Yoshi's San Francisco

As you may have heard Yoshi's San Francisco is going to be opening up to new types of music.  No longer a strictly jazz only room.  Not that we're getting rid of jazz at Yoshi's SF altogether, we feel it's a beautiful space and should not be limited to jazz alone.  Over the past year we've already hosted some great non-jazz shows including Dean & Britta, Juana Molina, Sam Phillips, Rhett Miller, and Shawn Colvin to name just a few.

So in 2009 we have lots of great jazz and non-jazz ahead, but the show I'm most excited about is John Zorn's Residency, March 10-15.  For 6 days, New York-based saxophonist and composer, John Zorn will make Yoshi's San Francisco home.  This breadth of this saxophonist's work is unparalleled in modern music; with well over 100 albums under his own name, and countless others as a performer. With his Tzadik record label and his artist curated performance space, The Stone, he's at the center of New York's Downtown jazz scene.  Among the players he's invited to perform with him; Marc Ribot, Greg Cohen, Joey Baron, Cyro Baptista, Ikue Mori, Mark Feldman, Erik Friedlander, Kenny Wollesen, Ikue Mori, Jamie Saft, and Northern California's own Trevor Dunn. Each of the 6 nights Zorn will feature a different ensemble from his classic jazz meets klezmer Masada guartet (3/12) to the raw power of Electric Masada closing the run on Sunday, March 15.  Although Zorn has featured many of these acts in New York and at various European festivals, this is the first time he's done a residency of this magnitude on the West Coast. 

I know I speak for Yoshi's in saying we are thrilled to be hosting him.

For an outsider the scope of his work is quite daunting, but rewarding once you've delved into any one of his projects.  Here's a look of at 4 of the featured groups.

Bar Kokhba (Friday, March 13): a chamber jazz ensemble
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCUcNJo2NZM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9T5eClyeeI

The Dreamers (Saturday, March 14): exotica/loungey surf rock
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSu2nbeGcO0

Electric Masada (Sunday, March 15): powerful powerful jazz rock ensemble for those that like their jazz with an edge.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEmYppST4Sk

Masada (Thursday, March 12): Oft compared to Ornette Coleman's late 50's piano-less bands, this is the jazz quartet that started it all.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYTvl2j9PZ8

for complete info on the gigs http://www.yoshis.com/zorn
for more on John Zorn http://www.tzadik.com

-Erik