Following in the footsteps of jazz harp master Dorothy Ashby (who recorded with everyone from Freddie Hubbard and Frank Wess to Bill Withers and Stevie Wonder), the Destiny Muhammad Jazz Trio is a sleek and soulful ensemble designed to showcase Muhammad’s soaring vocals and transporting string work. Whether interpreting jazz standards or her original tunes, […]
Jazz for Dancing: From New Orleans to Swing & The Birth of Rhythm & Blues. With her playfully lascivious stage persona and sultry blues-inflected vocals, Lavay Smith emerged as the most swinging and deeply informed vocalist of the 1990s swing dance vogue. Backed by her stellar Red Hot Skillet Lickers and directed by pianist Chris […]
A seven-piece radical hip-hop soul collective from Oakland, Mass Bass grew out of an informal jam session hosted by activist-minded drummer Jay Conui and keyboardist Armael Malinis. Originally called Bandung 55, the group started honing an infectiously energetic sound at college campuses, community events and local venues. By the time they recorded their 2015 debut […]
SoltronMusic builds community and communities create music, a fact exemplified by this thrilling double bill. Las Cafeteras came together when seven young men and women started taking free music classes at the Eastside Café, a bustling Chicano cultural center in northeast Los Angeles. What started as a casual exploration of their Mexican roots quickly turned […]
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. Lisa Allen Ortiz is the author of Guide to the Exhibit which received the 2016 Perugia Press Prize. Her work has appeared in the anthology Best New Poets and […]
Calixto OviedoUruguayan-born conga drummer and lead singer Edgardo Cambón and his talent-laden salsa band Candela have been setting Bay Area dance floors on fire for three decades. With a rhythmically charged repertoire of salsa, timba, merengue, and bachata, Cambón has honed a body of songs featuring his original poetic lyrics and soaring tenor vocals, a […]
Born and raised in Morocco, Yassir Chadly is a multi-instrumental master who moves easily between the oud, gimbri, karkabas, darbuka, and other traditional North African instruments. He’s composed music for Alonzo King’s LINES Ballet and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, while collaborating with a glittering array of innovators, from Pharoah Sanders and Dizzy Gillespie […]
Updated 9/30/16 11:20AM: Due to unforeseen circumstances, this program has been rescheduled to a date to be announced. We apologize for the last minute notice. The move an artist makes from punk beginnings to more complicated crafts is fascinating to hear. Anita Lofton makes the trek with The Anita Lofton Project. Formerly of punk trio […]