Summer is HERE!

Programs coming up August 15–31

Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers
Sat August 15, 1–2:30pm
With a vast repertoire of vintage R&B, jump blues, and dance-inducing standards, the flammable Lavay Smith is the Bay Area’s undisputed queen of swing. Backed by her all-star Red Hot Skillet Lickers, she delves into the most soulful chapters of the Great American Songbook. The most sincere form of flattery in jazz is being yourself, and Smith puts her own inimitable stamp on material associated with a glittering pantheon, including songs made famous by Billie Holiday, Etta James, Sarah Vaughan, Patsy Cline, Louis Armstrong, Ray Charles, Count Basie, and Duke Ellington.
SEE WEBPAGE RSVP ON FACEBOOK

Brazil in the Gardens
Sun August 16, 1–2:30pm
Widely hailed as one of Brazil’s most important post-Jobim composers, Guinga has written songs recorded by definitive vocalists such as Elis Regina, Nelson Gonçalves, Miúcha, and Clara Nunes. Brazilian superstar Ivan Lins created the Velas label to record Guinga, which eventually allowed him to give up his dental practice and focus full time on music. He’s joined by guitar virtuoso Marcus Tardelli, a sensational young talent who Guinga says “is like Rubinstein at the piano. There are certain musicians who…have a relationship with the unfathomable.” The program is a co-presentation with California Brazil Camp.
SEE WEBPAGE RSVP ON FACEBOOK

Charming Hostess
Thu August 20, 12:30–1:30pm
The brainchild of powerhouse vocalist Jewlia Eisenberg, Charming Hostess has evolved over the years from an art-rock big band to a female vocal trio to its latest incarnation as a quintet drawing on a confoundingly diverse array of influences from the Jewish and African diasporas, with Andalusian cadences and Pygmy polyphony thrown in for good measure. Inhabiting the intersection of voice, text and diaspora consciousness, the Bay Area band is a whirl of eerie harmony, hot rhythm, and radical smarts. For this program the group is exploring Sephardic women’s music, songs that mostly address sex and work (in Ladino, the almost forgotten language of Spain’s exiled Jews).
SEE WEBPAGE RSVP ON FACEBOOK

Vission Latina
Thu Aug 20, 6–7:30pm
@ Jessie Square
Since moving to the Bay Area in 1996, Havana-born percussionist Carlos Caró has become a ubiquitous force on the Latin music scene, providing authoritative rhythmic support in numerous bands representing a dazzling array of Cuban styles, from 19th century danzón to 21st century timba. He launched Vission Latina 12 years ago to pursue his passion for high-energy salsa, and the band features an impressive cast of masters from across the Americas. A key addition came in 2008, when the well-traveled Cuban vocalist Felix Samuel joined the fold in time for the group’s blazing second album, Sonando Como un Cañón, earning avid international attention.
SEE WEBPAGE RSVP ON FACEBOOK

Cambalache + Tarimba
Sat Aug 22, 1–3pm
When the community comes together in the state of Veracruz the resulting party is a fandango, a celebration powered by the Afro-Mexican style of son jarocho and the percussive zapateado dance. With two son jarocho groups making their Yerba Buena Gardens Festival debut, let the fandango begin! Cambalache (a word meaning “exchange”) is a Chicano-jarocho group based in East Los Angeles known for inviting the public to participate in their presentations. Tarimba is a band comprised of Bay Area multi-instrumentalists dedicated to son jarocho’s community-building ethos, playful lyrics, and improvisational sensibility.
SEE WEBPAGE RSVP ON FACEBOOK

Clynton Oliver Cox
Thu Aug 27, 12:30–1:30pm
A soul-drenched guitarist, vocalist and songwriter ripe to break through to a wider audience, Clynton Oliver Cox has earned favorable comparisons to artists such as Anthony Hamilton, Stevie Wonder, and John Legend. A product of the storied Fame LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, he grew up in Brooklyn and earned a degree in writing and production from Berklee College of Music. Currently working on his self-produced debut album Brown House Red Door, Cox is a standout talent. Catch him now so you can say you saw him when.
SEE WEBPAGE RSVP ON FACEBOOK

Children’s Garden Series

Fun, interactive programs for children under 10 and their adults. School groups and day camps are welcome. Hats are advised for sun protection.

