The Jazzschool
2087 Addison Street Berkeley
Click for Venue page

Celebrating Asian American Jazz: Vernaculars plays the Music of Francis Wong

Buy Tickets: https://concerts.jazzschool.org/celebrating-asian-american-jazz-vernaculars-plays-the-music-of-francis-wong/

Francis Wong, tenor saxophone
Karl Evangelista, guitar
Chris Trinidad, electric bass/synth
Jimmy Biala, drums

Saxophonist Francis Wong celebrates 50 years as a Bay Area musician, activist, and educator with Wong Works, a retrospective project featuring music from his long and influential musical career. In the ensemble Vernaculars, he is joined by a who’s-who of local improvisers for a set of freewheeling and powerful music. Album release celebration!

Francis Wong’s work from the 1970s to today has lifted and inspired Asian American collectives to build and work for a just and equitable society. As a student and community worker with roots in the Asian American consciousness movement, he participated in struggles for ethnic studies, culturally responsive campus services, divestment in apartheid South Africa, and community campaigns including Free Chol Soo Lee, Japanese American redress and reparations, Justice for Melvin Truss, immigrant worker rights, and Jesse Jackson for President. In parallel to this organizing work, he embarked on an artistic career influenced by his social justice activities, co-founding the hugely influential organization Asian Improv aRts in 1987 with Jon Jang.

This May, in honor of Asian American/Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, the Jazzschool celebrates the contributions of Asians in Bay Area jazz through a series of salons and concerts organized in collaboration with artists in the AAPI community.

Doors 7 pm
Pre-concert talk 7:30 pm
Concert 8 pm

Concert series programmed by pianist/composer Erika Oba.

Cost: $25/$15

Audio samples in which musicians at this event play:

Videos featuring musicians playing at this event