Beth Custer Ensemble and Black Olive Babes May 31, 2008

The Beth Custer Ensembles diverse array of projectsfrom musical theater productions (Ballad of Pancho & Lucy, Le The, and June in a Box, all with collaborator Octavio Solis) to silent film scores to avant-pop compositionsfluidly blend the groups influences of jazz, funk, and Latin rock. Featuring the crme de la crme of Bay Area musicians, including drummer Jan Jackson (who plays with Grammy-nominated Will Bernard), guitarist David James (The Coup, Spearhead), iconic pianist Graham Connah, bassist Mark Calderon (The Meters, Roots), and, of course, Beth Custer (Club Foot Orchestra, Clarinet Thing), the band bursts forth with a genre-defying repertoire.

Black Olive Babes, a new project led by Juliana Graffagnaa seventeen-year veteran of the premiere womens vocal ensemble KITKAkick off the evening with a mix of concert and dance tunes derived from Albanian, Romani, Greek and American traditions, showcasing a catalogue that jumps effortlessly from the American ballad Wayfaring Stranger to the Albanian standard Valle Korcau.

Event submitted by Eventful.com on behalf of JCCEB.