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Entering the Sound Room's 2nd decade ...
David Gerard: Magic & Mentalism
Thursday November 17
Doors at 6:30P, Show at 7:30P
Absolutely Amazing!!!!
Magician and mindreader David Gerard is back!!! He will wow you with his skills and leave you wondering how he did that! If you need some wonder and amazement - and who doesn't? - come on out! We are in awe of his skills and pleased to present this wondrous show.
Over 75 minutes, David's 20 years of experience with the mystery arts are on display, showcasing a wide range of magic and mindreading effects. A top hit with Silicon Valley companies and event planners, David has been featured on the national tour of The Illusionists, at the famous Magic Castle in Hollywood, and in the living rooms of CEOs and tech titans. Now, experience his magic firsthand.
Tickets at David Gerard Magic & Mentalism
Homenagem Brasileira
Friday November 18
Doors at 7P, Music at 8P
Homage to Brazil embraces the diversity of Brazil's musical traditions, rather than simply focusing on Brazilian standards that have already crossed over into the jazz world. While many an American jazz singer flirts with the Brazilian Songbook, San Francisco vocalist Sandy Cressman made a name for herself as a true devotee of the country’s greatest contemporary composers, interpreting songs by post-bossa masters like Milton Nascimento, Hermeto Pascoal, Gilberto Gil, and Filó Machado in Rio-accented Portuguese. The friendships forged with Brazilian musicians during her musical travels course through her music.
Fo this special event, they will be spotlighting new arrangements from the Milton Nascimento project.
Sandy Cressman, voice/percussion
Murray Low, piano
David Belove, bass
Dillan Vado, drums
Sheldon Brown, saxophone
Tickets at Homenagem Brasileira
Lady Bianca
Saturday November 19
Doors at 7P, Music at 8P
There's something about the blues...they always make you feel better. And this show is sure to do it!
Lady Bianca is an American electric blues singer, songwriter and arranger. She has worked as a session singer, depicted Billie Holiday on stage, and since 1995 released six solo albums, three of which were nominated for a Grammy Award. Lady Bianca has evolved into an icon in the San Francisco Bay Area where she's known as "Queen of the Blues and Gospel". She sang, recorded and toured the world with Van Morrison for a decade as well as playing for John Lee Hooker and as featured vocalist with Frank Zappa.
With her writing partner, Stanley Lippitt, she has written over 300 songs and produced, arranged, and recorded 8 albums , including the August 2014 release "Real People Music on her own Magic-O Records label (Home of the Mighty Oakland Sound). Lady Bianca has toured the country with her trio and was featured in last year's International Boogie Woogie Festival in Lugano, Switzerland.
Appearing with Lady Bianca are Oshmin Oden on bass and Joey Trouso on drums.
Tickets at Lady Bianca
Next Week & Beyond....
Peter Smith Trio
Saturday November 26
Doors at 3:15P, Show at 4P
Skip the shopping and come listen to music.
Pianist Peter Smith puts out a cooking hard bop sound that has that classic Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers/ Horace Silver groove to it. Smith's piano work is certainly a talent worth paying plenty of attention to.
Peter is an accomplished pianist, composer, arranger, songwriter, and music director, and his career has flourished on both coasts. Originally a New Yorker, Peter has lived in Los Angeles since 2005.
Along with his jazz performances, Peter has been the musical director on numerous TV shows. He has worked directly with Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Nettles, Robin Thicke and John Legend, not only accompanying them and their contestants in rehearsal, but collaborating with them on the musical arrangements for the show.
Peter began working with Natalie Cole as her primary accompanist just prior to her passing, and he has been traveling the world as Molly Ringwald’s pianist/MD, serving as co-producer and arranger on her Concord Records release: Except Sometimes. He has played on major stages large and small.
Smith will be accompanied by Lorca Hart and Tyler Harlow. Lorca is a percussionist extraordinaire who has worked consistently in a variety of musical situations, performing with many of the West Coast's (and beyond) finest artists. Tyler has established himself as one of the most creative bassists and composers with wide ranging styles from jazz, chamber jazz and progressive.
