The Culture Circuit, Oct. 1-6
This week's picks for live music, singalongs, film and author talks around the East Bay.
From Dolly Parton singalongs and Latin grooves to community song sessions, Chicano history and new memoirs, the East Bay’s arts calendar is packed this week. Here are a few concerts, performances, readings and gatherings worth adding to your calendar.
Please help keep this weekly list lively and well informed by sending details about upcoming concerts, readings, performances and workshops to events@albanyscanner.com.
A Dolly Parton singalong at the Freight
The fact that Dolly Parton’s estate has devolved into a tawdry legal struggle shines an even stronger angelic light on her life. The world’s dreck just slides off her besequinned legacy, a life of gorgeous sound and service that will be honored at the Freight with Dollylujah! Leading the community singalong is Glide Memorial Church musical director and Freight instructor Zoë Ellis, a Berkeley native whose abundant generosity on and off stage is positively Dolly-esque. She’s been a mainstay at the venue for years, co-founding with Bryan Dyer the 75-plus member Freight Singers Community Chorus. Over the years Ellis has sung gospel, R&B, soul, hip-hop, and house music in a series of beloved Bay Area bands, like the Mo’Fessionals. She honed her skills in a cappella improvisation with SoVoSo and Keith Terry’s Slammin All-Body Band. These days, when she’s not bringing Glide contingents to sing at community events around the region, Ellis performs with Darryl Anders’s AgapéSoul and Linda Tillery’s Cultural Heritage Choir. She’ll be joined at the Freight by multi-instrumentalist Vicki Randle, who spent a decade touring as a backup vocalist with Mavis Staples, country singer Cindy Emch, Irish keyboardist Eamonn Flynn, and special guests. "Grab your sparkles and cowboy/girl hats and join us for some singalong silliness and fun," Ellis says. Thursday, Oct. 1, 7 p.m. The Freight (Berkeley). $14
Four decades of Latin grooves with Edgardo Cambón
The Jazzschool kicks off the ¡Sonidos Latinos! series celebrating Latino Heritage Month with a concert by Uruguayan percussionist Edgardo Cambón & LaTiDo. He’s been a mainstay on the Bay Area’s Latin music scene for four decades, and his band features his original tunes and arrangements of Latin dance standards. Over the years the vocalist, composer, producer, and bandleader has performed across South America, Europe, Africa, and the United States while collaborating with Latin music giants such as Chucho Valdés, Eddie Palmieri, Carlos Santana, and the East Bay’s Grammy Award-winning Pacific Mambo Orchestra. He’s best known as the leader, conguero and lead vocalist for the salsa band Edgardo & Candela. For this concert he’s joined by a heavyweight quartet with saxophonist Charlie Gurke, bassist Saúl Sierra, and pianist/trumpeter Marco Díaz (who presents his own quartet at the Jazzschool on Oct. 10). Saturday, Oct. 3, 8 p.m. The Jazzschool (Berkeley). $25
Song session at the Starry Plough
Let’s keep the singalong theme humming in this week’s column because there’s nothing quite like a casual song session in a friendly pub. And Ben Kramarz knows all about the ways in which playing music can transform a disparate gathering into a single organism thrumming to a common emotional current. The son of Ken Kramarz, whose decades-long tenure as executive director of Camp Tawonga was accompanied by his love of guitar and song leading, Ben has transplanted the summer camp musical ethos into the midst of the urban East Bay. As the founder of Berkeley nonprofit Sacred Music Fellowship, he’s created radically accessible community programs that center on regular song sessions. The secular sessions have been held at various venues around Berkeley in recent years, and are now based at the Starry Plough. Encompassing rock, folk, pop, R&B, funk and beyond, the sessions are designed to make joining in as seamless as possible. Kramarz projects lyrics and chords on a wall, and scrolls through the charts using a foot pedal to keep his hands free for playing. Many participants wield acoustic guitars, but cellists, percussionists, and vocalists sans instruments also frequent the sessions. All ages and instruments are welcome, and no reservations are necessary. Sunday, Oct. 4, 2:30-4:30 p.m. The Starry Plough (Berkeley). $15-$20
An American pachuco in Berkeley
Luis Valdez, the pioneering Chicano playwright and director, is an amazing California story, and David Alvarado’s American Masters documentary American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez takes the full measure of the man. From his early days growing up as one of 10 siblings born to itinerant Mexican farmworkers, through his early experiences with the San Francisco Mime Troupe, the film follows Valdes as he finds his voice creating agitprop theater to recruit members to the Farm Workers Union. When Cesar Chavez tries to take over the troupe, Valdes breaks away, eventually finding a home for his El Teatro Campesino in San Juan Bautista, where he’s still active. Along the way, he turns Edward James Olmos into a star with the film Zoot Suit and immortalizes Chicano rocker Ritchie Valens in the hit film La Bamba. Alvarado’s artful use of a pachuco narrator, split screens, and a trove of vivid archival footage add layers upon layers to the story, which is very much a family saga. Alvarado joins the proceedings on Zoom after the film to answer questions and describe working on the project. Monday, Oct. 5, 5:30 p.m. Central Library (Berkeley). Free
Tomas Moniz reads from new novel
East Oakland novelist Tomas Moniz reads from and discusses his new novel, The King of Aloe Vera in conversation with Vincent Chu, whose debut novel Nice Places won the IPPY Award Bronze for Literary Fiction. Jeff Chang, author of Can’t Stop Won’t Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation, has described Moniz’s third book as "a love song for the weird old Bay Area...and a tender meditation on how to make a well-lived life amid endless chaos," which sounds pretty timely. Moniz edited the popular "Rad Dad" and "Rad Families" anthologies, and he teaches creative writing at Berkeley City College. Tuesday, Oct. 6, 7 p.m. Pegasus Books Downtown (Berkeley). Free
Sarita Sarvate tells her story in Midnight’s Daughter
A longtime opinion journalist and essayist whose column appeared in India Currents magazine for a quarter century, Sarita Sarvate just published her memoir Midnight’s Daughter. Trained as a physicist at UC Berkeley, she arrived in California from India fleeing an arranged marriage with a much older man. It’s a tale she recounts in her book, along with her family’s sudden upheaval. Her mother suffers a devastating nervous breakdown, forcing Sarvate into the role of caretaker even while she's demonstrating exceptional talent as a student. Determined to reclaim her future, she escaped to graduate school in Berkeley, where she created an entirely new life for herself. She discusses her memoir with Elizabeth Stix, author of the story collection Things I Want Back From You, which includes works performed at Selected Shorts on NPR. Wednesday, Oct. 7, 6:30 p.m. Albany Library. Free
Have questions for Albany Scanner, or want to share story tips? Here's how to reach us.
It's not too late to join our fall fundraiser! Our goal: 50 new members by Sept. 30. Help us boost our ranks.
