Nothing says football season like buffalo sauce! Check out this buffalo chicken stuffed avocados recipe for a fresh and exciting take on the classic chips and guac. Your gameday guests will love it.
The Annex Sessions: Ruben Blanco Hurtado Trio, Wednesday, February 14, 2024
The Annex Sessions will continue Wednesday, February 14, 2024, 6-8:30pm at El Cerrito Natural Grocery Company Prepared Food Annex (The Annex)
Ruben Blanco Hurtado Trio
Cuban music, this trio will create the atmosphere that you are in a Cuban restaurant cafe bar in Old Havana, also there might be some surprise guests!
featuring:
Ruben Blanco Hurtado – piano & flute
Orestes Vilato – percussion
Gary Brown – bass
Ruben Blanco Hurtado, Piano & Flute. In the late 1980s, he played in house bands in San Jose, CA such as The Tropicana. “We played tropical music, which was a salsa number, bolero, merenge, and cumbia”. We also played the Copacabana in the same genre. In the 1990s, Ruben played Cuban dance music with Fito Renoso. In the 2000s he worked with Tito Gonzales, playing traditional Cuban music (Son ). He has since continued with his own projects.
Special Guests
The one and only Orestes Vilato (Percussion ), from Fania, to Santana, Ray Barreto, Tipica and many more.
Gary Brown (Bass) all around bassist Jazz, Latin, and much more. He has worked with all the major names in the Bay area!
We are fortunate to have these major artists with us for Valentine’s Day!
The Natural Grocery Company is proud to present this series in partnership with SunJams and Javier Navarrette Music Productions.
SunJams is committed to funding children’s music education in underserved public elementary schools. Your donation will help support this ongoing program.
All of the proceeds will go directly to our network of local musicians, each of whom have been severely impacted by the lack of events during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Whether you donate $10, $100, or $1000 – any amount helps and will allow us to keep bringing music to our community! As always, your donation to SunJams 501(c)3 may qualify as tax exempt.
Javier Navarrette Music Productions continues to bring live music to several venues around the Bay Area. Javier has been a professional musician and music educator in the Oakland Unified School District for the past 20 years. Over the past few years Navarrette has produced outdoors events that have proven instrumental in enabling musicians to deal with some of the fallout of the pandemic and shutdown that followed.
COVID RELATED SAFETY MEASURES
Please be safe. Feel free to wear a mask if you prefer.
TICKETS
Tickets are NOT required for this venue, you can simply come in, order food and beverages at the Annex counter and pay at the registers.
Mini-Beer Tasting at The Annex Thursday, February 15, 2024
Potato-Leek Soup Recipe
The Annex Turns Ten!
February 2024 Sales Flyer
El Cerrito Grocery & Annex ChargePoint Station Is “Out of Service”
The Annex Sessions: Adam Theis Quartet on Wednesday, February 7, 2024
The Annex Sessions will continue Wednesday, February 7, 2024, 6-8:30pm at El Cerrito Natural Grocery Company Prepared Food Annex (The Annex)
Adam Theis Quartet
featuring:
Adam Theis – trombone
Josh Jones – percussion
Colin Hogan – drums
Julian Hogan – piano
Performing Jazz & Latin Jazz
Adam Theis (pronounced “Thēese”) is a multi-instrumentalist, producer, bandleader and composer based in Oakland, CA who plays trombone, trumpet, tuba, bass, keyboards and anything/everything else he can get his hands on. In 2000, Theis co-founded Jazz Mafia – an eclectic artist collective of some of the most forward thinking and accomplished players in the fields of Electro, Hip-Hop, World, Classical and of course, Jazz. As Jazz Mafia’s director, Adam has assembled over 100 different live projects over the past 20 years and led/co-led dozens of acclaimed bands. He is also the Director of SFJAZZ’s Monday Night Band, Director of the Truckee Jazz Camp, and winner of the Gerbode-Hewlett Foundation’s “Emerging Composer” Grant.
