Celebrate the true heart of the neighborhood at Fish Tank Gallery for North Beach First Fridays. Located on Grant Avenue, Fish Tank Gallery—curated by the renowned Jeremy Fish—is a space dedicated to the creative pulse of North Beach, making it the perfect venue for an artist defined by his proximity and dedication to the area....
The Rite Spot welcomes The Jamie Duncan Trio with special guests — an American roots and instrumental ensemble based in the San Francisco Bay Area, led by guitarist and composer Jamie Duncan. Blending Americana, folk, country, and indie‑instrumental sounds, the trio features Jamie Duncan on guitar, Joe Kyle Jr. on bass, and Tim Rowe on drums,...
For one night at Black Cat, drummer Sheldon Alexander and his trio revisit the sounds of 2000s R&B through a jazz lens, blending improvisation, rhythm, and conversation. Rather than a or note-for-note recreation, this performance explores what happens when great songs are placed in the hands of musicians who grew up with them. Come experience...
Experience the unique sound of San Francisco-based guitarist and educator, Ned Boynton. Recognized in Scott Yanow's book, “The Great Jazz Guitarists the Ultimate Guide”, Ned brings a distinctive and highly respected approach to the instrument. His impressive career includes performances with jazz legends like Les Paul, Bucky Pizzarelli, Howard Alden, and Bruce Forman, showcasing his...
The Magic School Busk holds weekly residency directly in front of The Red Window at the corner of Stockton and Columbus. This high‑energy busking collective has become one of North Beach’s unofficial “resident joy‑makers,” blurring the line between band and audience as people pause, sing along, or dance on the sidewalk. Whether you are enjoying a...
Pop by Live Worms and Professor Seagull’s Smartshop for the North Beach First Fridays Art walk featuring work by various local artists. Inside the Smartshop, the gallery walls are covered in psychedelic light green and yellow wallpaper — vibrant, but still perfectly balanced to receive and highlight artwork of all kinds. Rotation is every 1–2...
Jacknife brings hard-hitting West Coast post-bop to The Deluxe as San Francisco saxophonist Steven Lugerner leads his formidable quintet through the music of jazz legend Jackie McLean — exploring tunes from McLean's seminal early- and mid-1960s Blue Note albums Jacknife, It's Time, Let Freedom Ring, and New Soil with the creative heat and searing intensity...
Paula West performs at Keys Jazz Bistro. A true treasure of the Bay Area jazz scene, vocalist Paula West is celebrated for her rich contralto voice and deeply expressive interpretations of song.Her repertoire moves effortlessly from the Great American Songbook to inspired reinventions of music by artists like Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Lou Reed, and...
For one night at Black Cat, drummer Sheldon Alexander and his trio revisit the sounds of 2000s R&B through a jazz lens, blending improvisation, rhythm, and conversation. Rather than a or note-for-note recreation, this performance explores what happens when great songs are placed in the hands of musicians who grew up with them. Come experience...
Jessica Loos poetry series 7pm, quilt work wall hangings and artistry by Marylyn Tescani. Poetry reading and music in front of Macchiarini Creative Design. Follow the poets up to Coit Tower at 9pm or stick around for the Black Diamond Band at 10pm. Want to know more about the North Beach Poetry Crawl? Check out...
Amy D brings her luminescent voice and timeless sound to Mr. Tipple's Recording Studio — a San Jose native now based in Oakland, she has graced stages throughout the Bay Area and beyond since 2010, including SFJAZZ, Yoshi's Oakland, San Jose Jazz Summer Fest, and the Healdsburg Jazz Festival, drawing from jazz, soul, and R&B...
THE MINA PROJECT represents the music of Italian singer Mina Mazzini in her tradition, in particular, paying tribute to her songs of the 1960’s and 1970’s. Mina is considered the most successful proponent of the canzone italiana through Italian mainstream pop music. Mina’s work combines classic Italian pop with elements of Jazz, Blues, Swing, R&B...
