Inspired by the tragic events in 2011 following the Earthquake-Tsunami in Northern Japan (Tohoku), Otonowa was formed to provide spiritual healing through music to the communities devastated by these tragic events that claimed over 20,000 lives. The group toured Tohoku for seven consecutive years before the pandemic. Three recordings were made and the group is presently celebrating the release of their fourth recording, “Wind and Light.” The music Otonowa plays are jazz interpretations of Japanese folk and pop melodies, some dating back to the 1700’s. The group employs traditional Japanese instruments like the shakuhachi, fue, and fan drums in addition to instruments traditionally used in a jazz group—bass, piano, drums and a variety of reed instruments. The group members are in addition to drummer and leader Akira Tana, pianist Ben Stolorow, reed specialist Masaru Koga, and bassist Ken Noriyuki Okada. Guest performer Jimi Nakagawa joins on Taiko drums for this performance.
TAC JAZZ FEST returns in June!
The TAC JAZZ FEST is back starting June 4th! Jazz in the Neighborhood presents another series of concerts at the Temescal Arts Center at 511 48th St in Oakland, with two ticketed concerts at 5 and 7:30pm, and a free jam session at 2pm every day. Advance tickets are $15, and day-of tickets will be $20. Pre-sale ends the day before the show, so make sure to reserve your tickets early and receive the discounted price!
Saturday, June 4th
2pm: Free jam session with Bob Athayde
5pm: Christopher Lowell Clarke Quintet (tickets)
7:30pm: Sandy Cressman’s Homenagem Brasileira (tickets)
Sunday, June 12th
2pm: Free jam session with Glen Pearson
5pm: Azure McCall (tickets)
7:30pm: Dan Neville Quintet (tickets)
Saturday, June 18th shows have been CANCELLED due to circumstances beyond our control. Sorry for the inconvenience, catch our next series soon.
LIVE! at OPC! Jazz Concert Series: renowned bassist, Curtis Lundy
Oakland Public Conservatory of Music & Jazz in the Neighborhood present Live at OPC! hosting musicians from the Bay Area & Beyond.
Join us Thursday January 20, 2022 at 7 pm (PDT) for an evening of hard-driving, swingin’ jazz with renowned bassist, Curtis Lundy, direct from New York. Rounding out the trio will be Darrell Green on drums and Matt Clark on piano.
The concert is a collaboration with Jazz in the Neighborhood and will be in-person at the Oakland Public Conservatory of Music. It will also stream on Bandcamp.
Arnie Sainz Co Quintet at the West Oakland Sessions
Join us for another West Oakland Sessions show on Sunday, September 5th from 4-5:30pm with the Arnie Sainz Co Quintet! Co weaves the unique voices of his quintet with his own compositions for this final concert before he moves to New York. Proof of vaccination and masks are required for this concert. Full directions and safety protocols will be sent to you upon ticket purchase.
This concert is part of a series of West Oakland Sessions featuring young jazz musicians based in the Bay Area. All shows in this series will be recorded live with an in-person audience. High quality video and audio is provided to the musicians free of charge, courtesy of Jazz in the Neighborhood and Musical Traditions. By purchasing a ticket to this show and participating in the recording, you are helping to launch these young musicians’ careers.
Arnie Sainz Co is a pianist, composer, and educator based in the San Francisco Bay Area. His voice spans ensembles and genres, finding his footing in both large-scale new music compositions and intimate improvised music settings. While completing his B. M. in Music Education at San Jose State University, Arnie studied jazz piano under Dahveed Behroozi, and currently studies composition with Alan Ferber.
Nora Stanley at the West Oakland Sessions
Join us for another West Oakland Session on August 8th at 4pm with Nora Stanley! This concert will feature original compositions by Stanley and her bandmates, many of which were written during the pandemic and reflect their experiences of the past year. Stanley is joined by Raffi Garabedian, Omree Gal-Oz, Owen Clapp, and Matt Buckner at the Dresher Ensemble Studio in West Oakland for this live concert and recording session.
This concert is part of a series of West Oakland Sessions featuring young jazz musicians based in the Bay Area. All shows in this series will be recorded live with an in-person audience. High quality video and audio is provided to the musicians free of charge, courtesy of Jazz in the Neighborhood and Musical Traditions. By purchasing a ticket to this show and participating in the recording, you are helping to launch these young musicians’ careers.
Nora Stanley is a Bay Area-based saxophonist and composer whose interests and work live at the intersection of composed and improvised music with an emphasis on interaction and collaboration in a contemporary context. In addition to playing as a sideperson, she leads a quartet and a trio as well as BANKSHOT, an improvised wind quartet, and an electric/acoustic duo project. She has shared the stage with Dayna Stephens, Ambrose Akinmusire, and Gary Bartz, and has performed at Monterey Jazz Festival and SFJAZZ. Find more info and media on her website.
Click here to buy tickets and for more information!
Illy Bogart at the West Oakland Sessions
Join us on July 18th for another West Oakland Session featuring Illy Bogart! Drawing from a wide diversity of musical influences, this groove-oriented quintet create their unique sound in the cracks between funk, hip hop, and the jazz tradition.
This concert is part of a series of West Oakland Sessions featuring young jazz musicians based in the Bay Area. All shows in this series will be recorded live with an in-person audience. High quality video and audio is provided to the musicians free of charge, courtesy of Jazz in the Neighborhood and Musical Traditions. By purchasing a ticket to this show and participating in the recording, you are helping to launch these young musicians’ careers.