Theis has produced and co-written music for notable artists such as Lyrics Born, Zion-I, Rebelution, Latyrx, Galactic, Ledesi, Blackalicious and many more. As a sideman, Adam and his horn section have created eclectic collaborations with a wide range of top level artists including: Bobby McFerrin, Roy Ayers, Chali 2na, Booker T. Jones, Spearhead, Zigaboo Modeliste, Zap Mama, Eric Lindell, Making Movies, St. Panther, DJ Qbert, Dead Winter Carpenters, KRS One, Wax Tailor, The New Master Sounds, Peter Rowan, Coultrain, J Boogie’s Dubtronic Science, The Velvet Teen and dozens more.
Adam’s commitment to bringing high quality, creative, independent, and diverse music to the Bay Area (and beyond!) lies at the center of the Jazz Mafia movement. He is a cornerstone of the music community – shaping the sound of San Francisco and influencing the lives and careers of hundreds of musicians and audience-members all over the world.
The Natural Grocery Company is proud to present this series in partnership with SunJams and Javier Navarrette Music Productions.
SunJams is committed to funding children’s music education in underserved public elementary schools. Your donation will help support this ongoing program.
All of the proceeds will go directly to our network of local musicians, each of whom have been severely impacted by the lack of events during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Whether you donate $10, $100, or $1000 – any amount helps and will allow us to keep bringing music to our community! As always, your donation to SunJams 501(c)3 may qualify as tax exempt.
Javier Navarrette Music Productions continues to bring live music to several venues around the Bay Area. Javier has been a professional musician and music educator in the Oakland Unified School District for the past 20 years. Over the past few years Navarrette has produced outdoors events that have proven instrumental in enabling musicians to deal with some of the fallout of the pandemic and shutdown that followed.
COVID RELATED SAFETY MEASURES
Please be safe. Feel free to wear a mask if you prefer.
TICKETS
Tickets are NOT required for this venue, you can simply come in, order food and beverages at the Annex counter and pay at the registers.
The Annex Sessions: Julio Bravo & Friends Wednesday, January 31, 2024
The Annex Sessions will continue Wednesday, January 31, 2024, 6-8:30pm at El Cerrito Natural Grocery Company Prepared Food Annex (The Annex)
Julio Bravo & Friends
featuring: Julio Bravo – vocals
with special guests:
Jose Soto – piano & guitar
David Pinto – bass guitar
Alberto Palomino – percussion
Raul Ramirez – percussion
and possibly others!
Salsa from Peru and beyond!
The Natural Grocery Company is proud to present this series in partnership with SunJams and Javier Navarrette Music Productions.
SunJams is committed to funding children’s music education in underserved public elementary schools. Your donation will help support this ongoing program.
All of the proceeds will go directly to our network of local musicians, each of whom have been severely impacted by the lack of events during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Whether you donate $10, $100, or $1000 – any amount helps and will allow us to keep bringing music to our community! As always, your donation to SunJams 501(c)3 may qualify as tax exempt.
Javier Navarrette Music Productions continues to bring live music to several venues around the Bay Area. Javier has been a professional musician and music educator in the Oakland Unified School District for the past 20 years. Over the past few years Navarrette has produced outdoors events that have proven instrumental in enabling musicians to deal with some of the fallout of the pandemic and shutdown that followed.
COVID RELATED SAFETY MEASURES
Please be safe. Feel free to wear a mask if you prefer.
TICKETS
Tickets are NOT required for this venue, you can simply come in, order food and beverages at the Annex counter and pay at the registers.
The Annex Sessions: Marina Lavalle Trio Wednesday, January 24, 2024
The Annex Sessions will continue Wednesday, January 24, 2024, 6-8:30pm at El Cerrito Natural Grocery Company Prepared Food Annex (The Annex)
Marina Lavalle Trio
featuring:
Marina Lavalle – vocals
Santiago “Coco” Linares – guitar
Pedro Rosales – cajon, vocals
The Music of Coastal Peru
Musician Bios:
Marina Lavalle (Vocalist)
Afro-Peruvian singer Marina Lavalle is one of the most distinctive performers in the Bay Area and one of the great voices of modern Peruvian music. An important figure in the resurgence of Afro-Peruvian music being Peru Negro Cultural Association Lead vocalist during 70s, Marina nurtures a carefully crafted blend of contemporary and traditional sounds. Accompanied by guitar, base and Peruvian cajón, she renders a soulful and vibrant interpretation of an array of rhythms in her musical heritage such as: Landó, Festejo, and Zamacueca, just to name a few.
