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

Monday January 21st

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.. Highly recommended!!!! N/C

Brick & Mortar Music Hall 1710 Mission St, San Francisco 8:00 PM Showtime.. A really good band is headlining tonight.. Wolves In Argyle is a dark alternative underground punk rock band hailing from Oakland, CA. This is a band definetly worth seeing.. Rounding out the show are The Hangmen who are a very good LA based rock n’ roll band, Americas, Honey and Salt and Dead in Argentina. Highly recommended!!! $10 Cover Charge..

Cafe Du Nord 2174 Market St, San Francisco 7:30 PM Showtime. A good show tonight with singer/songwriter Dent May whose music is a blend of psychedelic pop, synthpop, indie rock, and new wave genres. Highly recommended!!!

The Midway 900 Marin St, San Francisco 8:00 PM-11:00 PM Showtime. Envelop At The Midway presents selected works by pianist/singer/songwriter Nina Simone whose music spanned a broad range of musical styles including classical, jazz, blues, folk, R&B, gospel, and pop. Highly recommended!!!!! $25 Cover Charge…

Tuesday January 22nd

Biscuits and Blues 401 Mason St, San Francisco 7:00 PM & 9:00 PM Showtimes.. .A powerhouse from the Lone Star State, the Ally Venable Band has ignited excitement in the Modern Blues Scene. Lead vocalists and guitarist, Ally Venable, started singing at an early age in church and then in recent years picked up the guitar and found her passion establishing herself as a Texas Blues Guitar Slinger. Ally’s songwriting and onstage performance, proves that she packs a punch. Highly recommended!!!!! $20 Cover Charge…

Bar Fluxus 18 Harlan Pl, San Francisco 9:00 PM-1:30 AM Showtime. Vibrason.. This is another great band out of the Bay Area. Very reminiscent of some of the Cal Tjader bands. Highly recommended $10 Cover Charge.

Local Edition 691 Market St, San Francisco 8:00 PM-Midnight Showtime.. Cosmo Alleycats is one of my favorite Bay Are jazz ensembles. The Alleycats are so good and so much fun and one of the better jazz bands in the Bay Area. Highly recommended. N/C

Luther Burbank Center For The Arts 50 Mark West Springs Rd, Santa Rosa 8:00 PM Showtime.. ZZ Top plays red-hot Texas boogie and blues, and no one does it better—or has done it longer—than this “little ol’ band from Texas.” The trio’s enduring appeal can be attributed to their mastery of and feel for rootsy forms. Guitarist Billy Gibbons, bassist Dusty Hill and drummer Frank Beard were influenced by such blues masters as Freddie King, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker. They are real and they are surreal and they are ZZ TOP. Highly recommended!!!!!!$79-$119 Cover Charge…

Wednesday January 23rd

Club Deluxe 1511 Haight St, San Francisco 9:30 PM-12:30 AM Showtime. The Patrick Wolff Bebop Quartet is deeply rooted in the bebop tradition established by Bird, Clifford Jordan and Dexter Gordon. Patrick is absolutely my favorite Bay Area tenor player and he leads an outstanding group of musicians..N/C.

Local Edition 691 Market St, San Francisco 8:00 PM-Midnight Showtime… Steve Lucky and the Rumba Bums perform vintage jazz, pounding boogie-woogie rhythms, sultry ballads, and funky-swinging New Orleans R&B. This band simply gives you the beat to move your feet. This will be a fun show. N/C

Tupelo 1337 Grant Ave, San Francisco 9:00 PM-1:00 AM Showtime.. If you don’t know Johnny Z and the Camaros you should. They are such a fun rock and roll band. They will have Tupelo rockin’ out. N/C

Le Colonial 20 Cosmo Pl, San Francisco 7:00 PM-10:00 PM Showtime. Cosmo Alleycats is one of my favorite Bay Are jazz ensembles. The Alleycats are so good and so much fun and one of the better jazz bands in the Bay Area. Highly recommended. N/C

Biscuits and Blues 401 Mason St, San Francisco 7:30 PM & 9:30 PM Showtimes.. Bay City Blues featuring Chris Cain is a weekly showcase of world class Blues music and superb instrumental talent. This event is a celebration of the Blues in all its forms and an adventure into the depth of a national genre. Sitting in with Chris and the band is special guest and reggae/rock legend Rusty Zinn. Hosted by the nationally recognized Chris Cain & his All-Star cast of Musicians, every week they invite a new special guest to accompany them on stage and present new, upcoming, & old talent from the blues world! Bay City Blues is our tribute and exploration into the Blues genre, it is a special event in which we all get to help, share, & “Preserve the Blues.” Highly recommended!! $20 Cover Charge.

