TANGENTIAL HAPPENINGS for AUGUST 2008
Note: All shows are 8p unless noted otherwise.
From time to time ticket giveaways will appear in red in the body of the text below. For a list of giveaways in the queue, or to get on the Tangents email list or answer contests please email tangentsradio@gmail.com.
Tues Aug 18 Afro Solo's Gala Concert Featuring Noah Griffin, Ohnedaruth, Robert Sims & Hope Foye @ Yoshis SF (1330 Fillmore at Eddy) 415 655-5600 yoshis.com
$25 Balcony, $35 Main Floor, $60 Gala reception and priority seating
Noah Griffin, Ohnedaruth, and Robert Sims will perform tributes to late greats Sammy Davis, Jr., Duke Ellington, and John Coltrane; 86 year old soprano Hope Foye will perform songs from her repertoire and will be honored with AfroSolo's Lifetime Artistic Achievement Award.
Hope Foye's extraordinary journey has taken her from a foster family in Middletown, Connecticut to an acclaimed international career as a classically trained soprano.
Comprised of members of the Saint John Coltrane Church in San Francisco, Ohnedaruth (Sanskrit for "compassion") will perform A Tribute to John Coltrane, featuring the melodies, harmonies and rhythms of John Coltrane's masterpiece A Love Supreme.
Performing A Tribute to Sammy Davis, Jr. is Bay Area native Noah Griffin. Griffin began his singing career at the age of seven when he joined the San Francisco Boys Chorus; since then, he has performed with Duke Ellington, and shared the stage with Paul Robeson, Nat King Cole, and Leontyne Price.
A leading interpreter of African American spirituals, Robert Sims recently made his recital debut at Carnegie Hall.
AfroSolo Theatre Company's mission is to nurture, promote, and present African American and African Diaspora art and culture through solo performances and the visual arts. http://afrosolo.org
Tuesday, August 18 (8:30p) Roy Carrier & the Night Show at 8:30 pm $12
Cajun/Zydeco dance lesson with Cheryl McBride at 8:00 pm
@ Ashkenaz (1317 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley) ashkenaz.com 510 525-5054
From Lawtell, Louisiana, accordionist and singer Roy Carrier carries on the original style of Zydeco created by his cousin Clifton Chenier. Carrier’s current Night Rockers feature rubboard player Phillip Carriere, bassist Dwight Carrier, guitarist Raymond Randle, and drummer Skeeter Charlot. With the first generation of zydeco greats now gone – Clifton Chenier, Boozoo Chavis, Rockin’ Dopsie, John Delafose – Carrier, who worked and learned from all of them, is a living link, keeping real zydeco alive as a performer for more than 45 years now. That includes playing lala, an early zydeco form that used just two instruments, rubboard and accordion. www.roycarrier.com
Tues and Wed Aug 19 + 20 The Fabulous Thunderbirds All shows $24
@ Yoshi's (SF) (1330 Fillmore at Eddy) 415 655-5600 yoshis.com
It's been 30+ years and The Fabulous Thunderbirds keep on rocking. Founding member Kim Wilson spearheads the group as it evolves into its newest incarnation.
Habib Koité & Bamada All shows $26
Thurs., Aug 21 @ Yoshi's (Jack London Sq., Oakland)
www.yoshis.com 510 238-9200
Fri and Sat., Aug 22 + 23 @ Yoshis SF (1330 Fillmore at Eddy) 415 655-5600 yoshis.com
Malian guitarist Habib Koite has gained a strong fan base by integrating the rock and folk sounds of the Western world, without watering down his cherished Malian roots. Habib descends from a line of griots, traditional troubadors who provide wit, wisdom and entertainment to the pubic.
Monday August 18 Guy Davis 8p/10p $18Guy Davis
@ Biscuits and Blues 401 Mason St, SF (415) 292-2583
http://www.biscuitsandblues.com/lineup.html
Wed., Aug. 20 Goh Nakamura @ Cafe DuNord
2170 Market St.SF 415.861.5016 cafedunord.com
Fri, Aug 22 San Francisco Tangents House Party with Gari Hededus and Kaila Flexer
Click for all information.
Friday, August 22nd Tango No. 9
@ Red Poppy Art House (2698 Folsom St. @ 23rd, SF)
The performance will include pieces by Astor Piazzolla, Bay Area composers Alejandro Oyuela and Dmitri Matheny, band members Greg Stephens and Joshua Raoul Brody, as well as a handful of more traditional tango standards.
Catharine Clune: violin Isabel Douglass: accordion and bandoneon
Greg Stephens: trombone Joshua Raoul Brody: piano
http://www.redpoppyarthouse.org/concerts.html
Saturday, August 23 Great Night of Soul Poetry adv $20.50
A celebration of the spoken word
@ The Freight & Salvage
1111 Addison Street Berkeley (510) 548-1761 thefreight.org
Returning to the Freight stage for their fourth presentation of the Great Night of Soul Poetry, Dale and Dan Zola breathe fresh life into poetry's oral roots as they lead a warm and unique celebration of works by the likes of Mary Oliver, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Sharon Olds, Pablo Neruda, and Hafiz—poets who express the depth of the human heart with powerful images, evocative language, humor, and tenderness towards life.