Pi Clowns
Fri Aug 21, 11–11:30am & 12:15–12:45pm
Silliness is very serious business for the Pi Clowns. A company dedicated to knock-about physical comedy, these performers don’t tell jokes. They embody them with robust and timeless antics. Blending mime, theater, acrobatics, juggling, and improvisation, the Pi Clowns deliver delightful and original clown vignettes. Pi members have worked as performers, teachers, and technicians for world-class institutions from Cirque Du Soleil and The New Pickle Circus to the San Francisco Circus Center and Teatro ZinZanni.
SEE WEBPAGE RSVP ON FACEBOOK

Special Projects

Jazz Latino: Multi-dimensional Artistic Expression in the Americas
Wednesdays Aug 5 – Sept 9, 7-9pm (6-class series)
@Museum of the African Diaspora
8/19 session @California Historical Society
John Santos, Instructor
Members: $15 per class / $75 full series
Public: $20 per class / $100 full series

Special for YBG Festival newsletter subscribers:
Use code MOAD to get Member pricing

100 years have passed since the word jazz arose to crown what would become our country’s national art form. Jazz has come a long way in that time, and Latin American elements have played a major role in its formation, development, and current state, and will certainly affect its future.
TIX & MORE INFO

Great recent moments at YBG Festival

More videos at the YBG Festival YouTube channel.

YBG Festival also recommends…

Live. Local. Downtown. Free. 
Discover the unexpected at Union Square Live’s free outdoor music, dance, theater, film, comedy and more. Every Wednesday at 6pm and Sundays at 2pm.
CLICK FOR DETAILS

SoMa’s newest venue for free programs
Tue, July 14, Noon – Bingo
Thu, July 16, 5pm – Anne Plaza Allery
CLICK FOR DETAILS

At the Children’s Creativity Museum…
The Day the Crayons Quit
Sat & Sun, Aug 1–23, 2015, 11am & 2pm
Duncan loves to color. So you can imagine his surprise when he discovers that his crayons want to have a word with him.
CLICK FOR DETAILS & TIX

Fort Mason Center Presents in association with Asian Improv aRts, API Cultural Center, and the Chinese Historical Society of America present the World Premiere of

Fire of Freedom
by Lenora Lee Dance
Thu-Sun, Sept 10-13 and 17-20, 2015, 8pm
A new multimedia immersive dance piece that explores cycles of violence and healing.
CLICK FOR DETAILS BUY TICKETS

Eureka! We might find it
by BodiGram
Sat, Aug 29, 7pm & Sun, Aug 30, 7pm
A wonderfully comedic dance that brings us out from behind our desks and into nature.
BUY TICKETS

Summer is HERE!

Programs coming up August 1–15 ~

AfroSolo in the Gardens
Sat Aug 1, 1–2:30pm
In collaboration with Yerba Buena Gardens Festival, AfroSolo Arts Festival presents its 15th annual free concert in Yerba Buena Gardens.

Drummer Linda Livingston is accompanied by Daryl Bishop (bass), Reggie Brown (rhythm guitar), Rodney Connor (lead guitar), Lorenzo Macon (drums), and George Stanley (saxophone). Livingston started playing the drum set at age 21, quickly adding congas, timbales and trap drums to her repertoire. She has performed alongside Sheila E., Pete and Juan Escovedo and Lenny Williams to name a few. She is a member of the band “D-Hook,” performing smooth jazz and original compositions. Livingston is currently performing at San Francisco’s Cyclone Warehouse, where she has an acting role in The Emperor Jones.

William (Bill) Norwood’s career as a musician began at the tender age of 4, through the encouragement of his mother, Dorothy Norwood. He has performed with acts such as Robert “Magic Man” Winters, The Gospel Hummingbirds, Lenny Williams, The Drifters, Robin Duhe. He is currently involved in Top Shelf Classics and is a principle musician and coach with Industry Coach for TIBC-TV. For today’s concert Norwood is accompanied by Lorenzo Hawkins (keyboard), Arlington Houston (bass), Morris LeGrande (guitar) and Roussell White (trumpet).
SEE WEBPAGE RSVP ON FACEBOOK

San Francisco Mime Troupe’s Freedomland
Sun Aug 2, 2–3pm
Pre-show music at 1:30pm
Fasten your seatbelts for another wild yet thought-provoking ride with the world-renowned San Francisco Mime Troupe.

