S. F. Bay Area

Though the Global Concert takes place in Old Havana, Cuba, you can still be part of  the scene in the Bay Area. (Here’s a trailer introduced by Herbie Hancock in anticipation of The International Jazz Day Global Concert 2017). Listed below are celebrations around the Bay that are currently registered on their website, but there are probably many more jazz events going on locally.

Doc’s Lab 124 Columbus Avenue in San Francisco

• Electric Squeezebox Orchestra with Saxophonist Harvey Wainapel.  Celebrate International Jazz Day at this benefit for the SOTA (School of the Arts) World Music + Dance and Latin Band. Proceeds will help 37 students travel to Havana this June. SOTA is the nation’s only public high school program with hands-on world music ensembles. Opening will be the SOTA Latin Band under the direction of Henry Hung.  Followed by Electric Squeezebox Orchestra with Harvey Wainapel. (415) 649-6191 $20 Showtime: 2:30pm

The Chapel 777 Valencia St. in San Francisco

•  Mattson 2 perform A Love Supreme. In an international and inter-dimensional exclusive, for the first time anywhere, Mattson 2 perform John Coltrane’s 1965 masterpiece “A Love Supreme” in it’s entirety to celebrate International Jazz Day. Featuring the legendary Money Mark, and Tommy Guerrero + DJ sets by Jordan Blackmon (Toro Y Moi), this will be a spectacular and unique event honoring one of the landmarks of 20th century music. Mattson 2 will perform the album in full and also a set of special Mattson classics. “If you could soundtrack the jangle of the sea and the jazz of the surf, The Mattson 2 would most certainly be the composers. The identical twin guitar and drums duo are truly a marvel of jazz-rock orchestration and arrangement.” (website) $16 adv/$20 door. Show begins at 8pm.

The Village 1099 Sunnydale Ave. in San Francisco

• The Village celebrates on Sat., Apr. 29th – the eve of International Jazz Day for an afternoon of community members’ poetry/spoken word readings accompanied by virtuoso jazz saxophonist Madaline “Mad” Duran. There will also  be a special guest performer – American virtuoso jazz guitarist, maestro Eddie Duran. The couple combines their material from the 1940s age of bebop composition, jazz from the 1950s and their favorite Latin rhythms. Doors open for community reception, appetizers & beverages at 1pm and the Poetry/Jazz Program begins at 2pm. This is a free family event!

Marcus Books 3900 M.L.K. Jr Way in Oakland

In honor of International Jazz Day, Elizabeth Pepin Silva and Lewis Watts will be speaking and signing books to celebrate the launch of the Harlem of the West SF Project. The HOTWSF Project is a book, website and photographic exhibit that features the bustling San Francisco Fillmore jazz era of the 1940s and ’50s, a period when the area was a vibrant neighborhood of more than two dozen nightclubs and music venues. The project focuses on a unique chapter of almost unknown West Coast jazz history. The event starts at 3pm. More information: (415) 640-5994

KCSM-Jazz91.1 on your radio throughout the Bay Area broadcast from San Mateo

On Apr. 30 KCSM offers up 24 hours of Jazz history, profiles of musicians, documentary shorts & music, music, music curated throughout the day by veteran programmers Clint Baker, Alisa Clancy, Keith Hines, Clifford Brown Jr., Chuy Varela, Carl Sonny Leyland, Richard Hadlock, Harry Duncan and Ron Pelletier. You can listen live. Just scroll down and choose your media platform.

Now, if you don’t want to go out on International Jazz Day, you can watch the global concert live. Three hours ahead of us. Slated to start at 8pm there and 6pm here.

About International Jazz Day

In November 2011, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) officially designated April 30 as International Jazz Day in order to highlight jazz and its diplomatic role of uniting people in all corners of the globe. International Jazz Day is chaired and led by Irina Bokova, UNESCO Director General, and legendary jazz pianist and composer Herbie Hancock, who serves as a UNESCO Ambassador for Intercultural Dialogue and Chairman of the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz. The Institute is the lead nonprofit organization charged with planning, promoting and producing this annual celebration.

