Portland Cello Project, Cowboy Junkies, Kim Waters and More Set for Yoshi's San Francisco, Now thru 5/5

Yoshi's San Francisco Live Music & Restaurant is located at 1330 Fillmore Street, San Francisco, Calif. For tickets and more info, call 415.655.5600 or visit http://yoshis.com/sanfrancisco
For dinner reservations, visit http://yoshis.com/sanfrancisco/restaurant.

PORTLAND CELLO PROJECT play Beck, Brubeck & Bach
"This indie orchestra gives classical music a jolt of energy." ~Spin Magazine

(classical meets rock)

Wed, Apr 3, 8pm
$21 adv, $25 door

Since the group's inception in late 2007, the Portland Cello Project (or, PCP, as their fans affectionately call them), has wowed audiences all over the country with extravagant performances, everywhere from Prairie Home Companion, to that punk rock club in the part of town your grandma warns you not to go to after dark. The group has built a reputation mixing genres and blurring musical lines and perceptions wherever they go. No two shows are alike, with a repertoire now numbering over 800 pieces of music you wouldn't normally hear coming out of a cello. The Cello Project's stage setup ranges from the very simple (4-6 cellos), to the all out epic (which has included 12 cellos playing with full choirs, winds, horns, and numerous percussion players). Read more here.

(straight-ahead jazz)

Thu-Sat, Apr 4-6, 8 & 10pm
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.

(world, jazz)

Sun, Apr 7, 7pm

• $65 - Orchestra (Rows 1-3)

• $50 - Floor (Rows 4-7)

• $35 - Mezzanine

Reza Rohani, son of the famous Iranian composer Anoushirvan Rohani, was born in 1977 in a family surrounded by music. At the age of fifteen he left his hometown Tehran towards Germany to fulfill his dream of studying classical music. About this upcoming tour with Sara Naeini he says: I don't want to simply mix the two musical cultures, but to transcend them both by creating a new musical genre in which one can find both Persian and Jazz roots outside the traditional limits. In effect, I am trying to be a composer without borders. Sara Naini was born in 1981 in Tehran, Iran. She started her professional career at the age of 18. Due to the ban placed on solo performances for female vocalists in Iran, she has to perform in private concerts in Tehran. In the course of her career, she has participated in many albums and concerts as a back vocalist (which amazingly doesn't violate the previously mentioned ban). Her co- artists are the who's who of the Persian pop and jazz music such as Alireza Assar, Reza Tajbakhsh, Mohammad Esfahani and many more. Read more here.

Mon, Apr 8
Club and restaurant closed

Tue, Apr 9

Poland's top jazz pianist, composer and producer
(world, jazz)

Wed, Apr 10, 8pm
$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.

(jazz, pop)

Thu, Apr 11, 8pm & 10pm
8pm $22, 10pm $16

In the three years since the release of his debut recording Vagabond, vocalist-songwriter-pianist Spencer Day has spent some time in the uncomfortable places where light and clarity disappear into the mysteries of uncertainty. He survived the journey, and he's come back with a story to tell and a wiser perspective about himself and the world. That story - rooted in his own experience, yet filled with revelations and truths that are universal to any human being who has ever put his or her heart at risk - is captured in the 13 tracks of The Mystery of You, his new album set for release March 12, 2013 on Concord Records (international release dates may vary).
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.

Acoustic finger-picking guitarist whose style blends blues, jazz, and folk music
(blues-jazz-folk)

Sat-Sun, Apr 13-14

Sat, 8pm $35
Sun, 7pm $35

Acoustic guitarist Leo Kottke was born in Athens, Georgia, but left town after a year and a half. Raised in 12 different states, he absorbed a variety of musical influences as a child, flirting with both violin and trombone, before abandoning Stravinsky for the guitar at age 11. His collaboration with Phish bassist Mike Gordon, "Clone," caught audiences' attention in 2002. Kottke and Gordon followed with a recording in the Bahamas called "Sixty Six Steps," produced by Leo's old friend and Prince producer David Z. Kottke has been awarded two GRAMMY nominations; a Doctorate in Music Performance by the Peck School of Music at the U of Wisconsin, Milwaukee; and a Certificate of Significant Achievement in Not Playing the Trombone from the U of Texas at Brownsville with Texas Southmost College. Read more here.

