CD and Downloads
You can buy the Kurt Ribak Trio CD online at CDBaby, at Musicians Union Local 6, and at Tower Records online. You can also buy the CD at Down Home Music, 10341 San Pablo Avenue, El Cerrito, CA. Go to my CD page for more info.
You can download the Kurt Ribak Trio recording at iTunes and emusic.com, as well as elsewhere. We've been getting some attention at emusic - the recording is rated four out of five stars. You can do a trial membership for cheap, and recordings are way cheaper to download at emusic than with iTunes.
The Next Kurt Ribak Trio CD
We plan to have the next CD out this summer. We're still working on the art and packaging.
Kurt Ribak Trio t-shirts are in. These are a seven-color print on Hanes Beefy-T shirts, so these are a quality product. These echo the artwork of the first CD. They are black, with the three-colored hand on the front and the words "Kurt Ribak Trio" on the back. They come in women's sizes and cut from small to XL and men's from small to XXL. e-mail me at: kurt@ribak.com if you would like to buy a shirt, or catch up with me at a gig.
Michael Burman, the KCSM-FM announcer, wrote a nice profile of Kurt and the Kurt Ribak Trio CD and personnel. We've also uploaded bios of Kurt, Greg Sankovich, and Tim Solook. The Kurt Ribak Trio CD has enjoyed repeated airplay on KCSM.
NOTE: Gigs are often added, canceled, or rescheduled at the last minute. Personnel may also change between the listing of an event and the performance. You are welcome to call or e-mail me me to confirm performance details. The gigs below are an incomplete list and do not include private engagements or recording sessions.
Wednesday,
June 28, 6:00 to 9:00 PM - and the last Wednesday of every month -
Kurt Ribak
Trio - Original jazz
Cato's Ale House
http://www.mrcato.com/
3891 Piedmont Ave. , Oakland, CA
510-655-3349
all ages, no cover
We play Cato's the last Wednesday of every month. This month Tyler Blanton is on vibes. Hal Richards will be on woodwinds.
Friday, June 30, 7:00 to 10:00
PM - and every Friday
Kurt Ribak Trio - original jazz -
Prima Ristorante
http://www.primaristorante.com/
1522 N. Main Street, Walnut Creek, CA
Every Friday, 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM
All ages
Greg Sankovich will be on piano, with Kevin Mummey on drums. Tip - to best hear the band you should have drinks in the bar or make a dinner reservation in the bar.
Sun., July 2, Noon to 1:30 PM - Fillmore Jazz Festival
Kurt Ribak Trio - Original Jazz
Fillmore Jazz Festival
Sutter Street Stage (Fillmore at Sutter)
http://www.fillmorejazzfestival.com/
San Francisco, CA
Free admission
Directions in a .pdf file
other parking and transit info
Woohoo! The Kurt Ribak Trio returns to the Fillmore Jazz Festival. This is our biggest gig of the year so far. We went over very well last year, and made a lot of new fans. The Fillmore Jazz Festival is billed as the largest free jazz festival on the West Coast. Greg Sankovich will be on keyboards, with Tim Solook on drums. We'll be playing the Sutter Street Stage. If you can, come by Sat., July 1 as well to hear Times 4, which includes Greg Sankovich and Lincoln Adler. They'll be playing the same stage Saturday from 2 PM to 3:30 PM.
Sun., July 2, 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM - and the first Sunday of every month
Kurt Ribak Trio - Original jazz
Chaya Brasserie
http://www.thechaya.com/
location & info
132 The Embarcadero
San Francisco, CA 94105
(415) 777-8688
Yep - after playing the Fillmore Street Jazz Festival we will go across town to play at Chaya. Chaya is known for its "Japanese-inspired French cuisine." The food and service are outstanding, they have some very nice wines, and they have some great views of the Bay Bridge. The trio will be me on bass, Greg Sankovich on keyboards, and Tim Solook on drums.
Come check us out - there's not much other jazz happening on a Sunday night, and this is an interesting new version of my band. At Chaya we play a harder-hitting, more driving style than at Prima. Between that and the electronic keyboards Greg brings to Chaya (they have no piano), the band sounds very different here.
