
Berkeley venues don’t wait around ‘til February to present African-American music. On any given week of the year some of the nation’s most exciting and inventive black artists can be found on Berkeley bandstands. But with Black History Month upon us, some venues make a concerted effort to celebrate the country’s foundational styles. Here are 10 acts I’m particularly eager to catch (a list that could have easily doubled).
1. Broun Felinis
8:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday, Jan. 31-Feb. 1, Ivy Room
Drummer Kevin Carnes returns to the East Bay from the frigid climes of Wisconsin to celebrate his birthday with longtime collaborators Kirk Peterson (electric bass) and David Boyce (tenor saxophone, keyboards, vocals). One of the last bands standing from the 1990s creative upsurge known as the acid jazz movement, Broun Fellinis honed an idiosyncratic mélange of improvisation-laced funk, rock, hip hop and jazz. Billed as a Black Herstory celebration, the Fellinis’ two-night run includes Friday’s double bill with the all-women rockers Skip the Needle and Saturday’s twofer with Voodoo Dolly, who describe themselves as “an all Black futurist tribute to Siouxsie and the Banshees” with Carnes on drums. 8 p.m. Saturday Feb. 1, The Back Room
Chicago percussionist Kahil El’Zabar is a rhythmic shaman who turns performances into ecstatic rituals. The latest version of his long-running Ethnic Heritage Ensemble trio features the charismatic trumpeter Corey Wilkes and powerhouse baritone saxophonist Alex Harding (who played a series of extraordinary gigs around the region last October with Romanian pianist Lucian Ban). El’Zabar and the EHC was the subject of an acclaimed 2019 documentary Be Known directed by Dwayne Johnson Cochran and executive produced by actors Angela Bassett and Courtney Vance. The trio also performs at Bird and Beckett on Friday, Jan. 31. 8 p.m. Friday Feb. 7, California Jazz Conservatory’s Rendon Hall
Classically trained East Bay-reared vocalist Kalil Wilson possesses a silky tenor and a sense of time so supple and lithe he seems to glide frictionlessly across a phrase. I love the idea of him paying tribute to the incomparable Sarah Vaughan, even if Oscar Peterson wouldn’t crack my top five favorite Sassy accompanists. Wilson will be in good hands with rising pianist Javier Santiago, bassist Giulio Xavier Cetto, and Berkeley drummer Genius Wesley, who’s already a seasoned player at 17. 7 p.m. Sunday Feb. 9, Freight & Salvage
In what has become an annual winter tradition the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir returns to the Freight & Salvage for the sixth year, bringing the good news that gospel music can lift spirits to joyous heights outside of church too. Under the direction of Terrance Kelly this beloved institution holds fast to the music’s sacred roots while embracing singers and audiences of every persuasion. 8 p.m. Tuesday Feb. 18, Cornerstone
In 2018 George Clinton announced that he was going to retire from touring the following year, but it appears he’s not ready to trade in the mothership quite yet. The architect of funk and ringleader of boogie brings his groovalicious entourage to Cornerstone on what he’s billing as his Farewell Tour (Parliament is also is session at Petaluma’s Mystic Theatre on Feb. 17 and Santa Cruz’s Catalyst on Feb. 19). At 78, Clinton has been freeing minds and asses for more than half a century. 8 p.m. Thursday Feb. 20, The Back Room
Classically trained Oakland vocalist Kenya Moses has been featured in some excellent bands over the years singing in jazz and Latin music settings, but lately she’s started to lead her own combo exploring her love of Brazilian music and her Afro-Brazilian roots. With first-call bassist Aaron Germain, percussionist Ami Molinelli, an expert in Brazilian rhythms, and Rebirth Canal pianist/vocalist Camille Mai, just back from a performance at the Havana Jazz Festival, Moses is joined by a stellar cast of collaborators. 8 p.m. Saturday Feb. 22, California Jazz Conservatory’s Rendon Hall
Born and raised in Berkeley, vocalist Azure McCall has performed around the world and graced stages playing with jazz legends like Freddie Hubbard, Dizzy Gillespie, Joe Lovano, and Frank Morgan. She’s presenting a program celebrating the legacy of seminal black jazz artists with pianist Tammy Hall, an indispensable creative force known for working with the region’s finest singers. 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday Feb. 28-29, UC Theatre
The conceptual and creative force behind the Ethio-jazz movement of the late 1960s and 70s, vibraphonist, pianist and composer Mulatu Astatke created a striking new sound when he combined his deep knowledge of jazz and Afro-Caribbean rhythms with the traditional pentatonic scales of Amharic music. The Bay Area’s leading Malian band Orchestra Gold opens on Friday, and Oakland’s Sun Hop Fat, the Bay Area’s longrunning Ethio-jazz combo, opens on Saturday.2) Kahil El’Zabar’s Ethnic Heritage Ensemble
3) Kalil Wilson and the Good Luck Trio “A Tribute to Sarah Vaughan and Oscar Peterson”
4) Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir
5) George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic
6) Kenya Moses and Friends
7) Azure McCall and Tammy Hall
8) Mulatu Astatke
9) Martha Redbone Roots Project
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