Yesterday afternoon I decided to take the 5 bus down to its terminus. That would give me an opportunity to check out Salesforce Park before taking in the performance by the Rova Saxophone Quartet, which had been scheduled for 4 p.m. and had been included in last week’s Bleeding Edge article. The bus ride was a pleasant one, but things started to go downhill almost as soon as I entered the Salesforce building across the street from the terminus.
I was greeted by a vast space, pretty much empty except for a plethora of flashing billboards. There was, for all intents and purposes, no clear information about Salesforce Park. Fortunately, the one guard on duty pointed me at an elevator and told me to go to the top. Exiting the elevator turned out to be more of the same. There was no information about where I was or where I should be going to attend any performances.
The best I could do was to walk the perimeter to get a sense of what there was to see and/or do. I saw at least one private party taking place on the grass. The attendees seemed to be having fun; but, other than elevation, there was little to distinguish this park from all other parks. When my walk took me the furthest distance from the elevator, I saw the Amphitheater. There was a stage that faced a relatively large lawn area. Whether that area would hold 1000 people (a piece of information I had used in my Bleeding Edge article) is open to question.
More important is that the sun was in full force, reminding me of the joke about it being hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk. I then realized that not only were there no shady areas on that grass but also there was no overhang to shade anyone performing on the stage. At that point I realized that both performing and listening would not be particularly pleasant experiences.
Since I had still failed to find any sources of useful information (human or on signs), I figured I would complete my circuit of the park, keeping a sharper eye out for such sources. I failed entirely (but was amused by a young couple having fun with a fountain that spouted vertical jets from the ground). Having decided that there was little, if any, interest in the Park as a performance space, I took the elevator back down to street level and took the next 5 bus that was scheduled to depart.
My conclusion is that, while there may have been some feelings that Salesforce Park would be a good venue for performances, I would call those feelings misguided. Thus, in order to prevent misguiding readers in the future, any advance material about gigs in Salesforce Park will not be included in this column. There are plenty of things to enjoy at Salesforce Park; but performing under a hot sun is not one of them (nor is listening to the performance).
Having gotten my frustrations off my chest, I can now present the details for this week’s Bleeding Edge events. One of them has already been taken into account. This month the specifics for the Monthly Make-Out, which will take place tomorrow at 6 p.m., were announced on this site this past Saturday. Events for the remainder of this week are as follows:
Wednesday, August 17, 8 p.m., Luggage Store Gallery (LSG): The next installment in the Outsound Presents LSG Creative Music Series will consist of three sets, each of which will be somewhat less than 40 minutes in duration. Percussionist Jordan Glenn will perform with vocalist David Katz. They have both participated in larger ensembles, including the musicians for Lisa Mezzacappa’s audio podcast opera The Electronic Lover. However, this is the first time that they will perform as a duo. They will be followed by the Charles Sharp Ensemble. Sharp plays multiple instruments in the wind family. He is both a composer and an improviser, and he can serve as either a leader or a side man. The other members of his ensemble will be Aaron Bennett, also on multiple winds, Glenn on percussion, Tim Perkis on electronics, and Jeff Schwartz on bass. Sharp and Schwarz will then remain for the final set, performing in a trio led by Jack Curtis Dubowsky on keyboards and electronics. Their performance will promote Dubowsky’s latest album, Bolsa Chica Calm, which he describes as an “ambient homage” to Bolsa Chica State Beach.
LSG is located at 1007 Market Street, across from the corner of Golden Gate Avenue and Taylor Street; and admission is on a sliding scale between $10 and $20. No one will be turned away for lack of funds. Masks are welcome indoors, and vaccination and booster shots are highly recommended. If you feel ill, please do not attend.
Thursday, August 18, 6 p.m., Asian Art Museum: Cellist and vocalist Theresa Wong will present the third and final performance of her latest new work entitled Sound/scapes. For those that did not see the announcement for last month’s performance, this is a site-specific event inspired by the artworks in the Asian Art Museum. On this occasion Wong will be joined by koto player Kanoko Nishi-Smith. The two of them will explore the connections between an artist’s brushstrokes and the gestures that elicit sound from a stringed instrument. Those connections will be based on Secluded Rivers, Rocks and Streams, a painting by Uragami Gyokudo. On this occasion Wong will supplement her cello and vocal work with a performance on electric guitar. This event will be free for all those that have paid for admission to the museum. The entrance is at 200 Larkin Street, on the east site of the Civic Center facing City Hall to the west.
Saturday, August 20, 2 p.m., San Francisco Public Library: This will be an outdoor event entitled Listening at the Ocean’s Edge. It will be a solo performance by Cheryl E. Leonard, who will also be the composer. Her works investigate natural sites and ecosystems, as well as their resulting human relationships. She works with field recordings, amplified natural objects, and sculpted instruments of her own design. This free concert will take place at the Library’s Richmond Branch, located at 351 9th Avenue.
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