Tickets at Peter Smith Trio
The Family Jules
Saturday November 26
Doors at 7:15P, Show at 8:00P
It's hard to find a true blues guitarist in todays musical landscape, but thats exactly what you get with Jules Leyhe. Armed with a degree in Guitar Performance from the esteemed Berklee College of Music and with the soul of a musician three times his age, Leyhe combines classic blues guitar with modern electronic instrumentation and creates a sonic mesh you'll surely feel in your core.
Named one of Guitar Player Magazines 12 Players of Christmas in 2014 as well as the Bay Area Blues Foundations All Stars in 2015, Leyhe has already shared the stage with many of Blues greatest talents including Buddy Guy, Charlie Musselwhite, Chris Cain, Jimmy Vivino, Barry Goldberg, Fantastic Negrito, Nick Gravenites, Elvin Bishop, and Maria Muldaur.
Both with his band and on his own, Leyhe has been taking over the San Francisco Bay Area one venue at a time, playing everywhere from the seminal Boom Boom Room to the Sweetwater Music Hall, The Great American Music Hall, Slims, and continually sells out performances. You don't want to miss this show!
Joining Jules is a top-notch band!
Nancy Wright on sax and vocals
Ian McArdle on keys
Isaac Schwartz on drums
Matt Roads on bass guitar
with Guest vocalist Libby Lavella
Tickets at The Family Jules
Classical Sound Room: Monica Chew & Otis Harriel
Sunday November 27
Doors at 5P, Music at 6P
Violinist Otis Harriel and pianist and composer Monica Chew team up for a program approachable classics and new music, featuring "Through the Rapids" by Adam Zolty, "Suite Italienne" by Igor Stravinsky, "Ice Calf" and "Pitter Patter" by Monica Chew, and more!
Monica Chew is an Oakland pianist and composer. In 2017 she released her first solo album, Tender and Strange, featuring works by Bartók, Janáček, Messiaen, Takemitsu, and Scriabin. A “gifted player with an affinity for deeply sensitive expression” (Whole Note), she has been featured on radio stations worldwide. She started composing in 2017 and couldn’t be happier about it. Prior to 2015, she worked nearly a decade as a principal software engineer on security and privacy at Mozilla and Google. She lives in Oakland with her husband, an 1899 Steinway B, a clavichord, and a disused violin.
Violinist Otis Harriel began his violin training in his hometown of Arcata, CA. He earned his Bachelor's Degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. He studied with Wei He and developed his love of chamber music through the guidance of Mark Sokol, Jennifer Culp, Jean-Michel Fonteneau and Jodi Levitz.
Since 2012 he has been a violinist with Friction Quartet. With the quartet he has performed in many diverse venues around the world, from Carnegie Hall to SFJAZZ, and collaborated with artists such as Andy Akiho, Paul Watkins, Fabian Almazan, and the Le Bouef Brothers. Friction Quartet has commissioned over 40 works for string quartet and has been mentored by members of the Miró Quartet, Emerson Quartet, Brentano Quartet, St. Lawrence String Quartet, Kronos Quartet and Belcea Quartet.
Outside of his work with Friction Quartet he has a passion for museums, a love of Haydn, an enjoyment for rock climbing and deep delight for everything culinary.
Tickets at Classical Sound Room
December events
December 2 Fred Randolph Quintet Music at 7
The Fred Randolph Quintet is made up of 5 of the most sought after Bay Area musicians with Erik Jekabson on trumpet, Sheldon Brown on reeds, Murray Low on piano, Isaac Schwartz on drums and Fred on bass.
December 2 Stand UP Broadway at 9
Standup Broadway Presents always features a diverse lineup of hilarious local and out of town headliner comedians, some seen on Comedy Central, Netflix, Amazon, Conan O'Brien, James Corden, America's Got Talent, SiriusXM and more. So, If you are looking for a fun evening, check this out! At least 6 comics bringing their "A" game, and you never know who might show up. EAT-DRINK-LAUGH, great date night!
