The Eighth Annual Jerry Day Celebration

This Sunday, the Excelsior Cultural Group and the San Francisco Parks Trust will present the 8th Annual Jerry Day Celebration at the Jerry Garcia Amphitheater, located at 45 John F. Shelley Drive. The first Jerry Garcia / Excelsior celebration happended in 2002 as a fundraiser for Crocker Amazon Playground in Jerry Garcia's childhood neighborhood - The Excelsior District. Spearheaded and conceived by Excelsior District natives and residents, this civic and cultural event is the largest event associated with the neighborhood. It's wholeheartedly embraced by the community and the city. In 2009, the festival received the "Best Community Building Event Award" from the City and County of San Francisco.

Jerry Garcia, as most people know, was one of the biggest musical icons of our time, the leader of the Grateful Dead, and a native son of the Excelsior District who grew up at 87 Harrington Street. This community celebration of Jerry Garcia originated in 2002 and has since gained a wide range of support across the Excelsior District and Southeast Community of San Francisco.

The 2010 Jerry Day Line-Up

Melvin Seals and JGB
Melvin Seals has been a powerful presence in the music industry for over 30 years with a long-established reputation as a performer, recording artist and producer. Melvin is most revered for his powerful, high-spirited, Hammond B-3 organ, and keyboards in the Jerry Garcia Band. Melvin spun his B-3 magic with the Jerry Garcia Band for 18 years and in doing so helped pioneer and define what has now become "Jam Band Music". From blues to funk to rock to jazz, Melvin Seals serves up a tasty mix with a little R&B and gospel thrown in to spice things up. Melvin and JGB brings an intuitive, expressive style, soul, spontaneity and remarkable chops to the table. With acoustic and electric ingredients and unique combinations of Stu Allen's guitar and amazing vocals, Jimmy Tebeau's savory bass, Pete Lavezzoli’s hearty drums and, of course, a heapin' helpin' of the wizard's magic on Hammond B-3 Organ and keyboards. Along with Shirley Starks and Cheryl Rucker on back-up vocals, the result is a most satisfying blend of natural organic grooves that challenges genre boundaries.

Their chemistry is the focus from which they create a spontaneous and high art where the sky is the limit musically. They offer an exciting, often psychedelic musical journey that changes nightly and keeps the audience dancing and smiling (and some staring in amazement) for hours. Adding his rock-gospel-soul-rhythm and blues touch with his funky style of playing, no wonder Jerry nicknamed him "Master of the Universe". Melvin continues to treat music lovers to his unique brand of melodic flavor with JGB.

Front Street and Friends
Front Street, a jam band based out of the San Francisco Bay Area, emulates the feel, excitement and energy of the Grateful Dead at their peak. Fronted by Stu Allen, lead guitarist and vocalist for Melvin Seals & The JGB Band, this band is sure please even the most discriminating dead head. Band also features John "Stewball" Stewart on rhythm guitar (Jelly), Sam Johnston on B3/keyboards (Box Set, Buffalo Roam, Grapefruit Ed), Jeff Faust on bass (Dead Guise, Workingman's Ed) and Mark Corsolini on drums (Dark Star Orchestra, Outlaw Family Band, Workingman's Ed, Melvin Seals & The JGB Band). The member of Front Street are “friends” with, “shared the stage” with, or “been in bands” with so many great musicians over the years, they decided to invite many of them to sit in on Jerry Day. You never know who will show up… should be great fun!

Check Engine Light
Call it what you will: “the old folks” from the Neighborhood, from the “Family”, or even just Geezer Rock. "We’re just a group of old guys who get together to entertain our friends with music. We play some old familiar songs, some not so old: some original, some original takes on classics. Some of our songs are lost in space and time just like us..."

The 8th Annual Jerry Day 2010
Jerry Garcia Amphitheater
Free Admission. Donations Accepted. Live Music, Art, Food, etc.
45 John F. Shelley Drive / San Francisco, CA - 7pm
Melvin Seals and JGB (3:30pm), Front Street and Friends (12:30pm), Check Engine Light (12:00pm)

The 2010 Outsound New Music Summit

Outsound Presents, the home grown artist nonprofit collective of the Bay-Area returns July 18th - 24th for the 9th Annual Outsound New Music Summit, one of the most comprehensive experimental music festivals on the West Coast with another unique roster of talent. The festival seeks to build on its reputation for diverse and critically-acclaimed performances with headliners that run the gamut from the films of Martha Colburn, multi-phonic drummer Alex Cline, the siren voices of Amy X Neuburg to the unabashed performance noise of Chen Santa Maria.