Santiago “Coco” Linares (Guitar)
Coco Linares is a Peruvian guitarist, composer, and musical director born on October 12, 1955 in the district of San Luis, province of Cañete1. He studied classical guitar at the National Conservatory of Music for six years and was named a FAT (Early Artistic Training) level professor due to his outstanding guitar skills while still a student at the center1.
In 1978, he was invited to direct the Philharmonic Orchestra of Channel 5, presented by the renowned researcher and artist Nicomedes Santa Cruz. The same year, he won the award for Best Young Arranger1. During his tenure as musical director of Eva Ayllon, in 1993, he was a guest conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra of Peru, a historic event, as it was the first time in the history of Peruvian music that an academic director handed over the baton to a popular music director1. He was also the musical director of the first double compact disc made in Peru, Qué lindo es mi Perú, in which he directed practically all the great artists of Peruvian Creole music, such as Arturo “Zambo” Cavero, Oscar Avilés, Jesús Vásquez, Rafael Matallana, Pepe Vásquez, Cecilia Bracamonte, Cecilia Barraza, among others1. Linares has also been the musical director of other renowned Peruvian artists, such as Pepe Vásquez and Julie Freundt1.
In 2015, he was recognized by the Ministry of Culture as a “Meritorious Personality of Culture”
Pedro Rosales (Cajon-vocals)
Proyecto Lando director Pedro Rosales is a renowned cajon player celebrated for his fierce, energetic playing, his expressive vocal interpretations, his sensitivity as an accompanist, and his creative and prolific compositions.
Born in Lima, Peru, Pedro discovered his passion for the cajon at the age of fourteen, taking classes with maestro Ernesto Sandoval at the Museo de Arte de Lima. By 1989, he had joined folklorist Julio Casanovas’ Tradiciones Peruanas ensemble as a percussionist. In 1992, Pedro moved to San Francisco, where he co-founded the experimental ensemble Malambo Kombo with pianist Jorge Molina. In 1995, he co-founded De Rompe y Raja Cultural Association, who released four albums under his musical direction through 2013: “El Retorno” (2001), “Diaspora Negra” (2009), children’s album “Huaranguito” (2011) and Marina Lavalle’s “Sutil” (2010). In 2009, Pedro founded Proyecto Lando, releasing a number of original compositions in collaboration with arranger Felipe Pumarada, and performing extensively throughout Northern California.
Pedro’s skills as a cajon player developed under the guidance of his mentors, master Afro-Peruvian percussionists Manuel “Manguey” Vasquez, Eusebio “Sirio” Pititi, Braulio Barrera, and “Lalo” Izquierdo (founder, choreographer, percussionist/dancer of Peru Negro Cultural Association). Pedro is honored to have accompanied many of the most celebrated Peruvian singers and artists, including Pepe Vasquez, Jesus Vasques, Luis Abanto Morales, Arturo Zambo Cavero, Oscar Aviles, Lucia de la Cruz, Lucila Campos, Peru Negro, Bartola, Jorge Luis Jasso, Manuel Donayre, Rosa Flor, Carlos Hayre and Elizabeth Panchano, among others.
Pedro is well-known in the Bay Area music scene as a collaborator, sharing his knowledge and curiosity with musicians immersed in a variety of Afro-latin traditions.
The Natural Grocery Company is proud to present this series in partnership with SunJams and Javier Navarrette Music Productions.
SunJams is committed to funding children’s music education in underserved public elementary schools. Your donation will help support this ongoing program.
All of the proceeds will go directly to our network of local musicians, each of whom have been severely impacted by the lack of events during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Whether you donate $10, $100, or $1000 – any amount helps and will allow us to keep bringing music to our community! As always, your donation to SunJams 501(c)3 may qualify as tax exempt.
Javier Navarrette Music Productions continues to bring live music to several venues around the Bay Area. Javier has been a professional musician and music educator in the Oakland Unified School District for the past 20 years. Over the past few years Navarrette has produced outdoors events that have proven instrumental in enabling musicians to deal with some of the fallout of the pandemic and shutdown that followed.
COVID RELATED SAFETY MEASURES
Please be safe. Feel free to wear a mask if you prefer.
TICKETS
Tickets are NOT required for this venue, you can simply come in, order food and beverages at the Annex counter and pay at the registers.