Boca Do Rio, Renaud Garcia-Fons and More Set for Yoshi's San Francisco Through April 2013
by BWW News Desk
$10 adv, $15 door
Boca do Rio is música orgânica. Live music inspired by the thousands of musicians and the music lovers that have gone before us and laid the rhythmic foundations of samba, baião, samba-reggae, the dances for the orishas, and all that gives homage to the beats. It is the African diaspora alive through rhythms and pulses - it is the commonality that binds humans to the air we breathe, the food from which we nourish, the water we imbibe, and the love through which we flourish. Boca do Rio exists to share and celebrate music and everything that it brings to our lives through the cross-pollination of the Americas. It's the water that flows from mountains to oceans, from inside to out. It's the earth beneath our feet, the soil beneath the concrete, the minerals from the stars that grace each of our cells. The San Francisco band Boca do Rio takes its name from the Portuguese "mouth of the river" - the place where myriad streams and sources converge into one powerful, flowing, physical energy. Read more here. CHIHIRO YAMANAKA TRIO
Universal Music's Japanese jazz pianist
New album Because presents two self compositions and a new point of view to the music of The Beatles
(jazz and classical)
$20
Chihiro, a prolific Univeral Music recording artist, has had three CD releases in the past eight months alone, including her current U.S./Europe CD, Reminiscence (Universal/EmArcy/Decca) and two new releases in Japan, Because (Universal/Verve) and After Hours 2 (Universal/Verve). Each of her Universal releases throughout her career has reached the top spot on the Japanese jazz charts. Chihiro's music pivots between her strikingly original compositions and her unique arrangements of standards, in which she accomplishes the impressive feat of introducing the element of surprise into some of the most famous songs in the jazz repertoire. Chihiro takes this approach to another level by creating a set of astonishing reinventions of classic songs by the Beatles on her new CD Because, commemorating the Beatles' 50th anniversary. Read more here.
$22 adv, $25 door
Multiple GRAMMY Award-winning vocalist
(pop, rock, adult contemporary, jazz)
$36
Most music fans have a favorite song recorded by two-time GRAMMY award-winner Rita Coolidge - "Fever," "We're All Alone," "One Fine Day," "(Your Love Has Lifted Me) Higher & Higher," "The Way You Do The Things You Do," "All Time High," "Superstar," and so many other memorable tracks that topped the charts from the 1970′s onward. It is perhaps due to Coolidge's pop and rock pedigree that many of her fans are unaware of her longstanding affection for jazz, however. Her debut release for Concord Records, And So Is Love, a collection of well-loved jazz standards, is sure to change all that. It will also undoubtedly add a few jazz chestnuts to that lengthy list of songs Coolidge has already made her own. Read more here.
6pm $16, 8pm $24
Marcus Johnson is a renowned jazz pianist, who incorporates the rhythms of soul, rock, hip hop, and R&B. With the commercial and Billboard chart success of his NAACP Image Award nominated CD Poetically Justified (Three Keys Music/2009) (#4) in his rearview and having been included among the ranks of contemporary jazz greats such as Wynton Marsalis, Christian McBride, and Vanessa Williams for that nomination, Marcus Johnson released his 12th CD titled, This Is How I Rock (Three Keys Music/2010). This album boldly signifies an evolution: Johnson's deliberate crossing into the pop/rock genre with a jazz spin, inspired by some of pop music's most celebrated songs, songs that remained a significant influence in the life of the award-winning keyboardist, composer and producer and motivated his desire to pay tribute to some of the greatest pop hits. Prior to the release of his current offering, Marcus Johnson released Poetically Justified making it his 11th solo jazz record and is considered to be his most unique and multifaceted album to date. In 2008, Johnson introduced the jazz world to the groundbreaking Billboard Top 15 Contemporary Jazz FLO series - FLO: Chill (#7), FLO: Romance (#7) and FLO: Standards (#2). Read more here.