Every summer since 2002, the New Music Summit spends a week in July showcasing some of the most innovative and pioneering new music that is happening in California and beyond. At first a celebration of the eclectic vanguard artists on the DIY Edgetone Records Label, the Summit now features a broad range of artists from across the US, Europe, Australia and Japan. It features world premieres and exclusive debuts, raging free improvisers to microtonal composition to experimental electronics to harsh noise, reflecting an incredible range of genre busting exploration and sonic creativity. The Summit promotes intermedia, fostering cross-pollination between disciplines of music, sound art, visual and media arts. It is committed to bringing highly innovative music and art to a growing audience seeking a new experience.

The 9th Annual Outsound New Music Summit takes place July 18th through the 24th at the San Francisco Community Music Center, the Summit’s home for the past three years. The festival schedule includes the much anticipated yearly Touch the Gear tm, a free hands-on expo Sunday July 18th where attendees can experience new sounds and the devices that make them. A build your own cardboard synthesizer (Skatchbox) demonstration Monday July 19th with grandmaster instrument builder Tom Nunn, pre-concert artist talks, and four nights of music featuring a diverse lineup of artists.

The schedule includes a rare collaboration between Los Angeles iconoclast drummer Alex Cline and former Shadowfax ‘extended technique’ and ‘frequency manipulation’ guitarist G.E. Stinson. Performance vocal art by the Cornelius Cardew Choir, Amy X Neuburg, and “spoetry” (spam poetry) from Reconnaissance fly. The program also includes a full night of experimental films by musician conceptual artist Martha Colburn with music by pianist Thollem Mcdonas, and the internationally-exhibited 2009 60X60 Film Mix from Voxnovis featuring sixty local and international composers to film by Patrick Liddell in sixty minuets.

The mission of Outsound Presents is to raise public awareness of avant-garde and experimental music and sound art. All events and works supported by the organization focus on the creation of experimental music, avant-garde musical composition, found sound, improvisation, creative music, new music, noise, musique concrète, minimalism, invented instruments, genre-bending music, and sound that is sculptural or textural in nature. Outsound Presents events also include film, dance, and intermedia works. Through its two year around music series, its fledgling community education program OutSpoken, and a palette of artist services, Outsound Presents connects audiences to new work and the innovative artists creating it.

FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS

Sunday July 18: Touch the Gear
Ever wanted a closer look at the gear on stage? Wish you could try it yourself? Touch the Gear is Outsound’s free public OutSpoken event that allows audiences to roam among over 25 artists and their sonic inventions, asking questions, making noise and learning how these often one-of-a-kind set-ups work. It’s a hands-on, family-friendly environment that demystifies the technology while inspiring creativity. 7-10 pm

Monday July 19: How to build a Skatchbox - Demonstration
At this OutSpoken event participants will lean how to build their very own experimental musical instrument from a cardboard box. Inventor Tom Nunn will explain the techniques and demonstrate the processes used. 7-9pm

Wednesday July 21: Blurred Lines
Experimental films by Martha Colburn, with a live score by Thollem Mcdonas. Also, the internationally- exhibited 2009 60X60 Film Mix from Voxnovis.com, featuring sixty local and international composers to sixty one-minute films by Patrick Liddell.

Thursday July 22: Sound in a Blink
a night of free improvisational music with Hunt/Allen/Orr (featuring Joshua Allen, Timothy Orr, & Randy Hunt). Also, Emily Hay /Motoko Honda duo - and to top it off, legendary drummer Alex Cline with guitarist G.E. Stinson.

Friday July 23: MultiVox
A night of performances infused by voice and performance art with Reconnaissance Fly, the Cornelius Cardew Choir, and Amy X Neuburg.

Saturday July 24: Soundscapes
A night of sculpted noise art with phog masheeen, Headboggle, Kadet Khune, and Chen Santa Maria.

The 9th Annual Outsound New Music Summit
July 18 - 19 Free public events start at 7pm July 21 - 24
Artist Q&A: 7:30pm Music Performances start: 8:15pm
San Francisco Community Music Center 544 Capp Street (between 20th and 21st Streets) San Francisco, California
All Ages | Wheelchair Accessible July 21-24: $12 General ($10 advance) / $8 Student Festival Pass $45 ($40 advance)
Advance general tickets at In Ticketing http://www.inticketing.com/evinfo.php?eventid=97125

Béla Fleck's "Throw Down Your Heart - Part 2"

Béla Fleck is often considered the premier banjo player in the world. “Throw Down Your Heart - Africa Sessions Part 2” includes fourteen new songs recorded during his journey from Nashville to Mali, The Gambia, Tanzania and Uganda. Fleck's goal was to collaborate with incredible African musicians, and look into the origins of the banjo and banjo music. This is also Fleck's second installment of his African musical odyssey and his first experiment with the idea of going direct to the listener online; no record company middleman, a popular concept being used in today's digital music world. For now, his website is the only place you can find and download this fabulous album.