International Jazz Day brings together communities, schools, artists, historians, academics, and jazz enthusiasts all over the world to celebrate and learn about jazz and its roots, future and impact; raise awareness of the need for intercultural dialogue and mutual understanding; and reinforce international cooperation and communication. Each year on April 30, this international art form is recognized for promoting peace, dialogue among cultures, diversity, and respect for human rights and human dignity; eradicating discrimination; promoting freedom of expression; fostering gender equality; and reinforcing the role of youth in enacting social change.

Each year this global event takes place in a landmark venue with rich historical significance both to the hosting city and nation. Last year Washington, D.C. served as the International Jazz Day 2016 Global Host City. President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama hosted the International Jazz Day All-Star Global Concert at the White House. This year the All-Star Global Concert will take place in the historic Gran Teatro de la Habana Alicia Alonso, one of the world’s leading performing arts centers and the oldest theater in Latin America. Originally built in 1838 as the Teatro Tacón, it has undergone an extensive restoration to continue presenting top performers from around the world, currently housing the National Ballet of Cuba and the Havana International Ballet Festival. The stage is set now to welcome the global community of performers of International Jazz Day 2017. If you don’t want to go out, you can always watch it live. (three hours ahead) Slated to start at 8pm there and 6pm here.

The 2017 All-Star Global Concert will feature more than 50 renowned artists representing 14 countries, including Ambrose Akinmusire (United States), Carl Allen (United States), Melissa Aldana (Chile), Francisco “Pancho” Amat (Cuba), Marc Antoine (France), John Beasley (United States), Richard Bona (Cameroon), Till Brönner (Germany), A Bu (China), Igor Butman (Russian Federation), Bobby Carcassés (Cuba), Regina Carter (United States), Kurt Elling (United States), Roberto Fonseca (Cuba), Kenny Garrett (United States), Herbie Hancock (United States), Antonio Hart (United States), Quincy Jones (United States) Takuya Kuroda (Japan), Ivan Lins (Brazil), Sixto Llorente (Cuba), Marcus Miller (United States), Youn Sun Nah (Republic of Korea), Julio Padrón (Cuba), Gianluca Petrella (Italy), Gonzalo Rubalcaba (Cuba), Antonio Sánchez (Mexico), Christian Sands (United States), Esperanza Spalding (United States), Chucho Valdés (Cuba), Ben Williams (United States), Tarek Yamani (Lebanon), Dhafer Youssef (Tunisia), and more!

Check your city’s website to participate in their Earth Day clean-ups and activities. Some Bay Area events are listed here.

Since Saturday, April 22 is Earth Day, On the Bay wanted to share a reminder from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW)’ s newsletter:

It’s a good time to remember what John Muir said so eloquently: “When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe.” That fact influences nearly everything the CDFW does to manage and protect the state’s native plants, invertebrates, fish, wildlife, and habitats.

Twenty million people in the U.S. participated in the first Earth Day in 1970, to increase public awareness of the damage humans were doing to the environment. People used the day to educate themselves and others about the relationship we have with the world’s natural resources. That year, California was one of the first states to enact statutes protecting rare and endangered animal species, and it remains a world leader in environmental protection. Now, Earth Day is celebrated every year by more than a billion people in 192 nations.

CDFW sees the effects of human behavior on wildlife and ecosystems every day. As the public steward for California’s wildlife and habitat, CDFW practices conservation and restoration statewide with considerable success. California tule elk (Cervus elaphus nannodes) provide a good example.

By 1870, very few individual tule elk were known to exist; they were closely related and on the verge of extinction. When the state legislature banned elk hunting in 1873, it was unclear if any even remained. One pair was discovered by a local game warden near Buttonwillow, and nurtured to save the species. In 1977, seven elk were reintroduced to their former native habitat at Grizzly Island in Solano County. Since then, this herd has not only flourished, but provided seed stock for CDFW to establish new herds. Statewide, tule elk populations have expanded to 5,100 animals in 21 herds.

