Daniel Popsicle

Sometime shortly before lunch in the mid-to-late 90's, I had the opportunity to reconnect briefly with my teacher: composer, writer, artist, multi-instrumentalist Anthony Braxton. We, the Great Circle Saxophone Quartet, were passing through Middletown Connecticut. Among much warm and welcome encouragement, Professor Braxton urged each of us to write "music for the next millennium." Well, it sounded like a big job, and a big responsibility, but I was looking for just that. And at that moment, a vision of the ensemble now called Daniel Popsicle came alive in my head. It would include both western instruments and a motley assortment of mismatched instruments from around the world: emblems of a science fiction future that's at least as much past: a smaller world, perhaps apocalyptically decimated. Only one saxophone -- the rest having been melted down for unimaginablee future-to-the-ancient machinery. It would include women and men, good readers and bad, friends who would come to rehearsal by car, by train, or on foot from a house five houses away. We cleared aside the minimum clutter necessar from the garage, then I wrote 15 pieces (each of which is represented entirely on one page of 16-staff manuscript paper), baked a couple pies, and Daniel Popsicle was formed.

Pictured above: Daniel Popsicle at the Ivy Room (Jan uary, 2009). Left to Right: Plonsey, Cory Wright, Micheal Zelner, John Shiurba, Lynn Murdock, Chris Silvey. Photo by Myles Boisen.

Daniel Popsicle at the de Young Museum, September 12, 2014.
L to R: Myra Chachkin, Steve Lew, Jules Ryan, Herb Diamint, Hamir Atwal, Adrian Gormley, John Shiurba, Randy McKean, Cory Wright, Lynn Murdock (hidden behind music), Dan Plonsey. (Photo: Chris Jonas)

The Music of El Cerrito

Plonsey took Braxton's call for "Music for a new millenium" to mean that it was time overdue for a paradigm shift in the musical world: that existing forms would be no longer sufficiently flexible to meet the needs of the new world-to-be. Daniel Popsicle therefore strives to evoke and bring into being a world less cynical, less troubled and less cluttered, in which art can be as simple as it wants to be, and in which everyone can participate. A world more in tune with our nature as animals, but striving beyond equity (a noble goal) to true generosity.

The music played by Daniel Popsicle is not classical, jazz, rock, or any established genre; rather it is simply Music of El Cerrito: music which is happening here, wherever that largely imaginary, ideal, idealistic here is for us, and for you too. The music is simple: emerging from whatever Plonsey was humming that day, which might have something to do with music he heard last week or as a kid growing up in Cleveland Heights. The music is there to sweep you along, down a creek in an innertube. The music is there to provide color for your art and imagery for your blackberry pie-making. (We hope that you have a bush nearby.)

The Look of El Cerrito

Ah, if only you could be with us in El Cerrito! If you could sit with us under our willow tree, sipping mint julips, listening to the music of the wind through the branches and leaves, the chirp and buzz of the bushtits and hmmingbirds, the occasional appearance of waxwings. If you could walk with us up through the curvy, hilly streets of Northern El Cerrito, remarking on the strangely beautiful mix of Japanese and Mediterranean style architecture and landscaping: the sparse and even scraggly roses spotting a yard of gravel;

• the snaking garden hoses
• the use of non-structural horizontal beams as decoration (the horizontal lines of house after house evoke M. C. Escher in the way they seemingly are both in front of and behind each other, but if this is an affront to Euclid, it is utterly without guile)
• the manicured bits of lawn and poodle-cut bushes
• the mix of deep greens with chartreuse
• the decorative use of orange traffic cones
• the contrastingly (colors randomly chosen?) painted fences
• the needlessly painted stairs and walkways
• the simple pattern of parallel lines etched on garage doors
• the bottle-brush trees lining a segment of a street, cauliflower-trees lining another
• the awkward combinations of green, red and blue here; pastel and even minty colors there...