(jazz, pop)

Tue, Apr 16, 8pm

$25 (general), $45 (limited VIP)

Except...Sometimes, the debut CD from actress and author Molly Ringwald, will be released by Concord Records on April 9th, 2013 at which point Ringwald will go on a World Tour of concert dates to include high profile jazz clubs, festivals and major performing arts centers. An homage to the Great American Songbook, Ringwald has crafted a carefully chosen selection of nine standards which she caps off with her take on The Breakfast Club classic, "Don't You (Forget About Me)." The release of Except...Sometimes will be accompanied by select tour dates as well as appearances in conjunction with the release of her bestselling new novel, "When It Happens to You." Read more here.

$22 adv, $26 door
Read more here.

(world, French)

Fri, Apr 19, 8pm

$30

Accompanied by a 16-piece orchestra led by a hot Afro-Cuban band, Raquel Bitton sings (in French) sambas, bossa novas, cha-chas, merengue, danzon, tangos, milongas, and boleros of legendary Latin singer Tino Rossi. Rhythm of the Heart is co-produced and engineered by 11x GRAMMY-award winner Rafa Sardina. It features the great virtuoso Ramon Stagnaro on acoustic guitar (Andrea Bocelli, Enrique Iglesias) and Rebeca Mauleón on piano (Santana, Cachao). The Afro-Cuban Rhythm section is led by Carlos del Puerto Jr. on bass (Alejandro Sanz, Arturo Sandoval), Jimmy Branly on drums (Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Chucho Valdez), Cuban timbalists Orestes Vilato (Celia Cruz, Rubén Blades), Jesus Diaz on congas (Tito Puente, Pete Escovedo...). The CD cover illustration is by the award-winning Martin French (Los Lobos, The Chronicle of Narnia).

Read more here.

PST LIVE feat. DJ QUESTLOVE + DJ SAKE ONE <~ Updated lineup
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.

$25-95 dinner or dinner and show

(soul, indy-rock, neo-blues)

Sun, Apr 21, 7pm

$20 adv, $25 door

Leah has played for audiences from Monterey to Memphis to Paris, France. Her debut album 'Real Good Fire' spawned a Billboard award winning song ('You Don't Scare Me') and has received acclaim and airplay across the country and in Europe. Just released, Tysse's sophomore album 'LOVE AGAIN' has been picked up for worldwide distribution by Sony Music Entertainment. Filled with songs of love, heartache and real-life commentary, 'LOVE AGAIN' is an album reflective of Leah's story and presents a slice of time in her life which she expresses with remarkable vulnerability. Her style is very playful yet deeply emotional and the sound pulls from her love of neo-soul, old soul and the beauty of well-crafted song from any genre.

Mon, Apr 22

RENÉ MARIE'S "Experience in Truth Quartet"
(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.

(adult contemporary, pop)
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.

RUBEN STUDDARD
(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.

(multi-cultural children's choir)
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.

RENAUD GARCIA-FONS
(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.

(The chart-topping King of smooth urban jazz)
Sun, May 5, 7 & 9pm
7pm $24, 9pm $18
Kim Waters has been heralded as "simply one of the planet's best saxophonists" by JazzTimes Magazine and touted as a "romantic pied piper" by The Washington Post. Waters has built an impressive and enviable career giving his fans what they want, along the way garnering praise from critics and fans alike and becoming one of the top five best-selling instrumentalists in jazz. His winning combination of sensitivity and brawn, intellect and emotion, coupled with his technique and soulfulness have helped him to score over thirteen #1 hits and over 20 Top 10 hits. Everyone from Al Green and Isaac Hayes to Phyllis Hyman, Kenny Lattimore and Teddy Riley and Guy has tapped his creative genius. In the Summer of 2011 Waters also had a song featured in the movie Larry Crowne starring Oscar winning actors Julia Roberts and Tom Hanks. Never one to rest on his laurels, the prolific saxophonist is constantly creating. "When I am in the studio there's got to be a perfect mixture of romance, groove, melody and catchy hooks that are both memorable and singable. If the music is right it can appeal to both a two year old and a 90 year old!" confesses Waters. For the debonair, laid back and talented multi-instrumentalist, music is simply a way of life. "It is always my hope that my music will be a vehicle to touch and inspire people in some kind of way." Read more here.