Another great week of live in the Bay Area. Here are some suggestion for this week..

Monday July 9th

Club Deluxe 1511 Haight St, San Francisco 9:30 PM-12:30 AM Showtime.. Mike Olmos Presents The Sessions. Mike is a such a great trumpet player. He leads his all star Sessions for a great night of jazz.. N/C

Amnesia Bar 853 Valencia St, San Francisco 9:00 PM-11:30 PM Showtime.. The Bow Ties are back at the Amnesia playing great traditional bluegrass. Highly recommended. N/C

Tuesday July 10th

Bar Fluxus 18 Harlan Pl, San Francisco 9:00 PM-1:30 AM Showtime.. Vibrason .. I saw this band recently. They are another great band out of the Bay Area. Very reminiscent of some of the Cal Tjader bands. $10 Cover Charge

Impulse Room 1501 N Broadway #138, Walnut Creek 8:00 PM Showtime.. The Ben Misterka Collectivity Trio is such a fun band. I love Ben’s energy and the way he blends different genres drawing on influences from jazz/funk, gospel, and psychedelic soul. He is also along with Collectivity are great musicians. Highly recommended!! N/C

People in Plazas is free noontime musical concert series in San Francisco public spaces. This is a great summer music series with over 120 free performances at lunchtime in a number of downtown public plazas Monday through Friday in July, August and September. Today’s noontime concert series continues at Rincon Center 121 Spear Street featuring one of my favorite local ensembles Gaucho, a masterful Bay Area band that combines the influence of gypsy jazz of 1930’s Europe with the rhythmic drive and collective improvisation of New Orleans swing music, gutbucket blues and elements of ragtime.

Wednesday July 11th

Bottom Of The Hill 1233 17th St, San Francisco 8:30 PM Showtime. A really good show tonight with indie progressive rocker The Rifle headlining. Garage grunge band The Exbats and a really good neo soul pop jazz singer Molly Bolton opening the night. Highly recommended!! $10 Cover Charge

Pier 23 Pier 23 on the Embarcadero, San Francisco 6:00 PM-9:00 PM Showtime. Two of the great Bay Area stride pianists Mike Lipskin and Marty Eggers otherwise known as the “Mike Lipskin Duo” will performing some Harlem Stride Piano including the works of Fats Waller, James P. Johnson and Willie “The Lion” Smith. Highly recommended!!!! N/C

Cats Corner 2174 Market St, San Francisco 9:00 PM-11:00 PM Showtime.. Tin Cup Serenade led by guitarist/singer/songwriter Rolf Wilkson – will be your musical therapist, as you travel into and beyond the reaches of their timelessly original jazz compositions. It’s Swing with a case of the Blues, Honky Tonk with a sparkle of Romantica, Chet Baker on a Jamaican beach, Billy Holiday stranded in Tijuana. Join their musical rescue mission….and dance the night away! Highly recommended!! $10 Cover Charge..

Hemlock Tavern 1131 Polk St, San Francisco 8:30 PM-11:55PM Showtime. Another fun night of music at the Hemlock featuring rockers Wyldlife as the headlinmer with a supporting cast of 60’s soul garage psych Bear Call and a band out of Denver Dirty Few.. Highly recommended!! $10 Cover Charge

The Fillmore 1805 Geary Blvd, San Francisco 9:00 PM Showtime.. Toots & The Maytals are one of the true architects of reggae – so much so that “Do the Reggay,” a 1968 single by Toots and his group, is credited with giving the genre its name. Classic songs written and recorded by Toots and the Maytals have been covered by the likes of the Clash and the Specials, and the group was featured in reggae’s greatest breakthrough event – “The Harder They Come,” the 1972 film that became an international sensation. The all-star guests on TRUE LOVE range from legends like Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, and Bonnie Raitt to younger stars including No Doubt, the Roots, and Phish’s Trey Anastasio. Highly recommended!!! $39.50 Cover Charge..

