Ashkenaz ☮︎

EVENTS THIS WEEK ⤵️ ⤵️ ⤵️ 5/13: 2nd Wednesday Balkan Jam 5/15​: Mehrekhāni / Chant of Compassion 5/15: Mitch Polzak 5/15: ​Bishop O'Dowd High School Jazz Bands For tickets and more information, visit

FRI MAY 29 🎺🎺🎺 Quattro ft. Paper Kayak Doors 7:30pm / Show 8pm Quattro is an eclectic world music fusion jam band on a mission to have big fun and bring joy to the people. Fresh new originals, timeless classic tunes, international pop, rock and funky gems - Quattro always has something special hidden up our sleeves. Multi-part harmonies, soaring trumpet solos, intricate arrangements, rhythmic guitars and solid percussion is what we're all about. Known to cause spontaneous dancing and elevated endorphin, dopamine and serotonin levels. Quattro is Mel Bearns (Guitar/Vocals), Lexington Vermouth (Drums), Rick Zilla (Guitar/Vocals), Brian Vandemark (Bass/Vocals), Benjamin Badura (Trumpet​/Vocals), Aimee Abett (Vocals/Percussion), and Martin Garro (Percussion/Lighting). Paper Kayak is known for their fine Reggae and Island-infused World music. Instigators of good times and spontaneous dancing, keepers of the groove, and providers of good times and joyful experiences. Paper Kayak is Keith Roberson (Guitalele/Ukulele/Vox/Percussion), Marcus Cole (Keyboard/Guitar/Vox), Jared Karol (Guitar/Harmonica), Jan Liband (Percussion), Mel Bearns (Bass/Vox/Guitar/Percussion), and Benjamin Badura (Trumpet/Vox). Tickets: Advance: $20 Day of Show: $25 Student discount price: $15 (Only at door—have your student ID ready) Ashkenaz is all ages, all the time. Kids and minors are always welcome. Those 12 or under are admitted FREE (unless otherwise noted).

THU MAY 21 💃💃💃 Third Thursday Tango w/Charles Gorczynski & Scott O’Day Tango Duo Doors 7pm Beginner-Friendly Tango Dance Lesson 7:30pm Show 8:30pm Bandoneonist and composer Charles Gorczynski is back in the Bay Area for a series of performances, one night only in duo with tango guitarist Scott O’Day at Ashkenaz! Minneapolis-based composer and bandoneonist Charles Gorczynski works in contemporary tango, new music, and studio production. He leads the acclaimed modern tango outfits Charles Gorczynski Tango Quartet and Redwood Tango Ensemble, and is the director of the Twin Cities Tango Collective. Charles is a deeply established musician and community organizer with a distinct voice in creative new music, stemming from his upbringing in jazz/improvised music and decades of tango composition and performance. Scott O’Day is a member of the contemporary tango music scene. He is the artistic director of the acclaimed Scott O’Day Tango Trio. He has performed extensively in North America, South America, and Europe. He is also the director of the San Francisco Community Music Center Tango Ensemble, which serves as an incubator program for the Bay Area tango music scene. Scott studied with many notable tango legends in Buenos Aires, and attended La Escuela de Música Popular de Avellaneda in Buenos Aires to complete his formal training. Tickets: Advance: $20 Day of Show: $25 Student discount price: $15 (Only at door—have your student ID ready) Ashkenaz is all ages, all the time. Kids and minors are always welcome. Those 12 or under are admitted FREE (unless otherwise noted).

TUE/WED MAY 19/20 ‼️‼️‼️ Dead Night x Bluegrass Jam (FREE for Musicians w/Instrument!) Night 1: Garcia Grisman & Grass Jam Night 2: Next-Gen Dead Night Join us May 19th and 20th for the first ever Ashkenaz Dead Night x Bluegrass Barn Jam, a 2-Night Special Hosted by Spencer Krenz! Featuring Arel Kotzen, Anna Elva, Markus Rezak, Murph Murphy & Scott Guberman, Teo Quale, Tuki Walker, Tyler Stegall, Ryan Triolo & More Special Guests TBA! Tickets and more information available at Ashkenaz is all ages, all the time. Kids and minors are always welcome. Those 12 or under are admitted FREE (unless otherwise noted).