There is the El Cerrito I describe, the El Cerrito you see in photographs, and then there is the imaginary El Cerrito: distinct from the more cynical, striving, crass, Bay Area. For us, beauty isn't something you purchase: either you make it yourself, or just go outside and look: it's everywhere, but you need the right expectations: the beauty is partly as a result of earnest attempts at replicating various memories of beauty, partly apparently accidental juxtapositions. These houses, these yards... they're not being designed by professionals. It's as though everyone came from far away, and the have to make do with local shapes, local color. You can feel the melancholy, the longing. Our music is like that: imprecisely remembered, unprofessional, but with similar melancholy, yearning. Outsiders.

Recordings

Since its inception, Daniel Popsicle has been dedicated to presenting the music of El Cerrito, in an open-ended series of volumes. Of the following, music from volumes 1, 2a, 2b, and some of 3 have been recorded. Two pieces from volume 4 were recorded at a concert at the Berkeley Arts Festival. Fourteen pieces from the collected "Cerrito Theatre Music" were performed April 9, 2002, at the Black Box, and were recorded by both Zoka and John Shiurba.

Volume 1: Music of Dan Plonsey (party music) (Yesnolp, CD-R)

Volume 2: Relations among Two of the Three Primary (Great) Kingdoms of Natural Objects: Plants and Animals

Volume 2a: Moving About, Humming, Still Our Flowers are Blooming, Under the Old Portcullis (UnLimited Sedition, CD)

Volume 2b: Wise King Taken by the Foolish One

Volume 3: The 23 Marches for Casual Space Tourist, a.k.a., Destination: Fremont!
(These Marches were commissioned by New Music Works, Santa Cruz, for 2001: A Space Garden (Garden Party))

Volume 4: Music for Occasions of State, El Cerrito

Volume 5: El Cerrito Annex: late 14th Century French Secular Polyphony

Volume 6: Music from Northern El Cerrito: Daniel Popsicle plays Cerrito Theatre Music of Dan Plonsey

Volume 7:The Playback Operas of El Cerrito

Volume 8:``Jazz at Yoshi's'' (Yesnolp, CD-R; re-released on digitalis records)

Volume 9:The Color Music of El Cerrito (99 pieces, banter, and a selection from approximately 3000 photographs)

Volume 10:The New Monster Music of El Cerrito (97 pieces (so far), and a collection of colored pen and marker drawings)