Eighty years ago people thought southern sea otters (Enhydra lutris nereis) were extinct. A small colony was discovered at Big Sur in 1938 and given legal protection. The combined efforts of local, state and federal governments, non-profit organizations and individuals have nurtured the population to around 3,000. That’s only a fraction of historic numbers, but a step in the right direction.

In 1994 CDFW’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response and UC Davis created the Oiled Wildlife Care Network (OWCN) to rescue, rehabilitate and release wildlife injured in oil spills. OWCN quickly became the world’s premier oiled wildlife rescue organization and pioneered research in the subject to develop the best achievable care using the best available technology. Since 1995, the OWCN has responded to more than 75 oil spills throughout California and has cared for nearly 8,000 oiled birds and mammals.

“Working in the oil spill response field for over 25 years, I have seen how our community quickly responds to a detrimental environmental incident,” CDFW Environmental Program Manager Randy Imai said. “So, I know we can all do this at a much smaller scale in our everyday lives. Every one of us can make a difference.”

Two charismatic birds that were once endangered have recovered well enough to be de-listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act: the Peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus anatum) and California brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis californicus). By 1969 both species’ breeding populations had plummeted, primarily because of organochlorine pesticides like DDT. The chemicals made the birds’ eggshells too thin and fragile to withstand the parents’ weight in the nest, so multiple generations were crushed during incubation. Recovery began when the state and federal governments and Canada banned the use of those pesticides. Reducing human disturbance of nesting and roosting sites aided the pelicans’ recovery, and a captive breeding program supported recovery of the falcon population. Along with landowners and other scientists, CDFW scientists’ research and monitoring provided the facts needed to list both species, make their recovery possible, and determine when it was time to de-list them. CDFW continues to work with many partners to monitor de-listed species to ensure their populations remain healthy.

You don’t have to be a scientist, wildlife officer or legislator to protect California’s wildlife and ecosystems. There are many things most anyone can do, including:

• Pick up litter. Wildlife often mistake trash for food and die from eating it, and wild birds can become entangled and die in abandoned fishing line.
• Don’t use rat poison. Let rodents’ natural predators – coyotes, foxes, bobcats, raptors (owls, hawks) and snakes – control their population. See our Rodenticides web page for details.
• Replace your lawn with native plants to help conserve water and our native pollinators. Locally native plants can thrive in both dry and wet years.
• Conserve water. Conservation is a way of life in California. Use as little water as possible to prevent shortages and assure sufficient water for food crops and for ecosystem protection.
• Reduce, reuse, recycle. Most California cities and counties have recycling programs for both residents and businesses. Visit CalRecycle Earth Day.
• Buy in bulk and use recyclable materials. Compost veggie scraps and yard clippings in gardens. Landfills destroy valuable wildlife habitat, so think about that each time you make a trip to your garbage containers. The cumulative impacts are enormous.
• Use biodegradable soaps. They pollute less than other soaps.
• Drive less. Plan your errands to reduce the number of car trips. Walk, bike, carpool or take public transit. Spare the Air! If you can, make your next car electric or hybrid to help slow climate change.
• Never dump oil, chemicals, or any other waste into a storm drain or gutter.
• Take children out for nature walks and teach them about the local plants and animals. They can’t be stewards of the future without understanding and caring for nature. We’re all in it together on this one planet Earth.
• Volunteer at nature centers, ecological reserves, or for a government-led program like the Natural Resources Volunteer Program. Volunteer at schools or recreation centers, and create nature and ecology programs.
• Go Birding! Share bird identification books and binoculars with others who may not have them. Visit California Audubon for information.
• Keep dogs on leashes in wild places, even on beaches. Don’t let dogs flush birds! Birds need undisturbed time to nest successfully, to forage, and then to rest, preen and conserve energy.
• Keep cats indoors. Cats kill millions of birds each year, not out of malice, but because they’re wired to kill and eat them. A clean litter box is not difficult to maintain. Just be sure to bag the waste in biodegradable material and dispose of it in your garbage can.
• Go Solar! Utilities offer rebates, and if you can afford a solar energy system, you’ll help reduce the rate of climate change. If you can’t, let the sun warm your home through windows on sunny days.

