Swing Music Coming to Bird & Beckett

from the Bird & Beckett event page

Having written earlier this summer about the “late show” jazz concerts at Bird & Beckett Books and Records, I wanted to let readers know that this month will conclude with a gig for the early-to-bed-early-to-rise set. The program will focus on the classic swing music of the late Thirties; and it will be performed by a group that calls itself “Swings Left,” created and led by pianist Rob Reich. The book for this group includes familiar tunes popularized by the likes of Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Artie Shaw; and Reich usually adds some of his own originals to the mix. Swings Left is a quartet whose other members are Ben Goldberg on clarinet, Andrew Stephens on trumpet, and Ollie Dudek on bass.

This concert will begin at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, August 31. Bird & Beckett is located at 653 Chenery Street, which is a short walk from the Glen Park BART station. It can also be reached by the Muni J trolley, which runs down Church Street and whose schedule is not impacted by the closing of the Twin Peaks tunnel. Admission will be by donation, with a recommended amount of between $10 and $20. For students, musicians, and those with low income, a donation of $5 will be viewed as acceptable.