A New York City native, he picked up the banjo at age 15 after being awed by the bluegrass music of Flatt & Scruggs. While still in high school he began experimenting with playing bebop jazz on his banjo, mentored by fellow banjo renegade Tony Trischka. In 1980, he released his first solo album, Crossing the Tracks, with material that ranged from straight ahead bluegrass to Chick Corea’s “Spain.” In 1982, Fleck joined the progressive bluegrass band New Grass Revival, making a name for himself on countless solo and ensemble projects ever since as a virtuoso instrumentalist. In 1989 he formed the genre-busting Flecktones, with members equally talented and adventurous as himself.

Throw Down Your Heart, the third volume in Béla’s renowned Tales From the Acoustic Planet series, is his most ambitious project to date. In on-location collaborations with musicians from Uganda, Tanzania, Senegal, Mali, South Africa and Madagascar, Béla Fleck explores the African origins of the banjo, the prototype of which was brought to American shores by African slaves. Throw Down Your Heart is a companion to the award-winning film of the same name, which Béla and director Sascha Paladino are currently premiering at festivals nationwide. Transcending barriers of language and culture, Fleck finds common ground with musicians ranging from local villagers to international superstars such as the Malian diva Oumou Sangare to create some of the most meaningful music of his career.

The music on the album is as adventurous and varied as anything we’ve come to expect from Béla, ranging from the tradition-based opening track, performed with a group of Kenyan women singers, to the exquisite title track, performed with the Haruna Samake Trio and Bassekou Kouate from Mali. Basseko, who comes from a long line of Griot musicians, is an incredible improvising player who plays the n’goni, the Malian banjo. The music he and Béla make together is gentle and melodic. Equally modern is his duet with South African guitarist Vusi Mahlasela, who is simply known as ‘the voice’ (and what an awesome and expressive voice he has). His music connects South Africa’s Apartheid-scarred past with its promise for a better future.

Nothing can quite prepare the listener for the sound of the giant marimba played by the Muwewesu Xylophone Group in Uganda. Says Béla, “The marimba is reassembled every day, and it seems to be played by a set group of men. Each one plays a certain musical part in the group. I think there are other people who know each of the parts in case someone is unable, or unavailable to play. Also there seemed to be kids who were being taught parts. But a spot in the primary team seemed to be a very coveted spot, and the men who played in this group were very serious and very good. The village did join in – in large numbers, singing and playing flutes and fiddles and percussion instruments. They also danced.” It’s a sound of pure joy.

Another highlight is “Djorolen,” a duet with singer Oumou Sangare, who delivers a vocal that expresses heartbreaking beauty and sadness. “As she points out in this song,” says Béla, “it is often the orphans, those who have lost their parents when they are young, who have the greatest problems in life.”

“D’Gary Jam” is a fascinating amalgam that exemplifies the spirit of the album. Béla explains, “This track started its life in Nashville. We had a great jam one day, which went for 22 minutes straight, the whole take was really cool.

"This was in July, about 7 months before we went to Africa. I decided to bring the track along, and add people to it as we went, and even after the trip, a kind of science project, if you will. After things got added, I took some liberties with people’s parts and did a little audio sculpting.” Along with the great acoustic guitarist D’Gary, the track features, among others, Oumou Sangare, the legendary kora player Toumani Diabate, and Bassekou Kouyate."

As to the origins of the banjo, Béla comments, “When I went to Africa I found instruments and players that gave me a better sense of where the thing started. In Gambia and Mali in particular, I found what I was looking for!” This is especially apparent on the traditional song medley “Ajula/Mbamba,” performed by Béla and The Jatta Family from the Gambia. “The akonting could very well be the original banjo. Everyone around Banjul certainly seems to think so! Huge numbers of slaves came west from this area. We were told that the musicians were allowed to play these instruments on the slave ships, and that many lives were saved due to it.”