Performances

1. December 2, 1999: The Starry Plough
2. July 22, 2000: The Zeum courtyard.
3. October 15, 2000: ACME Observatory
4. June 24, 2001: A Berkeley Arts Festival and Beanbender's Presentation.
5. December 8, 2001: two pieces performed by: New Music Works of Santa Cruz
6. April 9, 2002: The Black Box, Oakland, CA.
7. June 21, 2002: Garden of Memory: Chapel of the Chimes, Oakland, CA.
8. July 27, 2002: New Langton Arts Award Show, San Francisco, CA.
9. August 5, 2002: At the Richmond Arts Center, Richmond, CA.
10. September 30, 2002: At Yoshi's, Oakland, CA. (A Jazz in Flight presentation.)
11. June 19, 2003: Memorial Concert for Matthew Sperry
12. September 28, 2003: Daniel Popsicle Subsidiary Marching Band in the "How Berkeley Can You Be?" Parade
13. April 25, 2004: CD Release at the Jazz House
14. June 27, 2004: Outdoor conccert at MoCHA
15. October 30, 2004: Berkeley Arts Festival HQ
16. June 12, 2005: Santa Cruz New Music Works Avant Garden Party
17. June 02, 2006: The Starry Plough, as part of the 4th annual SperryFest.
18. October 6, 2006: The Illuminated Corridor (at 21Grand)
19. October 7, 2006: Museum of children's Art, Oakland
20. May 4, 2007: The Berkeley Arts Festival HQ (2323 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley)
21. May 9, 2007: 21Grand, Oakland
22. June 21, 2007: The Chapel of the Chimes, Oakland
23. August 23, 2007: The Starry Plough
24. September 15, 2007: Peanut Butter Jam, Alameda
25. February 22, 2008: The Berkeley Arts Festival, 2213 Shattuck Avenue
26. July 13, 2008: The Transbay Skronkathon, 21Grand, Oakland
27. June 21, 2008: The Chapel of the Chimes, Oakland
28. September 12/13/14, 2008: The Milkbar International Film Festival at The Noodle Factory, Union/26th, Oakland.
29. January 19, 2009: The Ivy Room, Albany, CA.
30. April 11, 2009: Koi Pond, Oakland (Val's Birthday)
31. June 21, 2009: The Chapel of the Chimes, Oakland
32. March 22, 2010: The Ivy Room, Albany, CA.
33. May 3, 2010: The Make-out Room, SF, CA.
34. May 30, 2010: The Berkeley Arts Festival, 2121 Allston Way, Berkeley, CA.
35. June 21, 2010: The Chapel of the Chimes, Oakland, CA.
36. October 24, 2010: East Bay Mini-Maker Faire, Park Day School, Oakland, CA.
37. November 3, 2010: The Ivy Room, Albany, CA.
38. February 8, 2011: The Uptown, Oakland, CA.
39. March 26, 2011: La Placita, 2375 Fruitvale Avenue, Oakland, CA
40. April 20, 2011: The Ivy Room, Albany, CA.
41. June 21, 2011: The Chapel of the Chimes, Oakland, CA.
42. July 20, 2011: The Subterranean Art House, Berkeley, CA
43. August 17, 2011: The Subterranean Art House, Berkeley, CA
44. September 11, 2011: The Webster Street Jam, Alameda, CA
45. September 21, 2011: The Subterranean Art House, Berkeley, CA
46. November 5, 2011: The Berkeley Arts Festival, 2133 University Avenue, Berkeley, CA
47. December 29, 2011: The Berkeley Arts Festival, 2133 University Avenue, Berkeley, CA
48. January 31, 2012: The Berkeley Arts Festival, 2133 University Avenue, Berkeley, CA
49. June 21, 2012: The Chapel of the Chimes, Oakland, CA.
50. December 11, 2013: The Berkeley Arts, 2133 University Avenue, Berkeley, CA
51. September 12, 2014: The de Young Museum, SF.
52. October 10, 2014: The Berkeley Arts, 2133 University Avenue, Berkeley, CA

Musicians who have played in the ensemble:

Dan Plonsey Carol Adee Kyle Bruckmann Ben Goldberg Michael Zelner Ceylan Yagmur Matt Ingalls Randy McKean Jesse Canterbury Scott Rosenberg Cory Wright Joshua Smith Fran Holland Adrian Gormley Jared Prolo Herb Diamant Joe Karten Liz Albee David Bithell Chris Grady Chris Silvey Tom Yoder Jamie Bastien Tim Madden Jen Baker Jay Rozen Phil Gelb Ward Spangler Wayne Vitale Tom Swafford Naomi Okuyama Masha Albrecht Sarah Willner Samantha Black Danielle DeGruttola Myra Chachkin Jules Ryan Lynn Murdock Erling Wold Ashley Adams Myles Boisen Marc Culbertson Matthew Sperry Steve Lew John Finkbeiner Randy Porter John Schott John Shiurba Steve Kirk Mike Pukish Jenya Chernoff Matt Lebofsky John Hanes Suki O'Kane Hamir Atwal Mantra Ben-Ya'akova Cleveland Plonsey

