Bird & Beckett

Address
653 Cheney St
San Francisco,CA94131United States Get Directions
Phone 415 568-3733
Website https://birdbeckett.com/
Vibe: Intellectual & Intimate | Community-Rooted | Jazz-Centric
Bird & Beckett Books and Records is a cherished neighborhood institution in Glen Park that functions as much as a cultural center as it does a bookstore and record shop. Founded in 1999 and supported by its own non-profit Cultural Legacy Project, the space is packed floor-to-ceiling with a curated selection of new and used books alongside a deep collection of jazz and blues vinyl. The atmosphere is warm and inviting — a kind of literary living room where the scent of old paper mingles with the sound of live improvisation.
Live Music & Atmosphere  
While the shop hosts hundreds of events each year, its Friday night jazz programming is the stuff of local legend, running nearly every week since 2002. The focus is on veteran musicians and the preservation of bebop and swing, making it a cornerstone for serious jazz listeners in San Francisco. When the music starts, the lights soften, the chairs fill in between the shelves, and the room shifts from bookshop to intimate listening room.
First Friday & Friday Double-Header  
On the first Friday of most months, Bird & Beckett typically kicks off the weekend with a long-running residency by Don Prell’s Seabop Ensemble or another rotating guest band. The Friday schedule is often structured as a double-header: an early Jazz Happy Hour set (usually around 6:00 PM–8:00 PM) focused on classic standards, followed by a later Jazz Nitecap set (around 8:30 PM–10:00 PM) that may venture into high-octane blues, soul, or rock. Many regulars treat it as a full evening — come early for the first band, stay late for the second.
Intimate Living Room Concerts  
For these shows, the shop transforms into a tiny concert hall. Seating is tucked in among the bookshelves and record bins, and the musicians perform just a few feet from the audience. The scale keeps things unamplified or lightly amplified and intensely up-close, with a listening culture that respects the music while still feeling relaxed and neighborly.
Cash at the Door & BYOB  
Staying true to its bohemian roots, Bird & Beckett generally operates on a suggested cash cover at the door to pay the band a fair wage, with typical contributions in the $20–$30 range (less if you’re feeling the pinch, and no one turned away for lack of funds when there’s space). It’s a BYOB venue, which adds to the casual, house-party feel — regulars arrive with a bottle to share among friends and settle in for the evening’s sets.
A Legacy of Literature and Music  
The history of Bird & Beckett is deeply tied to the preservation of old San Francisco culture. Named for saxophonist Charlie “Bird” Parker and playwright Samuel Beckett, the shop embodies a dual devotion to adventurous jazz and serious literature. Over the years it has survived multiple moves and the pressures of gentrification by evolving into a non-profit-backed model, ensuring that Glen Park remains a destination for readers, thinkers, and jazz lovers who value an intimate, community-rooted space.
Details That Define the Room
• Bookstore, record shop, and community venue packed with curated literature and deep jazz/blues vinyl.
• Legendary Friday jazz tradition dating back to 2002, with early Jazz in the Bookshop sets and late Jazz Nitecap shows.
• First Friday residencies that often feature Don Prell’s Seabop Ensemble or other veteran jazz bands.
• Tiny, up-close concerts where musicians perform just feet from listeners nestled among bookshelves.
• Cash-at-the-door, BYOB model that keeps the space accessible, community-supported, and true to its bohemian roots.
Categories: Glen Park

Events at this venue

Today

  • Beth Custer / Will Bernard / Ken Emerson

    Bird & Beckett 653 Cheney St, San Francisco, CA, United States

    Will and Beth interrupt their regular programming to introduce Ken Emerson, a long time friend and collaborator. The evening at Bird & Beckett will include, along with Will and Beth’s...

    $20

  • Nick Otis Orchestra

    Bird & Beckett 653 Cheney St, San Francisco, CA, United States

    Bird & Beckett welcomes the Nick Otis Orchestra, a dynamic Northern California musical ensemble led by veteran drummer and bandleader Nick Otis, carrying forward the legacy of the legendary Otis Family. The Nick Otis Orchestra. Gail (Li’l Bit) Muldrow, guitar & vocals. Paul Lamb, bass. Nick Otis, drums & vocals.

    $20

  • Rova Saxophone Quartet

    Bird & Beckett 653 Cheney St, San Francisco, CA, United States

    The Rova Saxophone Quartet is a legendary Bay Area avant-garde ensemble that pushes the boundaries of jazz and contemporary classical music through complex structured improvisation and experimental, all-saxophone soundscapes appears...