In Freedomland, young Nathaniel returns from serving in Afghanistan only to find another war zone at home. Meanwhile the Mayor and the Police Chief – one desperate for votes, the other desperate to fund his militarized police force – ramp up the fear (and their shiny new tank) to fight the newest, drug threat to America… worse than weed, meth, coke, crack, or crank, it’s… SNORF!!
SEE WEBPAGE RSVP ON FACEBOOK

Raq Filipina
Thu Aug 6, 12:30–1:30pm
Fusing her Filipino roots with Afro-Cuban, Brazilian and Caribbean rhythms and chill electronica, Bay Area vocalist Raq Filipina has crafted a highly personal sound that’s urgent and nostalgic, mysterious and welcoming, uplifting and challenging. An award-winning composer and performer who grew up in a musical family in the midst of Manila’s tumult, Filipina makes a striking first impression with her sensuous vocals. At the age of six, she began selling fruits and vegetables in the sidewalk market to earn pocket money, and the sights, sounds, and colors that inundated her continue to shape her compositions today.
SEE WEBPAGE RSVP ON FACEBOOK

Pistahan
Sat Aug 8, 11am–5pm
Sun Aug 9, 11am–5pm
Celebrating Filipino and Filipino-American arts and culture, the 22nd annual Pistahan features several art pavilions and stages highlighting contemporary and traditional music, dance, art, crafts, cuisine, and artifacts. A trade expo offers products unique to the Philippines, including foods, books, jewelry, clothes and products for the home created from mother of pearl, bamboo, coconut, mahogany, marble, pineapple fiber and more. It’s the next best thing to a trip to Manila!
SEE WEBPAGE RSVP ON FACEBOOK

Poetic Tuesday with Litquake
Tue Aug 11, 12:30–1:30pm
Enjoy line breaks during your lunch break, as some of the Bay Area’s best poets and musicians share their work in the great outdoors.

Indira Allegra is a Jackson Literary Award winner, former Lambda Literary Fellow, and has forthcoming work in Red Indian Road West: Native American Poetry from California. She has been interviewed by BBC Radio 4 and KQED.

José Luis Gutiérrez is a San Francisco poet whose work has appeared in Eratio, Jetfuel, The Cortland Review, Scythe, Margie, Letterbox, and DMQ.

Erik Noonan is the author of Stances (2012) and Haiku d’Etat (2013). Recent work appears in 32 Poems Magazine, Denver Quarterly, Samizdat, Sensitive Skin Magazine, [sic], The Small Press Book Review, and SubtleTea.

Emily Wolahan is the author of Hinge (2015). Her poetry has appeared in Gulf Coast, OmniVerse, DIAGRAM, Boston Review, and Drunken Boat. She is editor at JERRY Magazine and a member of the San Francisco Writer’s Grotto.

Ellisa Sun is a San Francisco-based singer-songwriter who aims to incorporate folk, jazz, and neo-soul into her tunes, drawing influences from artists like Jack Johnson to Amy Winehouse and Lauryn Hill.
SEE WEBPAGE RSVP ON FACEBOOK

Sonex
Thu Aug 13, 12:30–1:30pm
Sonex is at the forefront of a son jarocho renaissance in Veracruz, Mexico, as these virtuoso musicians combine the folk music traditions learned from the elders with virtuosic performance skills and a fusion of elements of rock, jazz, hip hop and funk. This unique blend is a representation of contemporary Mexican culture, rooted in deep traditions that help them explore new musical frontiers.
SEE WEBPAGE RSVP ON FACEBOOK

Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers
Sat Aug 15, 1–2:30pm
With a vast repertoire of vintage R&B, jump blues, and dance-inducing standards, the flammable Lavay Smith is the Bay Area’s undisputed queen of swing. Backed by her all-star Red Hot Skillet Lickers, she delves into the most soulful chapters of the Great American Songbook. The most sincere form of flattery in jazz is being yourself, and Smith puts her own inimitable stamp on material associated with a glittering pantheon, including songs made famous by Billie Holiday, Etta James, Sarah Vaughan, Patsy Cline, Louis Armstrong, Ray Charles, Count Basie, and Duke Ellington.
SEE WEBPAGE RSVP ON FACEBOOK

Children’s Garden Series

Fun, interactive programs for children under 10 and their adults. School groups and day camps are welcome. Hats are advised for sun protection.

