“The Annex Sessions” Wednesday, November 20, 2024, 6-8:30pm will continue our music series held at El Cerrito Natural Grocery Company Prepared Food Annex (The Annex)

 

Rachael Magidson West Coast Jazz Quartet

Rachael Magidson – vocals, trumpet & percussion

Terry Bijohn – guitar

Leonie Hey – upright bass

Tony  Fill – drums & percussion

 

 

“A really good jazz sound has come out of France …Rachael Magidson hails from San Francisco, California and is a swing singer in addition to playing trumpet and percussion. Tim Taylor – Audiophile Audition

Described by CJ Bond of Jazz Music Review as “…frighteningly hedonistic impact…Magidson is one of those song stylists … that pretty much has her way with you emotionally. You could easily succumb to a state of bewitched, bothered bewilderment”

 

Joining Rachael is a killer quartet from Bordeaux, France, united by their shared passion for jazz and world music. Their unique arrangements infuse each song with a rich tapestry of global colors, transcending the boundaries of jazz to include beloved hits from the worlds of pop, soul, and funk.

 

Terry Bijohn, a virtuoso guitarist, has graced stages worldwide, from The Forbidden City Music Hall in China to Madagascar. Known for his diverse cultural fluency and heartfelt arrangements, his artistry adds an unmistakable depth to the quartet’s sound.

 

On drums, Tony Fill brings a wealth of international experience, having studied and performed in iconic music hotspots like New York, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Rio de Janeiro. His wife, Leonie Hey, a seasoned upright bassist from Stuttgart, has jazz in her blood, having played since her youth under the guidance of her father, a big band leader. The two met playing for the Late Night shows in Germany  while performing with a roster of renowned artists, from Will Smith to Cindy Lauper. The pair met Terry and Rachael after relocating to Lacanau, a serene surf town just an hour from Bordeaux.

 

Join us to feel the dancing waves , the sunsets and the  laid-back vibes of the West Coast.

 

rachaelmagidsonjazz.com

bookrachelsjazz@gmail.com

~

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 register.

“The Annex Sessions” will continue our music series held at El Cerrito Natural Grocery Company Prepared Food Annex (The Annex) on Wednesday, November 13, 2024, 6-8:30pm with

 

Warango 

Javier Trujillo – guitar

Pedro Rosales – cajon, percussion and vocals

Kyla Danysh – violin and vocals

Pierr Padilla – band leader, cajon, percussion and dance

Alex Farrell – bass

Carmen Roman – performer

 

Warango is a musical project born in Oakland, California, based on the vibrant rhythms of Afro-Peruvian music. This proposal is a meeting of traditional sounds represented by the Cajon which symbolizes Afro-Peruvian roots; with harmonies and melodies from classical music and jazz. These two worlds coexist in Warango’s sounds creating a unique musical proposal.

~

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 register.

“The Annex Sessions” will continue our music series held at El Cerrito Natural Grocery Company Prepared Food Annex (The Annex) on Wednesday, November 6, 2024, 6-8:30pm with

 

Raquel Berlind Filipina Jazz Quintet

 

Raquel Berlind – vocalist and band leader

Alexey Berlind – drummer, musical director

Kevin Gerzevits – pianist

Mark Williams – bass

David Ferrazares – sax

 

Raquel Berlind is an award-winning singer and songwriter. Her new album, Filipina Jazz, shines with original songs in both English and Tagalog. It features a lineup of Manila heavyweights and longtime Bay Area collaborators. Recorded in Manila, mixed in Berkeley, and mastered in Nashville, TN, the album marks a new milestone for Filipinos and Asian-Americans contributing to the jazz tradition.

 

Growing up in a musical family in Manila, Raquel was inspired by her pianist father and touring-musician brother to sing and compose. By her teens, she was singing her originals at Manila’s famous folk house, Hobbit. She fielded invitations to record singles and to perform internationally and on TV as a professional dancer. After resettling in the SF Bay Area, she developed her career with compositions and performances across multiple genres. She won three awards at the International Festival de la Canción for her Latin Pop compositions and the Pamana award for cultural achievements in the Bay Area Filipino community. She performed with her band on cruise ships in the Caribbean and the Pacific Coast and recorded an album of Filipino world music, Filipina Roots, with legendary Bay Area producer Greg Landau. At the same time, Raquel established herself as a jazz performer, becoming a sought-after vocalist at private events for clients visiting from around the world, and built a body of original jazz compositions. Filipina Jazz marks the culmination of this process.

 

Bandcamp: https://raquelberlind.bandcamp.com/album/filipina-jazz

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raquelberlind/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RaquelSingerSongwriter

Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@raquel.berlind

Webpage:  https://www.jazzbandsinger.com

 

~

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 register.