Presenters including Maya Spector, Chetana Karel, and Guillermo Ortiz are joined by singers Kirsten Falke and Debbie Golata and dancers/body musicians Keith Terry and Evie Ladin. Backing them up are Sheldon Brown (woodwinds), Gari Hegedus (various Indian and Middle Eastern string instruments), Arshad Sayeed (tabla and santour), and Claude Palmer (oud and electric bass), weaving a lush tapestry of poetry and music, and taking us on a journey to otherwise inaccessible places within our own hearts.
Saturday, August 23 (9p) Forro Brazuca @ Red Poppy Art House (2698 Folsom St. @ 23rd, SF) $10 - $15 suggested donation.
Forró Brazuca plays the sounds of northeastern Brazil. Formed by four San Francisco-based Brazilians—each from a different region of Brazil—in early 2007, this group delivers accordion-powered dance music.
Mestre Francelino: accordion, lead vocals Carlos Oliveira: electric bass, percussion, vocals
Carlos Baiano: triangle, vocals Chris Carioca: drums, zabumba, vocals
www.myspace.com/forrobrazuca
Saturday, Aug. 23 (9:30p) Baba Ken & Afro-Groove Connexion $15 / $12 students
@ Ashkenaz 1317 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley
ashkenaz.com 510 525-5054
Babá Ken & Afro-Groove ConneXion is the newest project from Babá Ken Okulolo, leader of West African Highlife Band and Kotoja. Okulolo, who came to America as the bass player in King Sunny Ade’s African Beats, created the improvisational band from studio jams with musicians who demonstrate a restless, driving attitude in exploring African music. Afro-Groove ConneXion also features Nigeria’s Soji Odukogbe, who was for five years the lead guitarist for Fela Anikulapo Kuti, the late pioneer of Afrobeat. The septet plays hard-hitting Afrofunk grooves with a jazz sensibility.
Sat/Sun, Aug 23/24 Maria Muldaur & the Free Radicals
With special guests Holly Near & Linda Tillery
@ Yoshi's (Jack London Sq., Oakland)
www.yoshis.com 510 238-9200
Sat Both Shows $22 Sun Matinee 2p: Kids $5/ Adults $18 Sun 7p $22
Although best known for her Top Ten smash "Midnight at The Oasis," singer Maria Muldaur has a rich musical background including forays into folk, blues, r&b, gospel, pop, country, jazz, as well as Louisiana roots music. Muldaur has called the Bay Area home since leaving the Greenwich Village folk scene in the 60's, where she first made her mark with the Jim Kweskin Jug Band and with (her then husband) Geoff Muldaur.
Her newest album, Yes We Can!showcases the work of some of the most socially conscious songwriters of the past half-century: Bob Dylan, Marvin Gaye, Allen Toussaint, Earl King and Garth Brooks, to name a few. Included on the high-profile guest list are Joan Baez, Jane Fonda, Odetta, Phoebe Snow and several others. Also on hand is The Women's Voices for Peace Choir. Most of these women have boldly and tirelessly been lifting their voices for peace, non-violence and social justice their whole lives," says Muldaur, "and their commitment to these causes has been deeply inspiring to me over the years."
Saturday, August 23 (10p) Keith Terry on drums with Evil Diane
@ Starry Plough (3101 Shattuck Ave Berkeley)
(510) 841-2082 http://www.starryploughpub.com
Sunday, Aug 24 (4:30-6:30p) Keith Terry on drums with Evil Diane
@ Bird & Beckett (653 Chenery St., Glen Park - SF) 415 586-3733
http://www.bird-beckett.com/
Tuesday, Aug. 26 (8:30p) Andrew Carriere & the Zydeco/Cajun Allstars $10
@ Ashkenaz 1317 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley
ashkenaz.com 510 525-5054
Cajun/Zydeco dance lesson with Cheryl McBride at 8:00 pm
A native of Southern Louisiana, accordionist and singer Andrew Carriere brings a long family tradition into his playing. His father was the legendary Creole fiddler “Bebe” Carriere, his uncle was accordionist Eraste Carriere, and cousins Chubby, Calvin, and Roy Carrier are popular in the zydeco arena. He performs regularly with the Creole Belles and CZ & the Bon Vivants, and more occasionally in the Cajun Classics.
Carriere’s Zydeco/Cajun Allstars are steel guitarist Billy Wilson, drummer David “Killer” Hymowitz, guitarist Mitch Polzak, fiddler Marty Jara, and bassist Dana Mandell. The lineup may not seem particularly “traditional” to current followers of Cajun and zydeco, but, Wilson explains, “This is the real tradition that came out of the ’50s and ’60s honky-tonk Cajun bands, where they just had fun and played for dancers. The steel guitar was right there, and fiddles and an occasional lead guitar.” And, of course, the accordion.
