Red-poppy Videos

I m really excited to post this absolutely killin multimedia by The Supplicants getting crazy with the improvisation live at the Red Poppy Art House in San Francisco on November 6, 2009. They don t get together like this very often, especially with Sameer in NYC these days, so it was a real pleasure to hear them play in such a great intimate venue like the Poppy. Best of all, the guys were gracious enough to let me post all of the audio files from both sets (below), plus photos and a video I produced of the track Pavarti (above). For those viewers with iPhones, you can also directly stream or download this video file too. So, have at it people, this one is not to be missed! Musicians David Boyce, Tenor Soprano David Ewell, Bass Sameer Gupta, Drums Download audio file (2009.11.06.Supplicants.RedPoppy.1.mp3) Download audio file (2009.11.06.Supplicants.RedPoppy.2.mp3) Download audio file (2009.11.06.Supplicants.RedPoppy.3.mp3) Download audio file (2009.11.06.Supplicants.RedPoppy.4.mp3) Download audio file (2009.11.06.Supplicants.RedPoppy.5.mp3) Download audio file (2009.11.06.Supplicants.RedPoppy.6.mp3) Download audio file (2009.11.06.Supplicants.RedPoppy.7.mp3) Download audio file (2009.11.06.Supplicants.RedPoppy.8.mp3) Set List 1. The Twelve Labors of Hercules 2. Five Golden Rings 3. Illyrian 4. Parvati 5. Overthrow, Failure, and Decadence 6. Berimbau 7. Fire Brigade 8. Moment of Gravity

I m finally getting around to publishing this great multimedia from the Eaton Barics Quintet live at the Red Poppy Art House in San Francisco on June 19, 2009. The band was gracious enough to let me include video and audio of two tracks from their performance that night. The first is a fantastic rendition of Mood Indigo featuring Rob Barics on tenor sax, and the second is an original composition by Rob that features the whole band the piece was inspired by Rob s little kid, and thus is appropriately titled Dump Truck. Download audio file (eatonbarics06.mp3) Download audio file (eatonbarics07.mp3) Musicians Rob Barics, Tenor Gabe Eaton, Alto Jeff Marrs, Drums Marcus Shelby, Bass Adam Shulman, Piano

With an emphasis on arrangements and interactive playing, the Adam Shulman Trio plays jazz in the tradition of the great trios from the 1950s. Long-time collaborators Adam Shulman (piano) and Jack Riordan (guitar) were joined by bassist extraordinaire John Wiitala to present their own take on standards from the Great American Songbook. The best part is that the band was generous enough to let me share a pair of tracks, Will You Still Be Mine and Tea For Two, from a live recording I made at their recent performance on April 30, 2009 at the Red Poppy Art House. Download audio file (2009.04.30.AdamShulmanTrio.RedPoppy.3.mp3) Download audio file (2009.04.30.AdamShulmanTrio.RedPoppy.4.mp3)

Here s an audio track from a live collaboration on January 8, 2009 between Classical Revolution and Nefasha Ayer as part of their ongoing participation in the Red Poppy Art House s Artist-in-Residence program. Download audio file (2009.01.08.ClassicalRevolution.mp3)

Meklit Hadero is a singer, musician, arts organizer, resident artist at the Red Poppy Art House, and primary lyricist and singer for Nefasha Ayer. Born in Ethiopia, Meklit has since lived in twelve cities, on three continents, and brings her international experience to all her creative work. She recently released her first EP, titled "eight songs...." www.nefashaayer.com

I ve finally gotten around to posting this multimedia from a special evening with Devin Hoff live at the Red Poppy Art House on Saturday, January 3, 2009 one of the first shows of the new year at the Poppy! Devin kicked off the evening with an extraordinary solo bass performance, which even included a bass interpretation of an old Black Flag classic if you can believe that. He was later joined in the second set by the lovely pianist Kito Gamble and drummer Geechi Taylor (who s also one hell of a trumpeter). So make sure to give a listen to these two tracks that Devin was nice enough to share with us. The first track is A Las Barricadas (Trad) from his solo first set, and the second track is from the second set with Geechi and Kito playing their rendition of Resolution (Coltrane). Download audio file (2009.01.03.DevinHoff.RedPoppy.04.mp3) Download audio file (2009.01.03.DevinHoff.RedPoppy.12.mp3)

