Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Red Poppy Art House: November, 2019

Last month it seemed appropriate to present the monthly schedule for the Red Poppy Art House alongside those for The Lab and the events at the Joe Henderson Lab in the SFJAZZ Center in a compilation of “adventurous summaries” for October. As of this writing, it appears that next month will sort things out with less competitiveness. However, it is early enough in the month that the current list of concerts scheduled for November is probably incomplete. As usually seems to be reliable, I shall continue to monitor additions through notification of Facebook Events. I can then update this article and use my “shadow” Facebook site to let followers know about the latest additions.

The Red Poppy is located in the Mission at 2698 Folsom Street on the southwest corner of 23rd Street. Tickets are now being sold in advance online through Eventbrite. As a result, the dates provided below are hyperlinked to the Eventbrite event pages for purchasing tickets.

Given the demand for these concerts, it is likely that only a limited number of tickets will be available at the door. Remember, the Poppy is a small space. Even those who have purchased their tickets in advance should probably make it a point to be there when the doors open one half-hour before the performance is scheduled to begin. Here are the specifics for the events that have been posted thus far:

Friday, November 1, 7:30 p.m.: The month will begin with the Rob Garcia 4, a jazz quartet led by Garcia on drums, also providing both original compositions and arrangements. The other members of the quartet will be Matt Renzi on tenor saxophone, Dave Ambrosio on bass, and a pianist yet to be announced. The scope of Renzi’s arrangements includes American folk songs and composers as diverse as Frédéric Chopin and Jimi Hendrix. Admission will be on a sliding scale between $20 and $25 for tickets purchased in advance. General admission at the door will be $25 with a $20 charge for students and seniors with valid identification. [added 10/17, 10:35 a.m.:

Saturday, November 2, 7:30 p.m.: Citizens Jazz will return to the Poppy for their next tribute concert. This one will honor tenor saxophonist Benny Golson. While Golson’s name may not be as familiar as those of the major figures in both bebop and hard bop, he was a major contributor, not only as a performer but also as a composer. Works such as “I Remember Clifford,” ̌“Blues March,” “Whisper Not,” and “Killer Joe” are all recognized as major contributions to the repertoire. The group continues to be led by Caroline Chung on bass, who will return along with Riley Bandy on alto saxophone, James Mahone on tenor saxophone, and Grant Levin on piano. For this performance the drummer will be Ruthie Price. Admission will be on a sliding scale between $20 and $25 for tickets purchased in advance. General admission at the door will be $25 with a $20 charge for students and seniors with valid identification.]

Friday, November 8, 8 p.m.: The program Venezuela 360° Musical Journey will be presented by the Venezuelan Music Project led by Musical Director Jackeline Rago. Rago performs as both vocalist and percussionist, as well as also playing cuatro, the Venezuelan version of a guitar with only four (hence the name) strings. Other contributing percussionists will be Yonathan Gavidia, Anna Maria Violich, and Jimmy Kansau, the last two also serving as vocalists. The only melody instrument will be the flute played by Donna Viscuso. Admission will be on a sliding scale between $25 and $30 for tickets purchased in advance. General admission at the door will be $30 with a $25 charge for students and seniors with valid identification.

[updated 10/13, 10:30 a.m.: Due to unforseen circumstances, this Friday performance has been cancelled; and, as will be seen below, there will now be two performances on Saturday, November 23.

Friday, November 15, 7:30 p.m.: Once again, Caminos Flamencos will return to the Poppy. They will again give two performances, but this time those performances will be on different weekends (and will therefore be listed separately in this chronological account). The Director of the group is the dancer Yaelisa, who will be joined in her choreography by Fanny Ara. Music is provided by guitarist Jason “El Rubio” McGuire. There will also be a special guest artist not yet announced. Admission will be on a sliding scale between $20 and $25 for tickets purchased in advance. General admission at the door will be $25 with a $20 charge for students and seniors with valid identification.]

Saturday, November 16, 7:30 p.m.: Huarango is a new musical project initiated in Oakland with the objective of diffusing Afro-Peruvian culture to the San Francisco Bay Area through the performance of that culture’s musical roots. Peruvian Pierr Padilla specializes in instruments specific to those roots. He is joined by fellow Peruvians Javier Trujillo on guitar and Pedro Rosales on percussion. American violinist Kyla Danysh is the remaining member of the group. Admission will be on a sliding scale between $20 and $25 for tickets purchased in advance. General admission at the door will be $25 with a $20 charge for students and seniors with valid identification. [added 10/17, 10:40 a.m.:

Sunday, November 17, 7:30 p.m.: The weekend will conclude with an evening of Yiddishkeit. Clarinetist Michael Winograd will celebrate the release of his Kosher Style recording with a program of klezmer selections performed with accordionist Christina Crowder. They will share the program with the Book of J vocalists Jewlia Eisenberg and Jeremiah Lockwood, the latter providing guitar accompaniment. The repertoire brings together American psalmody, Yiddish folklore, and Jewish liturgical traditions. Admission will be on a sliding scale between $20 and $25 for tickets purchased in advance. General admission at the door will be $25 with a $20 charge for students and seniors with valid identification.] [updated 11/21, 9:30 a.m.: Tomorrow’s event has been cancelled. [added 10/20, 8:45 a.m.:

Friday, November 22, 7:30 p.m.: New World Fusion Collaborations is a program organized by violinist and composer Briana Di Mara. The evening will begin with a set by the StringQuake trio of Amelia Romano on electric harp, Josh Mellinger on percussion, and Misha Khalikulov on cello. Di Mara will then join them to perform her latest original compositions, as well as exciting new collaborations of the music from her debut album, Haven. Guitarist Gopal Slavonic will join the group as guest artist, and the program will also include dances performed by Bianca Rodriguez. Admission will be on a sliding scale between $25 and $30 for tickets purchased in advance. General admission at the door will be $30 with a $25 charge for students and seniors with valid identification.]]

Saturday, November 23, 7:30 p.m.: This will be the second performance by Caminos Flamencos. Prices will be the same. However, the hyperlink for online purchase is different. [added 11/13, 10:25 a.m.: Note that the hyperlink on the date has been removed. There will actually be two separate shows that evening. The first one will begin at 7 p.m., and the second will begin at 8:45 p.m. All tickets may be purchased in advance through the Eventbrite Web page for that evening, but that Web page has been updated to accommodate the need to select one of the shows.] [added 10/20, 9 a.m.:

Sunday, November 24, 2 p.m.: This will be the next installment of the free Monthly Community Rumba, with music provided by Rumberos de Radio Habana. While this is a free event, donations are warmly accepted. All donated money goes to the performing musicians, and a recommended amount is between $5 and $10.

Saturday, November 30, 7:30 p.m.: Los Tangueros del Oeste, which made a last-minute substitution for The Living Earth Show at SF Music Day at the beginning of this month, will present a full-evening program called Intersection of Tango, Flamenco & Hip-Hop. This is the latest project of Sascha Jacobsen, who is the bass player in this quartet. The other performers are Carlos Caminos on guitar, Seth Asarnow on bandoneon, and Ishtar Hernandez on violin. The source material comes from the nuevo tango styles of Astor Piazzolla, Gotan Project, and Bajo Fondo; but Jacobsen adds influences from flamenco and beats and textures from electronica to the mix. Admission will be on a sliding scale between $25 and $30 for tickets purchased in advance. General admission at the door will be $30 with a $25 charge for students and seniors with valid identification.]

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