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September 1, 2025
Fiatrone makes meaningful music
The Academy of Language and Music Arts (ALMA) in Orinda sets out to offer lessons for all ages in a thoughtful, rich and meaningful fashion. The school was founded by Dr. James Fiatrone—also known to students as...
June 27, 2025
Reviving roots Down Home in El Cerrito
The walls of 10341 San Pablo Ave. in El Cerrito are coated in decades of music history. Nearly 50 years ago, musician and archivist Chris Strachwitz bought the modest building and began filling it. He had spent...
June 27, 2025
Fantastic Negrito confronts his past on new album
Three-time Grammy Award winning singer-songwriter Fantastic Negrito is rarely hesitant to travel. Since winning the first-ever NPR Tiny Desk Contest from among 7,000 entrants with a one-take video in 2015, the musician—born Xavier Amin Dphrepaulezz—has taken his...
June 27, 2025
Clayton Call captures ‘Music to Your Eyes’
Clayton Call was capturing musicians on film long before he became a professional photographer. “I saw every classic band between ’66 and ’76, without taking a photo,” he said. “My mom bought a new Pentax in the...
June 27, 2025
Summer concerts engage communities
For years, organizations in Alameda, Berkeley, Oakland, Moraga and beyond have hosted free outdoor summer concerts—vibrant gatherings that foster community engagement while celebrating nature, culture and local support. Whether hosted by their city or partnering organizations, these...
April 28, 2025
San Francisco Jazz Festival reinvents itself
For the casual music fan, the transition at SFJAZZ from the organization’s founder, Randall Kline, to trumpeter Terence Blanchard has been a seamless affair.
Week by week, the roster of artists performing in the SFJAZZ Center’s 700-seat Miner...
February 28, 2025
Raising the bar with Tiffany Austin
When Tiffany Austin arrived in the Bay Area in 2009, she’d decided to put music on the back burner. After about five years supporting herself in Japan singing pop and soul, she was ready to pursue a...
