Events for Friday, February 24 - Saturday, April 22

Local pianist and storyteller Brianna Conrey makes her Santa Cruz debut with this wide-ranging celebration of women composers spanning nearly 250 years of music written for solo keyboard instruments. Like women today, these composers struggled with sexism, with imposter syndrome, with being mothers who were also artists, and with gaining professional recognition. Most of them wondered …

Brianna Conrey – Piano: An All-Woman Show Read More »

Braxton Cook is an Emmy Award-winning artist and one of this generation’s most exciting emerging voices in the jazz world. Not only does he exhibit world-class virtuosity on the alto saxophone, but he is also a uniquely talented vocalist, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and composer whose sound blends jazz, soul, and alternative R&B into a fresh new …

Braxton Cook Read More »

“Accent is the most amazing young vocal group on the planet! Great arrangers and singers, they come up with the most gorgeous harmonies, impeccable swing, grooves, feeling and pitch.” So says Grammy award-winning composer Jorge Calandrelli, echoing the sentiments of countless fans of the group. In the increasingly popular world of a cappella singing groups, …

Accent Read More »

“Play on, there’s no such thing as better days,” Damien Jurado sings on Roger, the sweeping wash of a song that opens Reggae Film Star, his 18th full length album and second release from Jurado’s own Maraqopa Records label. But as he enters his 25th year as a recording artist, it’s clear these are, at …

(((folkYEAH!))) Presents: Damien Jurado with Hannah Frances Read More »

Väsen-Duo, Mikael Marin and Olov Johansson have, after 37 years of interaction and touring, refined their sound and their stage presence to the extent that today they are unique in their kind. With their playful and perfect interplay, they seem to defy the laws of physics in what appears to be a telepathic communication. The …

Väsen Read More »

Robyn Hitchcock is one of England’s most enduring contemporary singer/songwriters and live performers. A surrealist poet, talented guitarist, cult artist and musician’s musician, Hitchcock is among alternative rock’s father figures and is the closest thing the genre has to a Bob Dylan (not coincidentally his biggest musical inspiration). Robyn Hitchcock Website Kelley Stoltz Website More …

(((folkYEAH!))) Presents: Robyn Hitchcock plus Kelley Stoltz Read More »

On their debut album and collaboration, Esquina de Sao Paulo, Brazilian guitarist João Luiz and mandolinist Danilo Brito present stunningly virtuosic choros (the unique, vibrant instrumental genre which has its origins in late 1800s Brazil). Covering almost a century’s worth of Brazilian popular music with Luiz’s skilled arrangements, the duo sparkles when playing early 20th …

Danilo Brito & João Luiz Read More »

Drummer Steve Smith has been touring and recording with his all-star group Vital Information since1983. The new line-up of Vital Information incorporates players with vast experience. Keyboardist Manuel Valera, a Guggenheim Fellow and Grammy-nominated artist, who was born and raised in Havana, Cuba and now living in NYC, plays with many of the NY jazz …

Steve Smith & Vital Information Read More »

SUBA Trio is the second recording and concert collaboration between 7-time GRAMMY-nominated pianist-composer-bandleader Omar Sosa and U.K.-based Senegalese kora master and singer Seckou Keita, featuring folkloric Venezuelan percussionist Gustavo Ovalles.  The recording made NPR Music’s ’20 Best Albums of 2021’, reached #1 on the Transglobal World Music Chart (December 2021), and received a 4-star review in Downbeat, to mention just a few of hundreds of accolades. …

Omar Sosa & Seckou Keita: SUBA Trio feat. Gustavo Ovalles – 7:00 PM Read More »

SUBA Trio is the second recording and concert collaboration between 7-time GRAMMY-nominated pianist-composer-bandleader Omar Sosa and U.K.-based Senegalese kora master and singer Seckou Keita, featuring folkloric Venezuelan percussionist Gustavo Ovalles.  The recording made NPR Music’s ’20 Best Albums of 2021’, reached #1 on the Transglobal World Music Chart (December 2021), and received a 4-star review in Downbeat, to mention just a few of hundreds of accolades. …

Omar Sosa & Seckou Keita: SUBA Trio feat. Gustavo Ovalles – 9:00 PM Read More »