Straight out of East L.A., Quetzal forges a sound as rich and complex as their pluri-ethnic barrio experience. The group is part of a transnational dialogue between musicians in California and Veracruz, Mexico known as Fandango Sin Fronteras, giving rise to numerous recordings, performances, and publications. Their album, Imaginaries (Smithsonian Folkways), received the 2013 Grammy […]
Identity & Resistance in Cuban & Puerto Rican Music In working-class Afro-Latin communities, nothing surpasses music in terms of cultural expression and documentation. Self-identity, education, resistance, escapism, and the concept of our history in our own voices are all imbedded in the text and sub-text of the traditional and popular music of Afro-Latin America. In […]
The brainchild of singer-songwriter Valerie Troutt, MoonCandy is a soulful house ensemble that features the inspirational voices of some of the East Bay's leading lights of jazz, soul, blues and gospel. MoonCandy is a church without walls . . . soulful, uplifting and fabulous! http://youtu.be/FuGXW7RQonU Visit the artist's website at: www.valerietrouttprojects.com
Ryan T. Smith and Wendy Rein formed RAWdance to expose the intimate core of our relationships and identities. The company makes technical, athletic works driven by human interactions and presents them in unexpected public spaces as well as the theater. RAWdance was awarded a 2013 SF Bay Guardian Goldie Award for its contribution to San […]
Ryan T. Smith and Wendy Rein formed RAWdance to expose the intimate core of our relationships and identities. The company makes technical, athletic works driven by human interactions and presents them in unexpected public spaces as well as the theater. RAWdance was awarded a 2013 SF Bay Guardian Goldie Award for its contribution to San […]
Not to be missed! Introducing DakhaBrakha, a world-music subversive punk-folk quartet from Kiev, Ukraine. Reflecting fundamental elements of sound and soul, "ethno-chaos" band DakhaBrakha, creates a world of unexpected new music like you've never heard before. Accompanied by Indian, Arabic, African, Russian and Australian traditional instrumentation, the quartet's astonishingly powerful and uncompromising vocal range creates […]
Identity & Resistance in Cuban & Puerto Rican Music In working-class Afro-Latin communities, nothing surpasses music in terms of cultural expression and documentation. Self-identity, education, resistance, escapism, and the concept of our history in our own voices are all imbedded in the text and sub-text of the traditional and popular music of Afro-Latin America. In […]
Originating as a street band, bringing the klezmer to peace marches, freedom rallies & street parties, the gonifs klezmer band plays traditional Jewish folk music with a twist. The core band attracts dazzling guest players like Stu Brotman, Josh Horowitz, and Cookie Segelstein, who join founding member Jeanette Lewicki to perform dance music and Yiddish […]
The Shotgun Wedding Quintet is an illicit blend of hip-hop and jazz that's rooted in tradition, but is ever looking forward. The multi-instrumentalist band members make use of samplers and looping-techniques to create a wall of sound as they shift from instrument to instrument, building continuous layers of music and rhythm, paying homage to the […]
Proving that creativity is ageless, the TODCO Poets wax eloquent on romance, friendships, family, politics, and aging. Under the direction of Nancy Deutsch, the Poets bring wit and wisdom to their original works of poetry. www.todco.org/creativewritingclass.html
SambaDá is the West Coast's hottest purveyor of Afro-Brazilian, samba, funk, reggae dance beats! Featuring Brazilian natives Papiba Godinho and Dandha da Hora (Ile Aiye), the band is known for its high-energy percussion, danceable grooves and visually dynamic performance. http://youtu.be/YnI7XeK1f9w Visit the artist's website at: www.sambada.com
Afro-Cuban All Stars, led by the incredible Juan de Marcos (co-founder of Sierra Maestra and musical director of Buena Vista Social Club’s first recording sessions), perform at the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival on Sept. 21, 2014.
After the Afro-Cuban All Stars concert, meet the legendary Juan de Marcos in an informal and engaging Q&A conducted by Chelis Lopez of KPOO-FM Radio, followed by a reception. A central figure in Cuban music for three decades, Juan de Marcos has set himself a lifetime mission: to show the wealth, diversity and vitality of […]