Thursday May 26th I will playing with the Full Count Quartet at the 57th street Art Gallery in Oakland from 8-11pm.  Doors open at 7pm.  This place has some really exceptional art and has an overall good vibe.  Come check it out. 

Danny Brown- Sax
Michael Parsons- Piano
Ulf Bjorkbom- Drums
Ollie Dudek- Bass

The cover is only $15.00 and includes tasty appetizers and wine. The venue is very comfortable  and is ideal for listening to live music There is plenty free and safe parking near by. We Look Forward  to seeeing you.

more info:  http://www.57thstreetgallery.com/video/56-57th-street-gallery-oakland-ca-94609.html

I recently spearheaded a project advocating for fair wages for musicians playing in the Fillmore Jazz District.  Read more about it below and also at the bottom of this post there is a link to a petition that you can sign. 

OVERVIEW Currently many  music clubs/restaurants receive subsidized loans, grants, tax right offs and money from the city to revitalize the Fillmore "Jazz District" but the plain and honest truth is that many of these places fail to pay the local musicians an honest wage.  

With the rising costs of gas, equipment upkeep, and other expenditures, it is extremely disrespectful towards musicians to lower than their worth while continuing to accept money and benefits from city redevelopment funds dedicated to preserving a Jazz district.

In short, the Jazz musicians who are essential to the success of the Jazz District are not being supported.

The City of San Francisco should require all commercial establishments that want to benefit from government subsidies under the jazz district redevelopment plan to pay musicians that work at their establishments:


1) a $50 base salary for one hour of service with a $25 incremental increase for each additional hour.

          Example: a two hour gig for a trio would cost $75.00 per musician, for a total of $225.00



2) a minimum wage of $100 per musician and free meal for a 3 hour gig


The Fillmore has a rich history and cultural background.  Once refereed to as the Harlem of the West, the Fillmore provided people with great music, art and cultural importance and it has survived the exploitative policies of urban renewal.

Allow San Francisco's rich musical community to support the Fillmore Jazz District by requiring that owners pay their fair share.

Sign the Petition by visiting the link below.

http://www.change.org/petitions/fillmore-jazz-district-for-musicians

Update:  The petition already has more than 100 signatures and this issued is now receiving some moderate press.

http://beta.local.yahoo.com/day-music-cried-yahoo-contributor-network
http://beta.local.yahoo.com/day-music-cried-part-iii-yahoo-contributor-network?woeid=23512037
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fc%2Fa%2F2011%2F04%2F27%2FBAII1J7TDP.DT