People in Plazas is a free noontime musical concert series in San Francisco public spaces. This is a great summer music series with over 120 free performances at lunchtime in a number of downtown public plazas Monday through Friday in July, August and September. Today’s noontime concert series lineup includes: The funky soulful ensemble Citizens Jazz performs at 525 Market Street. One of the Bay Area’s best kept secrets The Kenya-B-Trio, a great blues and funk trio performs at 101 California. Eastside Jazz will be keeping it funky performing at 555 California. Jellyroll, led by one of my favorite Bay Area vocalist Belinda Blair has a repertoire that covers jazz, swing and jump blues of the era including the songbooks of Louis Jordan, Cab Calloway, Big Mama Thornton and other jump-blues greats. If you are in the vicinity of 405 Howard Street around noon, check them out!!

Thursday July 12th

Le Colonial 20 Cosmo Pl, San Francisco 8:00 PM-11:00 PM Showtime.. The Kaeli Earle Trio is just a wonderful jazz, blues pop fusion group. I love Kaeli’s vocals as well as her double bass playing.. I would definitely recommend checking them our. N/C…

Mr.Tipples 39 Fell St, San Francisco 7:00 PM-10:00 PM Showtime.. The David Jeffrey Fourtet are really fine players. This is another wonderful Bay Area jazz quartet. I really like their arrangements of Monk tunes. Highly recommended!! N/C

SF Jazz 201 Franklin St, San Francisco 7:30 PM Showtime..Two of the defining American roots music bands of the 21st century Dust Bowl Revival & Hot Club of Cowtown are performing tonight. The Hot Club of Cowtown takes equal inspiration from Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli’s and the Western Swing of Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys and The Dust Bowl Revival blends Stax-era soul, New Orleans jazz, Delta blues, bluegrass, funk, R&B, country, and folk music in raucous, danceable performances. I have seen both groups perform but not together on the same bill. This is for my money the show of the week. Highly recommended!!! $30-$70 Cover Charge..

People in Plazas is free noontime musical concert series in San Francisco public spaces. This is a great summer music series with over 120 free performances at lunchtime in a number of downtown public plazas Monday through Friday in July, August and September. Today’s noontime concert series lineup includes:one of the Bay Area’s most soulful guitarist’s and vocalist’s Pat Wilder will be performing in the TransAmerica Redwood Park 600 Montgomery Street.. Master guitarist Mitch Polzak and The Royal Deuces one of the premier Rockabilly bands around performs at 303 second. The Bay Area’s premier surf band Hiwatters will be performing at Mint Plaza 1 Mint Plaza ..

Friday July 13th

Club Deluxe 1511 Haight St, San Francisco 10 PM-1 AM Showtime… Mitch Polzak is a master guitarist and he and The Royal Deuces has been one of the premier Rockabilly bands since staring in 1999. I am a huge fan. Highly recommended!! N/C

Biscuits and Blues 401 Mason St, San Francisco 7:00 PM & 9:30 PM Showtimes.. Christone “Kingfish” Ingram possesses with the feeling, passion and fire of the much older men who created the most important genre of American music, the Blues. It is refreshing to see a young person return to his musical roots and master a genre of music that was created and was popular even before his grandparents’ generation and renew its popularity by breathing new life into the music. Highly recommended!! $24 &$30 Cover Charge..

Red Poppy Art House 2698 Folsom St, San Francisco 8:00 PM-10:00 PM Showtime.. The Alon Nechushtan Trio has been showcasing original contemporary jazz and improvisational grooves. The trio is also joined by the Scott Amendola Duo.. Highly recommended! $20 Cover Charge..

SF Jazz 201 Franklin St, San Francisco 7:30 PM Showtime. Legendary artist David Grisman is performing with his “Dawg Trio”. A pioneer synonymous with both modern bluegrass and the rich legacy of Bay Area acoustic music, mandolin master David Grisman performs with his new Dawg Trio featuring banjo virtuoso Danny Barnes and Grisman’s son Samson Grisman on bass. Highly recommended!!! $30-$70 Cover Charge..

People in Plazas is free noontime musical concert series in San Francisco public spaces. This is a great summer music series with over 120 free performances at lunchtime in a number of downtown public plazas Monday through Friday in July, August and September. Today’s noontime concert series lineup includes: The Nick Rossi Trio featuring one of the very best jazz guitarist’s in the Bay Area performs at 425 Market. Multi instrumentalist Hawaiian musician Steven Espaniola will be performing at 560 Mission..