Friday, July 7, 7:00 to 10:00
PM - and every Friday
Kurt Ribak Trio - Original jazz
Prima Ristorante
http://www.primaristorante.com/
1522 N. Main Street, Walnut Creek, CA
Every Friday, 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM
All ages
Greg Sankovich will be on piano, with Kevin Mummey on drums. Tip - to best hear the band you should have drinks in the bar or make a dinner reservation in the bar.
SPECIAL CONCERT - Sun., July 9, 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM
First United Methodist Church
http://www.pointrichmond.com/methodist/
201 Martina St., Point Richmond, CA
Ten dollar offering requested
My trio will be doing a jazz concert (as opposed to a restaurant or nightclub date), with Greg Sankovich on piano and Kevin Mummey on drums. I've played services at First United Methodist for a few years now. I really like this church - the church itself is very nice in a simple unassuming way, and the acoustics are excellent.
We are recording this concert, both because it should be a good concert and because Kevin Mummey, who has been drumming with us since we started at Prima, is moving to Minnesota to pursue an academic fellowship in medieval history. We'll get to play with him a few more times before he leaves but we want to record this for posterity.
This should be an especially good event - we won't have to worry about drunks drowning out the music, etc. It'll be a chance to just dig in and play.
Thursday, July 13, 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM
Kurt Ribak Trio - Original jazz
Enrico's Sidewalk
Cafe
http://www.enricossidewalkcafe.com
504 Broadway
at Kearny,
San Francisco,
CA 94113
415-982-6223
Greg Sankovich will be on piano, with Bryan Bowman on drums.
Enrico's is a classic North Beach joint. It's also close to City Lights bookstore (one of the best bookstores ever, period) and a variety of other cafes (including the famed Caffe Trieste), restaurants, and strip clubs. Enrico's is known for its food and its cocktails, especially the mojito and a kumquat caipiroshka (yes, it sounds weird, but it's quite good.)
Friday, July 14, 7:00 to 10:00
PM - and every Friday
Kurt Ribak Trio - original jazz -
Prima Ristorante
http://www.primaristorante.com/
1522 N. Main Street, Walnut Creek, CA
Every Friday, 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM
All ages
Greg Sankovich will be on piano, with Kevin Mummey on drums. Tip - to best hear the band you should have drinks in the bar or make a dinner reservation in the bar.
Monday, July 17
Lorna K will be doing some recording with me, Greg Sankovich and Bryan Bowman backing her. Tom Griesser will also be adding his talents.
Thursday, July 20, 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM
Kurt Ribak Trio - Original jazz
Enrico's Sidewalk
Cafe
http://www.enricossidewalkcafe.com
504 Broadway
at Kearny,
San Francisco,
CA 94113
415-982-6223
Greg Sankovich will be on piano.
Enrico's is a classic North Beach joint. It's also close to City Lights bookstore (one of the best bookstores ever, period) and a variety of other cafes (including the famed Caffe Trieste), restaurants, and strip clubs. Enrico's is known for its food and its cocktails, especially the mojito and a kumquat caipiroshka (yes, it sounds weird, but it's quite good.)
Friday, July 21, 7:00 to 10:00
PM - and every Friday
Kurt Ribak Trio - original jazz -
Prima Ristorante
http://www.primaristorante.com/
1522 N. Main Street, Walnut Creek, CA
Every Friday, 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM
All ages
Greg Sankovich will be on piano, with Kevin Mummey on drums. Tip - to best hear the band you should have drinks in the bar or make a dinner reservation in the bar.
This will be the Kurt Ribak Trio's final gig with Kevin. As some of you may know, Kevin is a graduate student in medieval history and received a five-year fellowship to the University of Minnesota. So much for the stereotype of dumb, semi-literate drummers. While we are pleased Kevin is receiving recognition for his studies, we are going to miss his musicial contributions and spirit.
Saturday,
July 22, 9:00 PM to midnight
The Blue Room Boys
Metronome Ballroom
http://www.metronomedancecenter.com/
1830 17th st.