“The Annex Sessions” will continue our music series held at El Cerrito Natural Grocery Company Prepared Food Annex (The Annex) on Wednesday, October 23, 2024, 6-8:30pm with

 

Javier Navarrette’s “Modupue Wednesday” with Hector Lugo y La Mixta Criolla

 

Featuring:

Hector Lugo – percussion/ vocal

Roman Ito Carrillo – percussion/vocal

Pedro Pastrana – cuatro

Ayla Davila – bass

Javier Navarrette- percussion/ vocal

And Special Guests!!

 

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 register.

“The Annex Sessions” will continue our music series held at El Cerrito Natural Grocery Company Prepared Food Annex (The Annex) on Wednesday, October 16, 2024, 6-8:30pm with

 

Hadley Loudon & Bridges Jazz Ensemble

Hadley Louden – Keyboard

Karl Hartmann – Upright Bass

Aaron Kierbel – Traps

Orlando Obligacion – Percussion

Special Guest

Kia Hamm – Vocals

 

 

Join Hadley Louden and Bridges Jazz Ensemble as they roll out their upcoming album: “The Longer Shorter Sessions”!

In the works for over 20 years, the album showcases modern re-workings of the Great Wayne Shorter, featuring original lyrics.

Catch some Hard-hitting old school jazz paying homage to the great Wayne Shorter on Wednesday the 16th, featuring Bay Area heavies: Hadley on Keys, Karl Hartmann on Upright, Aaron Kierbel on traps, Orlando Obligacion on percussion, and special guest Kia Hamm on vocals.

 

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” will continue our music series held at El Cerrito Natural Grocery Company Prepared Food Annex (The Annex) on Wednesday, October 9, 2024, 6-8:30pm

 

Rhonda Benin Quartet

featuring:

Rhonda Benin – vocals

John R. Burr – keys

Ron Belcher – bass

Alcide Marshall – drums

Jazz, Blues, Soul, and Pop

www.rhondabenin.com

 

Musician Bios:

RHONDA BENIN – Vocalist, Producer, Artist Teacher

“Benin’s got a coolly hip vocal, with a bit of hush and sugar and an undercurrent of big booming power. She can bend notes with a bass, talk serenade with a piano and steam the kettle from the drums”.                                                                     Ran Pacifica Tribune

San Francisco Bay Area vocalist, Rhonda Benin has earned a reputation for not just a good voice but showmanship, magnetic stage personality, humor, and of course her great dancing.  Rhonda’s impressive resume includes performances at SF Jazz, Yoshi’s, MOAD, The Healdsburg, Sonoma, Burlingame, Sausalito, Filmore, and Calistoga Jazz Festivals.  In the summer of 2012 Rhonda traveled to Hangzhou, China for a 3 month engagement at the JZ Jazz Club and was 2014 USA headliner for The Kigali Up Music Festival in Kigali, Rwanda.  In addition to singing, Rhonda is producer and founder of the annual Women’s History Month show “Just Like A Woman” a tribute to Bay Area Women In Music. Benin is a 26 year member of The GRAMMY nominated vocal ensemble Linda Tillery and The Cultural Heritage. She appears on the CHC’s 7 Cd’s and has toured 30 countries performing and recording with legendary artists such as Taj Mahal, Wilson Pickett, Richie Havens, Odetta. Al Green, Keb Mo, Santana, Patti Austin, Janis Ian, Jackson Brown, Hugh Masekela & Sweet Honey In The Rock.

In 2006 Rhonda produced her first solo CD, A Matter of the Heart a classic mix of jazz, blues, and soul and is currently working on her 2^nd CD.

Rhonda is on the teaching staff of Healdsburg Jazz ‘s Operation Jazz Band, San Francisco Arts Project, LEAP, California Conservatory of Music, Cal Performances and conducts her own school assemblies and workshops, “The Voice, The Hands The Feet”  “Twist and Shout” and “Love Letters Make Me Misty Blue”.

 

JOHN R. BURR – Pianist

John R. Burr is that rare pianist who combines jazz technique with a genuine love for folk music. The Philadelphia Weekly said, “Pianist extraordinaire John R. Burr has the most sparkling style since former Allman Brother-turned-Rolling Stone hired hand Chuck Leavell.” Discology wrote, “John R. Burr ranks with the best of the elegant jazzers.”

Years of touring and recording sessions with such artists as Maria Muldaur, The Alison Brown Quartet, Paul McCandless, Michael Manring, and Kathy Kallick, and recognition including a feature spot on Windham Hill’s Piano Sampler II are a testament of his talent.

Living in the San Francisco area, John R found himself at OTR Studios often recording on other people’s albums. There he met Cookie Marenco, the engineer on those sessions. When Cookie founded Blue Coast Records, she knew it was a matter of time before John R had a recording under his own name. The first solo piano album of many to come is called Quarter Tones and displays John R’ intimate relationship with the piano.