Crosspulse
Fri, Aug 7, 11–11:30am & 12:15pm–12:45pm | Free
Using finger snaps, tight slaps, chest thumps, foot drags, hand rubs, and percussive dance steps, Crosspulse Ensemble performances are designed to entrance children with an international array of rhythms, instruments, and obscure musical practices. With five extraordinary artists versed in body percussion and a diverse array of traditions, Crosspulse features Keith Terry (jazz, body music), Evie Ladin (Appalachian), Omar Ledezma (Afro-Venezuelan), Bryan Dyer (beatbox), and Amber Hines (African-American spiritual). Creating a joyful noise that sure to entrance adults as well as kids, Crosspulse is a Bay Area treasure known for bringing body music into classrooms, theaters and nightclubs around the world.
SEE WEBPAGE RSVP ON FACEBOOK

The Unique Derique
Fri, Aug 14, 11–11:30am & 12:15–12:45pm
A beloved Bay Area institution, the Unique Derique is a prince among clowns, an internationally esteemed performer who has honed a singular blend of physical comedy and hambone body percussion. Derique (aka Lance McGee) started clowning in Berkeley at 15 with Circus A La Mode and later joined San Francisco’s Pickle Family Circus. He’s also a licensed drama therapist and school counselor who teaches mindfulness. Whether he’s in a park, Harlem’s storied Apollo Theatre, or collaborating with Bobby McFerrin, The Temptations, or the late Sammy Davis Jr., the Unique Derique earns gales of laughter with his wildly imaginative skits.
SEE WEBPAGE RSVP ON FACEBOOK

Special Project

Jazz Latino: Multi-dimensional Artistic Expression in the Americas
Wednesdays Aug 5 – Sept 9, 7-9pm (6-class series)
@Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD)
John Santos, Instructor
Members: $15 per class / $75 full series
Public: $20 per class / $100 full series

100 years have passed since the word jazz arose to crown what would become our country’s national art form. Jazz has come a long way in that time, and Latin American elements have played a major role in its formation, development, and current state, and will certainly affect its future.

Members sale begins 7/1/15

Tickets and More Info Subscribe to eNews for discount code

Great recent moments at YBG Festival

 
More videos at the YBG Festival YouTube channel.

YBG Festival also recommends…

Live. Local. Downtown. Free.
Discover the unexpected at Union Square Live’s free outdoor music, dance, theater, film, comedy and more. Every Wednesday at 6pm and Sundays at 2pm.
CLICK FOR DETAILS

At the Children’s Creativity Museum:
Design a car and see how fast you can make it go when you apply science and engineering! All materials provided, just bring your imagination. (Ages 6+) July 11 & 25, 1:00pm & 2:30pm
Click for Details

Summer is HERE!

Programs coming up July 14–30 ~

Poetic Tuesday with Litquake
Tue July 14, 12:30–1:30pm
@Jessie Square
Lines and lyrics from Litquake Nation! Enjoy line breaks during your lunch break, as some of the Bay Area’s best poets and musicians share their work in the great outdoors.

This program features Peter Kline, D. Scot Miller, Pireeni Sundaralingam, Susan Terris, and musical guest The Dull Richards.
SEE WEBPAGE RSVP ON FACEBOOK

Will Magid & Alligator Spacewalk
Thu July 16, 12:30–1:30pm
A wildly charismatic trumpeter with a global musical vision, Will Magid has earned a devoted following with his Bay Area concert series World Wide Dance Party, a moveable musical feast serving up celebratory sounds from around the world. More than a horn player, Magid is a multi-instrumentalist, producer and DJ who laces his live performances with electronic loops and samples, seamlessly blending original music with an international sonic palette. He debuts Alligator Spacewalk at the YBG Festival, a singular ensemble including Adam Theis on horns, Shaina Evoniuk on violin, Kevin Wong on B3 organ and synths, Zebuel Early on guitar, Paul Oliphant on drums, Enrique “Quique” Padilla on percussion, and vocalist Ezekiel McCarter. Together they form what Will describes as “a sonic journey through time and space blending 1920s jazz, French Impressionism, funk, and global sounds.”
SEE WEBPAGE RSVP ON FACEBOOK