The 2010 Fillmore Jazz Festival

Every summer on July 4th weekend in San Francisco, Fillmore Street is home to the largest free jazz festival on the West Coast: The Fillmore Jazz Festival. The festival annually attracts more than 90,000 people from all over the City, the Bay Area, and beyond. Visitors gather to celebrate and enjoy a musical tradition of live jazz, rhythm and blues, and gospel as well as local culture and fine cuisine in the heart of the city by the bay. This year the Festival celebrates its 26th anniversary by once again blending art and soul from sunup to sundown, from Jackson to Eddy, presenting the music of old favorites as well as new ‘up and comers’ on multiple stages. You can also browse 13 blocks of fine arts and crafts, enjoy gourmet food and beverages, and participate in cooking demos by the Fillmore’s finest chefs.

Art and crafts include photography, painting, woodwork, metalwork, jewelry, pottery, clothing, hats, and children’s toys – over 200 artists and craftsmen. Delicious “street food” includes oysters, calamari, fish & chips, grilled chicken, bbq pork, jambalaya, tri-tip and even food from the new local restaurant, Out the Door. The event will also be pouring fine wine and beer. You can also participate in hourly cooking demos near the Fillmore Center Plaza, featuring chefs from noted local restaurants.

A Brief History

Against the backdrop of World War II, dozens of Fillmore Street Jazz clubs hosted the era's major musical talents, including Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Billie Holliday. Stars such as Joe Louis, Marilyn Monroe, Clint Eastwood and Sammy Davis, Jr. sparkled in the audience. At the legendary Jimbo's, Louis Armstrong went to check out Charlie Parker (the only known time they were under the same roof). Chet Baker snuck out of the Fort Mason barracks to jam all night, and John Handy played Bop City with John Coltrane.

In the 60s, Jazz historian David Rosenbaum ran the Melrose Record shop on Fillmore Street, employing high school student Maya Angelou. Zen Buddhism was first introduced to the West in the Fillmore, which became a creative home to artists including Isaac Stern, The Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, Mel Blanc and Alan Ginsberg.

Although much changed following the area's redevelopment in the 1970's, the jazz spirit proved tenacious. In the 1980's, a renaissance gave rise to the next generation of the Fillmore District. Merchant associations helped launch the first Fillmore Jazz Festival in 1985, giving new expression to the storied neighborhood. In 1999, the festival came home to the newly revitalized Jazz Preservation District.

Performers who have graced Fillmore Street stages include Dr. Lonnie Smith, Denise Perrier, Lady Memphis, Kim Nalley, Pete Escovedo, Jules Broussard, Big Belly Blues Band, Brenda Boykin and Paula West.

Today, Fillmore Street once again hops with an acknowledging nod to the spirit that once filled the street. Boasting an eclectic mix of over 200 businesses: music clubs, shops and restaurants, it continues to echo the music of its birth, transcending boundaries, embracing diversity, and celebrating personal style.

2010 Fillmore Jazz Festival Entertainment Schedule

Saturday, July 3, 2010

California Street Stage
10:00 - 11:30: Farzad
12:00 - 1:30: Dave Rocha Quintet
2:00 - 3:30: Art Khu
4:00 - 6:00: Marcus Shelby Orchestra

Sutter Street Stage
10:00 - 11:30: Calvin Keys Trio
12:00 - 1:30: The Lost Cats
2:00 - 3:30: Brent Kimbrough Band
4:00 - 6:00: Pamela Joy Quintet

Eddy Street Stage
10:00 - 11:30: Curtis Lawson
12:00 - 1:30: Dynamic Four
2:00 - 3:30: Bobbie Webb
4:00 - 6:00: Native Elements

Jackson Street Entertainment Area
12:30 - 5:00: Bartron Tyler Group

O'Farrell Street Entertainment Area
10:00 - 12:00: The Jazz School Performance
12:00 - 6:00: San Francisco Balboa & Swing Festival

Sunday, July 4, 2010

California Street Stage
10:00 - 11:30: Dave Costa Trio
12:00 - 1:30: Houston Person
2:00 - 3:30: Kim Nalley
4:00 - 6:00: Fil Lorenz Orchestra

Sutter Street Stage
10:00 - 11:30: Russo Alberts Trio
12:00 - 1:30: Lloyd Gregory
2:00 - 3:30: Eric Muhler Jazz Quartet
4:00 - 6:00: Lisa Engelken Band

Eddy Street Stage
10:00 - 11:30: Consonance - (gospel group)
12:00 - 1:30: Eddie Gale
2:00 - 3:30: Manicato
4:00 - 6:00: Bayonics with special guest Big Brooklyn Red

Jackson Street Entertainment Area
12:30 - 5:00: Bartron Tyler Group

O'Farrell Street Entertainment Area
12:00 - 6:00: San Francisco Balboa & Swing Festival