c melody saxophone, tenor saxophone, oboe, clarinets piccolo oboe and English horn clarinet clarinet clarinet clarinet bass clarinet, clarinet, alto sax bass clarinet sax, contrabass clarinet soprano, bari sax; clarinet, bass clarinet, piccolo tenor sax, drums bass clarinet clarinet, bass clarinet bassoon bassoon shofar trumpet trumpet trumpet trumpet trombone trombone trombone trombone tuba shakuhachi xylophone, glockenspiel, percussion Balinese percussion & gangsa violin violin violin violin, viola, Balinese percussion, rebab cello cello cello, little Yamaha synth, bass cello acrusonic organ, synths, piano farfisa organ bass bass bass bass electric bass electric guitar cumbus, guitar, violin national steel guitar, electric guitars electric guitar, guitar, electric bass, banjo banjo drums & percussion drums & percussion drums & percussion drums & percussion toys, drums & percussion drums voice percussion, Italian keyed whistla, robot feedback toy

Poster by Alan Anzalone

Appearances

December 1, 1999:
The Starry Plough, Berkeley With: Dan Plonsey, c melody sax; Joe Karten, shofar; Phil Gelb, shakuhachi; Ben Goldberg, clarinet; Tom Yoder, trombone and sackbutt; Erling Wold, farfisa; Lynn Wold, acrusonic organ; Tom Swafford, violin; Sarah Willner, viola and gangsa; Samantha Black, cello; Ashley Adams, bass; Matthew Sperry, bass; Randy Porter, cumbus, guitar, violin; Wayne Vitale, Balinese drum and gangsa; Ward Spangler, percussion; with Henry Kuntz, guest, Balinese instruments.

Sunday, June 24, 2001:

A Berkeley Arts Festival and Beanbender's Presentation. With: Dan Plonsey, c melody saxophone; Phil Gelb, shakuhachi; Carol Adee, piccolo; Ben Goldberg, Michael Zelner clarinets; Tom Yoder, trombone; Sarah Willner, viola; Randy Porter, electric guitar, violin, cumbus; John Schott, John Shiurba electric guitars; Mark Culbertson, acoustic bass; Wayne Vitale, Ward Spangler, various children percussion; Mantra Ben Ya'akova, voice.

---

Tuesday, April 9, 2002

At the The Black Box, 1928 Telegraph Ave, Oakland CA. With: Dan Plonsey, c melody saxophone; Carol Adee, piccolo; Matt Ingalls and Michael Zelner, clarinets; Tom Yoder, trombone; Randy Porter, mandolin, cumbus; John Shiurba, electric guitar; Matthew Sperry and Mark Culbertson, acoustic bass; Lynn Wold, keyboard; Matt Lebofsky, keyboard and drums; Ward Spangler, vibes and percussion;

---

Daniel Popsicle: "Music from El Cerrito: Daniel Popsicle plays Music by Dan Plonsey"
At Yoshi's -- a Jazz in Flight production.
Concert Preview from Contra Costa Times, by Andrew Gilbert

With: Carol Adee, Liz Albee, Jenya Chernoff, Marc Culbertson, Phil Gelb, Ben Goldberg, Steve Kirk, Matt Lebofsky, Suki O'Kane, Naomi Okuyama, Randy Porter, Mike Pukish, John Schott, John Shiurba, Matthew Sperry, Sarah Willner, Lynn Wold, Tom Yoder, Michael Zelner.

"On September 30, the centerpiece of our concert will be the premiere of a giant piece, Wise King Taken by the Foolish One, which will span the two sets (no pieces will be repeated from set one in set two; the audience is invited to stay for the entire evening of music). In and around this piece will be some other works which range from selections of very short, through-composed works, to tunes and songs which are designed to set up improvisations by the group's many fine players. Indeed, the music I am writing can only be played by musicians with skills in both reading and improvising: they alone can bring the sort of tight-but-looseness, the spontaneous combustability, and the subversiveness which in my opinion is the soul of what we have called Jazz. I am very fortunate to be living in the Bay Area, where uniquely in this world I have access to such musicians who also bring in enormous individual experience in Klezmer, Balinese music, rock, blues, classical music, Salsa, free improv, Italian film music, Japanese music, Brazilian music, and of course all the historical traditions comprising jazz." -- Dan Plonsey

Sunday, September 28, 2003: The Daniel Popsicle Subsidiary Marching Band (Plonsey, Shiurba, Chernoff, Lebofsky and Zelner) march in the "How Berkeley Can You Be?" Parade.