Bottom Of The Hill 1233 17th St, San Francisco 9:00 PM Showtime. Another really good show tonight with a band I like a lot. Headlining the show is psychedelic free jazz rockers Grex. A couple of rockin’ bands Voicehandler and Chiromancer round out the night. Highly recommended!!!!!! $10 Cover Charge..

Thursday January 24th

Biscuits and Blues 401 Mason St, San Francisco 7:30 PM & 9:30 PM Showtimes. James Armstrong has a confident stage presence that combines grace with mischief. Few blues artists know how to play the crowd as James can, shifting dynamics from a whisper to a growl. Wherever he travels around the world his magnetism continues to hush a noisy rabble or entice a crowd to follow him out into the street or down the length of a beach. Little wonder he’s been dubbed: The Ambassador of the Blues. Highly recommended!!!!! $24 Cover Charge..

The Midway 900 Marin St, San Francisco 8:00 PM-11:00 PM Showtime. Envelop At The Midway presents selected works by the great John Coltrane including “A Love Supreme” which was Coltrane’s spiritual declaration of his musical devotion with his faith in God. Highly recomkmended!!!!! $25 Cover Charge..

Atlas Cafe 3049 20th Street, San Francisco 8:00 PM-10:00 PM Showtime.. The Gil Cohen Trio is a really wonderful jazz trio. When I first heard Gil playing he reminded me a lot of Roy Eldridge’s sound. It turns that Roy was one of his major influences. Gil and his trio is definitely worth checking out. Highly recommended!!! N/C

Tupelo 1337 Grant Ave, San Francisco 9:00 PM-1:00 AM Showtime.. Somewhere between Joan Jett and Bonnie Raitt lies GG Amos. This is one badass chick with one badass band. This is one of my very favorite local blues band. Highly recommended!! N/C

The Freight & Salvage 2020 Addison Street Berkeley 8:00 PM Showtime.. British legendary rock/jazz/fusion innovators Soft Machine‘s work spans from their earliest performances as a psychedelic band who were contemporaries of, and shared stages with, Syd Barrett’s Pink Floyd and the Jimi Hendrix Experience, all the way to being one of Europe’s best known ‘fusion’ groups, has influenced several generations of bands, and continues to be name-checked by today’s hip experimentalists. Opening up the show are the legendary The Levin Brothers. Tony Levin has played bass behind and recorded with John Lennon, Pink Floyd, Lou Reed, Alice Cooper, Dire Straits, Carly Simon, Judy Collins, Buddy Rich, Steps Ahead and Gary Burton. Peter Levin has played keyboards behind and recorded with the likes of Miles Davis, Gil Evans, Jimmy Giuffre, Dave Brubeck, David Sanborn, Joe Louis Walker, Don Elliott, Freddie Hubbard, Annie Lennox, Charles Mingus, Jaco Pastorius and Wayne Shorter. Highly recommended!!!!! $38 Cover Charge..

Yoshis 510 Embarcadero West, Oakland 8:00 PM Showtime.. Rita Coolidge’s career spans over 4 decades, studded with charted hits, Grammy awards, and over a dozen albums. From her origins singing jingles, demos, and background vocals in Memphis, to touring with major names like Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, and Bob Dylan, Rita’s voice and songwriting can be found throughout pop music history. To this day, Rita Coolidge’s impact is undiminished—her voice as pure, sweet and powerful as ever and her ability to get inside a song honed by experience and overview. This should be a great show.. Highly recommended!!!!! $38-$69 Cover Charge…

Friday January 25th

Club Deluxe 1511 Haight St, San Francisco 6:00 PM-9:00 PM Showtime.. Nashville Honeymoon is another Bay Area band I really love. Their music is a modern reworking of the classic country sounds of the 50s and 60s. Their songwriting draws on country, rockabilly, and honky-tonk traditions. Highly recommended!!! N/C

