Live Jazz (& Blues) Meetup Group

Get ready for a fiery performance featuring acclaimed Bay Area-based flamenco dancers Marina Elana, Melissa Cruz, and Fanny Ara, along with vocalist Clara Rodriguez, and guitarist David McLean.

MORE INFO:
https://www.marinaelana.com/press-new
https://aguaclaraflamenco.com/biography

EVENT COST: Tickets are about $28 per person online (or, if the show doesn't sell out in advance, you can buy a ticket at the door for $30 with either cash or Venmo). I also welcome $1.00 donations to defray the hefty fee that Meetup charges me as lead organizer of the Live Jazz (& Blues) Group.

TICKET INFO: Buy your own tickets at the following link. (Scroll down on the Humanitix Back Room calendar page to find the Jan. 24 show.)
https://collections.humanitix.com/the-back-room-calendar

SEATING: General admission, mainly on couches, in a casual, pleasantly funky, coffeehouse-type setting

WHEN/WHERE TO MEET: Meet me out front of the Back Room by 7:30 p.m., so we can get seats together. If we miss each other there, look for each other in the seating area. (The show is scheduled to start at 8:00 p.m. and will likely consist of two sets, ending at about 10:00 p.m.)

HOW TO FIND ME: I'm WF, 5 feet tall, with short, salt-and-pepper hair, and glasses. (See my photo with my Meetup profile.) I'll send my cellphone number and more info to RSVPers prior to the event. PLEASE TEXT ME IF YOU DON'T SPOT ME.

STILL TBD: Possibilities for an optional pre-show dinner at a nearby restaurant. Stay tuned for updates on that :) ... (NOTE: I typically limit dinners to six Meetup members who don't flake out on their RSVPs - but will gladly accommodate additional people for the show itself.)

(NOTE: NO food or drink is sold at the Back Room, but you are free to bring your own snacks or BYOB.)

PHOTOS of the Back Room and more details about the space:
http://backroommusic.com/about-the-back-room/

PARKING: Parking is easier to find as you get away from Shattuck OR as you go north of University. There is also a paid garage a few blocks away, but folks typically find free parking on side streets or main streets. http://backroommusic.com/transportation-parking/

TRANSIT/LOCATION: The Back Room is located just off University, about a block from MLK (and Trader Joe's), on AC Transit bus routes, and less than a half-mile from the downtown Berkeley BART station.

Founded in 2016, Vitamin Em includes Grammy nominees and award-winners who draw on a range of musical traditions – including jazz, funk, blues, Klezmer, indie, rock, Balkan, and classical. The band consists of violin, viola, cello, bassoon, accordion and piano. Composers in their own right, the band members have contributed works to the SF Symphony, the SF Chamber Orchestra, and Turtle Island Quartet, among others.

EVENT COST: Concert tickets start at $25 per person. General admission seating. Also, I welcome $1.00 donations from attendees at my Meetup events to defray the hefty fees that Meetup charges me as lead organizer.

Buy your own tickets (and see more info regarding the program for the concert) at this link:
https://donate.crowden.org/event/vitamin-em/e710651

(Note: your ticket confirmation email from Crowden might route to your Junk Mail folder, as mine did. Check all your email folders for yours!)

Note that this is a Sunday afternoon show.

WHEN/WHERE TO MEET: Inside the Crowden School by 3:30 p.m. so we can aim to get seats together. (The concert is scheduled to begin at 4:00 p.m.)

HOW TO FIND ME: I'm WF, 5 feet tall, with short, salt-and-pepper hair and glasses. I'll send my mobile number to RSVPers before the event.

TRANSIT: The music school is located less than one-half mile from the North Berkeley BART station and AC Transit bus lines.

DIRECTIONS and PARKING INFO:
https://www.crowden.org/map-directions/

POST-SHOW DINNER OPTION: Still TBD. Possibly an Indian restaurant about 3/4 of a mile from the music school. Stay tuned for final details on that.

MORE INFO:
https://www.vitaminemband.com/the-band

AUDIO and VIDEO:
https://www.vitaminemband.com/listen

This concert brings together violinist Andrew Finn Magill, Grammy-nominated percussionist Clarice Cast, and award-winning, seven-string guitarist Nando Duarte, performing choro and samba. Some of us saw Andrew in concert at another venue a couple of years ago, but that was with two different musicians joining him, so, even if you saw that 2024 show, this performance should be a new experience for you! :)

EVENT COST: About $34 (with Eventbrite service fee) for concert tickets when bought online. BUY YOUR OWN TICKETS.

NOTE that this show is on a FRIDAY night.

SEATING: This show is General Admission seating. It will be up to each of us to snag our seats, ideally at the same table(s), most of which are set up for four people.

TICKET LINK and MORE SHOW INFO:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/canta-violino-tickets-1977351336075

WHEN/WHERE TO MEET: I recommend arriving at the Sound Room by 7:00 p.m. so you have more time to find a seat, meet your fellow Meetup members, and possibly order any food or drinks you want for yourself. (The show starts shortly after 7:30 p.m. and will go to at least 10:00 p.m. There are typically two sets with one intermission at this venue.)

HOW TO FIND ME: I'll email my cellphone number and final details to RSVPers prior to the event date. Also, you can see my photo with my Meetup profile. (I'm WF, 5 feet tall, now with glasses and short, salt-&-pepper hair.)

LOCATION/TRANSIT: The Sound Room is at 3022 Broadway (directly across from Sprouts). At least one AC Transit bus line goes to the Sound Room from Oakland BART stations and possibly ones in El Cerrito and Richmond. (The closest Oakland BART stations are at 19th Street and in Rockridge.)

PARKING: Free parking is available on Broadway and on side streets. There are also supervised parking lots at Summit Medical Center and Kaiser Medical Center – both of which are 2 blocks away – that are available for a fee.

FOOD OPTION: The Sound Room has a limited but good menu of small plates (entrees, appetizers, and desserts) and drinks that you can enjoy before or during the show. The venue emails RSVPers the current menu on the day of the show. (There is no minimum requirement for ordering food or drink, but these purchases help cover this nonprofit's operating costs.)

MORE INFO:
https://andrewfinnmagill.com/about
https://claricecast.com/
https://www.nandoduarte.net/

VIDEO:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wg_ymGh6I_c&list=RDwg_ymGh6I_c&start_radio=1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPDIH9nmKJk&list=RDWPDIH9nmKJk&start_radio=1