Saturday Morning Bhangra Class~ 🌻💛 A beautiful way to add some joyful energy to your week and do something healthy and fun~ Grateful for @ashkenazberkeley our dance home for 20+ years for making this space so accessible to hold community and movement! Support your local arts organizations ~ they are a lifeline in these times! 🎶 If you ever need a little dose of happy in your week, come dance with us sometime. Drop-ins always welcome. 💛 🌻Dholrhythms Bhangra Class 🌺Every Saturday | 9–10am 📍Ashkenaz Community Center | Berkeley 💛Welcoming and open to all #dholrhythms #nonstopbhangra #bhangra #danceclass #rituals

THU MAY 28 🎻🎻🎻 Tom Rigney & Flambeau Doors 7pm Beginner-Friendly Dance Lesson 7:30pm Show 8pm Tom Rigney is one of the premier American Roots Music fiddle players on the planet. His band, Tom Rigney & Flambeau, specializes in blazing Cajun and Zydeco two-steps, low-down Blues, funky New Orleans grooves, Boogie Woogie piano, and heartbreakingly beautiful ballads and waltzes. Much of the repertoire is composed by Rigney, but they mix in some classics from the Cajun/New Orleans songbook. Along the way you may pick up a trace of Rigney’s Irish roots, or echoes of folk music styles–it just makes the musical gumbo that much tastier. Flambeau showcases Rigney’s fiery, virtuoso fiddling, his charismatic stage presence, and his range and originality as a composer. He and Flambeau have forged a unique sound that blends American Roots styles into something original and HOT–mixing irresistible grooves with deep musicality and spectacular soloing. Rigney’s high-energy showmanship pulls the audience into his performances and makes them feel they are a part of the music and the show. Tickets: Advance: $20 Day of Show: $25 Student discount price: $15 Ashkenaz is all ages, all the time. Kids and minors are always welcome. Those 12 or under are admitted FREE (unless otherwise noted).

WED MAY 27 🎸🎸🎸 Stu Allen & Mars Hotel Doors 7pm / Show 8pm A tradition started back in the 20th century, Ashkenaz’s Grateful Dead Night is always evolving. Led by acclaimed guitarist-singer Allen (of Phil Lesh & Friends, Melvin Seals & JGB, Ghosts of Electricity), a revolving cast of incredibly talented musicians inhabits Mars Hotel, drawing from the Grateful Dead’s vast catalog to delight Deadheads and dancers of all generations. A Mars Hotel show is always an energetic evening of good vibes, good music, and good community. When it became apparent that Jerry Garcia had played his final show in 1995, Stu Allen began working to keep Garcia’s music, sound, and spirit alive in the concert setting. He regularly worked with Phil Lesh and has also played sets with Bob Weir and Bill Kreutzmann. Allen is perhaps most known for fronting Melvin Seals’ tribute to the Jerry Garcia Band from 2004 to 2011. He received more national acclaim in 2010 when he toured with Dark Star Orchestra. Allen shares the Grateful Dead’s commitment to making each performance a unique event, from preparation to execution. He will perform multiple shows before playing the same song twice, and even then, that song will not be realized in quite the same way. Mars Hotel takes this idea a step further by presenting a new band at each performance. Drawing from the rich music scene of the Bay Area, Allen has assembled a broad and ever-rotating group of musicians that makes each concert a once-only experience. As far as Grateful Dead tribute bands go, this is a concept that has never been done before. Tickets: Advance: $30 Day of Show: $35 Student discount price: $20 (Only at door—have your student ID ready) Ashkenaz is all ages, all the time. Kids and minors are always welcome. Those 12 or under are admitted FREE (unless otherwise noted).