Ashkenaz 1317 San Pablo Avenue, Berkeley 9:00 PM-Midnight Showtime. Runa has been pushing the boundaries of Irish folk music into the Americana and roots music formats. Interweaving the haunting melodies & exuberant tunes of Ireland and Scotland with the lush harmonies and rhythms of jazz,bluegrass,flamenco and blues, they are redefining take on traditional music. Highly recommended!! $25 Cover Charge..

The UC Theatre 2036 University Ave, Berkeley 9:00 PM Showtime. Southern raconteur Paul Thorn and his crack band, plus five-time Grammy award-winning gospel icons the Blind Boys Of Alabama. Critically-acclaimed artists raised in the church, combining for a special blend of rock, gospel, blues and country. Joining together for the first time in a wide-ranging and inspiring musical package. Highly recommended!!! $30-$57.50 Cover Charge..

Sweetwater Music Hall 19 Corte Madera Ave, Mill Valley. Mike Farris & The Fortunate Few a spirited, soul-gospel fusion of outlawe country, gospell and soul music will have the Sweetwater rockin’. Highly recommended!! $27 Cover Charge.

Blue Note 1030 Main St, Napa, CA 7:30 PM-9:30 PM Showtime.. The Hot Club of Cowtown takes equal inspiration from Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli’s and the Western Swing of Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys. $29.50-$39.50 Cover Charge..

Saturday July 14th

Club Deluxe 1511 Haight St, San Francisco 6:00 PM-9:00 PM Showtime.. Barrio Manouche is a great Bay Area ensemble performing a repertoire of original instrumental compositions with a unique sound that it’s difficult to classify but instantly recognizable deeply influenced by a range of musical traditions, from the swing of Louis Armstrong and Sidney Bechet, to the hot jazz of Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli,the gypsy soul of eastern europe, the flamenco of Paco de Lucía to the avant-garde sounds of Miles Davis, Ornette Coleman and John Coltrane…

SF Jazz 201 Franklin St, San Francisco 7:00 PM & 9:30 PM Showtimes. Del McCoury & The Travelin’ McCourys is the most awarded bluegrass band of all time and continues to cross genres.. This is one of the great and most influential bluegrass bands. Highly recommended!!! $30-$50-$70 Cover Charge.

Biscuits and Blues 401 Mason St, San Francisco 7:00 PM & 9:30 PM Showtimes.. Christone “Kingfish” Ingram possesses with the feeling, passion and fire of the much older men who created the most important genre of American music, the Blues. It is refreshing to see a young person return to his musical roots and master a genre of music that was created and was popular even before his grandparents’ generation and renew its popularity by breathing new life into the music. Highly recommended!! $24 & $30 Cover Charge.

Askenaz 1317 San Pablo Ave, Berkeley 9:00 PM-Midnight Showtime.. The Caribbean Allstars are pioneers in the Bay Area reggae scene and longtime regulars at Ashkenaz. The Caribbean Allstars not only play Jamaican reggae with a traditional electric bass-drums-guitars-keyboards lineup, but also add steel drums to bring in South Caribbean calypso and soca styles of Trinidad and Tobago, producing rhythms that drive listeners to the dance floor. Over the years the band has performed with an array of talent sitting in, including Taj Mahal, Narada Michael Walden, and Carlos Santana. Highly recommended!! $18 Cover Charge

Yoshis 510 Embarcadero West, Oakland 7:30 PM & 9:30 PM Showtimes. Pete Escovedo Orchestra is one of the top Latin-Jazz Orchestras in the country led by legendary percissionist Pete Escovedo performing their own unique sound and breaking down the barriers between Smooth Jazz, Salsa, Latin Jazz and contemporary music. Highly recommended!!! $34-$75 Cover Charge.

