Doin' What Comes Natur'lly: A Tribute to Composer/Lyricist Irving Berlin
With Musical Theater Historian Bonnie Weiss.
Irving Berlin arrived from Russia at age five. A native Yiddish speaker, he quickly mastered English and taught himself to play piano. With these basic skills and remarkable raw talent, he composed some of the most cherished songs of the Great American Songbook, including “Alexander’s Rag Time Band,” “Always,” “God Bless America,” “Puttin’ on the Ritz,” “Cheek to Cheek” and the best-selling pop song ever, “White Christmas." He also wrote the music and lyrics to such wonderful hit shows as Annie Get Your Gun and Call Me Madam and films such as Top Hat, Blue Skies and Easter Parade.
In this multimedia presentation, you’ll learn about Irving Berlin’s personal and professional life and see scenes from his Broadway and Hollywood musicals featuring superstars such as Ethel Merman, Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Donald O'Connor, Betty Hutton, and Michael Feinstein. Plus you’ll see video of Berlin himself performing his melodies and lyrics.
$15 General Admission / $12 JCC East Bay Members, Seniors, Students.
www.jewishmusicfestival.org
2pm to 4pm, 1414 Walnut Street
Community Participatory Event
The Afro-Cuban folkloric drums, dances, and songs of rumba. Rumba is the word used for a group of related, community-oriented, music and dance styles in Cuba. Rumba developed in rural Cuba, with strong influences from African drumming and Spanish poetry and singing.
free (donations accepted)
www.lapena.org 849-2568
3:30pm to 6:30pm, La Peña Cultural Center 3105 Shattuck Avenue
Two works by Donald Cobb
"Remnants," is a suite nine pieces for violin, clarinet, double bass and piano with Sarah Cahill, piano, Victor Romasevich, violin, Michael Taddei, bass, and Larry London, clarinet.
"Crazy Jane Songs," with Eileen Morris, soprano, Jane Lenoir, flute, Robin May, oboe, Marilyn Martella, clarinet, Nancy Ellis, viola, Karla Ekholm, bassoon, Laurie McGaw, trumpet, Kurt Patzner, trombone, Peter Wahrhaftig, tuba, Larry London, conductor.
"Crazy Jane Songs" is a cycle of six songs, set to poetry of W.B. Yeats, for soprano and a band of nine instruments. It was written in 1962 and first performed at the Cabrillo Music Festival in 1967. This is the second performance of the work in its full orchestration.
4pm to 6pm, 2133 University Avenue
East Bay indie artist, Matthew Joseph Payne, will perform a characteristically unique musical set blending video game chiptune, folk, and chamber music. Eerie indie folk/rock/experimental ensemble, Cartoon Bar Fight (San Jose), will share the evening, making a rare Berkeley appearance.The band will debut a three-part, sci-fi suite, and plans to release their second full-length later this year.
Matthew Joseph Payne is the chamber-chip-doom-folk solo project of Matt Payne (Glowing Stars, Tensegrity Nine, All My Pretty Ones, The Family Crest extended member). Steeped in dichotomies of light and dark, Matt crafts tunes that wind, travel, drone and gallop through unheard lands.
Cartoon Bar Fight is a five piece indie band from San Jose, CA, formed in 2007. Original members Dirk Milotz and Kendall Sallay met in San Jose State's music department, where Milotz studied piano and composition and Sallay studied classical voice. The lineup includes Milotz (piano, synth), Sallay (vocals, guitar), Joel Zelaya (lead guitar, effects), Max Rogers (bass) and Jerald Bittle (drums). CBF recently self-released their debut full-length, Reincarnate (2012), a collection of songs revolving around the themes of death and life. Influences include: Wye Oak, Eisley, Feist, Arcade Fire, Brand New, The Appleseed Cast, and Neutral Milk Hotel.
$10-15 sliding scale at door
SubterraneanArthouse.org
7pm to 9pm, Subterranean Art House 2179 Bancroft Way
$22.50 advance / $24.50 at door. 644-2020. www.thefreight.org
8pm, Freight and Salvage Coffee House, 2020 Addison