Mandolin Cafe Event/Gig Calendar

Tom Bekeny with the Jazz Hands
Hi Friends in the SF Bay Area--The Jazz Hands---a new jazz quartet that I'm really happy to be part of--will be performing this coming Friday April 13 at Copperfield's Books in San Rafael. The group is sort of the musical offspring (or "first cousin"?) of my regular ensemble the Missing Man Quartet and it features Greg Reginato (guitar), Bill Lanphier (bass), Eric Thompson (drums) and myself on mandolin. We'll be playing original arrangements of some cool jazz standards covering a wide variety of styles from bebop and ballads to bossa nova and blues including some more obscure tunes. {For a sneak preview of the Jazz Hands, go the to “band” section of my website (tombekenymusic.com) and scroll down for a partial rendition of Art Pepper’s “Blues for Les” featuring special guest drummer Kenny McElroy.}

The concert is made possible through a collaboration between Copperfield's Books and a great organization called Jazz in the Neighborhood. The mission of Jazz in the Neighborhood (JITN) is "to improve the economics of jazz performance in the Bay Area by presenting affordable concerts, paying musicians a guaranteed wage, and supporting the work of established and aspiring jazz artists". For more details go to: https://jazzintheneighborhood.org/about/mission/) .

As one aspect of the JITN mission is the support of new jazz artists, we will be showcasing the talents of an "emerging" jazz musician who will join us onstage for a few tunes.

I'm honored to be associated not only with JITN but also this wonderful lineup of musicians for Friday's show. Our guitarist Greg Reginato is a veteran of the Bay Area jazz scene and a graduate of Berklee College of music where he was one of a handful of students who compiled the first volume of the jazz bible, the RealBook. Bill Lanphier is a much in demand bass player and, as of late, drummer who has had an amazing career that includes (among many other creds) having played bass for Madonna on the Virgin Tour...see his humorous piece "Why Madonna Hated Me" at www.lanphier.net. Eric Thompson is a highly sought after drummer and teacher who, with his impeccable groove and sense of time, is every bass player’s best friend.

We all look forward to performing Friday and hope to see you at the show. Copperfield's is located at 850 4th St., San Rafael. We start at 8pm.There is no cover charge.

For more information about our Friday show and JITN, go to https://jazzintheneighborhood.org/category/events/