Sunday July 15th

Amnesia Bar 853 Valencia St, San Francisco 8:30 PM-10:30 PM Showtime.. The Hot Baked Goods are a band of young jazz musicians playing hot tunes of the 30’s. Most of the band members started as swing dancers, and became so infatuated with the music that they decided to make some themselves. I saw them at the Amnesia and this band really swings. N/C

The Lucky Horseshoe Bar 453 Cortland Ave, San Francisco 4:00 PM-7:00 PM Showtime.. Bernal Hillbillies.. A great three hours of bluegrass music at a really great venue reminiscent of the jams at the Old Paul Saloon many years ago. N/C

SF Jazz 201 Franklin St, San Francisco 7:30 PM Showtime. Sam Bush is a mandolin virtuoso and who along with his mentor Jethro Burns before him has been the primary influence in expanding the role of the instrument in contemporary music and assimilating a range of influences from rock, jazz, folk, and Caribbean music and blending them into his pioneering approach that stands as the benchmark others are measured against. Sam is credited as one of the primary influential musicians of the New Grass Movement along with his special guest the great Peter Rowan. Highly recommended!! $25-$60 Cover Charge…

The Red Poppy Art House 2698 Folsom St, San Francisco 7:30 PM-9:30 PM Showtime.. Two really good vocalists this evening.. Danielle Wertz is a great young internationally recognized jazz vocalist, composer, and arranger whose phrasing is reminiscent Anita O’Day and Ella. Brie Capone is an acclaimed young singer-songwriter and performer with belting female lead vocals and heartfelt, introspective lyricism with unforgettable melodies. Highly recommended!!! $20.. Cover Charge..

Stern Grove Festival 19th Avenue & Sloat Blvd. 2:00 PM Showtime.. Sitar player and composer Anoushka Shanker is a singular figure in the Indian classical and progressive global music scenes. Her dynamic and spiritual musicality has garnered several prestigious accolades, including five GRAMMY® Award nominations. Hip-hop wrapper star Han Han opens the show. Highly recommended!!1 N/C

Yoshis 510 Embarcadero West, Oakland 7:00 PM Showtime. Pete Escovedo Orchestra is one of the top Latin-Jazz Orchestras in the country led by legendary percissionist Pete Escovedo performing their own unique sound and breaking down the barriers between Smooth Jazz, Salsa, Latin Jazz and contemporary music. Highly recommended!!! $29-$65 Cover Charge.

Piedmont Piano Company 1728 San Pablo Ave, Oakland 4:00 PM Showtime.. Pianist Larry Vuckovich is excited to showcase this swinging jazz trio concept, playing the music of Nat King Cole, Oscar Peterson, Ahmad Jamal, Vince Guaraldi, & Jim Hall. He will be joined by Bay Area veteran Jeff Chambers on bass, and the young, new discovery on the guitar, Kai Lyons. Don’t miss this special concert! $20 Cover Charge..

If you are in the North Bay you may want to check out

Green Music Center 1801 E Cotati Ave, Rohnert Park, CA 2:00 PM Showtime. Bluegrass & Craft Beer Festival features three of the best bluegrass bands anywhere. Ricky Scaggs & Kentucky Thunder is a great bluegrass band in the tradition of Bill Monroe. Laurie Lewis & The Right Hand is the Bay Area’s premier bluegrass ensemble. Phoebe Hunt & The Gatherers brings in traditional bluegrass music along with Django Reinhardt and Peggy Lee phrasing. I really enjoyed seeing this band last year. Highly recommended!!! $30 Cover Charge.

If you live around Santa Cruz you should check out

Rio Theatre For The Performing Arts 1205 Soquel Ave, Santa Cruz 7:30 PM Showtime.. The Del McCoury Band is the most awarded bluegrass band of all time and continues to cross genres.. Highly Recommended!!! $40-$55 Cover Charge.

Video Pick Of The Week

Mad Tiger.. In “Mad Tiger,” a slight, overextended documentary about these musicians, Red decides to call it quits and open a bar. The separation is initially amicable, but rifts soon threaten to unplug Peelander-Z’s amplifiers for good. In particular, Yellow struggles to find a rhythm with the new bassist (Purple, from the dark side of the planet). Yellow notes that making an audience happy is tough, and the main idea in “Mad Tiger” is that the group’s prankishness masks complex, longstanding friendships. Yellow, a shy former painter who hides behind his character, is easily wounded, and not because he once broke a tooth during a rolling high kick. The movie is obviously heartfelt, but the directors, Jonathan Yi and Michael Haertlein, never turn this motley crew into compelling characters. (The band’s personnel issues don’t exactly amount to the breakup of the Beatles.) Nor is there much “This Is Spinal Tap”-style humor. “Mad Tiger” is entirely earnest in its affection, even when Red shows up at Purple’s first show, seriously irritating Yellow.