The Culture Circuit, Aug. 27-Sept. 2
What to do this week in Albany, Berkeley and around the East Bay.
From traditional Scottish fiddling to Latin jazz, blues and Persian, Kurdish and Armenian music, there’s plenty to hear and explore around the East Bay this week.
Please help keep this lively and well informed by sending details about upcoming concerts, readings, performances and workshops to events@albanyscanner.com.
Music continues at Little Hill Lounge
Rumors have been flying about the demise of El Cerrito’s Little Hill Lounge, which has become an essential East Bay music venue since the present owners took over three years ago. But co-owner Matt Reagan said the bar was only taking a brief breather while he installs a new manager and restocks the shelves. "We’re only closed for a few days," he said, while stressing that the club’s music policy is sacrosanct. "It’s not the Little Hill Lounge without music. That’s not going away." As a home for adventurous jazz, ambient grooves, country music and singer/songwriters, the dive bar has become a favorite space for an eclectic array of musicians. Look for the stage to be reactivated this week.
Alasdair Fraser and his fiddling friends return to the Freight
Alasdair Fraser has shaped several generations of Celtic-curious string players at his Valley of the Moon Scottish Fiddle Camp in the Santa Cruz Mountains. A master traditional Scottish fiddler himself, he’s usually heard in an extraordinary duo with cellist Natalie Haas, but before camp starts every year he convenes key faculty members at the Freight for a cross-cultural jamboree. Among the glittering cast of artists are San Francisco-reared fiddler Laura Cortese, who’s lived in Belgium for the past decade, the duo San Miguel Fraser (featuring Spanish fiddler María San Miguel and California-raised fiddler Galen Fraser), dancer Nic Gareiss and New England style fiddler master Rodney Miller. Thursday, Aug. 27, 8 p.m. The Freight (Berkeley). $39-$44
Rev. Rabia’s every day blues
A powerful blues singer and guitarist, Rev. Rabia often performs with her husband, guitarist and percussionist Keizo Yamazawa. She’s a regular presence at the El Cerrito Farmer’s Market and part of the rotation of acts at this friendly neighborhood gathering spot. Casual settings accentuate the potency of her music, which offers the possibility of soul-bending revelation in the midst of the quotidian. Friday, Aug. 28, 8-10 p.m. Kensington Circus Pub. No cover
An Iranian, a Kurd and an Armenian walk into a…
Persians, Kurds and Armenians have lived amongst or near each other for several thousand years, sometimes ruled by the same empire and other times divided by competing polities. Beyond Borders Ensemble is a musical collective that explores the considerable common ground shared by these three peoples, including reverence for poetry and storytelling and their distinct identities. Drawing from the classical and folk traditions of Persian, Kurdish and Armenian music, the repertoire weaves together sinuous, spiritually charged melodies rendered on traditional instruments. Featuring Aryan Rahmanian on Persian vocals, Ashkan Ghafouri on the long-neck lute-like tar, Raman Osman on Kurdish vocals and saz (a long-neck fretted lute), Amirabbas Etemadzadeh on tombak and daf drums, and Khatchadour Khatchadourian on vocals and double-reed duduk, Beyond Borders creates music that’s as striking as it is beautiful. Saturday, Aug. 29, 8 p.m. Ashkenaz (Berkeley). $30-$40
The Albany Library’s got a deal for you
With four weeks of summer left, it’s not too late to get some serious (or frivolous) reading done. Need some books and/or audiovisual material to tide you over till the giant November Book Sale? The library is holding One-Day Pop Up Book Sale on Albany Community Center’s front patio on Marin. With books for adults, teens and kids, as well as DVDs, CDs and puzzles starting, the prices start at $1. Bring cash or check with matching ID (no Venmo, Chime, Zelle, Apple Pay, PayPal, Bitcoin, Ethereum or Mythereum (OK, I made that last one up). Saturday, Aug. 29, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Albany Library. Free
Prep for the school year with Bon Marché Collective
In France, the transition from summer break to the new school year is marked by La Fête de la Rentrée, a period that involves gathering materials for a student’s upcoming term. Bon Marché Collective and the Abrams Claghorn Gallery put an East Bay spin on this Gallic tradition with the second annual La Fête de la Rentrée, a market celebrating the return to school and the rituals and rhythms of fall. With curated second-hand clothing, books, home goods, textiles alongside Logo Removal Service, a creative supply shop and swap by Crafterateur, and hand sewing for kids with Kids' Fashion Design Studio, there’s a plethora of creative options to explore. Ten percent of second-hand sales benefit Albany SchoolCARE, an organization dedicated to funding critical positions in the Albany school district. Saturday, Aug. 29, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Abrams Claghorn Gallery. Free
Maria Muldaur celebrates blues matriarch Victoria Spivey
Maria Muldaur has been belting the blues since she broke into the Greenwich Village folk scene in the early 1960s, though she’s best known for her enduring 1973 pop hit "Midnight at the Oasis." While ranging widely across the American roots music landscape she’s never strayed far from the blues, and her latest album, 2025’s One Hour Mama: The Blues of Victoria Spivey, pays tribute to a blues matriarch who gave her an early boost. Spivey was part of the golden age of blues women who brought the music from traveling road shows, juke joints and vaudeville into recording studios in the 1920s. Their paths crossed in New York City when the folk revival reignited Spivey’s career and Muldaur was singing with the Jim Kweskin Jug Band. The longtime Marin resident plays an unusually intimate show backed only by pianist Neil Fontano, a player deeply versed in early jazz idioms who’s done exemplary work with vocalist Stella Heath and multi-instrumental star Gunhild Carling. Sunday, Aug. 30, 3:30 p.m. The Back Room (Berkeley). $30-$35
Key Elements brings Latin rhythms to Natural Foods
A consistently talent-packed series curated by percussionist Javier Navarette, the Annex Sessions return with Key Elements Latin Jazz Ensemble, an all-female sextet led by pianist and composer Patricia Thumas. Combining originals with classic Latin jazz pieces by genre-defining artists such as Cal Tjader, Tito Puente and Mongo Santamaria, the group has performed around the Bay Area over the past decade. The current lineup features Sue "Suki" Kaye on congas, electric bassist Sylvia Sherman, veteran drummer Joyce Baker, saxophonist Cynthia Mah and Peruvian-born vocalist Inés Vargas Fraenkel. Wednesday, Sept. 2, 6-8:30 p.m. Natural Grocery Company (El Cerrito). Donations support youth music education and local musicians.