---

Saturday, October 30, 2004 at the Berkeley Arts Festival HQ, 2324 Shattuck Avenue, as part of the Festival: This concert consisted of two sets of music. With: John Hanes, Mark Culbertson, John Shiurba, Randy Porter, John Schott, Lynn Wold, Tom Yoder, Liz Allbee, Scott Rosenberg, and Plonsey.

---

Sunday, June 12, 2005 at the Santa Cruz New Music Works annual Avant Garden Party, at the UCSC Arboretum We played a 15 minute semi-improvised marching set and then 30 minutes of Music of El Cerrito, Volume 5: Simple Music: Series 2: "Colors." With: Suki O'Kane, Ward Spangler, John Shiurba, Lynn Wold, Michael Zelner, Randy McKean, Scott Rosenberg and Dan Plonsey.

---

May 4, 2007

The Berkeley Arts Festival HQ (2323 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley). We played a full concert of two sets of the Color music. With: Suki O'Kane, Lynn Murdock, Chris Silvey, Tom Yoder, Cory Wright, Michael Zelner, Randy McKean, Joshua Smith, John Schott and Dan Plonsey. Pictured, Left to Right: Chris Silvey, Michael Zelner, Suki O'Kane, Tom Yoder.

---

2213 Shattuck Avenue (formerly Gateway Computers next to former site of Eddie Bauer!) $10-$5 Program: Selections from the Color Music of El Cerrito (the complete set comprises 99 pieces, designed to accompany artists at work) aqua brown white orange pink & pale blue clown yellow gray gabardine green guys octave blue off white olive red pale green, dark blue, orange pale turquoise & burnt sienna pink red blue orange red orange blue green blue pink red red green & transparent medium red we do for red red yellow blue rufous & rose & sky blue saffron titanium white & green titanium white & green titanium white mars titanium white & sky yellow red green blue Also: My Version, The Superhero of Shirts, Pictured, Left to Right: Chris Silvey, Randy McKean, Cory Wright, Lynn Murdock, Dan Plonsey.

June 21, 2008: The Chapel of the Chimes, Oakland

At The Chapel of the Chimes, Oakland, as part of the annual summer solstice concert, The Garden of Memory. we played outdoors at the very top and back of the Chapel. We played three setss of: COLOR music, and three parts of Hockey Season. With: Lynn Murdock, Myra Chachkin (cello), Chris Silvey, Cory Wright, Michael Zelner, John Schott, John Shiurba, Mark Culbertson, Suki O'Kane, and Dan Plonsey. Photo by Randy Porter: Standing, L to R: John Schott, Mark Culbertson. Middle row: John Shiurba, Myra Chachkin. Front row: Michael Zelner, Cory Wright, Chris Silvey. Standing, right: Dan Plonsey. Hatted head, back right: Suki O'Kane.

---

Monday, January 19, 2009

At the Ivy Room: 858 San Pablo Ave (between Solano Ave & Washington Ave), Albany, CA. With: Jen Baker (on trombone, making her debut with the band), Myra Chachkin, Mark, Culbertson, Lynn Murdock, Suki O'Kane, Dan Plonsey. John Schott, John Shiurba, Chris Silvey, Cory Wright, Michael Zelner. Pictured, left to Right: Plonsey, Wright, Zelner. Photo by Myles Boisen.

---

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Val Esway's 40th Birthday Party. With: Myra Chachkin, Mark Culbertson, Lynn Murdock, Suki O'Kane, Dan Plonsey, John Shiurba, Chris Silvey, Josh Smith, Cory Wright, Michael Zelner. Pictured, left to Right: Plonsey, Zelner, O'Kane, Chachkin, Wright, Silvey, Culbertson, Shiurba. Photo by Myles Boisen.

