Upcoming Shows
February Bay Area Jazz & Groove Calendar
Sat 21 9pm mr tipples jazz club in the civic center with SAM BEVAN SEXTET. This is gonna be most if not all crazy original modern jazz. I absolutely love it. Featuring jesus diaz on percussion, we rehearsed today in oakland, jesus was the only one who didn’t go to the rehearsal, and for good cause, he’s a total master drummer and conceptualist who can adapt to anything and everything. Rounding out the group is adam theis (the founder of jazz mafia) on bone, kasey knudsen on alto (ambrose has said she is NYC killing), and colin douglass (the greatest gringo afro-cuban drummer in the US). All ages
*special note for sat 21, there is an afro-cuban rumba at La Pena in Berkley from 2:30-5pm led by Einar Tito Leliebre. A great place to hear the authentic stuff in the bay.* Free, All ages.
Sun 22, 6-9pm in the marina district at the Left Door with JAKE SHANDLING trio. Ft. Sam Bevan, two hits in a row baby. So glad this guy moved back from NYC. Actually, both of these guys were living out there for a few years until reason got to them. Just kidding. But kind of… Free, all ages
Mon 23 5:30-8:30 with my man KAZEMDE GEORGE who also is no longer in NYC. Thank God!!! The spot: Bar Tanuki @ stable cafe which i think is 2128 Folsom st. SF. Pretty sure it’s free, all ages
Tue 24 4:45pm start time SFPL Larkin Street entrance, a mutli-faceted Black History Month Celebration with a ton of acts… I’ll be performing with LOCO BLOCO. Free, all ages
About
Kai Lyons is from the Excelsior District of San Francisco and was surrounded by music and community from an early age. He completed his studies at Ruth Asawa School of the Arts in 2012 as the first to graduate from the acclaimed Classical Guitar Program, directed by Scott Cmiel. From 2012-2014, on full scholarship, Kai attended the prestigious jazz program at William Paterson University of New Jersey, directed by Mulgrew Miller. He studied with Vincent Herring, Gene Bertoncini, Harold Mabern, Rich Perry, and Hal Galper. Kai received a Bachelor of Arts in Music from San Francisco State University where he studied with Andrew Speight, Michael Zisman and Hafez Modirzadeh.
Ever since returning to the Bay Area in 2015, he has freelanced extensively and also traveled frequently to New York City, New Orleans, Brazil, Cuba and the Caribbean on music trips. In 2018 he participated in Master Class: Orff-Afrique 2018 in Ghana, Africa.
Besides working with his own trio, Kai has performed with Mike Clark and Donald Harrison of Herbie Hancock’s Original Headhunters, The San Francisco Ballet and the 2024 production of Carmen composed by Arturo O’Farrill, Karl Perazzo, John Santos, award-winning organist Wil Blades and Larry Vuckovich.