Hey Fam! Come join us tonight at @bachatanightzberkeley for a little late night bachata!!!! Bachatanightz 🎤 Hosted by @krdance.official 📆 @bachatanightzberkeley 📌 @ashkenazberkeley 📷 @newsparxmedia #berkeleycalifornia #dancesocial #bachata #sensualbachata #dominican

SAT MAY 23 🥁🥁🥁 Namaskar by Sameer Gupta Doors 7:30pm / Show 8pm Join us Saturday, May 23rd for a special presentation of Namaskar by Sameer Gupta (@tablajazz ) 'Namaskar, a Sanskrit salutation expressing reverence and respect, is the name of the debut solo recording of gifted drummer and tabla player Sameer Gupta. This project presents a combination of golden era Bollywood standard, Indian ragas and thumris (traditional folk songs) + originals penned by Gupta. Featuring: Prasant Radhakrishnan - Carnatic Sax Kai Eckhardt - Bass David Boyce - Sax + Effects and Samples Javier Navarette - Percussion And Special Guest Siddique Ahmed - Rubab Tickets: Advance: $25 Day of Show: $30 Student discount price: $20 (Only at door—have your student ID ready) Ashkenaz is all ages, all the time. Kids and minors are always welcome. Those 12 or under are admitted FREE (unless otherwise noted).

SUN MAY 17 🎷 🎷 🎷 Bishop O'Dowd High School Jazz Band End of the Year Blowout! Doors 3:30pm / Show 4pm Bishop O’Dowd High School’s Music Department presents its annual Jazz Bands End of the Year Blowout celebration at Berkeley’s own Ashkenaz on Sunday, May 17th at 4pm. Featured will be O’Dowd’s talented Jazz band students in Jazz Workshop, Jazz Combo, and Honors Jazz Band. Music will run a wide spectrum from Thelonius Monk to Quincy Jones and Herbie Hancock with plenty of stylistic stops in between. Don’t miss this great way to end the school year! Tickets: Advance: $20 Day of Show: $25 Student discount price: $10 (Only at door—have your student ID ready) Ashkenaz is all ages, all the time. Kids and minors are always welcome. Those 12 or under are admitted FREE (unless otherwise noted).

SAT MAY 16 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Mitch Polzak Doors 7:30pm Beginner-Friendly Dance Lesson 8pm Show 8:30pm The big guy from out West and larger than life energy (he’s also 6’5’) performer, guitarist, singer, banjoist, songwriter, composer, entertainer, musical historian and teacher Mitch Polzak wears his heart on his sleeve and his playing in his heart. Polzak performs rockabilly and 60’s country music with the religious fervor of Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash and delivers a Honky Tonk ballad with the sincerity of Merle Haggard and Waylon Jennings. Mitch will bring a room to a fevered pitch of joyous energy on the dance floor and then tell you a story in a song like two old friends sitting at a kitchen table at midnight. Polzak’s abundant joy in communicating with people through music leaps off the stage through every fiber of his being. Being fluent in the musical languages of Country, Rockabilly, Honky Tonk, The Bakersfield Sound, Surf, early Rock and Roll, Bluegrass, Cajun, Blues, and Truck Driving music gives Polzak the unique voice of the melting pot of the American musical experience. Tickets: Advance: $20 Day of Show: $25 Student discount price: $15 Ashkenaz is all ages, all the time. Kids and minors are always welcome. Those 12 or under are admitted FREE (unless otherwise noted).

FRI MAY 15 🕊🕊🕊 Mehrekhāni / Chant of Compassion: A Benefit Concert for Iran Doors 7:30pm / Show 8pm Join us Friday, May 15th for Mehrekhāni / Chant of Compassion: A Benefit Concert for Iran featuring: Yara Daneshvar — Traditional Vocal Neda Yaseri — Folklore Vocal Asaf Ophir — Clarinet Siamak Barghi — Kamancheh Nariman Assadi — Percussion Arya Tavalaee — Santour Sina Dibaj — Percussion Sirvan Manhoobi — Oud, Shourangiz, Composer & Arranger Tickets: Standard Supporter: $25 Conscious Supporter: $50 Charitable Supporter: $75 Generous Supporter: $100 All proceeds will support the families affected by the war through Keep Children in School Foundation, an OFCA Licensed 501c3 organization. Additional donations can be made directly on their website using this link: /vatan/ Ashkenaz is all ages, all the time. Kids and minors are always welcome. Those 12 or under are admitted FREE (unless otherwise noted).