---

June 21, 2009: The Chapel of the Chimes, Oakland

For the fourth year, we played this fantastic event of multiple simultaneous performances as part of the annual summer solstice concert, The Garden of Memory. Again, we played outdoors at the very top and back of the Chapel. On this occasion, we alternated sets with Orchestra Nostalgico. With: Myles Boisen (debut performance), Myra Chachkin, Mark Culbertson, John Hanes, Lynn Murdock, Suki O'Kane, Dan Plonsey, John Shiurba, Cory Wright, Tom Yoder, Michael Zelner. Front: Cory Wright; Second row: Myra Chachkin, Tom Yoder, John Shiurba Back row: John Hanes, Suki O'Kane, Mark Culbertson Photo by Dan Plonsey

---

June 21, 2010: The Chapel of the Chimes, Oakland, CA.

In photo: front row: Michael Zelner, clarinet; Cory Wright, bass clarinet; Dan Plonsey, c melody saxophone. second row: Chris Silvey, trumpet; Tom Yoder, trombone, Jamie Bastien, trombone; Lynn Murdock (legs only), keyboards. third row: John Shiurba, guitar; Suki O'Kane, drums; Mark Culbertson, bass. Photo by Adria Otte.

---

October 24, 2010: East Bay Mini-Maker Faire, Park Day School, Oakland, CA. We were supposed to play outside, but at starting time (11AM, and indeed, all day) it was raining with gusts of wind, so we found a clay sculpture studio inside Studio 1 which was unoccupied and we played there. Only 10-20 people could be in the audience at a time. We premiered the "New Monsters" music, playing #4-13, 16, 21, 22, 24, 27. Musicians: Michael Zelner, Cory Wright, Dan Plonsey, Chris Silvey, Masha Albrecht (making her debut, on violin), Sarah Willner (violin), John Shiurba, John Schott, Lynn Murdock, Mark Culbertson, and Suki O'Kane. In photo, left to right: Masha Albrecht, Sarah Willner, Chris Silvey, John Shiurba, Mark Culbertson. Additional photos of this concert on facebook, posted by Steve Lew. Recorded by Michael Zelner.

---

March 26, 2011: La Placita, 2375 Fruitvale Avenue, Oak land, CA Front: Michael Zelner and Adrian Gormley, clarinets. 2nd row: Chris Silvey and Cory Wright. Photo by Mantra Plonsey.

---

June 21, 2011: The Chapel of the Chimes, Oakland, CA.

In photo: front: Masha Albrecht and Sarah Willner, violins; Adrian Gormley, clarinet and bass clarinet; Plonsey (standing, back turned) second row: Lynn Murdock, keyboard; Chris Silvey, trumpet; Adrian Gormley, clarinet and bass clarinet; third row: Ward Spangler, drums; Mark Culbertson, bass. not seen in picture: Michael Zelner and Cory Wright, clarinets and bass clarinet (Wright); Tom Yoder, trombone; John Shiurba, guitar; Myra Chachkin, cello; Steve Lew, electric bass. Photo by Larnie Fox.

---

September 21, 2011: The Subterranean Art House, Berkeley, CA
Performed with DandelionDance Theater.

In photo: Mantra Plonsey, standing; Cory Wright, Adrian Gormley (mostly obscured), Chris Silvey, Masha Albrecht; John Schott, standing in back. Photo by Dan Plonsey

---

Saturday, November 5, 2011 Berkeley Arts Festival 2011 Dan Plonsey's Music of El Cerrito: Daniel Popsicle plays new versions of old New Monsters music. With: Cory Wright, Michael Zelner, and Adrian Gormley, clarinets; Chris Silvey, trumpet; Herb Diamant, bassoon; Masha Albrecht, violin; Myra Chachkin, cello; John Shiurba, guitar; Lynn Murdock, piano & bass piano; Ward Spangler, vibes; Suki O'Kane, drums. In photo, left to right: John Shiurba, Myra Chachkin, Herb Diamant, Cory Wright. (Adrian Gormley and Suki O'Kane are behind.) Photo by Dan Plonsey

---

Thursday, December 29, 2011 Berkeley Arts Festival 2011 Dan Plonsey's Music of El Cerrito, 2011 Edition: Daniel Popsicle plays new versions of old New Monsters music. Featuring: Cory Wright, Michael Zelner, and Adrian Gormley, clarinets; Chris Silvey, trumpet; Masha Albrecht, violin; John Shiurba, guitar; Lynn Murdock, piano & bass piano; Suki O'Kane, drums. Also: "The Museum of Unnatural History": a collaboration between Plonsey and poets Carol Dorf and Autumn Stephens. Music performed by Albrecht, Murdock, and Plonsey. ...and costumes, and cookies... 2133 University Avenue (between Shattuck and Oxford) 7PM $10--20 donation.

Dan; Cory and Dan; Cookies

---

Tuesday, January 31, 2011 Berkeley Arts Festival 2011/2012 Dan Plonsey's Music of El Cerrito, 2012 Edition: Daniel Popsicle plays New Monsters music and More: premieres of New Monsters 89, 90, 91, 93, 94, 95, and the return of "The Public Toe Problem." Featuring: Cory Wright, Michael Zelner, and Adrian Gormley, clarinets; Chris Silvey, tr umpet; Masha Albrecht, violin; Herb Diamant, bassoon; Myra Chachkin, cello; Lynn Murdock, keyboard; Suki O'Kane, drums. 2133 University Avenue (between Shattuck and Oxford) 8PM

---

June 21, 2012: The Chapel of the Chimes, Oakland, CA.

In photo: Reed section, L to R: Jesse Canterbury, Adrian Gormley (hair visible), Michael Zelner (yellow cap), Cory Wright, Dan Plonsey. not seen in picture: Herb Diamant, bassoon; Chris Silvey, trumpet; Tom Yoder, trombone; Masha Albrecht and Sarah Willner, violins; John Finkbeiner, guitar; Myra Chachkin, cello; Ward Spangler, percussion; Suki O'kane, drums.

---

December 11, 2013: Berkeley Arts, 2133 University Avenue.

In photo: Front row, L to R: Masha Albrecht (violin), Myra Chachkin and Jules Ryan (cellos), John Shiurba (guitar). Back row, L to R: Chris Silvey (trumpet), Jesse Canterbury (bass clarinet), Michael Zelner and Cory Wright (clarinets), Suki O'Kane (drums). Behind and slightly left of Jesse: Herb Diamant, bassoon; Not seen: Steve Lew (bass), Lynn Murdock (keyboards), Dan Plonsey (sax). Photo: Dan Plonsey

---

September 12, 2014: The de Young Museum, San Francisco

In photo: Front row, L to R: Masha Albrecht (violin), Myra Chachkin and Jules Ryan (cellos), Herb Diamant, Chris Silvey, Randy McKean (mostly obscured), Cory Wright. Back row, L to R: Steve Lew, Hamir Atwal (drums). Photo: Plonsey We played a 50-minute set. With: Masha Albrecht (violin), Myra Chachkin and Jules Ryan (cellos), Lynn Murdock (keyboards), John Shiurba (guitar), Chris Silvey (trumpet), Adrian Gormley (bass clarinet), Cory Wright (clarinet), Randy McKean (clarinet, alto sax), Herb Diamant (bassoon), Steve Lew (bass), Hamir Atwal (drums), Dan Plonsey (tenor sax, voice, clarinet). Kneel, the Shiurba/Angela Coon Neil Young cover band, played after.

In photo: L to R: Hamir Atwal, John Shiurba, Lynn Murdock. Painting by Gerhard Richter in the background. Photo: Plonsey

---

• For information about booking, send e-mail to: Dan Plonsey.
• Here's a version of this page that's been to China and back.