The Blazers bring their roots-deep electric blues to Otherwise Brewing for North Beach First Fridays — featuring Daniel Riley on guitar and vocals, Jose Simioni on guitar, Josh Jackson on bass, and Randy Hayes on drums, the band delivers traditional blues shuffles and swing-based grooves rooted in West Coast and Chicago blues traditions, keeping the...
Lewis Jordan & Music at Large bring a rare and powerful voice to Bird & Beckett — born in San Francisco and raised in Chicago with the blues, Jordan co-founded United Front, the seminal Bay Area ensemble celebrated for its originality and cultural synthesis, and has spent decades bridging music and the written word through...
Two-time Latin Grammy nominee Eddy Navia and Quentin Navia are joined by master violinist Georges Lammam, dancers and dancing. Their performances blend the charango (a traditional ten-string instrument), haunting sounds of panpipes (zampoñas) and notched flutes (kena) with high-energy rhythms. You don’t need a plane ticket to experience a "little piece of South American carnaval,"...
Gaucho is a masterful Bay Area band that combines the influence of gypsy jazz of 1930’s Europe with the rhythmic drive and collective improvisation of New Orleans swing music, gutbucket blues and elements of ragtime. Their sound, a uniquely American concoction, blends instrumental acuity and lighthearted humor that keep their audience coming back for more....
Experience the resurgence of San Francisco’s historic Chinatown nightlife at the Lion’s Den. Tucked away on Wentworth Place, this bi-level lounge and performance space blends modern cocktail culture with the East meets West spirit of the Chinatown’s golden age. Every week, the venue transforms into a unique destination for live music, featuring a rotating roster...
Ladies and Gentemen, introducing Fog City Swing! The bay area's newest and hottest swing band featuring an electrifying three horn front line, stellar crooning vocals, and a swing till you drop rhythm section. This seven piece ensemble will transport you to the 1940’s, it is truly the world’s smallest big band! Fog City Swing is...
Experience an intimate evening of soulful jazz, blues, and swing featuring the iconic trio of Lavay Smith, Danny Armstrong, and Chris Siebert! Vocalist Lavay Smith delivers sultry, classic jazz and blues alongside the powerful trombone and vocals of Danny Armstrong. Musical director Chris Siebert on the house Hammond organ.
The Royale welcomes the What’s Cookin’ Jazz Quartet for a simmering set of high‑fidelity, hard‑bop‑driven jazz in the dim, amber‑lit corners of Lower Nob Hill’s most stylish lounge. Known for a gritty, soulful approach rooted in the “cookin’” sessions of the late ’50s and ’60s, they serve up melody‑forward tunes, lyrical solos, and a rhythm...
Charles Unger takes the stage at Mr. Tipple's Recording Studio with a stellar quartet — featuring Sue Crossman on piano, Joe Nemzer on bass, and the hard-hitting Tony "Steamroller" Coleman on drums, this is an evening of serious jazz anchored by Unger's saxophone and a rhythm section built for the bandstand.
Paula West performs at Keys Jazz Bistro. A true treasure of the Bay Area jazz scene, vocalist Paula West is celebrated for her rich contralto voice and deeply expressive interpretations of song.Her repertoire moves effortlessly from the Great American Songbook to inspired reinventions of music by artists like Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Lou Reed, and...
Coit Tower Poetry Club presents an evening of Langston Hughes — gathering on the back lawn beneath Coit Tower to read and celebrate the work of one of the foremost voices of the Harlem Renaissance, whose jazz‑inflected, socially conscious poems spanned from the 1920s through the 1960s. Drawing from pieces featured by the Poetry Foundation...
Tony Peebles brings multi-genre firepower and soulful expression to The Deluxe — an explosive saxophonist and composer whose work spans the jazz and fusion idiom with equal parts heart and technical mastery. As dedicated to the stage as he is to the classroom, Peebles is a uniquely engaged and professional music educator with a gift...
Wendy DeWitt plays boogie woogie and blues on the National and International blues scene. And you can see her at the Saloon. With Kirk Harwood, Wendy is a two-time regional winner, and International Blues Challenge Finalist. Former pianist for Hank Ballard, and 30 years of working with Chicago legend Steve Freund, Wendy has also played...