As a pianist, M.C., composer, and producer, Oakland’s Kev Choice is more than an artist with a distinctive vision embracing hip-hop, jazz, R&B, soul, and European classical music. He’s an activist and community leader whose music poses tough questions and suggests celebratory answers. After establishing himself touring and recording with stars such as Lauryn Hill, […]
San Francisco’s Camille Mai is an artist who keeps every door open. A pianist, vocalist, composer and leader of the uncategorizable band Rebirth Canal, she’s created a protean body of songs infused with Latin American rhythms filtered through an abiding affection for the slinky grooves of the late, pervasively influential producer J Dilla. That supremely […]
Since 2009 the Bay Area band Sentimiento y Manana has celebrated the music, culture, and spirit of La Isabel, a Guantanamo hamlet in the eastern Cuban stare of Matanzas. Led by Havana-born Juan Stable on guayo (metal scraper), the group includes guitarist Kai Lyons, Joe Churchill on marimba, Ramon Jay on maracas, and Ricky Aguilar […]
This children’s program repeats at 12:15pm Friday, 7/16/21. What’s in that box, you ask? In the hands of Ka-Hon, a gentle spring shower, a flamenco troupe, a galloping stallion and a rumba circle. Drawing on a pan-American array of rhythms, the high-energy ensemble displays the astounding versatility of the humble cajón, a simple wooden box usually […]
This children’s program is a repeat of the 11am Friday, 7/16/21 show. What’s in that box, you ask? In the hands of Ka-Hon, a gentle spring shower, a flamenco troupe, a galloping stallion and a rumba circle. Drawing on a pan-American array of rhythms, the high-energy ensemble displays the astounding versatility of the humble cajón, a […]
Pre-show DJ set by Chulita Vinyl Club at 12:30pm. La Doña is a name that denotes authority and mastery, traits that Cecilia Peña-Govea embodies after years of providing celebratory soundtracks for countless community celebrations. Growing up playing trumpet and singing alongside her sister in the San Francisco band run by their parents, La Familia Peña-Govea, […]
Born into a Richmond family deeply rooted in Louisiana French-Creole culture, accordion virtuoso Andre Thierry lays down irrepressibly grooving, R&B-inspired zydeco in English and French. He soaked up Louisiana culture at community dances in Richmond and Oakland with his grandparents, who were part of the Great Migration that brought thousands of Gulf Coast African-Americans to […]
Oakland-based hip-hop orchestra Ensemble Mik Nawooj has delivered some of the most thrilling Gardens performances in recent memory. The organizations have partnered to create and present “The Fountainheads,” a singular concert featuring YBG Festival commissioned pieces based on iconic European classical works by the likes of Beethoven, Mozart, and Bach. A true celebration embodying the […]
The Oakland-based band LoCura has honed a potent sound blending Latin American and Iberian idioms such as rumba, cumbia, and flamenco with punk rock, ska, hip hop, and reggae. This is Latin party music with a punch. Boasting three powerhouse women at the helm, LoCura has earned an avid following with raw, soul-stirring, cajón-driven performances […]