Tues Aug 26 John Santos Sextet & Friends One Show: $16
@ Yoshi's (Jack London Sq., Oakland) www.yoshis.com 510 238-9200
Four-time Grammy nominee, John Santos is one of the foremost exponents of Afro-Latin music in the world today. He is known for his innovative use of traditional forms and instruments in combination with contemporary music, and has earned much respect and recognition as a record and event producer. John is widely respected as one of the top writers, teachers and historians in the field and is a member of the Latin Jazz Advisory Committee of the Smithsonian Institution.
Tues., August 26 Joe Louis Walker 8p & 10p $20
@ Biscuits and Blues 401 Mason St.,SF biscuitsandblues.com (415) 292-BLUES (2583)
Tuesday, August 26, (7:30p) Patty Griffin with Amos Lee
@ Mountain Winery (Saratoga)
Tickets are $46.50 for reserved seating and $36.50 for general admission plus applicable
service charges Tickets available at Livenation.com.
Wednesday, August 27, (7:30p) Lucinda Williams
Mountain Winery (Saratoga)
Tickets are $50.00 and $45.00 for reserved seating and $45.00 for general admission
plus applicable service charges. Tickets available at Livenation.com.
Wed, Aug 27 Le Vent du Nord @ The Freight and Salvage CANCELLED adv $18.50
1111 Addison Street Berkeley (510) 548-1761 thefreight.org
These four multi-instrumentalist singers (and veterans of famed groups like La Bottine Souriante and Ad Vielle Que Pourra) provide dynamic arrangements of traditional Quebecois songs and dances, plus plenty of fresh original music, mixed with fine harmony singing and the sounds of fiddle and hurdy-gurdy. http://www.leventdunord.com/
Wed, August 27 (8:30p) Trio Zulum @ Ashkenaz 1317 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley $10
ashkenaz.com 510 525-5054 Balkan dance lesson at 7:30 pm
Bulgarian dance music featuring native Vassil Bebelekov, one of the finest bagpipe players in the world who is joined by longtime local favorites Bill Cope on tambura and Dan Auvil on tupan. Maria Bebelekova adds vocals. www.balkantunes.org/triozulum
Thurs and Fri Aug 28/29 (9p) Lee "Scratch" Perry $25
@ The Independent 628 Dvisadero St., SF 415.771.1421 www.independentsf.com/
Fri-Sun, Aug 29-31 Bobi Cespedes
@ Yoshi's (Jack London Sq., Oakland) www.yoshis.com 510 238-9200
Fri, Sat All Shows $22 Sunday Matinee 2p: $5 Kids / $18 Adults Sunday 7 p $22
Gladys "Bobi" Cespedes is an acclaimed folkloric singer, dancer and percussionist; she is a recording artist, theatrical director, storyteller, accomplished historian, lecturer, and cultural arts teacher. She sings in three languages: English, Spanish, and Lucumi, the mother tongue of the descendants of the Yorubas of West Africa in Cuba. She makes and plays a variety of authentic folkloric percussion instruments, including the Chekere, a beautiful beaded calabash gourd. As a storyteller, she weaves the tales of the Orisas - deities of the Yoruba pantheon - in fluid word and gesture and illustrates the poetic, reverent vision of God and nature that is her ancestral heritage. As a dancer, she gives color, form and exuberant life to the intricate, polyrhythmic music of the Caribbean. As a priestess and IyanIfa in the Yoruba-Lucumi spiritual tradition, she carries unbroken the cord of spiritual tradition and inspiration which joins the past with the present. For over thirty years, Bobi has been directly involved in the preservation and teaching of Afro-Cuban culture and traditions.
Monday, Sept 1 Umalali: The Garifuna Women's Project $18
@ Yoshi's (Jack London Sq., Oakland)
www.yoshis.com 510 238-9200
Read the Garifuna Women's Project story here:
http://www.cumbancha.com/albums/umalali
Wednesday, September 3, (7:30p) Bonnie Rait
@ Mountain Winery (Saratoga)
Tickets are $95.00 and $75.00 for reserved seating and $55.00 for general admission
plus applicable service charges. Tickets available at Livenation.com.
Thursday, September 4, (7:30p) Willie Nelson
@ Mountain Winery (Saratoga)
Tickets are $93.00 and $75.00 for reserved seating and $55.00 for general admission
plus applicable service charges. Tickets available at Livenation.com.
Wednesday, Sept 10th, Balkan Beat Box with DJ Joro Boro
@ The Fillmore (1805 Geary Blvd, SF) 415.346.6000
www.livenation.com/venue/getVenue/venueId/1259
Tickets are $22.50 for general admission plus applicable service charges...all ages
Saturday, September 20th, Herbie Hancock
@ Nob Hill Masonic Center (1111 California St., SF)
www.masonicauditorium.com/buytickets/index.html
$75.00 and $65.00 for reserved seating and $55.00 for general admission plus applicable service charges
Sunday, October 5th, (7:30p) Robert Plant/Alison Krauss with T-Bone Burnett
@ Mountain Winery (Saratoga) www.mountainwinery.com/event.asp?event_id=229
$199.50, $175.00 and $99.50 for reserved seating and $79.50 for general admission plus applicable service charges (Robert Plant didn't earn enough from Zep?)