Club Deluxe 1511 Haight St, San Francisco 10:00 PM-1:00 AM Showtime.. Portland based Tumbledown House, a self described modern speakeasy, saloon jazz, parlor pop and Tom Waits in a cocktail dress ensemble. I really like what I have seen on youtube and look forward to seeing them this evening. Highly recommended!! N/C

Biscuits and Blues 401 Mason St, San Francisco 7:30 PM & 10:00 PM Showtimes. James Armstrong has a confident stage presence that combines grace with mischief. Few blues artists know how to play the crowd as James can, shifting dynamics from a whisper to a growl. Wherever he travels around the world his magnetism continues to hush a noisy rabble or entice a crowd to follow him out into the street or down the length of a beach. Little wonder he’s been dubbed The Ambassador of the Blues. Highly recommended!!!!! $24 Cover Charge..

Bottom Of The Hill 1233 17th St, San Francisco 9:00 PM Showtime. Another good night of music with a wonderful punk/country folk/Americana bluegrass band hailing from Denver The Yawpers headlining the night. Also on the bill are from Nashville are rock/hillbilly and blues inspired Blackfoot Gypsies and hailing from Oakland the garage/folk punk/blues band Tyler Jakes & The Bootleggers. The Yawpers are really good. Highly recommended!!!!!! $15 Cover Charge..

Boom Boom Room 1601 Fillmore St, San Francisco 9:00 PM Showtime.. Time to get your funk out with two great bands.. Sophistafunk has gained international notoriety with their unique combination of live hip hop, funk, and jam music. The Syracuse-based band combines spoken-word artistry, old-school hip hop, & funky rhythms to create a unique live band experience. Sacramento’s Element Brass Band are the premier brass band in California for New Orleans Second Line, bringing an interactive dance party to every show. Highly recommended!!!!! $15 Cover Charge.

Cafe Claude 7 Claude Lane, San Francisco. 7:00 PM-10:00 PM Showtime. The Steve Lucky Carmen Getit Trio in a rare performance without the “Rhumba Bums”. I love the trio because it showcases the great musicianship of Steve and and Carmen’s vocals are reminiscent of Dina Washington, Ruth Brown and Etta James. Highly recommended!!!! N/C…

Great American Music Hall 859 O’Farrell St, San Francisco 8:00 PM Showtime.. Reverend Horton Heat has been the outlet of this creative mind for more than 30 years mixing elements of surf, country, punk, big band and rockabilly to create his own unique genre. Often imitated but never duplicated, the Rev has continued to garner the support of both the underground rockabilly/ psychobilly scene and mainstream critics. Also on the bill tonight is western swing/country boogie master Big Sandy, American ska punk rockers Voodoo Glow Skulls and a great swampy blues/country rockabilly band The Delta Bombers. Highly recommended!!!!! $27 Cover Charge..

The Lost Church 65 Capp Street, San Francisco 7:30 PM Showtime… A really good show tonight with a wonderful local singer/songwriter Ashley Wilson. I love the way Ashley blends folk, alternative pop and jazz into her own unique voice.. Ashley is backed by Lorca Hart on drums and Joe Kyle Jr. on bass. Blues and rock inspired Alex Walsh Band opens the show.. Highly recommended!!!! $20 Cover Charge…

Pier 23 Pier 23 The Embarcadero, San Francisco 7:00 PM-10:00 PM Showtime. The eclectic Jimbo Trout playing their brand of bluegrass, blues, western-swing, jug band, jazz, tex-mex, rockabilly and honky tonk this evening.. Highly recommended!!! N/C

Yoshi’s 510 Embarcadero West, Oakland 8:00 PM &10:00 PM Showtimes.. Poncho Sanchez is one of the legendary latin percussionists and band leaders. His band is outstanding and whether playing salsa, straightahead jazz, Latin jazz, or even elements of soul and blues. Highly recommended!! $29-$69 Cover Charge.

The Freight & Salvage 2020 Addison Street Berkeley 8:00 PM Showtime.. Its the Django Reinhardt Birthday Festival featuring two of the great gypsy jazz guitar masters Boulou and Elios Ferre. Also performing this evening are the great Bay Area ensemble Bario Manouche performing a repertoire of original instrumental compositions with a unique sound that is deeply influenced by Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli. Hot Club of San Francisco is doing their part in keeping the spirit of Django alive and well.. This should be a memorable night of music. Highly recommended!!!!!$44 Cover Charge..