Montuno Swing
Thu July 16, 6–7:30pm
When Mexican-born pianist Christian Tumalán isn’t co-leading the Grammy Award-winning Pacific Mambo Orchestra, he gets his groove on with the lean and mean Montuno Swing, a hard-driving nine-piece combo that delivers old-school salsa dura (as opposed to swooning salsa romantica). With a double trombone front line harkening back to Eddie Palmieri’s Conjunto La Perfecta, the band puts a contemporary spin on the classic sound that set New York spinning in the 1960s, powered by a stellar percussion section with Venezuelan-born Omar Ledezma Jr., Uruguayan-reared Edgardo Cambón, Oakland’s Gibby Ross, and Peruvian-born Braulio Barrera (who also plays with the Pacific Mambo Orchestra).
SEE WEBPAGE RSVP ON FACEBOOK

RAWdance’s Through my fingers to the deep
Fri July 17, 7–8pm
Sat July 18, 7–8pm
Sun July 19, 1–2pm
Multiple locations. Meet @Esplanade
The site-specific Through my fingers to the deep, commissioned by the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival, features an original score by San Francisco-based composer Joel St. Julien. An award-winning modern dance company known for transforming unexpected public spaces with emotionally charged movement, RAWdance is a dynamic force on the Bay Area cultural scene that has earned a reputation for pushing into exciting new territory. Founded by choreographers Ryan T. Smith and Wendy Rein, RAWdance is dedicated to exposing the intimate core of our relationships and identities via athletic works driven by human interactions. In 2014 the company earned an SF Bay Guardian Goldie Award for its contribution to San Francisco arts.

Be sure to also check out the exclusive blog entry RAWdance wrote on their creative process for YBG Festival.
SEE WEBPAGE RSVP ON FACEBOOK Read Blog Entry

Duniya Dance and Drum Company
Thu July 23, 12:30–1:30pm
What happens when two distant and vastly sophisticated musical cultures converge in an ongoing creative endeavor? In Duniya Dance and Drum Company the result is an electrifying conversation between the West African traditions of Guinea and the North Indian traditions of Punjab. Founded in 2007 by esteemed cultural activists Joti Singh and Bongo Sidibe, San Francisco’s Duniya is dedicated to cultivating respect for traditional forms, fostering cultural exchange, effecting social justice and building community. Characterized by high-energy performances, Duniya simultaneously pays homage to and innovates within traditional forms to explore challenges faced in today’s world.
SEE WEBPAGE RSVP ON FACEBOOK

Elephantine + Bells Atlas
Sat July 25, 1–3pm
With two singular Bay Area bands this double bill delivers a one-two punch of rambunctious rhythm. Led by shapeshifter vocalist Zakiya Harris, Elephantine is a seven-piece Afro-eclectic combo that fuses soul, house, and hip-hop with electronic sensibilities. Featuring singers, dancers and instrumentalists, the band boasts a huge, stomping sound. Bells Atlas is a dynamic group out of Oakland that draws on highlife, hip-hop, samba, and R&B. What unites these two bands is their ability to grab ears and inspire relentless body movement.
SEE WEBPAGE RSVP ON FACEBOOK

Mo’Fone
Thu July 30, 12:30–1:30pm
A little band with a huge sound, Mo’Fone combines the raucous brass traditions of New Orleans with rhythmic flexibility of a jazz combo. Led by drummer Jeremy Steinkoler, Mo’Fone is a stripped down trio featuring Larry De La Cruz on alto sax, clarinet and flute, and Jim Peterson on baritone sax and bass clarinet. Veteran reed players with extensive jazz and R&B credits, they seamlessly shift roles in each tune, sliding from riffing support to propulsive solos. A power trio in every sense of the term, Mo’Fone somehow captures the kinetic power and sonic punch of a funk horn section distilled to its essence.
SEE WEBPAGE RSVP ON FACEBOOK