Club and restaurant closed
"This indie orchestra gives classical music a jolt of energy." ~Spin Magazine
$21 adv, $25 door
Thu: 8pm $25, 10pm $21
Fri & Sat: 8pm $32, 10pm $25
Pharoah Sanders possesses one of the most distinctive tenor saxophone sounds in jazz. Harmonically rich and heavy with overtones, Sanders' sound can be as raw and abrasive as it is possible for a saxophonist to produce, and although he made his name with expressionistic, nearly anarchic free jazz in John Coltrane's late ensembles of the mid-'60s, Sanders' later music is guided by more graceful concerns. Pharoah Sanders (his given name, Ferrell Sanders) formed his first group in 1963, with pianist John Hicks (with whom he would continue to play off-and-on into the '90s), bassist Wilbur Ware, and drummer Billy Higgins. His first record as a leader was in 1964 for the ESP label. The group played an engagement at New York's Village Gate, where John Coltrane heard him and by 1965, Sanders was playing regularly with the Coltrane group. Strength was a necessity in that band, and as Coltrane realized, Sanders had it in abundance. Read more here.
Persian Jazz Show
Club and restaurant closed
(world, jazz)
$24
An outstanding pianist, composer and producer, Leszek Mo?d?er is widely considered to be the greatest revelation of the Polish jazz of the last decade. Born in 1971, he has been playing the piano since the age of five. On many occasions Leszek Mo?d?er recorded music with Zbigniew Preisner (Requiem for my friend, 10 easy pieces for piano). He also works on regular basis with Jan Kaczmarek, polish composer living in LA, while recording music score (for 20th Century Fox and Mira Max). He has been invited to perform jointly with the most gifted and renown polish jazz musicians, such as: Tomasz Sta?ko, Janusz Muniak, Micha? Urbaniak, Anna Maria Jopek, Adam Piero?czyk and Piotr Wojtasik. Mo?d?er also performed and recorded with many internationally acclaimed musicians, including Arthur Blythe, Buster Williams, Billy Harper, Joe Lovano, Pat Metheny, David Gilmour and Archie Shepp. Read more here.
8pm $22, 10pm $16
Read more here.
WARREN HILL
Smooth jazz-rock fusion saxophonist
Fri, Apr 12, 8 & 10PM
8pm $35 & 10pm $26
(smooth jazz)
Since 1991, Warren has released 11 solo CDs which have reached combined worldwide sales of over 1 million copies. His live show is critically acclaimed as one of the best in his genre and has taken him around the globe, including Southeast Asia, Europe and the Caribbean. He has earned accolades from a variety of institutions including: six Canadian Smooth Jazz Awards, Berklee Distinguished Alumni, multiple SESAC Songwriter Awards, a Juno Nomination, multiple Number 1 songs at Radio & Records, USA Toda and Billboard. He has performed as a special guest for many artists, including the number 1 Pop hits "Baby I Love Your Way" with Big Mountain and "Tell Me What You Dream" with Restless Heart." In the field of Contemporary Jazz he has been heard on recordings with Chieli Minucci, Keiko Matsui, Jeff Golub, Steve Oliver, Special EFX, John Tesh, to name a few, many of which became number 1 songs. Still a vocalist at heart, Warren continues to include his vocals on his CDs, one of which reached Top 20 on the Billboard Charts in 1998 "Shelter From the Storm." His television credits include performances on Arsenio Hall, The Tonight Show and BBC's Top of the Pops. Read more here.
(blues-jazz-folk)
Sun, 7pm $35
$35-75
Read more here.
ZAKIYA HOOKER <~ New show on sale Thu, Mar 28, 10am
Thu, Apr 18. 8pm
$22 adv, $26 door
Zakiya's music has carried her all over the world and given her the opportunity to perform for fans the world over. Zakiya Hooker is John Lee Hooker's living legacy. She is the singer-songwriter daughter of this American Icon and she is carrying her father's seminal blues torch confidently into the new millennium. Read more here.
Fri, Apr 19, 10:30pm (in the club)
$25 adv, $30 door
Drummer/producer Ahmir Thompson is a living link between the digital science of modern hip-hop and the flesh-and-blood textures of vintage R&B. He co-founded the Roots, universally hailed as one of the most sonically inventive hip-hop acts. Meanwhile, his collaborations with such artists as D'Angelo, Erykah Badu, and Common have reasserted the importance of real-time playing in a style dominated by sampling and programming. Read more here.
