Event

The Beth Custer Ensemble

Saturday, November 3rd, 2012
The Beth Custer Ensemble
Red Poppy Art House
Doors 7pm, Concert 8pm
$12-20

THE BETH CUSTER ENSEMBLE is a veritable crème de la crème of Bay Area musicians including Jan Jackson on drums, (Will Bernard's Motherbug, Black Pole), guitarist/vocalist David James (Sila, The Coup, Spearhead), Chris Grady on trumpet (Tom Waits, Grassy Knoll, Jewel), Vicky Grossi on bass (Mitch Marcus, Bitches Brew), vocalist Diana Mangano (Jefferson Airplane) and Beth Custer, clarinets/vocal (Club Foot Orchestra, Trance Mission, Eighty Mile Beach).
Recent projects include a premiere at Davies Symphony Hall's After Hours Series, a commission from San Francisco Cinematheque to compose and perform live scores Alexandre Hammid's films at SF MOMA; performing live for The Joe Goode Performance Group's dance/theatre productions at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts; performing a CD release party at Yoshi's. The Beth Custer Ensemble delights audiences with new work and fifteen years of repertoire in the US and abroad.
With three CDs and one DVD released (Roam, Respect as a Religion, Dona Luz 30 Besos, My Grandmother) BCE has a solid and varied repertoire of songs and instrumentals by Custer and a few by bandmate David James. A set might include a funky political song followed by a lilting country waltz, then an Afro-fusion odd-metered driving instrumental.

If an Olympics decathlon is ever staged for musicians, put your money on Beth Custer for the gold. -Derk Richardson, SF Examiner