    $20

  • The Joshi Marshall Project: Back to Basics

    Bird & Beckett 653 Cheney St, San Francisco, CA, United States

    The Joshi Marshall Project will be performing at Bird & Beckett with music from bebop to Bob Dylan, including selections from Joshi’s 2009 debut album “In the Light.” Joshi had...

    $20

  • lan Dogole & Music Beyond Borders

    Bird & Beckett 653 Cheney St, San Francisco, CA, United States

    Ian Dogole & Music Beyond Borders plays a distinctive fusion of World Music and Jazz, blending creative jazz improvisation with the scales, rhythms, and indigenous instruments of global music traditions particularly from Africa, South America, and the Middle East. Band line up: Ian Dogole: Global percussion (cajon, udu, doumbek, African talking drum, kalimba) Richard Howell:...

    $20

  • Rojai in the Pocket

    Bird & Beckett 653 Cheney St, San Francisco, CA, United States

    Where funk meets soul and love meets grit, the powerful vocal stylings of Jairo Vargas, aka Rojai (Row-Juh), merge elements to produce a raw soulful sound as distinct and unique as the San Francisco streets that bred him. Rojai is the leader & vocalist for the widely recognized and highly acclaimed San Francisco bands Bayonics, The...

    $20

  • Klaxon Mutant All-Stars

    Bird & Beckett 653 Cheney St, San Francisco, CA, United States

    The Klaxon Mutant Allstars is a Bay Area-based electroacoustic jazz quintet known for their eclectic, genre-twisting sound that blends jazz with technology-driven effects The group features several prominent musicians from the San Francisco music scene: Henry Hung: Co-leader, trumpet, keyboards, and live effects. Eric Garland: Co-leader, drums, and composer. Kasey Knudsen: Saxophone and composer. Colin...

    $20

  • Dave Parker Sextet

    Bird & Beckett 653 Cheney St, San Francisco, CA, United States

    The Dave Parker Sextet is a San Francisco-based jazz ensemble led by musician, educator, and entrepreneur David Parker. The group is known for performing the works of legendary composers like...

    $20

  • Jose Andrés Rodriguez & Kai Lyons

    Jose Andrés Rodriguez & Kai Lyons
    Bird & Beckett 653 Cheney St, San Francisco, CA, United States

    Grammy Winner Jose Andres Rodriguez - “El Sinsonte”, Changüí master singer and musician from Guantanamo Cuba, in duo performance with Kai Lyons on Tres Cubano, exploring the funky, folkloric, 19th-century music of Eastern Cuba.  $20 cover charge / students $10 

    $20

  • Innuendo

    Bird & Beckett 653 Cheney St, San Francisco, CA, United States

    French popular tunes from many decades. Big Lou, accordion; Kit Robberson, viola da gamba; David Golia, guitar; Bing Nathan, bass.   $20 cover charge / students $10

    $20

  • Kata – Vento Reunion Concert

    Bird & Beckett 653 Cheney St, San Francisco, CA, United States

    Kata-Vento Reunion Concert: Music of Carlos Oliveira.  Original tunes inspired by northeastern Brazil, featuring three flutes, guitar, and percussion. Carlos Oliveira, guitar and compositions; Chloe Scott, Rebecca Kleinmann, and Sonia Caltvedt,...

    $25

  • Tony Johnson’s 230 Jones Street Band

    Bird & Beckett 653 Cheney St, San Francisco, CA, United States

    The 230 Jones Street Band is Bird & Beckett’s legacy combo, with its roots in the Chuck Peterson Trio’s weekly Friday happy hour that kicked off jazz in the bookshop as a regular feature starting 24 years ago. Tony’s one of the mainstays of a generation of players that came up when bebop was America’s...

    $20

  • Vince Lateano Trio

    Vince Lateano Trio
    Bird & Beckett 653 Cheney St, San Francisco, CA, United States

    Ben Stolorow, piano; Peter Barshay, bass; Vince Lateano, drums. Part of the Bird & Beckett Jazz in the Bookshop (Sundays 5–7pm). Seating is limited — reservations recommended: 415-586-3733. Suggested contribution: $20–30; students $10–15; younger kids free.

    $20

  • Patrick Wolff Quartet

    Bird & Beckett 653 Cheney St, San Francisco, CA, United States

    The Patrick Wolff Quartet plays classic jazz in Bird & Beckett. With Keith Saunders, Eric Markowitz and Smith Dobson.