Celebrating the release of their debut album, Illy Bogart brings new compositions and their unique musical voice. Featuring Tony Peebles (Tommy Igoe, Pacific Mambo Orchestra, KATCHAFIRE) and Lyle Link (Warren Wolf, Ralph Peterson) on saxophones, Ian McArdle (Erik Jekabson, Jacam Manricks) on keyboards, Kai Lyons (Wil Blades, Joe Cohen) on guitar, and Isaac Schwartz (Negative Press Project, High Standards) on drums, Illy Bogart draws from a wide-reaching plethora of influences from classic jazz, modern funk, and hip hop to bring something new, impactful, and exciting.
The Jawn-tet at West Oakland Sessions!
Join us Sunday, July 11th for a live recording of the debut concert of the Jawn-tet. This live concert at the Dresher Ensemble Studio is part of a series of West Oakland Sessions featuring young jazz musicians based in the Bay Area, on select Sundays through September. All featured musicians will receive high quality audio and video recordings of the concert, and will be paid a guaranteed fair wage in line with Jazz in the Neighborhood’s standard.
Emerging as a response to the isolation of the past year, the debut of the Jawn-tet is a refreshing and long overdue return to live music for these five young musicians. Virtuosic Bay Area drummer Genius Wesley propels his new quintet through innovative takes on old standards and intrepid originals, contrasting sheets of sound against insistent bebop momentum. After meeting pianist Luis Peralta through a choral orchestra in Berkeley, and Tommy Noble (sax), Isaac Coyle (bass), and Jed Holtman (guitar) at an improvisation class taught by Howard Wiley, the group combined what had already become a loose collective into this new group. Their debut at the West Oakland Sessions will be the first recording of the Jawn-tet.
SF Supervisors to Vote on Funding Jazz Professionals & Venues
San Francisco Supervisors will be voting soon on a proposal put together by the Musician and Venue Development Alliance (MAVDA) to catalyze neighborhood recovery through the Arts. A ‘Yes’ vote would mean $900,000 would go to paying musicians for 6000 individual gigs over 50 weeks. The public comment period closes this Friday, June 25th.
Download the PowerPoint Presentation
Contact the Board of Supervisors to Give Feedback and Show Your Support!
When to watch: Friday June 25th, 10:00 am
Where to watch: Virtual
How to watch: On SF Cable Channel 26, 78 or 99 (depending on provider) or streaming at www.sfgovtv.org (choose “Watch SFGovTV – The Government Channel)
How to email public comment: board.of.supervisors@sfgov.org
- When emailing, use the subject line “Please Support Budget Money for MAVDA Proposal for Musicians and Venues”.
How to make public comment via phone: (Friday, June 25 at 10am): Dial 1 (415) 655-0001 / Enter Meeting ID: 146 586 5393 # #
How to make public comment via video submission: Please see instructions here.
Go to SF Board of Supervisors Site
Jazz in the Neighborhood featured on Ezvid Wiki!
Jazz in the Neighborhood is proud to be featured on Ezvid Wiki’s list, “6 Nonprofits Nurturing the Love of Music”. From their post:
Music is an art form that goes beyond borders. It has the power to heal, bring people together, and inspire. Whether you are seeking ways to connect with or learn about the medium, or simply looking to discover new artists and traditions, the following are some organizations that work to nurture musical expression.
Beginning the list at #1 is Jazz in the Neighborhood. This organization works to improve the musical gig economy in the Bay Area by presenting affordable concerts, paying musicians a guaranteed wage, and supporting the work of established and aspiring jazz artists. The group launched the Guaranteed Fair Wage Fund to encourage venues and presenters to pay musicians a minimum fee up front, regardless of ticket sales. When event revenue does not cover the cost of the agreed upon compensation, JITN can help make up the difference.
You can read more at this link. Thanks, Wiki.ezvid.com!
The Safe Place to Play
Jazz in the Neighborhood and the Independent Musicians Alliance announce…
The Safe Place to Play!
The Safe Place to Play is a FREE play/rehearsal space for up to 8 musicians with backline and COVID-19 protocols in place.
SPACE AND TIMES ARE LIMITED…SIGN UP AS SOON AS YOU CAN…FIRST COME FIRST SERVED
Jazz Archive of Our Time
Dear Jazz in the Neighborhood community,
We are living in challenging and momentous times. Our shared love and appreciation of jazz, America’s unique Black American art form, brings us together. We believe there is a cathartic way to approach these issues as a community, and we invite you to contribute to the Jazz Archive of Our Time. We are each creating our own narrative in dealing with these challenges, and we invite you to document your experience through a special dedicated page on the Jazz in the Neighborhood website.
In contributing to the archive, any and all of your experiences are important and welcome. This archive is for jazz artists and jazz supporters alike. We welcome your contributions as a way of documenting history, and also as a symbol of our coming together as a community.
Submit your stories, songs, and other files here. For more information, click here.
Jazz Voices of Poetry
Sunday, March 4, 4pm at the Jewish Community Center San Francisco
Clairdee — Nicolas Bearde — Noa Levy — Sian
Sparkling jazz melodies will wrap around stunning poetry in this celebration of modern American poets.
Norm Rosenblatt — composer, producer
Ken French — piano, arranger, music Director
Mario Guarneri — trumpet
Ron Belcher — bass
Jim Zimmerman — drums
Produced by Norm Rosenblatt, Jazz Voices of Poetry was founded to increase the awareness of both jazz and poetry by combining them in song and presenting the result to new audiences. The event is being co-sponsored by Jazz in the Neighborhood.
Purchase tickets at https://www.jazzvoice.net/home
General admission $22
Jewish Community Center of San Francisco, 3200 California Street, San Francisco
