Andrew Gilbert

Berkeley

I write about jazz, roots & international music for the San Jose Mercury News, SF Chronicle, San Francisco Classical Voice, https://t.co/9URyFuOVx5, and others...

Articles

For These Record Collectors, 78s Aren’t Just Music - They’re a Way of Life

4 days ago | sfcv.org | Andrew Gilbert

In the summer of 1980, on his first visit to the United States, British-born record collector Bob Bell realized his obsession had taken an unreasonable turn as he loaded his guilty acquisitions onto a bus. Following a tip from a friend, he’d wandered into the back room at Village Music Record Store in Mill Valley, where he was quickly overcome by a feverish mania reminiscent of Humphrey Bogart striking a vein of gold in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. CDs?
Around Berkeley: Bay Area Book Fest, Black Repertory Group show, noodle-slurping sound art

1 week ago | berkeleyside.org | Iris Kwok |Andrew Gilbert

Never miss local events! Sign up for Berkeleyside’s arts and culture newsletter, The Scene. And check out our roundup of affordable things to do anytime in Berkeley. 🎷 The Bay Area Jazz Society’s ongoing Thursday jam session at North Beach Pizza, designed to provide a space where junior high and high school musicians can sit in with seasoned pros, takes a Latin turn with a house combo that includes guitar master Ray Obiedo and percussionist Jon Benditch. Thursday, May 29, 6-9 p.m.North Beach Pizza.
A different Kneebody returns to forefront of jazz/fusion scene

2 weeks ago | mercurynews.com | Andrew Gilbert

When faced with the prospect of replacing an irreplaceable member of the band, Kneebody found a singular solution to the conundrum. Over the past two decades the Grammy-nominated group established its own musical niche with a protean chamber improv aesthetic defined by crackling indie rock energy, funky electronica and subtle but conspicuous production concepts inspired by 1990s hip-hop, all filtered through masterly jazz chops.
A different Kneebody returns to forefront of jazz fusion scene

2 weeks ago | flipboard.com | Andrew Gilbert

2 hours agoKneecap fans turned out in force on Friday to support the Irish-language hip-hop trio at their biggest ever festival headline gig, which came just days after a band member was charged with a terror offence. Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh was charged by the Metropolitan Police for having allegedly displayed a …
East Bay pianist Charles Chen set for several gigs and 1 special recital

2 weeks ago | mercurynews.com | Andrew Gilbert

When it comes to bragging rights over graduation gifts, no one is going to top Belmont’s Nathan Tokunaga. The Carlmont High School senior, a precociously gifted clarinetist and saxophonist who played his first professional gig at age 14, had the good fortune of coming under the wing of pianist and Microsoft engineer Charles Chen.
Rob Reich, multi-instrumentalist and composer, dies at 47

2 weeks ago | missionlocal.org | Andrew Gilbert

As a composer, player and improviser, Rob Reich possessed a gift for creating music that captured the emotional essence of any particular moment. The Bay Area musician’s unexpected death on Friday, May 16 at the age of 47 left a vast and disparate constellation of his collaborators united in shock. The outpouring of grief has spilled across social media via loving tributes, telling anecdotes, and clips of him in action on accordion, piano, glockenspiel, and more.
Rob Reich, multi-instrumentalist and composer, dies at 47

2 weeks ago | flipboard.com | Andrew Gilbert

6 hours agoThe reviews are trickling in and it appears Netflix has another star-studded hit on its hands. It was only a matter of time before other streamers tried to tap into the magic of HBO’s The White Lotus, and it appears Netflix has made a pretty solid effort in that direction with Sirens. The new …
Around Berkeley: 'Sound of Music' musical, botanical pressing, four-way wrestling match

2 weeks ago | berkeleyside.org | Iris Kwok |Andrew Gilbert

Never miss local events! Sign up for Berkeleyside’s arts and culture newsletter, The Scene. And check out our roundup of affordable things to do anytime in Berkeley. 🤼 Oasis Pro Wrestling is holding a “Have Mercy” live wrestling event. Highlights include a Pacific Seas Championship match between El Mago and El Fatal and a Four Way Fade with Midas Kreed, Samoan Reaper, Viagio Crescenzo and Olumide. (Read our story.) Sunday, May 25, doors open 12 p.m.. Gilman Brewing Company.
How an Oakland saxophonist came up with California’s soundtrack

2 weeks ago | datebook.sfchronicle.com | Andrew Gilbert

Oakland saxophonist Howard Wiley stands for a portrait at the SFJazz Center on Thursday, May 15, in San Francisco. Photo: Lea Suzuki/S.F. ChronicleCalifornia can use some love. With hostility emanating from the current administration in Washington D.C., the Golden State has become the nation’s punching bag, cast as a cautionary tale of misgovernance and failed liberal policy.
Himalayan Fair, free Shakespeare

3 weeks ago | berkeleyside.org | Andrew Gilbert |Iris Kwok

Never miss local events! Sign up for Berkeleyside’s arts and culture newsletter, The Scene. And check out our roundup of affordable things to do anytime in Berkeley. 💃 The 42nd annual Himalayan Fair will feature Himalayan food, handcrafted items, a kids booth with games, and dance performances by Bay Area artists. Saturday, May 17 (10 a.m.–7 p.m.) and Sunday, May 18 (10 a.m.–5:30 p.m.), Live Oak Park.