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On October 20, 2003, Bread & Roses presented a benefit concert with Rhiannon and friends at Yoshi's World Class Jazz House and Japanese Restaurant in historic Jack London Square in Oakland. Joining Rhiannon for this very special evening of inspired jazz were long-time pianist/arranger Frank Martin, and very special guests, percussionist/drummer extraordinaire Alex Acuña and legendary bassist Abraham Laboriel. We thank all who attended the event, Yoshi's for making the facility available, Rhiannon and friends for a splendid performance.
The following is a review of that extraordinary evening, accompanied by photos from Andrew DeLory, a long-time volunteer for Bread & Roses.
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Rhiannon Performs for Bread and Roses Benefit at Yoshi's in Oakland
by Frank Zeccola, October 26, 2003
From the San Francisco Observer
Bay Area singer thrills the audience with the wild experience of improvisation
When you see Rhiannon perform you are not just hearing music. You are not just seeing a concert or a jazz performance or a show. When you see Rhiannon perform you are taking part in an experience, and what you are experiencing is a journey through unknown realms of musical expression and consciousness. She takes you on a ride that darts unexpectedly from composed sections of songs to wild vocal and instrumental improvisation to deep, inspired poetry and dramatic pieces of theater and then weaves right back into the composition. And she does this with such smooth fluidity that the thin line between composition and improvisation becomes blurred.
"When I sing I trust myself and I follow my ideas," the Bay Area performer explained about her improvisational approach to music. "The more I believe the more it happens. I just keep singing and it becomes something spiritual that's way bigger than me."
Rhiannon's Bread and Roses benefit concert at Yoshi's on October 20th was a thrilling spiritual journey that evoked two standing ovations throughout the night. With pianist Frank Martin, her longtime song-writing and performing collaborator, and special guests and music legends from Los Angeles Alex Acuña and Abraham Laboriel, Rhiannon entranced the crowd of 200 with classic Rhiannon tunes such as Toward Home and Start Again, jazz standards like Autumn Leaves, a Brazilian ballad called Cantador, and even Stevie Wonder's You and I. Peruvian percussionist Acuña, electric bassist Laboriel and Frank Martin were right with her every step of the way, feeding off Rhiannon's energy and inspiration and playing their hearts out.
The band was so good that Rhiannon often stopped singing and started dancing around as if she was just another member of the audience.
Bread and Roses is a special event for Rhiannon, who has been performing for the organization for many years. Bread and Roses provides free live music to people living in institutions and in isolation in the Bay Area such as retirement homes, prisons, juvenile halls and special needs schools. They have been uplifting the human spirit for three decades, and past performers have included Joan Baez, Paul Simon, Neil Young and many, many other famous musicians.
Rhiannon feels a connection with the healing power of performance that Bread and Roses provides. "Music is healing," Rhiannon described. "Music travels on waves, penetrates the air, and enters the body differently than spoken word. There is musical healing at a child's bedside, in a jazz club, even when someone is just humming to themselves. Bread and Roses is a very important organization because it facilitates this healing power."
Photos by Andrew DeLory |
Rhiannon shares an inspired
moment in song
Left to right: Frank Martin, Abraham Laboriel,
Rhiannon, Alex Acuña at Yoshi's
Left to right: Frank Martin, Alex Acuña,
Rhiannon, Abraham Laboriel |
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