The Bleeding Edge: 6/5/2023

This will be another busy week, whose seven events taking place within the city of San Francisco are almost equally divided between the already-reported and the “brand new.” The former category involves two events from each of two different organizations as follows:

1. The Left Coast Chamber Ensemble will conclude its subscription season tonight, followed by a performance on Thursday, June 8, of Jörg Widmann’s 24 duos for violin and cello performed by the group’s founders, violinist Anna Presler and cellist Leighton Fong for the San Francisco International Arts Festival.
2. As announced in last week’s list of Center for New Music offerings this month, Brent Miller will perform as HARJOalone on Saturday, June 10, followed, the next day, by a solo recital by pianist Daniel Colalillo.

That leaves three remaining events, two of which are “usual suspects” and one that used to be reported on this site prior the COVID pandemic:

Thursday, June 8, 8 p.m., Peacock Lounge: This will be the usual monthly offering of a three-hour show consisting of four sets, this time all performed by duos. About two weeks ago vocalist Danishta Rivero gave a solo performance at Adobe Books augmented by electronic technology. This week she will play with her Voicehandler partner Jacob Felix Heule, who performs sonic anti-aliasing in real time through micro-percussion and electronics that must be heard closely to be believed. Rivero’s text sources include Jorge Luis Borges, Knut Hamsun, Eduardo Galeano, and William Burroughs. Voicehandler will be followed by the extended sonorities of the FOREIGN/DOMESTIC duo of Zachary James Watkins and John Diaz. The Analogous duo of Silvia Matheus and Thomas Miley works with both analog and digital technologies in the genres of electroacoustic, electronic, ambient, and noise. Finally, the Dovetail duo of Raub Roy and Diane Eveland will be making its debut without dropping any hints about what listeners should expect.

The Peacock Lounge is located in the Lower Haight (sometimes known as Haight-Fillmore) at 552 Haight Street, between Fillmore Street and Steiner Street. Doors will open at 7:30 p.m. to enable the first set to begin at 8 p.m. sharp. Admission will be on a sliding scale between $5 and $15. As in the past, no one will be turned away for lack of funds. However, only those that have been “vaxed and rapid-tested” will be admitted for the sake of keeping all in attendance alive and well.

Friday, June 9, 7 p.m., Medicine for Nightmares Bookstore & Gallery: Once again, curator David Boyce will give a multi-reed performance of his own music. He will be joined at the piano by Evelyn Davis. The venue is located in the Mission at 3036 24th Street, between Treat Avenue and Harrison Street. As always, there is no charge for admission, presumably to encourage visitors to consider buying a book.

Sunday, June 11, 4 p.m., Chez Hanny: To the best of my knowledge, this is the first time since January of 2020 that I have seen an announcement of one of Frank Hanny’s house concerts of jazz. According to his Web site, March 1, 2020 was the last date of an event before suspending events due to COVID. However, things began again on July 11, 2021 and were taking place on at least a monthly basis with the beginning of the next season in September of that year. This week’s performance will be by the Aaron Bennett Trio, led by Bennett on saxophone performing with Dan Seamans on bass and Smith Dobson on drums. It is worth reviewing the “ground rules” for attending these events, which have been somewhat modified in the wake of the pandemic:

Each event has a recommended donation, currently $25. All of the money goes to the musicians, and donations can only be made in cash. The events usually consist of two sets separated by a potluck break. As a result, all who plan to attend should bring food and/or drink to share. Seating is first come, first served; and, as a result, reservations are strongly recommended. Reservations are placed through electronic mail to jazz@ChezHanny.com with a Subject line mentioning “jazz,” “Chez Hanny,” or “concert” to avoid being mistaken for spam. Mail messages received after noon on the day of a performance are unlikely to be seen until after the show is over, and cancellations should be given at least 24 hours advance notice. Those attending should be vaccinated but are accepted on the honor system, and masks are optional. Finally, volunteer efforts for cleaning up after the show and moving furniture to accommodate both players and listeners are always appreciated.

The “house” for this house concert is located at 1300 Silver Avenue. This is best reached by public transportation by taking the Muni 44 bus going east from Glen Park Station. For those thinking of driving, parking tends to be available on Silver Avenue, Silliman Street, one block south of Silver, and Holyoke Street, which connects Silver and Silliman.