December 3 Suzanna Smith - The Peggy Lee Project
With sparkling charm, a golden tone and an innate sense of swing, Suzanna joyfully brings a soulful blend that is simple, yet sophisticated - true and distinctive. Suzanna brings an ALL-STAR band featuring Lee Bloom on piano, to the Sound Room stage, and a trip through the music of Peggy Lee.
"Lee's ability to not just caress a ballad but smother it in mink has seldom been matched. She was also a sage swinger never too much, never too little as well as a first-rate songwriter. Smith checks all those boxes." Jazz Times
December 4 Los Tangueros del Oeste at 6
2022 Latin Grammy nominees, Los Tangueros del Oeste, Created by the bass player and composer Sascha Jacobsen, combines tango with the rhythms and textures of hip hop, electronic music and flamenco. A collection of musicians from different countries (Argentina, Venezuela, USA, Puerto Rico, México) come together with the aim of expanding traditional sounds.Los Tangueros singular Nuevo Tango sound is cool and impassioned, sensuous, seductive and unique and compelling sound for modern audiences.
December 8 Sam Reider Quartet featuring Ben Flocks at 7
Sam Reider is a pianist, accordionist, composer, and educator from San Francisco, California. His work brings together various streams of American music, from jazz and folk tunes to popular song and contemporary composition. He has appeared as a bandleader and soloist at major festivals and venues around the world and his performances and original compositions have been featured on NPR, PBS and the BBC. Reider has performed, recorded and collaborated with a range of artists including Jon Batiste, Jorge Glem, Sierra Hull, Laurie Lewis, and Paquito d’Rivera. As Mark Corroto writes in All About Jazz, “Reider has a knack for writing new music that has a familiar sound. Let's say he has an old soul encased in some sprightly fingers.”
December 9 An Evening of Flamenco
Flamenco, which UNESCO recently recognized as part of the World’s Intangible Cultural Heritage, is a complex art form incorporating poetry, singing (cante), guitar playing (toque), dance (baile), polyrhythmic hand-clapping (palmas), and finger snapping (pitos). It often features the call and response known as jaleo, a form of “hell raising,” involving hand clapping, foot stomping, and audiences’ encouraging shouts. Nobody really knows where the term “flamenco” originated, but all agree that the art form began in southern Spain—Andalusia and Murcia—but was also shaped by musicians and performers in the
Caribbean, Latin America, and Europe.
December 10 Ray Obiedo Group
Bay Area guitarist Ray Obiedo is best known for his work with organist Johnny "Hammond" Smith, ECM Records trombonist Julian Priester, jazz superstar Herbie Hancock, and Latin jazz great Pete Escovedo. Join Obiedo as he takes the stage with his group for a night of funky, percussive guitar! Ray O - guitar; Jeff Cressman - trombone; Murray Lowe - piano; Dave Belove - bass; Michael Spiro - percussion; Phil Hawkins - drums
December 11 Cosa Nostra Strings at 7
A branch of the illustrious Jazz Mafia, COSA NOSTRA STRINGS specializes in original Hybrid Crossover music. This five-piece powerhouse crew features conservatory trained classical musicians who bring a provocative, precise, punk-rock personality to a highly distinguished multi-style sound, utilizing their unique instrumentation of cello, viola, violin, trombone, bass, and percussion to the fullest extent. Spanning centuries of genres, you’ll hear diverse influences from around the world: funk infusion, folk, western chamber music, jazz, and most certainly 80’s rock ballads!
December 16 Marcus Shelby Quintet featuring Kennedy Shelby
Composer, bassist, educator, SF arts commissioner, artistic director of Healdsburg Jazz, and bandleader Marcus Shelby is honored to present a new quintet featuring Aaron Smith (trumpet), Dillon Vado (vibraphone), Luis Peralta (piano/keyboards), Sylvia Cuenca (drums), and introducing his daughter Kennedy Shelby (vocals). The new Marcus Shelby Quintet performs original and traditional compositions that celebrate and honor black lives past, present, and future. On December 16th live at the Sound Room in Oakland, CA, the Marcus Shelby Quintet will also perform holiday music from a diversity of cultures.