(jazz, soul, blues)
Tue, Apr 23, 8pm
$20
René Marie, the award winning singer whose style incorporates elements of jazz, soul, blues and gospel, has quickly become a heroine to many; a woman of great strength exuding stamina and compassion; often explaining how finding her voice and self through singing gave her the courage to leave an abusive marriage. But since the release of her recording debut, Renaissance, this Colorado based heroine has also evolved into one of the greatest and most sensuous vocalists of our time. Unmistakably honest and unpretentious while transforming audiences worldwide with her powerful interpretations, electrifying deliveries and impassioned vocals - René Marie has drawn a legion of fans and music critics who find themselves not only entertained, but encouraged and even changed by her performances. Read more here.
The Artist Sessions: LARA DOWNES
with special guests QUARTET SAN FRANCISCO co-host Rik Malone, Classical KDFC
(classical)
Wed, Apr 24, 8pm
$24
The Artist Sessions: a new Yoshi's classical series of intimate, interactive evenings featuring international soloists and ensembles, hosted monthly by concert pianist Lara Downes. Lauded by NPR as "a delightful artist with a unique blend of musicianship and showmanship" and praised by the Washington Post for her stunning performances "rendered with drama and nuance," Lara Downes has won acclaim as one of the most exciting and communicative young pianists of today's generation. Since making early debuts at Queen Elizabeth Hall London and the Vienna Konzerthaus, this powerfully charismatic artist has appeared on many of the world's most prestigious stages, including: Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, and Lincoln Center. Recent appearances include Portland Piano International, San Francisco Performances, the University of Vermont Lane Series, the American Academy Rome, the El Paso Pro Musica Festival, the Montreal Chamber Music Festival, and the University of Washington World Series. Read more here.
Thu, Apr 25, 8pm
$34 adv, $40 door
Considered one of the great voices of her generation, Joan Osborne is a multi-platinum selling recording artist and seven-time GRAMMY nominee. Her debut album, Relish, wove together strands of American roots music, poetic lyrics and impassioned vocals, and produced the international hit" (What if God Was) One of Us." Since then she has released several albums, toured extensively with her own band and as a member of The Grateful Dead, appeared in the documentary "Standing in the Shadows of Motown," and shared the stage with Bob Dylan, Luciano Pavarotti, Stevie Wonder, Emmylou Harris and Patti Smith to name just a few. Joan has produced two albums for Americana stalwarts the Holmes Brothers, and co-produced her most recent release Bring it on Home which was nominated for a 2013 GRAMMY (Best Blues Album). Read more here.
(old school meets new school R&B)
Fri-Sat, Apr 26-27
8pm $40, 10pm $32
On today's ever changing musical landscape, the definition of R&B fluctuates as much as the rolling hills from the steep pitches and flat meadows of Birmingham's Red Mountains. Generation Y looks to rhythm-driven artists Ne-Yo, Trey Songz and Usher as the personification of soul while many Baby Boomers insist that only the raw, melodious sounds of soul men like Luther Vandross and Marvin Gaye are the real deal. Ruben Studdard is the uniquely perfect combination of both schools of music and he brings both exciting dimensions to Letters From Birmingham (Shanachie-March 13, 2012). This alluring concept album about the ups and downs of modern romance is the project Studdard has longed to make his entire career. With it, he surely sets the standard for modern day soul troubadours and boasts stunning performances that range from an angelic falsetto on love songs like "Today" to hard-hitting dance floor grooves like "Turn You Out" that show off a raw vocal edge. Read more here.
Sun, Apr 28, 6pm
$22 adults, $12 children (14 and under)
VOENA is a captivating, multi-cultural, world music experience that redefines "choir" the way Cirque du Soleil redefines "circus." Director, Annabelle Marie inspires over 140 children from ages 6-18 to celebrate music through voice, sound, rhythm and movement. Singing in over 23 languages, VOENA has performed around the globe bringing their message to unite the world with children's voices. VOENA has performed at the 2012 London Olympics, as repeat guests at the White House, for Pope John Paul II at the Vatican in Rome and as goodwill ambassadors to Ireland, China, Japan and Italy. VOENA was the first American Choir to sing at the Soweto Festival in South Africa. Read more here.
(world, jazz)
Tue, Apr 30, 8pm
$24
Renaud Garcia-Fons is a French double bassist/composer, who is known for his customized five string bass and for virtually reinventing the way the instrument is played. Read more here.