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.
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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.”
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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).
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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!
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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
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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.
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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.
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SoMa’s newest venue for free programs
Tue, July 14, Noon – Bingo
Thu, July 16, 5pm – Anne Plaza Allery
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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