December 17 Aki Kumar: Bollywood Blues
Charlie Musselwhite-endorsed Aki Kumar proves to traditionalists that singing in Hindi can co-exist with Chicago blues conventions. This Indian-American’s intense sense of musical discovery as an able vocalist and harmonica player drives worry-and-regret makeovers of Bollywood film songs and adds bounce to a reggae version of “Watermelon Man.” Boosted by top West Coast blues personnel and cross-cultural extras, Kumar proves that the integrity of his music marks the difference between novelty and substance. Kumar expresses his pride in his Indian heritage by blending melodies from Hindi movies and Indian classical music with American blues, creating a fusion of East and West that he calls "Bollywood blues".
December 18 Marina Crouse: Cantos de mi corazón at 6P
Marina Crouse grew up with a deep love for the Spanish-language albums Eydie Gormé recorded with Los Panchos -- always played by her grandmother at family gatherings and celebrations. She says, 'The songs on Canto de mi corazón are such a big part of me; of my past and my present. I really love this music and I hope you will too!'" Marina Crouse is one of the most notable talents on the San Francisco/Bay Area music scene.
We will be closed between December 19-28
December 29 June Cavlan Quartet
A new voice in Jazz! Sometimes you open an email and get a pleasant surprise. That was the case when we were contacted by this singer. June hails from Santa Cruz but is studying in Miami. When we heard her voice, we knew we needed to find a date. We booked her in July and we are thrilled she is coming back. June has won Downbeat awards for her group singing and was a Youngarts Winner as a solo vocalist and Downbeat Magazine announced her as the winner for the 2022 best jazz vocalist in an undergraduate program in America.
December 30 Howell Devine
Triple threat talent, Joshua Howell (guitar, harmonica, vocals) and percussion savant, Pete Devine (drums, washboard), plus veteran upright bassist, Joe Kyle Jr. deftly mix Delta/Country Blues with wildly syncopated rhythms to create a rollicking present-day sound rooted in early blues. Their music stands in stark contrast to the typical blues heard in bars these days and would more likely be shaking the floors of a Southern juke joint some 70 years ago.
December 31 A Big Easy NYE with Kenny Washington
Kenny Washington thrills audiences across the globe with his soulful interpretations, seemingly limitless range, and rapid-fire scatting. The New Orleans native, now based in the San Francisco Bay Area, is described as one of “the Bay Area’s best kept musical secrets,” Washington’s astounding improvisational flights, inventive approach and emotional intensity are awe inspiring. If you have never heard this New Orleans native sing before, prepare to join a global audience that has been wowed by Washington’s talent.
Includes dinner, show and champagne toast at Midnight
Sound Room Update
Ten years ago, on November 10, 2012, we opened as the Sound Room. Prior to that we had a house concert series, and even before that we were supporting the arts through informal events and collaborating with other non-profit groups. We are thrilled to be offering great music in an all ages venue. As we think about our next 10 years, we want to expand our offerings and continue to bring you the best music! Our model pays the bands through ticket sales, relies on food and drink to cover rent and overhead, and volunteers to work the events. Moving forward, we need to be able to offer guarantees to some bands in order to secure bookings. To make this happen we are now offering Sound Room Subscriptions. Monies collected from these subscriptions will allow us to guarantee payments to high caliber artists. Subscriptions are year-long and commence January 1. Subscribers will be notified of events in advance of the general listings, be invited to special Members Only Events, and receive discounts on Sound Room purchases. Subscriptions are available at multiple levels. As always, we are eternally grateful for all the support we have received through the years and look forward to what the future brings! More information on subscriptions is at Sound Room Subscriptions.
You can see what's on the menu by checking the food page on our website soundroom.org. Please come hungry and thirsty. Ticket sales pay for the band, sound system and piano tuning. Food & drink sales pay our rent & utilities which allow us to stay open. Be sure to look at the VIP & Date Night Packages. These are food & wine pre-orders that can be added to your ticket purchase. Skip any lines and go right to your table to start your evening.
Currently we are displaying the art of James Gayles: Musical Watercolors. Come by and take another look. Original art is a great gift!
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