    $20

  • Scott Foster Quartet

    Scott Foster Quartet
    Bird & Beckett 653 Cheney St, San Francisco, CA, United States

    The Scott Foster Quartet is a jazz ensemble led by San Francisco-based guitarist and educator Scott Foster. Jim Peterson, saxophone; Scott Foster, guitar; Dan Seamans, bass; Tom Hasset, drums

    $20

  • Ray Skjelbred & the Hot Corner

    Bird & Beckett 653 Cheney St, San Francisco, CA, United States

    Ray Skjelbred & the Hot Corner plays at Bird & Beckett. The jazz ensemble led by pianist Ray Skjelbred that specializes in "Chicago style" jazz, a sound rooted in the 1920s with a focus on blues and swing rhythms.

    $20

  • Nashville Honeymoon

    Bird & Beckett 653 Cheney St, San Francisco, CA, United States

    Lynne Maes, rhythm guitar & vocals. Hank Maninger, lead guitar & vocals. Tim Wagar, bass guitar. Paul Revelli drums. You’re in for two sets in honky tonk heaven.  Mainstays of the Bay Area Americana scene, and the Bird & Beckett bandstand, for nearly a decade, Nashville Honeymoon has traversed country, rockabilly, bluegrass, and pop across...

    $20

  • The Tom Griesser 3

    Bird & Beckett 653 Cheney St, San Francisco, CA, United States

    The Tom Griesser Trio at Bird & Beckett with Tom Griesser on saxophone, Kurt Ribak on bass, and Dan Foltz on drums. Tom notes: “I’m really excited to revive the Tom Griesser 3, a trio that had a weekly Friday night gig at the old Burritt Room from 2013 to 2017. Bird & Beckett is...

    $20

  • Eric & The In Crowd

    Eric & The In Crowd
    Bird & Beckett 653 Cheney St, San Francisco, CA, United States

    Eric Shifrin, piano/vocal; Heath Proskin, bass; Mark Lee, drums. Part of the Bird & Beckett Jazz in the Bookshop / Happy Hour series (Fridays 6–8pm). Seating is limited — reservations recommended: 415-586-3733. Suggested contribution: $20–30; students $10–15; younger kids free.

    $20

  • Jam Session hosted by Vince Lateano Trio

    Bird & Beckett 653 Cheney St, San Francisco, CA, United States

    Open jam session hosted by Ben Stolorow, piano; Peter Barshay, bass; Vince Lateano, drums. Part of the Bird & Beckett Which Way West? / You Name It! series (Sundays 5–7pm). Seating is limited — reservations recommended: 415-586-3733. Suggested contribution: $20–30; students $10–15; younger kids free.

    $20

  • Darren Johnston Project

    Bird & Beckett 653 Cheney St, San Francisco, CA, United States

    Darren Johnston, trumpet; Danny Lubin-Laden, trombone; Liberty Ellman, guitar; Mat Munz, bass; Tim Bulkley, drums. Part of the Bird & Beckett Jazz Club / When Lights Are Low series (Saturdays...

    $20

  • Vince Lateano Trio

    Vince Lateano Trio
    Bird & Beckett 653 Cheney St, San Francisco, CA, United States

    Ben Stolorow, piano; Peter Barshay, bass; Vince Lateano, drums. Part of the Bird & Beckett Jazz in the Bookshop (Sundays 5–7pm). Seating is limited — reservations recommended: 415-586-3733. Suggested contribution: $20–30; students $10–15; younger kids free.

    $20

  • Ricardo Peixoto & Carlos Oliveira

    Bird & Beckett 653 Cheney St, San Francisco, CA, United States

    Brazilian guitar duets featuring Ricardo Peixoto and Carlos Oliveira. Part of the Bird & Beckett Jazz Club / When Lights Are Low series. Seating is limited — reservations recommended by calling the shop at 415-586-3733. Suggested contribution: $20–30; students $10–15; younger kids free.

    $20

  • Fred Randolph Quartet

    Bird & Beckett 653 Cheney St, San Francisco, CA, United States

    Sheldon Brown, reeds; Matt Clark, piano; Fred Randolph, bass; Brian Fishler, drums. Part of the Bird & Beckett Jazz in the Bookshop / Nite Cap series (Fridays 8:30–10pm). Seating is limited — reservations recommended: 415-586-3733. Suggested contribution: $20–30; students $10–15; younger kids free.

    $20

  • Eric & The In Crowd

    Eric & The In Crowd
    Bird & Beckett 653 Cheney St, San Francisco, CA, United States

    Eric Shifrin, piano/vocal; Heath Proskin, bass; Mark Lee, drums. Part of the Bird & Beckett Jazz in the Bookshop / Happy Hour series (Fridays 6–8pm). Seating is limited — reservations recommended: 415-586-3733. Suggested contribution: $20–30; students $10–15; younger kids free.

    $20
Event details are subject to change. Please confirm dates, times and cover charges directly with the venue before attending.