Here s a new collection of photographs and two audio tracks, Longing for the Shore and Hello, from Nefasha Ayer performing live at the Red Poppy Art House on November 1, 2008. The musicians delivered a fantastic night of music, and as the second track clearly shows, the audience was really feeling the groove another great night of music at the Poppy! Download audio file (2008.11.01.NefashaAyer.web.11.mp3) Download audio file (2008.11.01.NefashaAyer.web.12.mp3) Musicians Meklit Hadero, Vocalist/Composer Todd Brown, Guitarist/Composer-Arranger Prasant Radhakrishnan, Saxophonist/Composer Keenan Webster, Balafon/Kora/Mbira Eugene Warren, Bass Mohini Rustagi, Drums Abdi Jibril, Kenyan Percussionist Michael Warr, Poet

Live on October 25, 2008, the Red Poppy Art House featured Jaz Sawyer and The Pursuers who demonstrated drumming’s influence on music by performing compositions from each decade since the beginning of the century. Led by Jaz on percussion, there was discussion about the drumming innovations that influenced music across America and eventually throughout the world. We also learned some interesting jazz trivia like how the High-Hat was invented and what it was originally called (a sock cymbal or low boy ). It was a killin night of music as evidenced by this sample track, which was the last of the night an original composition called Spontaneity. Thanks for sharing guys! Download audio file (2008.10.25.JazSawyer.RedPoppy.Spontaneity.14.mp3) Musicians Jaz Sawyer, Drums Congas Matt Clark, Piano Joel Ryan, Trumpet Flugelhorn Danny Grewn, Trombone Vocals Danny Brown, Tenor Sax Clarinet Eric Markowitz, Bass

Photos and three audio tracks from the Steven Lugerner Sextet Live at the Red Poppy Art House on August 15, 2008. Download audio file (2008.08.15.StevenLugernerSextet.RedPoppy.1.mp3) Download audio file (2008.08.15.StevenLugernerSextet.RedPoppy.3.mp3) Download audio file (2008.08.15.StevenLugernerSextet.RedPoppy.6.mp3) Featured Musicians Steven Lugerner, Alto/Soprano Saxophone Jesse Scheinin, Tenor Saxophone Darren Johnston, Trumpet Adam Shulman, Piano Matt Wohl, Bass Michael Davis, Drums

I recently had the pleasure of photographing and recording the Dan Zemelman Quartet live at the Red Poppy Art House on August 15, 2008. The group featured Dan on piano, Fred Randolph on bass, Erik Jekabson on trumpet and flugelhorn, and Sean Hutchinson on drums. The band has been rehearsing for some upcoming recording sessions lately, so they were playing pretty tight, but it s worth mentioning that Sean was actually subbing for their usual drummer Alan Hall although it s not really a bad thing when your sub is the drummer for New Monsoon, even if he did have to sight read all night, heh. I d also like to thank Dan and the guys for letting me share a couple of live tracks from their performance that night. So enjoy the music! Download audio file (2008.08.15.DanZemelmanQuartet.RedPoppy.2.mp3) Download audio file (2008.08.15.DanZemelmanQuartet.RedPoppy.3.mp3) Download audio file (2008.08.15.DanZemelmanQuartet.RedPoppy.4.mp3) Tracks 1. Jeff en Paradiso 2. One Way or Another 3. Hersch s Bars

What we have here is an outstanding audience recording (and photos) of the first public performance of The Invaders live at the Red Poppy Art House on June 28, 2008. The group featured the compositions and piano playing of Mitch Marcus with the rhythm section of Dr. Ban-Weiss on bass and Jeff Marrs on drums.

Here s a video clip from the second set of the Jarrett Cherner Trio live at the Red Poppy Art House on April 12, 2008. This outstanding trio has local Jarrett Cherner on keys, and all the way from New York, Jorge Pérez-Albela on drums and Jorge Roeder on bass. In addition to the video above, there s also some bonus footage of Jorge rippin a sweet bass solo here.

A few months back, I suggested to Mario Guarneri that he should play a gig at one of my favorite venues in town, the Red Poppy Art House. Well, that suggestion culminated in a fantastic performance by the Guarneri Jazz Quartet on February 1, 2008. The lineup featured Mario on trumpet and flugelhorn, and included Jeffrey Burr on guitar, Omar Clay on drums, and John Wiitala on Bass. Check out this video I shot of their song Baile from the second set of the night, and don t forget that you can catch these guys playing live at Cafe Divine in North Beach on most Sunday nights.

