From a new dance about the life and times of Elvis Presley to Symphony San Jose’s homage to Puccini and a Bay Area singer’s tribute to Patsy Cline, there is a lot to see, do and hear this weekend and beyond in the Bay Area.
Here is a partial rundown.
Smuin Ballet does Elvis
Our fascination with Elvis Presley apparently never wanes. In the past couple of years, we’re seen two big-budget movies featuring the King of Rock and Roll (Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis” and Sofia Coppola’s “Priscilla”), and now San Francisco’s popular Smuin Contemporary Ballet troupe is taking on the icon with a world premiere work titled “Tupelo Tornado.”
The new work by acclaimed choreographer Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, part of the company’s season-closing Dance Series 2 program, promises a rollicking if impressionistic look at Presley’s life and music (both the highs and lows) set to a number of his best-known tunes and soundbites. Also on the program are Smuin Associate Artistic Director Amy Seiwert’s “Broken Open,” set to a sweeping score by composer, cellist and electronics master Julia Kent; Smuin dancer Brennan Wall’s “Untwine,” set to Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons” reinterpreted by Max Richter; and company founder Michael Smuin’s ode to relationships, “Starshadows.”
Details: Through May 12 at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, May 16-19 at Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, May 24-25 at Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek, and May 30-31 at the Sunset Center in Carmel; $25-$89; www.smuinballet.org.
— Bay City News Foundation
Classical picks: Passion for Puccini, Mendelssohn
A Puccini anniversary concert at Symphony San Jose highlights this week’s classical music events.
Happy Birthday, Giacomo: “Passionate Puccini” is the title of Symphony San Jose’s weekend concert, marking the 100th anniversary of the great opera composer’s death. Conducted by Carlos Vieu and featuring appearances by soprano Jennifer Schuler, tenor Ben Gulley, baritone Gary Simpson, and the SSJ Chorale. The program features selections from “La Bohème,” “Tosca,” “Turandot” and more.
Details: 7:30 p.m. May 11 and 2:30 p.m. May 12; California Theatre, San Jose; $55-$115; SymphonySanJose.org.
On the podium: Conductor Marta Gardolińska makes her first San Francisco Symphony appearance on this week’s program, titled “Mendelssohn’s Scottish,” referring to the composer’s Symphony No. 3, “Scottish.” The program also includes Elgar’s Cello Concerto, with Pablo Ferrández as soloist, and Grażyna Bacewicz’s 1943 “Overture,” composed in response to the German occupation of the composer’s native Poland.
Details: 7:30 p.m. May10, 2 p.m. May 12; Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco; $39-$150; sfsymphony.org.
Violin favorites: In her first Bay Area appearances, violinist Mayuko Kamio, winner of the Gold Medal at the 2007 Tchaikovsky Competition, performs a recital for Chamber Music San Francisco accompanied by pianist Noreen Polera and featuring works by Bach, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Kreisler and others.
Details: 2:30 p.m. May 11 at the Lesher Center, Walnut Creek; 3 p.m. May 12 at Herbst Theatre, San Francisco; 7:30 p.m. May 13 at Osher Family JCC, Palo Alto; $45-$70; chambermusicsf.org.
— Georgia Rowe, Correspondent
Songs from Cuba, by Cuba
Singer-songwriter and musician Alex Cuba (real name: Alexis Puentes) indeed hails from Cuba and his utterly infectious music is a toe-tapping blend of jazz, Afro-Cuban, pop and funk.
As his biography notes, he was born to a musical family in Artemisa, Cuba, and was singing and learning how to play the guitar by age 6. He emigrated with his equally musically inclined brother Adonis to Canada and the pair formed the Puentes Brothers, an Afro/jazz fusion duo that earned a Juno Award nomination for best world music album in 2001.
Since then, Cuba has broke off into a solo act with nine albums to his credit, along with a slew of Juno, Grammy and Latin Grammy Awards and nominations. His sound, while still grounded in a Afro-Cuban jazz foundation, has broadened and he worked with artists ranging from Nelly Furtado (he is extensively featured in her album “Mi Plan”) to Ron Sexsmith and David Myles. His 2021 album Mendó was a Grammy Award winner for best Best Latin Pop Album. Last year, he dropped the album “El Swing Que Yo Tengo” and recorded a show as part of NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert series.
Now the talented performer and songwriter is on a U.S. that he is bringing to Stanford University for a pair of concerts.
Details: Presented by Stanford Live; 6 and 8 p.m. May 10; Bing Studio, Stanford University; $15-$35 (general admission); live.stanford.edu.
— Randy McMullen, Staff
Calling all Kitka fans
You have two chances this weekend to catch the popular Bay Area women’s chorus, known for its gorgeous and often ethereal renditions of traditional folk songs from the Balkans, Caucasus and Slavic lands. The band has traveled to study folkloric music traditions and performers in Armenia, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Georgia, Macedonia and more Turkey, and are considered valuable preservers of a steadily vanishing form of music (and when one thinks of what is happening in Ukraine, the importance of Kitka’s mission seems more important than ever).
On May 10, the outfit returns to Berkeley’s Freight & Salvage Coffee House. The music starts at 8 p.m. and tickets are $30-$55; thefreight.org.
On May 11, Kitka performs a free concert as part of the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival. The show starts at 1 p.m. on the Yerba Buena Gardens Great Lawn off Mission Street, between Third and Fourth streets.
Others on the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival lineup include Bay Area singer Thao Nguyen (May 18), jazz/soul singer Pher (May 23), Bay Area dance troupe RAWdance (June 14-15), Circus Bella (three shows June 21-22) and many, many more. Go to ybgfestival.org.
