Wednesday, January 17, 2018

Red Poppy Art House: Second Half of February, 2018

The Red Poppy Art House has begun to announce programming for the second half of next month. (Since February is a short month, the usual dividing line has been slightly displaced.) Thus far, only four events have been posted. As any subsequent concerts for the month are announced, they will be added with the necessary information; and my “shadow” Facebook site will notify readers each time an update has taken place.

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 will be 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 those four events that have been posted thus far:

Thursday, February 15, 7:30 p.m.: Dynamic is a jazz group founded by Paul Kim when he moved from Copenhagen to San Francisco. The group consists of four singers and a rhythm section. Kim is the baritone in the group, as well as the arranger. The other vocalists are soprano Kirstine Dahlberg, mezzo Katrine Rømhild, and alto Anne Rørbaek Olesen. The rhythm section consists of Niels Wilhelm Knudsen on bass, Hasse Tang on drums, and Fredrik Rejle on guitar. Somewhat in the spirit of Ward Swingle, Kim creates vocal arrangements of instrumental music, much of which comes from jazz giants such as Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane, and Dizzy Gillespie. (Swingle’s group, Les Double Six de Paris, worked with Gillespie in Paris in 1963, performing arrangements by Lalo Schifrin.) Admission will be on a sliding scale between $15 and $20.

Friday, February 16, 8 p.m.: This will be a performance by Sheela Bringi, who is a Hindustani harpist, singer, and bansuri flautist. Most of her repertoire consists of classical Indian music rearranged for harp and voice. Whether this will be a solo performance or will include backup musicians has not yet been finalized. Admission will be on a sliding scale between $20 and $25.

Saturday, February 17, 7:30 p.m.: Grupo Falso Baiano is a choro group that explores how both samba and choro forms have developed over the last 100 years of music-making in Brazil. The members are Brian Moran on seven-string guitar, Zack Pitt-Smith on winds, and Ami Molinelli on percussion. For this performance they will be joined by special guest vocalist Francisco Marques. Admission will be on a sliding scale between $15 and $20.

Sunday, February 18, 7 p.m.: A Circle Has No Beginning is a program conceived by Sameer Gupta, who plays classical Indian percussion instruments. He will lead a quartet, whose other members are Jay Gandhi (bansuri flute), David Boyce (saxophone), and Rashaan Carter (bass). Their repertoire reflects the influences of not only Indian classical traditions but also soul, modern jazz, and Native American melodies. Admission will be on a sliding scale between $20 and $25.

[added 1/20, 2:40 p.m.:

Friday, February 23, 7:30 p.m.: This will be an evening of two folk-related sets. The evening will open with the Alex Hand Band, the instrumental trio of led by Hand on guitar. The other two members are Lewis Patzner on cello and Isaac Schwartz on drums. The group presents dance tunes from Bulgaria and Romania with a progressive edge. They will be followed by the vocal trio Three For Silver, all of whose members are also instrumentalists. Lucas Warford alternates among resonator bass, banjo bass, and upright bass, Willo Sertain plays accordion, and Greg Allison alternates between violin and mandolin. The group is currently on tour supporting their newest album, The Way We Burn. Admission will be on a sliding scale between $15 and $20.

Saturday, February 24, 7 p.m. and 8:45 p.m.: Alex Conde (piano), John Santos (percussion), and Jeff Chambers (bass) have prepared a program entitled Jazz Flamenco. As can be seen from the time, this performance will be given two shows, each with its own set of improvisations that will explore the intersections of jazz, Latin jazz, flamenco, and all the spaces in between. Admission will be $25 for each of the two shows. Advance purchase is highly recommended, because there are likely to be only a limited number of tickets available at the door.]

[added 1/26, 8:10 a.m.:

Sunday, February 25, 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.

Sunday February 25, 7 p.m. and 8:45 p.m.: The Diaspora Arts Connection will host two shows presenting new works for the rubab, the Afghan version of the lute. The performer will be Qais Essar, who will be joined by percussionist Eric Zang, who will also be playing the kaval (an end-blown flute) and working with electronic gear. Antara Bhardwaj will perform Kathak dance. Similar to Saturday night, this concert will be given two shows. Admission at the door will be on a sliding scale between $20 and $25. Advance purchase (through the same hyperlink for both shows) is highly recommended, because it is likely that only a limited number of tickets will be available.]

No comments: