Join the Disciples of Markos for another evening of old school Rebetika classic and obscurities from the 1930s.

It was quite a night when we played in November and we're looking forward to bringing the kefi once again to the Little Hill Lounge, the hippest spot in El Cerrito (Just 10 minutes from Berkeley via I-80). So clean out your narghile, and get there early!

...and guess what, there's no cover charge!

Dmitri Mavra - Bouzouki
Gregory Jenkins - Vocals and Baglama
Jenette Sellin - Guitar and Accordion
Jordan Ruyle - Tzouras and Guitar

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Saturday, February 21
KAFANA BALKAN 19th Anniversary Party
with
ISMAIL LUMANOVSKI and INSPECTOR GADJE BALKAN BRASS BAND
featuring Deuce Eclipse
plus Jill Parker and DJ Zeljko

8:30 pm doors
$20-40 adv / $25-45 doors (sliding scale)
21+

Opa! Kafana Balkan will be back on Saturday, Feb 21 at the Rickshaw Stop for our 19th anniversary. The dance floor will be hopping!

INSPECTOR GADJE brings a big sound to the beautiful and bumpin' brass band music of the Balkans. With 14 musicians sharing the stage, Inspector Gadje is an acoustic dance machine that makes the party move! A "... RIP ROARING MAD BALKAN BRASS BEDLAM" (KPFA'S Stephen Kent, “Music of the World”) and an "instant party atmosphere” (The SF Chronicle).

Kafana Balkan was the first ongoing Balkan dance party in San Francisco and is the only one of its kind organized by DJ Željko Petković in the Bay Area. Željko hails from Serbia by way of Frankfurt, and, lucky for us, he now calls San Francisco home. DJ Željko has discriminating taste, a seemingly endless collection of great Balkan albums, and love and joy for his music, a crowd-pleasing, danceable Balkan brass sound. Željko promotes Balkan music and culture by producing Kafana Balkan roughly four times a year. Since February 2015, he's joined by Marco Peris Coppola, Creative Co Strategist and Co Booker, who is helping Kafana Balkan grow.

There will be Rakija - delectible Serbian plum brandy. Warning: drink at your own risk

More on Inspector Gadje - https://www.inspectorgadje.com

More on Jill Parker - https://www.jillparkerdance.com/

More on Kafana Balkan -www.facebook.com/kafana.balkan

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Doors/Dance Class 7:30pm
Show: 8pm

Yiddish culture thrives at Ashkenaz! That’s right, Balkan Sundays goes klezmer on February 22. We’ll sing and dance, laugh and cry, toast the health of lovers and the downfall of haters.

Featuring special guests Ilya Shneyveys and Sarah Myerson from the epicenter of Ashkenazi culture, Brooklyn NY! Besides Yiddish, Sarah and Ilya are also world class experts in neighboring folk cultures including Balkan, Slavic and Greco-Turkish, so you can expect a dynamic mix of all of those to filter through the evening.

Ilya and Sarah will be backed by and All-Star band featuring:
Mike Perlmutter on clarinet and saxophone
Peter Bonos on trumpet
Chris Bastian on double bass
Ivan Velev on poyk/tupan
And we always expect some local hard hitters to sit in

Sarah will teach a lively 30 min intro to Yiddish folk dance (especially for those who can’t make the 2-5pm workshop at Netivot Shalom).

Once the live music starts, there’s no holding back! Join the party, all are welcome.

Tickets:
Free!

Ashkenaz is all ages, all the time. Kids and minors are always welcome. Those 12 or under are admitted FREE (unless otherwise noted).

Called “a musical spectacle unlike anything else on North American stages”(San Francisco Chronicle), Goran Bregović and His Wedding and Funeral Orchestra deliver an electrifying fusion of Balkan brass, rock energy, and ancient folk traditions that transforms any venue into a pulsating celebration. Renowned for their thunderous horns, soaring choral harmonies, explosive party beats and driving rhythms, the ensemble blends cinematic scores from Bregović's film masterpieces (Borat, Arizona Dream) with irresistible dance anthems, creating music that feels timeless yet wildly contemporary.

Tickets