• Rupa and the April Fishes + Brass Menazeri
• Larry Vuckovich Jazz-Latin Quartet
  
• Los Vasallos del Sol + The Venezuelan Music Project
• Unbound Chinatown: Jon Jang Seven
• Artists Guild
• Gamelan Sekar Jaya
• Mo’Rockin Project
• BUZZing Around the Gardens
• YBGF on MySpace

Rupa and the April Fishes + Brass Menazeri
Saturday, May 3, 1-3pm
Rupa & the April Fishes creates fresh music that defies the notion of genre – a whimsical magic carpet ride through time and place. Mixing sounds from the Far East, Europe, Latin America and the US, they give an unforgettable multilingual performance with songs in French, Spanish, English, Hindi and Roma that range from raucous to romantic. Rupa’s music is undeniably full of heart, with subject matters ranging from love and loss in a time of uncertainty to stories of people in transition.

“…nothing short of extraordinary.” – Matt Forsman, SF Station 2007

“[Rupa’s] music sounds like [a] dream: romantic and pulling from many worlds—Indian ragas and sultry tangos, Gypsy waltzes and bossa nova.” – Lisa Hix, San Francisco Chronicle 2006

The Brass Menazeri is the Bay Area's premier Balkan brass band, specializing in the high-energy, sometimes stretchy, always exciting music of Serbian Rom (Gypsy) brass bands, as well as the Greek/Macedonian border region. In the tradition of the great Rom brass bands, the group also exhibits influences from many neighboring and far-flung musics of the world.

“Gorgeous! ... Delightful counterpoint and wonderful melodies. Oh, my God, such voices too. Bravo! Thanks a lot Brass Menazeri!” – CD Baby Review 2007

Larry Vuckovich Jazz-Latin Quartet
Friday, May 9th, 12:30-1:30pm
Internationally-acclaimed jazz pianist Larry Vuckovich performs music from his upcoming CD, High Wall: Real Life Film Noir. He will be joined by East Coast drummer Chuck McPherson and Latin percussionist Hector Lugo, who both appear on High Wall. Rounding out the quartet is the hard-swinging Belgrade-born bassist Buca Necak. Larry weaves in an exciting mix of Afro-Cuban, Latin/Brazilian/Tango/Roma (gypsy), world music, as well as funk and hard-swinging jazz.

“Vuckovich swings like nobody’s business. Fleet of finger, nimble of harmonic turn, and supple in mental command, the veteran jazz artist whose lineage goes back to Mel Torme and Clark Terry shows that the best artists are not always the youngest.” – Thomas R. Erdmann, JazzReview.com

Los Vasallos del Sol +
The Venezuelan Music Project
Saturday, May 10, 1-3pm
Direct from Venezuela! With a repertoire that covers the coastal country’s history from its pre-Hispanic and African roots to today’s popular rhythms and dance forms, Los Vasallos del Sol delivers a high-energy performance with contagious beats that will have you jump to your feet and dance!

Los Vasallos del Sol is presented by the Consulate of Venezuela and Yerba Buena Gardens Festival with the generous support of Citgo and the Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.

“… an assemblage of musical instruments, vocal techniques and virtuoso dance performances, where the euphoria and improvisation of the original performers – mostly in the village-feast context – are supplanted by professional standards. The Vasallos have a unique sound in which baroque harmonies fluidly melt with African-derived rhythms.” – Fundación Interchange 2008

The Bay Area’s dynamic Venezuelan Music Project, led by Jackie Rago, combines indigenous-Venezuelan, West African and Spanish-European influences.

“Let the exhilarating rhythms and melodies of the Americas lift your spirits and win your heart!” – Artsopolis Review 2007

Los Vasallos del Sol

Jackie Rago, VMP

Unbound Chinatown: Jon Jang Seven featuring Min Xiao Fen
Saturday, May 17, 1-2:30pm
Composer/pianist Jon Jang's musical language re-contextualizes Chinese folk songs within a contemporary music framework, a metaphor for the changing face of Chinese America. Unbound Chinatown pays homage to Alice Fong Yu, the first Chinese American teacher hired by the San Francisco School District. With his stellar ensemble, including saxophonist Francis Wong, trombonist/music director Wayne Wallace, and guest vocalist Min Xiao Fen, Jang paints musical portraits of Yu’s life as a community and political leader during the 1930s. (Narrated program.)

“Jang is not afraid to pair the erhu with the tuba to make his musical point, which is all about toying with East and West and morphing that into one indefinable synthesis.” – Edward Ortiz, Sacramento Bee Arts Critic 2007

Artists Guild
Saturday, May 17, 9am-5pm, East Garden
The Artists Guild of San Francisco is the oldest outdoor art collective in the country. Its mission is twofold: first, to bring art and artists into the community for public interaction and education; and secondly, to help artists sustain themselves with art as a full-time career.