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

Blue Note 1030 Main Street, Napa 7:00 PM & 9:00 PM Showtimes. Jazz vocalist/songwriter/composer and producer Cassandra Wilson is blessed with an unmistakable voice incorporating blues, country, and folk music into her work. Highly recommended!!!!!$65-$105 Cover Charge..

If you live in and around Santa Cruz you might want to check out

Kuumbwa Jazz Center 320 Cedar St # 2, Santa Cruz 7:00 PM & 9:00 PM Showtimes.. Bill Frisell is a genuine guitar hero and has become major influence. Bill will be performing songs from is When You Wish Upon a Star project features the group with Petra Haden on vocals, Thomas Morgan on bass and Rudy Royston on drums. Highly recommended!!!! $47.25 Cover Charge..

Saturday January 26th

Club Deluxe 1511 Haight St, San Francisco 10:00 PM-1:00 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

Slims 333 11th St, San Francisco 9:00 PM Showtimes.. title Reverend Horton Heat has been the outlet of this creative mind for more than 30 years mixing elements of surf, country, punk, big band and rockabilly to create his own unique genre. Often imitated but never duplicated, the Rev has continued to garner the support of both the underground rockabilly/ psychobilly scene and mainstream critics. Also on the bill tonight is western swing/country boogie master Big Sandy, American ska punk rockers Voodoo Glow Skulls and a great swampy blues/country rockabilly band The Delta Bombers. Highly recommended!!!!! $27 Cover Charge..

Revolution Cafe 3248 22nd St, San Francisco 5:00 PM-8:30 PM Showtime.. Westside Jazz Club, lead by the wonderful tenor saxophonist Scott Silverberg, is a collective of innovative jazz musicians performing jazz standards, challenging modern compositions and freshly-updated classics. I have seen this ensemble a number of time and they never dissapoint.. Highly recommended!!! N/C

Biscuits and Blues 401 Mason St, San Francisco 7:00 PM & 9:30 PM Showtimes… Earl Thomas is a sensational blues, jazz, and gospel singer and his live performances have become legendary. I got to see Earl once and his voice literally shook the rafters. Highly recommended!!! $24 Cover Charge

The Fillmore 1805 Geary Blvd, San Francisco 9 PM Showtime.. Big Head Todd and the Monsters is one of rock and roll’s icons that has proven to be one of the most enduring bands in their genre, still attracting fans to their live shows over 30 years after they first started playing. They also put on a great show. A great party funk band The Main Squeeze opens the show. Highly recommended!!!!!! $35 Cover Charge..

Sweetwater Music Hall 19 Corte Madera Ave, Mill Valley 8:30 PM Showtime.. Michael Nesmith will be performing in a duo format with him on acoustic guitar and vocals and a pedal steel guitarist. They’ll be playing his classic 1972 album And the Hits Just Keep On Comin’ featuring “Different Drum,” “Keep On,” as well as other Michael Nesmith and Monkees classics. Highly recommended!!!! $55 Cover Charge…

The Freight & Salvage 2020 Addison Street Berkeley 8:00 PM Showtime.. Its the Django Reinhardt Birthday Festival featuring Rez Abbasi and Django-shift merges Django Reinhardt‘s compositions with Abbasi’s stimulating arrangements and acoustic guitar stylings along with the world-class drummer Michael Sarin and multifaceted keyboardist Neil Alexander. The resulting sound is one that respects and reflects Django’s character yet departs from it in meaningful, personal and modern ways. The acoustic jazz ensemble Rhythm Future Quartet is keeping the spirit of Gypsy jazz alive. The virtuosic foursome, named for a Django Reinhardt tune is led by violinist Jason Anick and guitarist Olli Soikkeli with Max O’Rourke on second guitar and Greg Loughman on bass. The Gypsy Chix present a repertoire of French songs, Jazz standards and Django Reinhardt’s compositions, featuring alluring vocal harmonies and soaring violin solos, supported by a red hot rhythm section with upright bass, guitar and washboard. Highly recommended!!!!! $44 Cover Charge..