His playing is as likely to be inspired by James Taylor or Doctor John as by Oscar Peterson or the Yellowjackets although he says it is his love of folk music that has influenced him most. compassrecords.com/artist/john-r-burr

 

RON BELCHER – Bassist

Bassist Ron Belcher travels the world from France to Japan and throughout the United States bringing his rhythmically buoyant, emotionally uplifting style to the stage for a wide diversity of jazz artists.

Performing or recording with such international stars as Branford Marsalis, Regina Carter, Rodney Franklin, John Handy, and Pete Escovedo, as well as a literal “who’s who” of the San Francisco jazz scene, Ron has garnered a reputation as one of northern California’s first-call jazz bassists.

A passionate teacher and advocate for children’s education, Ron has served on the faculty of the University of California, Berkeley, Young Musicians’ Program, and has contributed to several seasons for the San Francisco Symphony’s Adventures In Music outreach program. Ron ‘s own studies include jazz improvisation and acoustic bass at several Bay Area colleges, culminating in a degree from Texas College, where he had the honor of membership in the East Texas All-Stars.

 

ALCIDE MARSHALL – Drums

Alcide has enjoyed a rewarding career as a drummer, band leader and booking agent in the SF Bay area.  He has performed and recorded with local and nationally known artists including El DeBarge, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Mary Wilson (of the Supremes), Rich Little, Sly Stone, Bobby McFerrin, NDea Davenport (Brand New Heavies) just to name a few.

 

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” will continue our music series held at El Cerrito Natural Grocery Company Prepared Food Annex (The Annex) on Wednesday, October 2, 2024, 6-8:30pm

 

Jazz Caliente

 

Lee Waterman – guitar

Melecio Magdaluyo – saxophones and flute

Tommy Kesecker – vibes

Marc Levine – bass

Gerry Kennett – drums

 

Jazz Caliente’s music is infused with Afro-Cuban and Brazilian rhythms. The band’s repertoire includes Lee’s original compositions and the music of great Brazilian, Afro Cuban, and Jazz masters, such as Airto, Tito Puente, Miles Davis, Chano Pozo, and Horace Silver.

 

Musician Bios

 

Lee Waterman is originally from New York where his early interest in music was nurtured by his grandmother, a locally prominent classical pianist. At the age of nine he studied drums and later played in the school band. In his late teens, Lee took up guitar and Latin percussion. For four years he studied jazz guitar and music theory with internationally known guitarist and author Warren Nunes. This strong foundation in jazz styles plus the multicultural influences of his percussion studies forged Lee’s eclectic compositional style. Lee has led several Bay-Area based combos throughout the last three decades including the Silver Moon Big Band, and Jazz Caliente. He has also performed with sax great John Handy, vocalist Mark Murphy, and Narada Michael Walden and opened for Tito Puente and Pancho Sanchez.

 

Melecio Magdaluyo is a Bay Area native and is without doubt one of the finest reed men on the West Coast. He has appeared with Ray Charles, Whitney Houston, Tito Puente, Eddy Palmieri, George Coates, Pete Escovedo and John Santos’ Machete Ensemble.

 

Tommy Kesecker graduated from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and has toured internationally with the renowned group Zakir Hussain and the Rhythm Experience. Other credits include appearances with jazz piano legend Larry Vukavich as well as The Different Drums and Percussion Group, which performs for and educates local children. Tommy has also appeared at the Monterey Jazz Festival, Russian River Jazz Festival, and a variety of concert venues throughout the U.S. and beyond.

 

Marc Levine worked for two decades in L.A as a top studio musician. During that time he toured and/or recorded with Rosemary Clooney, Gerry Mulligan, Bette Midler, Dionne Warwick, Olivia Newton-John, Burt Bacharach, Melissa Manchester, and Barry Manilow. With Barry he toured for 9 years and appeared on The Tonight Show many times.

 

Gerry Kennett is known for his impeccable timing, crystal clear timbre, and mastery of multiple musical genres. He began his musical career on clarinet and saxophone, but switched to drums in high school. A member of the award winning University of Nevada Jazz Band, he soon branched out to performing for shows at Harrah’s, Harvey’s, and The Nugget on the Las Vegas/Reno/Tahoe circuit. After moving to the San Francisco Bay Area Gerry began working with Val Diamond of Beach Blanket Babylon. Val relied on Gerry’s drumming for many years in her solo performances at The Great American Music Hall, Bimbo’s, and The Boarding House. Since then Gerry has been one of the Bay Area’s most in demand free lance drummers as well as a popular music educator.

 

https://leewatermanproductions.com/

 

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 register.