Here s a couple of live tracks from Smith Dobson s new band, the Lovecraft Ghostwriters, playing at the Red Poppy Art House on January 12, 2008. They performed a mix of new songs and old favorites from their recent release Basement Bloodlines. Smith Dobson, Vibraphone John Finkbeiner, Guitar John Hanes, Drums John Wiitala, Bass

Here s a real treat for everyone, a long video from what I think was the last jazz gig of the year at the Red Poppy Art House. I shot this on December 29, 2007 using two tiny MP4 pocket cameras plus a field audio recorder from the back of the room (with permission of course), and considering how dark it was and how low budget my cams were, the final edit still came out pretty nice! The performance featured Marcus Shelby on bass, Matt Clark on piano, Jeff Marrs on drums, and Howard Wiley on tenor sax. Although Jeff was the main drummer for the night, the video features the one track that Marcus s old friend Lorca Hart played on as a guest. Please note that I m trying out a new way of displaying video on my website that requires Flash 8, but also be aware that this is a huge video file, so it may require some patience while buffering. Thanks!

The Music of The Supplicants is so much more than an intricately woven framework of sounds, beats, and melodies. It is an experience. The level of emotion with which they play is so deep, so personal, and the energy so pure that it is almost as if existence, or being itself, creeps most surprisingly yet receptively into our souls. … The Supplicants personify the spirit of jazz in its purest form. It is fitting that their members—David Boyce, tenor and soprano sax, bass clarinet; Richard Howell, tenor and soprano sax; David Ewell, bass; and Sameer Gupta, drums—have not chosen a leader; rather, they all lead in their own right. This humility is both at once rare to find in the age of individual jazz and a perfect epitome for their art. The purity of their music is just as rare to find in a time in the history of jazz where its staunch supporters, critics, and historians have crystallized an art form which is still very much alive and placed it behind the glass displays of museums as an untouchable antiquity. ~ Drew Foxman, All About Jazz After a year hiatus, the four original members of The Supplicants got back together and put on one hell of a live show at the Red Poppy Art House on November 25, 2007. It was a great Sunday evening of improvised music in the Mission, and one that I m pleased to be able to share with you. So download and listen to these two spontaneously-created audio tracks, and make sure to support these fine musicians whenever you have the chance. David Boyce, Tenor Soprano Sax David Ewell, Bass Richard Howell, Tenor Soprano Sax, Talking Drum Sameer Gupta, Drums

On Friday, October 27th, 2007 I was invited to record the incredible FOCUS Trio live at the Red Poppy Art House in the Mission District of San Francisco. The trio featured Marc Cary (all the way from New York) on keys and synth, Sameer Gupta on drums and tabla, and David Ewell on double bass. They played a few new tracks as well as songs from their 2006 album FOCUS. The audience was also treated to a guest appearance by Marcus Shelby who stepped in to play bass on Elephants s Eye and Minor League. The recording is a bit ambient because I set up in the back of the room, but it s positively worth a listen, so you can thank Marc, Sameer, David, and Marcus for letting me share some of the tracks with all of you! “The concept of FOCUS Trio is a collaboration between three cultures. Aside from that, playing our asses off the in the tradition of the great Duke Ellington, Max Roach and Paul Chambers, is the focus. … The live show will expand on the concepts developed since the recording of our 2006 album, FOCUS. The recording is the seed and the performance is when the plant grows.” ~ Marc Cary

Scott Amendola (percussion) and Wil Blades (B3) recently invited Jeff Parker (guitar) to San Francisco to play a couple of gigs. I was lucky enough to catch the trio performing live at the Red Poppy Art House on August 12, 2007. Jeff hails all the way from the Chicago music scene, and it was a real treat to have him play with Wil and Scott in such an intimate venue in the Mission. It s also worth noting that Wil just released his first CD titled Sketchy, so make sure to check that out sometime. Below, I ve included a few photos from the trio s show at the Poppy as well as one sample audio track from the first set of that night s performance a composition by Scott called Slow Zig, which can be found on his 1999 album The Scott Amendola Band.