San Francisco, CA
This is a dance party gig, with one of the best swing bands in the bay area. Remember in the late '90s when the Cherry Poppin' Daddies and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy were on the radio? Remember when people sank all their money into stocks of companies that were gone by 2001? Well, those days are gone. Swing and swing dancing haven't gone away, though. It's great dance music and there are people who still like to dance to it. The Blue Room Boys was always one of the best swing bands, as the members were skilled msuicians rather than being a "suit and hair" band. Anyway, they are led by Michael McIntosh, and the group typically features Emily Hayes on vocals, Ralph Carney on woodwinds, Kevin Mummey on drums (yes, the same drummer I play with in my trio) and Brian Kane on guitar. I'm not sure what the exact lineup will be that night, but this should be a fun gig.
Wednesday,
July 26, 6:00 to 9:00 PM - and the last Wednesday of every month -
Kurt Ribak
Trio - Original jazz
Cato's Ale House
http://www.mrcato.com/
3891 Piedmont Ave., Oakland, CA
510-655-3349
all ages, no cover
We play Cato's the last Wednesday of every month. This month Tyler Blanton is on vibes. Hal Richards will be on woodwinds.
Friday, July 28, 7:00 to 10:00
PM - and every Friday
Kurt Ribak Trio - original jazz -
Prima Ristorante
http://www.primaristorante.com/
1522 N. Main Street, Walnut Creek, CA
Every Friday, 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM
All ages
Greg Sankovich will be on piano, with Tim Solook on drums. Tip - to best hear the band you should have drinks in the bar or make a dinner reservation in the bar.
Friday, August 4, 7:00 to 10:00
PM - and every Friday
Kurt Ribak Trio - original jazz -
Prima Ristorante
http://www.primaristorante.com/
1522 N. Main Street, Walnut Creek, CA
Every Friday, 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM
All ages
Tip - to best hear the band you should have drinks in the bar or make a dinner reservation in the bar.
Saturday, August 5, 8:00 to 9:00
PM
Kurt Ribak Trio - original jazz -
Lick Observatory
http://www.ucolick.org/public/music.html
Mt. Hamilton, CA
doors open 7:30, concert at 8 PM
ticket info, directions, and more
This is part of the Music of the Spheres program at the Observatory. The trio will be me on bass, Greg Sankovich on keyboards, and Tim Solook on drums. Listen to us for an hour, then check out the observatory. The Observatory is about an hour east of San Jose. As the Observatory website says,
Sun., August 6, 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM - and the first Sunday of every month
Kurt Ribak Trio - Original jazz
Chaya Brasserie
http://www.thechaya.com/
location & info
132 The Embarcadero
San Francisco, CA 94105
(415) 777-8688
Chaya is known for its "Japanese-inspired French cuisine." The food and service are outstanding, they have some very nice wines, and they have some great views of the Bay Bridge. They also have a specially priced menu at the bar while we are playing, so you can drink and dine on a smaller budget than Chaya normally requires. The trio will be me on bass, Greg Sankovich on keyboards, and Tim Solook on drums.
Come check us out - there's not much other jazz happening on a Sunday night, and this is an interesting new version of my band. At Chaya we play a harder-hitting, more driving style than at Prima. Between that and the electronic keyboards Greg brings to Chaya (they have no piano), the band sounds very different here.
Friday, August 11, noon to 1:00
PM
Kurt Ribak Quintet - Original jazz
101 California - x. Market St.
San Francisco,
CA
free outdoor show - all ages
This will be a rare appearance of my quartet, which will feature Hal Richards on woodwinds and will include me on bass, Greg Sankovich on keys and Tim Solook on drums. If you work in the Financial District this should be a pretty easy gig to make - it's during most people's lunch time, and it's a free outdoor show in the Financial District. It's part of the Market Street Association's People in Plazas series.
Friday, August 11, 7:00 to 10:00
PM - and every Friday
Kurt Ribak Trio - original jazz -
Prima Ristorante
http://www.primaristorante.com/
1522 N. Main Street, Walnut Creek, CA
Every Friday, 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM
All ages
Tip - to best hear the band you should have drinks in the bar or make a dinner reservation in the bar.
Sun., August 13, 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM - and the first Sunday of every month
Kurt Ribak Trio - Original jazz
Chaya Brasserie
http://www.thechaya.com/
location & info
132 The Embarcadero
San Francisco, CA 94105
(415) 777-8688
Here's a shot of the band taken from the bar at Chaya. Tim Solook is on drums. Yep, that's Kurt on bass.