Gamelan Sekar Jaya
Saturday, May 24, 1-2:30pm
The fifty performers of Gamelan Sekar Jaya, the Bay Area's acclaimed gamelan ensemble, present the driving rhythms and refined dances of Bali in our beautiful garden setting. Led by one of Bali's most brilliant artists, I Dewa Ketut Alit Adnyana (guest music director), Sekar Jaya will feature two large percussion ensembles: the 25-player orchestra of bronze gongs, metallophones, and drums called gamelan gong kebyar, and the ensemble of giant bamboo marimbas, gamelan jegog.

The outdoor setup reflects the open-air settings used in traditional Balinese contexts, where groups often play within or in front of temple courtyards. The audience is welcomed to view the performance from various perspectives, to enjoy the complex interlocking rhythms and virtuosic ensemble sensibility of Balinese gamelan and the myriad expressions and delicate movements of Balinese dance. (Narrated program.)

“An extraordinary event … unfolds amid shimmering silks and hypnotic music.” – Peter Stack, Chronicle Staff Writer

The Mo'Rockin Project
Thursday, May 29, 12:30-1:30pm
The Mo'Rockin Project is a brotherhood of kindred North African and jazz musicians traversing the inner experience of the human soul. Handcrafted from traditional Moroccan melodies, and with striking musicianship, salient vision, and immeasurable spirit, the music is alluring, lyrical, creative, funky, spirited and spiritual.

“Chicago-born trumpeter Khalil Shaheed and Casablanca-born oud player and vocalist Yassir Chadly - both longtime Oakland residents and adherents of Islam - create a seamless, rhythmically riveting fusion of American jazz and funk and traditional Moroccan music... Shaheed's horn lines, which have a clarity and warmth that recall the work of Hugh Masekela, nicely complement Chadly's microtonal Arabic wails and fast-fingered picking on the lute-like oud.” – Lee Hildebrand, San Francisco Chronicle 2007

*BUZZ*ing Around the Gardens

Please check out these events sponsored by Gardens Festival partners.

Neighborhood Arts Festival
Celebrating 40 Years of Neighborhood Arts, April 21-May 3
Two weeks of activities for artists and art enthusiasts alike! Visit the Arts Commission website for a full calendar of events.

Richard Howell
Local tenor sax maestro, Richard Howell makes a rare hometown appearance on May 5th at Yoshi's SF.

4th Annual Asian Heritage Street Celebration
Saturday May 17, 2008, 11am-6pm in SF Japantown
Post Street (Laguna to Fillmore) Featuring: Live Entertainment, Thai Kickboxing, J-Cars, Free Health Screenings, Arts and Crafts, DJs, Anime, Karaoke, Food, and More! Visit the Fair website for event details.

San Francisco International Arts Festival
May 21-June 8, various locations
A annual multi-disciplinary festival that brings together the world community of artists and audiences. Visit www.sfiaf.org for details.

Union Square Park
80 FREE events over the summer in the heart of downtown San Francisco, including Film Night! Visit www.unionsquarepark.us for a schedule of events.



YBGF on MySpace
Will you be our friend? Find pictures of artists, video clips of performances, and up-to-date information on our season. Check us out at www.myspace.com/ybgfestival.

Season Sponsors

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
We can’t thank 2008 Yerba Buena Gardens Festival sponsors enough
for supporting all the FREE public programming in Yerba Buena Gardens.

In-kind and Pro-Bono Contributors: John Spicer Photography, MJM Management Group,
Millennium Partners, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, Latino Entertainment Partners,
David Wong, ProPiano, Copy Central

About the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival

Yerba Buena Gardens Festival presents classical, world and jazz music, contemporary and traditional dance, theater, children’s and family programs, and cultural events reflecting the rich cultures and creativity of the region. Artistic excellence, inclusion, diversity and innovation are at the heart of our mission. As the only curated arts park fully dedicated to the long-term presentation of free arts and cultural programs, Yerba Buena Gardens has a unique place in the cultural landscape of San Francisco.

Yerba Buena Gardens is located on Mission between 3rd & 4th Streets in downtown San Francisco, approximately 2 blocks from the BART/MUNI Powell or Montgomery Street stations. MUNI bus lines, CalTrain, Golden Gate Transit, SamTrans, and AC Transit all make convenient stops near the Gardens.

All programs are free with open seating; however, chair seating is limited. We recommend attendees dress in layers and bring blankets, picnics and low lawn chairs for optimum comfort. YBGF hats are available for a small donation.

NO PETS PLEASE. ADA accessible.

Yerba Buena Gardens Festival | Yerba Buena Arts & Events
760 Howard Street | San Francisco, CA 94103 | 415-543-1718
www.YBGF.org | www.myspace.com/ybgfestival