny Hardie.
Fula Brothers are elevated by the nimble grooves of ace drummer / percussionist Brian Rice - a veteran of multiple styles, known especially for his work in Brazilian and Cuban music. He has been percussionist for numerous touring Brazilian artists, soloist for Felipe Senna’s concerto for pandeiro and orchestra, and percussionist for the Bay Area’s own Wake the Dead. Brian has performed internationally, and at US venues like Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, and NPR's Tiny Desk Concerts.

Tickets at Fula Brothers

Oakland Samba Revue is the San Francisco Bay Area’s premiere banda de gafieira. Featuring a full horn section with tightly crafted original arrangements featuring 3 vocalists, O.S.R. draws on the sounds of samba de gafieira; an eclectic form of traditional samba from Brazil. O.S.R.’s unique brand of samba de gafieira includes heavy does of jazz, funk, forró, bolero and more.\

O.S.R. is a product of Grupo Falso Baiano co-founder Brian Moran – “Morangão” (guitar/cavaquinho/vocals and arrangements), backed by a rotating cast of some of the Bay Area’s best jazz and latin jazz musicians including vocalists/percussionists Catia Machado Lund and Katiana Vilá, Zack Pitt-Smith and Marçelo Meira (reeds), Erik Jekabson, Henry Hung and Ethan Pires (trumpets), Jeff Cressman and Remee Ashley (trombones), Brendan Neutra (bass), Fabio Reis and Dillon Vado (drums).

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Jazz vocalist and composer/lyricist Aimée Allen is known for her warm, sensual vocals that are both grounded and ethereal, and her soulful, poignant original songs that mix poetic lyricism with rich harmonies and rhythms. She has released 6 critically acclaimed albums. Her latest Love and the Catalyst was nominated for a 2023 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Jazz Album – Vocal. Her prior release, Wings Uncaged was named a Best of 2019 by Downbeat Magazine. Her repertoire of her own compositions and fresh takes on jazz standards engages listeners.

She will treat audiences at The Sound Room to an evening of jazz standards and her own originals accompanied by an all-star band including John R Burr on piano, Gary Brown on bass, and David Rokeach on drums.

Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, vocalist Aimée Allen's intimate connection with music began as a child. Her childhood was scored with classic jazz, because her mother kept selections from the tradition on the family turntable. Though singing was a part of her childhood, Aimée first began singing professionally with jazz a cappella groups in college. After graduation, Aimée (pronounced “em-ay” or “M-A”) moved to Paris where she performed regularly in jazz clubs and festivals. The deep relationship between the francophone audiences and Brazilian bossa nova, led Aimée to form Les Bossa Novices, a Paris-based group dedicated to bossa and jazz.

Aimée now performs regularly in New York City and frequently tours abroad. Standards and bossa are part of her repertoire, but now an accomplished composer, she also sings her original songs, many of which have become audience favorites. Her original music has been licensed for feature film and network television. She has sung with many renowned jazz musicians including Romero Lubambo, Ron McClure, François Moutin, Roswell Rudd, Ari Hoenig, Joel Frahm, and Yomo Toro. She has also conducted student workshops on songwriting and jazz performance.

Review from The Jazz Word

Aimée Allen is a vocalist and songwriter who has been turning many heads in recent years as she grows her substantial creative album catalog. Allen’s latest release, Love & the Catalyst, presents her refined original modern jazz music along with innovative arrangements of selections from the jazz cannon. Allen’s original music is intense musically and compelling lyrically. Her lyric themes include the wisdom of change and the catalytic agents that bring it about. Transformation, large and small, personal and collective, social and scientific. Allen will delight listeners in her lyrics about the alchemy of romance explored through the surprisingly sensual metaphors of science and the cosmos. This social conscience songwriter is a Nominee for the 54th Annual NACCP Outstanding Jazz Album – Vocal category.

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Jazz Mafia, the dynamic musical collective hailing from Oakland, California, mesmerizes audiences with their eclectic fusion of jazz, hip-hop, funk, and beyond. Led by composer and trombonist Adam Theis, Jazz Mafia captivates listeners with their innovative arrangements and infectious energy.

For this event, they will be honoring Prince on his birthday! Prince Rogers Nelson (June 7, 1958 – April 21, 2016) was an American singer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, record producer, and actor. The recipient of numerous awards and nominations, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest musicians of his generation. His wide vocal range, and his skill as a multi-instrumentalist, along with a love for a wide variety of styles, including funk, R&B, rock, new wave, jazz, blues, and soul will make him a revered musician for decades to come.

Featured vocalist Kate Lamont is a UK born and USA raised vocalist with roots R&B and Jazz and is gearing up to bring Prince's music to life on stage with an incredible ensemble of Jazz Mafia core member including Adam Theis, Ian McArdle, Joshua Thurston-Milgrom, and Henry Plumb .

“As an organization governed by a radically embracing ethos, the Jazz Mafia is the antithesis of a criminal enterprise. A trombonist, bassist, arranger, composer and inveterate band-builder, Theis seeks to welcome all comers stylistically and demographically, while the band makes the most of whatever it has to offer. It’s a conspiracy of generosity.”

— Andrew Gilbert, The Mercury News

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Darrell Grant's MJ New takes audiences on a journey from the heart of the HarlemRenaissance to Vienna, Brazil, and back again. Skillfully marrying classical counterpoint and the blues with refined swing inspired by their namesake, the legendary Modern Jazz Quartet, the group illuminates the diverse traditions of Black American Music.