Yoshi’s 510 Embarcadero West, Oakland 8:00 PM &10:00 PM Showtimes.. Poncho Sanchez is one of the legendary latin percussionists and band leaders. His band is outstanding and whether playing salsa, straightahead jazz, Latin jazz, or even elements of soul and blues. Highly recommended!! $29-$69 Cover Charge.

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

Blue Note 1030 Main Street, Napa 7:00 PM & 9:00 PM Showtimes. Jazz vovalist/songwriter/composer and producer Cassandra Wilson is blessed with an unmistakable voice incorporating blues, country, and folk music into her work. Highly recommended!!!!!$65-$105 Cover Charge..

Sunday January 27th

Biscuits and Blues 401 Mason St, San Francisco 7:00 PM & 9:00 PM Showtimes. Daniel Castro is the latest and one of the greatest blues guitarists to come bursting out of the highly competitive West Coast scene. To the classic music of B.B. King, Albert King, and Albert Collins he has added the three T’s, taste, tone, and technique. His raw passion warms your soul while his deep groove kicks your butt on fine, fresh originals and well chosen covers.. Highly recommended!!! $20 Cover Charge..

Royal Cuckoo 3202 Mission St, San Francisco 7:30 PM Showtime.. Lavay Smith sings at the hippest bar in San Francisco, accompanied by Chris Siebert on the Hammond organ. You’ll love the vibe, the cocktails, and the world-class collection of vintage vinyl spinning for your listening pleasure. Highly recommended!!! 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..

Bach Dancing & Dynamite Society 311 Mirada Rd, Half Moon Bay 4:30 PM Showtime… Azur Lawrence Experience has performed and recorded with such groundbreaking icons as McCoy Tyner and Miles Davis. At just 19 years old, Azar was chosen by Elvin Jones and then Tyner to fill the shoes of the late great John Coltrane. Azar blew down the house last time he was at the Bach and he continues to roar with this great eight-piece ensemble…The band includes Azar Lawrence on saxophone, Windy Barnes Farrell on vocals, Brian Swartz on trumpet, Dale Williams on guitar; TBD on piano/Keytar, TBD on bass, Munyungo Jackson on percussion and Yayo Morales on drums. Highly recommended!!!!! $45 Cover Charge..

The Freight & Salvage 2020 Addison Street Berkeley 7:00 PM Showtime.. Its the Django Reinhardt Birthday Festival featuring the John Jorgenson Quintet is a great authentic gypsy jazz ensemble playing the string-driven swing created by Jean “Django” Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli in 1930s Paris. The quintet is comprised of five distinguished musicians: Jorgenson on acoustic guitar, bouzouki, clarinet and vocals, Casey Driscoll on violin, Rory Hoffman on guitar, piano and accordion, Simon Planting on bass and Rick Reed on percussion. Sitting in with the quintet is special guest Martin Taylor whose self-taught style was inspired by gypsy guitar great Django Reinhardt, as well as pianists Art Tatum and Bill Evans. He is a great guitarist and a personnel favorite. Opening the show is the ensemble Le Jazz Hot which is an accomplished and versatile musicians celebrating the music of Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli’spioneering Hot Club de France. The ensemble borrows the all-string instrumentation of violin, bass and guitars from the original Hot Club, but breathes new life into the music with innovative arrangements of classic tunes and original compositions from the group’s superb lead guitarist Paul Mehling. Highly recommended!!!!! $44 Cover Charge….

If you live in and around Santa Cruz you might want to check out

Moes Alley 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz 4:00 PM Showtime. Tommy Castro & The Painkillers are an inspiring funky/soulful band playing a blend of high-energy blues, R&B and roadhouse rock…soulful, celebratory vocals and exquisite, stellar guitar. Highly recommended!!!$ 25 cover Charge..

Video Pick of The Week..

I Called Him Morgan is a 2016 Swedish-American documentary film written and directed by Kasper Collin which gives an account of the life of jazz trumpeter Lee Morgan and his common-law wife Helen Morgan, later responsible for his murder in February 1972 while performing at a club in New York City. He began playing the trumpet alongside John Coltrane, Dizzy Gillespie, Art Blakey as a teenager and scored a major hit in 1964 with “The Sidewinder.”