California Honey Drops
Digging deep into the roots of American music, The California Honeydrops embrace the traditions of Blues, Gospel, Second Line New Orleans Jazz, and early R&B. With stellar performances of traditional material as well as their own innovative music, The California Honeydrops get people out of their seats and onto the floor, dancing and singing along. Formed in November 2007, The California Honeydrops first performed on the streets and in the subways stations in Oakland, California. Playfully crossing genres from Roots and Blues to R&B and soul, The California Honeydrops’ sound is tied together by soulful vocal harmonies, colorful shouts from brass and horns, and a funky, good-times New Orleans rhythm section. They quickly gained a reputation as the best party in the Bay Area.
Ken Berman Trio
Pianist and composer Ken Berman has performed and recorded with Bob Moses, Yoron Israel, Kai Eckhardt, Akira Tana, John Lockwood, Bob Gullotti, Remi Vignolo, Jaleel Shaw, Sarah Manning, Take Toriyama and others: he has appeared on the famed stages of Carnegie Hall in New York, Yoshi's in San Francisco, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Detroit's Fox Theater, and The Sunside in Paris. Ken has been the recipient of several artist grants and awards for his ongoing work in jazz education. His music was the subject of recent programs on KCSM in San Francisco and on KZSU at Stanford University, where his playing drew comparisons with Bill Evans, Ramsey Lewis and Keith Jarrett. His latest compositions have been featured on jazz radio stations KCSM in San Francisco, WGBH in Boston, WFMT in Chicago, and WEMU in Michigan, as well as on college radio nationwide.
HOSTS ALEX DANZLER (Night Magic) & QUEEN JAHNEEN (Music Dept. Showcase)