— Randy McMullen, Staff
Piano prowess and panache
According to his bio, Livermore native Jason Lyle Black began learning how to play the piano when he was 8 years old, and learned how to play it backwards (yes, literally, turned away from the keyboard) by the time he was 14. So you know the guy is a serious keyboard wizard.
But his zillions of fans have known this for a while. If you are new to Black’s insane piano talents and his popular collection of viral videos (on YouTube and elsewhere) it won’t take you long to realize the guy is a serious musician and a consummate showman.
But don’t take our word for it. You can see and hear for yourself when Black returns to his hometown on Sunday for an afternoon concert at Livermore’s Bankhead Theater. The concert is titled “From Blockbusters to Broadway: 100 Hits of Stage and Screen” and we’re told they aren’t just blowing smoke about the “100 songs” business. The setlist will reportedly include selections from “The Phantom of the Opera” “Les Misérables” and “Star Wars” as well as hits from Queen, ACDC and more. He will accompanied by a percussionist and — just in case you can’t believe what you are hearing — a live, closeup video of the keyboard.
Details: 3 p.m. May 12; Bankhead Theater at Livermore Valley Performing Arts Center; $25-$55; livermorearts.org.
— Randy McMullen, Staff
Bhangra party back in SF
One of San Francisco’s more popular dance parties is back in action on May 10. So is one of its more popular street fairs, complete with fun shopping, excellent food and killer cocktails. But don’t worry, we’re not asking you to make a choice here, they are both part of the same event.
Bhangra and Beats Night Market, frequently cited as one of the city’s best free dance parties, is back for its initial 2024 celebration. It’s a thriving scene that unfolds from 5 to 10 p.m. May 10 in a three-block area surrounding Battery and Clay streets in the city’s financial district (conveniently close to BART). The event centers around the infectious rhythms unleashed by co-presenter Non Stop Bhangra, a Bay Area group known for its lively dance performances and events featuring a blend of Bhangra (a traditional form of Punjabi folkloric music and dance) and a host of other contemporary dances and rhythms. The dancers are backed by a group of first-class DJs, percussionists and musicians. Many of the dancers are affiliated with the Bay Area-based Dholrhythms Dance Company. Attendees can refuel from all the music and dancing by sampling tasty Indian street food and delicious drinks of all kinds, and take in the assortment of vendors plying their wares. Bhangra and Beats will also be held July 12, Sept. 13 and Nov. 15 in the same location. The event is co-presented by Into the Streets, and the city’s Office of Economic & Workforce Development.
Details: Free admission; more information is at www.bhangraandbeats.com.
Patsy Cline tribute returns to Berkeley
Bay Area crooner Margaret Belton has won a legion of fans locally and across the country with her vast mastery of Americana stylings, from classic country and country-swing, to blues, cabaret, and more, all delivered with a warm, crisp delivery and a clear passion for performing. But Belton is best known as a first-rate interpreter and performer of Patsy Cline songs. She has starred in the award-winning multimedia show “Always … Patsy Cline,” and she founded the Patsychords tribute band in 2010. On Saturday, Belton returns to the Freight & Salvage in Berkeley to perform the 10th anniversary of her Patsy Cline tribute concert “Today, Tomorrow and Forever,” which features Cline classics and rarities alike, along with stories about the country music icon’s life and career, drawn from a wealth of books and anecdotes from those who knew her. She’s backed by a terrific Americana band featuring Maurice Tani on guitar (who will also perform a solo opening set), David Phillips on pedal steel, Henry Salvia on piano, Mike Anderson on bass and Ken Owen on drums. Kathleen Salvia adds additional vocals and Jeanine Richardson chips in with percussion, tambourine and some spirited dance moves.
Details: 8 p.m. May 11; Freight & Salvage, Berkeley; $30-$35; thefreight.org.
Alvvays headed back to Bay Area
Alvvays delivered one of the best sets of the 2023 Outside Lands music festival, delighting thousands of fans who turned out to see the super-cool Canadian indie-pop act perform at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco.
Now, the band is set to return to Northern California and will play shows at the Ace of Spades in Sacramento on Monday and the Catalyst in Santa Cruz on Tuesday.
Formed in 2011, Alvvays (pronounced “Always”) released its wonderful self-titled debut in 2014 and immediately garnered a sizable following in the indie/college music scene. The record ended up being shortlisted for the Polaris Music Prize (given to the best Canadian album of the year) in 2015, but ended up losing to Buffy Sainte-Marie’s “Power in the Blood.”
The group then returned in 2017 with another winning effort, “Antisocialites,” which earned another Polaris shortlist nod. Yet, that 2018 prize would go to Jeremy Dutcher’s “Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa.”
Alvvays — featuring vocalist-guitarist Molly Rankin, keyboardist Kerri MacLellan, guitarist Alec O’Hanley, drummer Sheridan Riley and bassist Abbey Blackwell – is currently supporting 2022’s excellent “Blue Rev,” which — yes — once again garnered a Polaris shortlist spot, but fell short to Debby Friday’s “Good Luck.”
Details: 7 p.m. Monday at Ace of Spades, Sacramento, $89 (subject to change), ticketmaster.com; 8 p.m. Tuesday at Catalyst, Santa Cruz; $32-$37; etix.com. The band also returns to the area to perform on Aug. 16 at the Fox Theater in Oakland, apeconcerts.com.
— Jim Harrington, Staff