Yes - this month we are playing twice at Chaya, so you have two opportunities to see us here. Chaya is known for its "Japanese-inspired French cuisine." The food and service are outstanding, they have some very nice wines, and they have some great views of the Bay Bridge. They also have a specially priced menu at the bar while we are playing, so you can drink and dine on a smaller budget than Chaya normally requires. The trio will be me on bass, Greg Sankovich on keyboards, and Tim Solook on drums.
Come check us out - there's not much other jazz happening on a Sunday night, and this is an interesting new version of my band. At Chaya we play a harder-hitting, more driving style than at Prima. Between that and the electronic keyboards Greg brings to Chaya (they have no piano), the band sounds very different here.
Friday, August 18, 7:00 to 10:00
PM - and every Friday
Kurt Ribak Trio - original jazz -
Prima Ristorante
http://www.primaristorante.com/
1522 N. Main Street, Walnut Creek, CA
Every Friday, 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM
All ages
Tip - to best hear the band you should have drinks in the bar or make a dinner reservation in the bar.
Saturday, August 19, 9:30 PM to 12:30 AM
Kurt Ribak Quartet - original jazz
The Albatross
1822 San Pablo Avenue (two blocks
north of University, west side of the street)
Berkeley, CA 94710
510-843-2473 (510-THE-BIRD)
http://www.albatrosspub.com/
21 and over
$3.00 Cover charge
The Albatross (aka The Bird) has been around since 1964. Current owners Wendy Halambeck and Linda Zsilavetz did a wonderful job of revitalizing the place without losing the charm it had. There are lots of board games available, lots of room for darts, a nice fireplace in the back, and food. It's a very friendly comfortable place. They now have a hard liquor license, so it is a great place to have a single malt scotch or the like.
"One of the perks of being an unemployed musician is that you get to
play much less bad music."
Jack Daney
You can check out mp3s of my music at http://www.ribak.com/mp3s.html
Alex Walsh's CD "Light Another Candle" is pop - a lot of it sounds like Mott the Hoople meets the Replacements to me. This was recorded in 2003. I play electric bass and upright on it.
Brian Schindele's CD The Moral is original straightahead jazz. I like it - the title tune kicks off the CD with some great drumming. This CD features Brian, drummer Tim Vaughan, Sheldon Brown on tenor sax, Tom Griesser playing sax on one track, Dave Scott on trumpet, cornet, and flugelhorn, Larry Leight on trombone, and Connie Champagne as featured guest vocalist on a ballad track.
I regularly play with Stephen Bigger at Moraga Valley Presbyterian Church, where he is music director. "Lights on the Horizon" is a CD of his contemporary Christian songwriting. Stephen sings lead on a number of the tunes, but he also features Amy Beth Nickelson and Katie O'Gorman, two very talented young members of the congregation at Moraga Valley.
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2006 gigs
June '06 gigs
May '06 gigs
April '06 gigs
March '06 gigs
February '06 gigs
January '06 gigs
2005 gigs
December '05 gigs
November '05 gigs
October '05 gigs
September '05 gigs
August '05 gigs
July '05 gigs
May / June '05 gigs
May '05 gigs
March '05 gigs
February '05 gigs
January '05 gigs
2004 gigs
December
December
December
September
August
July
June
May
May
March
February
January
And for something just plain weird, we have Blixa Bargeld doing home improvement ads... http://www.epica-awards.org/assets/epica/2004/finalists/film/flv/22012-1.htm
http://www.epica-awards.org/assets/epica/2004/finalists/film/flv/22012-2.htm
http://www.epica-awards.org/assets/epica/2004/finalists/film/flv/22012-3.htm
http://www.epica-awards.org/assets/epica/2004/finalists/film/flv/22012-4.htm
Hello Cthulhu is what happens when you cross Hello Kitty with H.P. Lovecraft.
Bush Pilot - thanks to my pal David Javelosa for forwarding this to me.
Here we have a website with a directory of musicians with bald/shaved heads. I should be added to the list shortly. takeitfromthehead.com The site is maintained by Pete Levin, keyboardist for Gil Evans, Paul Simon, Jimmy Giuffre, Annie Lennox, Tony Levin Band, Lenny White and the brother of the famous bassist (also bald) Tony Levin.