Children’s Garden Series

Fun, interactive programs for children under 10 and their adults. School groups and day camps are welcome. Hats are advised for sun protection.
The Unique Derique
Fri, July 17, 11–11:30am & 12:15–12:45pm
A beloved Bay Area institution, the Unique Derique is a prince among clowns, an internationally esteemed performer who has honed a singular blend of physical comedy and hambone body percussion. Derique (aka Lance McGee) started clowning in Berkeley at 15 with Circus A La Mode and later joined San Francisco’s Pickle Family Circus. He’s also a licensed drama therapist and school counselor who teaches mindfulness. Whether he’s in a park, Harlem’s storied Apollo Theatre, or collaborating with Bobby McFerrin, The Temptations, or the late Sammy Davis Jr., the Unique Derique earns gales of laughter with his wildly imaginative skits.
SEE WEBPAGE RSVP ON FACEBOOK

Chelle! & Friends
Fri, July 24, 11–11:30am & 12:15pm–12:45pm | Free
Led by New Orleans-native Michelle Jacques, a soul-steeped vocalist with a big, bold voice, Chelle! & Friends bring to the Gardens a family-friendly taste of the Crescent City, the cradle of so much essential American music. Featuring some of the region’s most exciting musicians, including blues-steeped guitarist Eric Swinderman, jazz bassist Sam Bevan, and vocalist Bryan Dyer, Chelle! & Friends deliver music that’s steeped in the cadences of gospel and animated by the earthy grooves of R&B and the Caribbean. Join the party, move your feet, sing along, and join a Mardi Gras parade!
SEE WEBPAGE RSVP ON FACEBOOK

Venezuelan Music Project
Fri, July 24, 11–11:30am & 12:15pm–12:45pm | Free
Led by New Orleans-native Michelle Jacques, a soul-steeped vocalist with a big, bold voice, Chelle! & Friends bring to the Gardens a family-friendly taste of the Crescent City, the cradle of so much essential American music. Featuring some of the region’s most exciting musicians, including blues-steeped guitarist Eric Swinderman, jazz bassist Sam Bevan, and vocalist Bryan Dyer, Chelle! & Friends deliver music that’s steeped in the cadences of gospel and animated by the earthy grooves of R&B and the Caribbean. Join the party, move your feet, sing along, and join a Mardi Gras parade!
SEE WEBPAGE RSVP ON FACEBOOK

Jazz Latino: Multi-dimensional Artistic Expression in the Americas
Wednesdays Aug 5 – Sept 9, 7-9pm (6-class series)
@Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD)
John Santos, Instructor
Members: $15 per class / $75 full series
Public: $20 per class / $100 full series

100 years have passed since the word jazz arose to crown what would become our country’s national art form. Jazz has come a long way in that time, and Latin American elements have played a major role in its formation, development, and current state, and will certainly affect its future.

Members sale begins 7/1/15

Tickets and More Info Subscribe to eNews for discount code

Great recent moments at YBG Festival

More videos at the YBG Festival YouTube channel.

YBG Festival also recommends…

Upcoming at SFJAZZ…
Chicano Soul group, La Santa Cecilia, returns to SF on Friday, July 24.
DETAILS & Tickets

A new noteworthy blog of music and social issues
Beyond the Blues: A Prison Oratorio is now a blog! Learn about and join Marcus Shelby’s project about the Blues and the American prison system.
CLICK FOR DETAILS

Live. Local. Downtown. Free.
Discover the unexpected at Union Square Live’s free outdoor music, dance, theater, film, comedy and more. Every Wednesday at 6pm and Sundays at 2pm.
CLICK FOR DETAILS

SoMa’s newest venue for free programs
Tue, July 14, Noon – Bingo
Thu, July 16, 5pm – Anne Plaza Allery
CLICK FOR DETAILS
At the Children’s Creativity Museum:
Design a car and see how fast you can make it go when you apply science and engineering! All materials provided, just bring your imagination. (Ages 6+) July 11 & 25, 1:00pm & 2:30pm
Click for Details