Formed by Darrell Grant in 2013, MJ New brings together four storied West Coast scene-makers. Portland-based pianist/bandleader Darrell Grant is a veteran of the bands of Betty Carter, Tony Williams, and Roy Haynes. Since the release of his debut album Black Art, one of the New York Times'top ten jazz CDs, Grant has built an international reputation as a pianist, composer, and educator who channels the power of music to make change. He is the recipient of a Northwest Regional Emmy,Oregon Arts Commission Fellowship, MAP Fund grant, and the Governor’s Arts Award, his state’s highest arts honor. He is a Professor of Music at Portland State University, where he directs the Artist as Citizen Initiative.

Bassist, composer, arranger, educator, and bandleader Marcus Shelby is a figure synonymous with Bay Area jazz and the spirit of collaboration. A recipient of the Charles Mingus Scholarship, Shelby attended Cal Arts and studied with Charlie Haden and James Newton while working simultaneously with the all-star jazz ensemble Black/Note, who released a series of highly regarded albums in the1990s. Since moving to the Bay Area, he has led a highly regarded jazz orchestra and many smallgroups, with large-scale commissions focused on the history,present, and future of the African-American experience.

Vibraphonist Mike Horsfall has performed with Chuck Redd and Leroy Vinegar. He has recorded with Pink Martini, Nu Shooz Orchestra, and Tall Jazz, a trio he co-founded in 1989 which was voted into the Jazz Society of Oregon’s 2010 Hall ofFame. He serves on the music faculty at Willamette University.

Drummer Cecil Brooks III has recorded and toured with Stanley Turrentine, John Hicks, Geri Allen, and Pharoah Sanders. In addition to several albums as a leader and session work in both hard bop and bebop settings, Brooks is an award-winning producer of over 50 albums on the Savoy, Muse, & 32 Jazz labels and is the founder and proprietor of the celebrated New Jersey jazz club Cecil’s. He relocated to LosAngeles in 2010 a frequent performer at West Coast venues and festivals

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Flamenco is an artistic expression fusing song (cante), dance (baile) and musicianship (toque). Andalusia in southern Spain is the heartland of Flamenco, although it also has roots in regions such as Murcia and Extremadura. Cante is the vocal expression of flamenco, sung by men and women, preferably seated, with no backing singers. The gamut of feelings and states of mind – grief, joy, tragedy, rejoicing and fear – can be expressed through sincere, expressive lyrics characterized by brevity and simplicity.

Flamenco baile is a dance of passion, courtship, expressing a wide range of situations ranging from sadness to joy. The technique is complex, differing depending on whether the performer is male (heavier use of the feet) or female (gentler, more sensual movements). Toque or the art of guitar playing has long surpassed its original role as accompaniment. Other instruments, including castanets, hand-clapping and foot-stamping are also employed.

Flamenco is performed during religious festivals, rituals, church ceremonies and at private celebrations. It is the badge of identity of numerous communities and groups, in particular the Gitano (Roma) ethnic community, which has played an essential role in its development. Transmission occurs through dynasties, families, social groups and Flamenco clubs, all of which play a key role in its preservation and dissemination.

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A poet with a guitar and smokin’ hot band!! Maurice is in his own lane. Known for his wry/rye-to-romantic songwriting, agile guitar style and expressive singing, Tani's particular flavor of music is a broad spectrum tincture of influences to cure what ails you. While rooted (at times distantly) in country music, his writing is centered on an urban-western perspective. Perhaps he is best described as Blues Noir - Short musical narratives of life on the left coast; A sort of cinema for the blind.

The term Renaissance man could and should be applied to Maurice Tani. A certified jack of all trades in the San Francisco music scene for over forty years, Tani has extensive experience in the recording industry as singer, songwriter, guitarist, bassist, and producer. Recent alt-country/roots music releases with his band 77 El Deora, have garnered him a local following for both his records and live performances. Tani is right at home where the blues relaxes into Americana, and can sing jazz better than most who claim they do.

Maurice Tani is a self-confessed urban dweller, who sticks to what he knows, bringing the cosmopolitan feel of San Francisco, and all it entails, into his music. His voice possesses a confidence suited for enjoyable listening, his songs are melodic glimpses into a world of make believe that is painfully true. A natural writer with a musical soul. All About Jazz

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Bay Area singer-songwriter, Zoe FitzGerald Carter's latest album, Before the Machine, drops on June 7, 2024. The album weaves a rich fabric of folk, rock, blues and jazz and features a stellar cast of top Bay Area musicians. Inspired by memories of a pre-smart phone world, the title track explores how technology, and specifically smart phones, has changed our experience of time. Most of us live "in the machine,” but there was another world not so long ago. The world Before the Machine.

Picking up where Zoe’s last album, Waterlines, left off, Before the Machine further showcases the artist’s vivid, literary sense of language while weaving a rich and confident fabric of folk, country, rock, blues and jazz.

From the achingly intimate beauty of Angel Bus to the sultry rocker Magic Bus, to the Tom Waits-eque evocation of New York City on Let’s Just Stay Friends, this wide-ranging 9-track LP features a stellar cast of top Bay Area musicians and, like Waterlines, was produced by Jeffrey Wood at Fantasy Studio in Berkeley, CA.

“Zoe’s writing talent is boundless. Her stories captivate even before you add the music.Each song is like a film. It takes you on a journey.And her voice is mesmerizing – crystalline, clear and cool.”
— Producer Jeffrey Wood (Fantasy Records)

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