Conserve electricity, use natural light as much as possible, and turn off all lights when not in use. It takes natural resources to create energy and wildlife habitat is compromised or destroyed in the process. Energy production pollutes the air and produces greenhouse gases, contributing to the climate change problem and respiratory ailments. Use thermal drapes and energy-efficient windows to keep your home warm or cool as needed, and dress for the temperature, so you use the heat or air conditioner less. Use a clothes line outdoors or hang clothes to dry indoors. You’ll save money as well as energy! (CDFW newsletter)

Playing against the beautiful backdrop of San Francisco across the Bay and Angel Island, The Anthony Paule Soul Orchestra will launch Sausalitos’s legendary Jazz & Blues by the Bay summer season.

Concerts are every Friday, June 2 to August 25, from 6:30 to 8:00pm at Gabrielson Park in downtown Sausalito. Lawn seating is free. You can also reserve table seating by calling Sausalito Parks and Recreation Department at (415) 289-4152 or visiting jazzandbluesbythebay.com.

Here’s the 2017 lineup for Jazz and Blues by the Bay:

• June 2: The Anthony Paule Soul Orchestra – blues
  Sponsored by Southern Marin Fire Fighters Association
• June 9: The Speakeasies – jazz
  Sponsored by the Sausalito Lions Club
• June 16: The Daniel Castro Band – blues Listen.
  Sponsored by the Volunteers in Public Safety
• June 23: Lavay Smith and her Red Hot Skillet Lickers – jazz 
  Sponsored by the Richardson Bay Maritime Association
• June 30:  David Gerald – blues
  Sponsored by Sausalito on the Waterfront
• July 7: Pamela Rose & the Beasts of Blues – blues
  Sponsored by Sausalito Sister Cities
• July 14: Curtis Lawson & Friends – blues
  Sponsored by Friends of the Sausalito Dog Park
• July 21: Andre Thierry – blues
  Sponsored by Sausalito Parks & Recreation
• July 28: The Kenya B Trio – jazz/blues
  Sponsored by the Southern Marin Fire Fighters Association
• August 4: Paula Harris – blues
  

  Eugene Huggins closing night Jazz& Blues by the Bay 2016

  Sponsored by the Sausalito Youth Sailing Foundation

• August 11: The US Navy 32nd Street Brass Band – jazz
  Sponsored by Volunteers in Public Safety
• August 18: Dr. Mojo Band – blues
  Sponsored by the Sausalito Rotary Club
• August 25: Eugene Huggins & Friends – blues  Listen.
  Sponsored by Call of the Sea
• LEARN MORE ABOUT JAZZ AND BLUES BY THE BAY

Happy Easter from your On The Bay team, Malaga & Mary Lou. Have a great weekend, everyone!

When it’s time to drop your car off at Big O for new tires, but you don’t want to sit around in the waiting room perusing the dusty old Motor Trend magazines; just walk across the street and get a haircut. Or just hang out and talk with the owners or sharpen your billiards skills. You can do it all at Hooligans Barber Lounge & Shave Spa at  2256 Washington Ave. in San Leandro.

Handsome Hooligans has the air of an old-fashioned barber shop with a modern twist. “We wanted that old school approach for the shop, but with a modern attitude,” says James Martinez, co-owner and barber. After many years working for other people, he and his cousin Armando Ortiz decided to open their own shop and they now have four more barbers working with them.

Just as all the new brewpubs introduced games like ping pong and bocce, Handsome Hooligan’s offers up pool. It really is a comfortable place to hang out across from Big O. And dogs are welcome.

(About the name: The Compact Oxford English Dictionary states that the word hooligan may have originated from the surname of a rowdy Irish family in a music hall song of the 1890s.)