From ‘Dry Wood’ to ‘Blossoms of Fire,’ filmmaker’s documentaries capture golden moments of art and culture.

Andrew Gilbert
Freelancer Andrew Gilbert writes a weekly music column for Berkeleyside. Andy, who was born and raised in Los Angeles, covers a wide range of musical cultures, from Brazil and Mali to India and Ireland. A Berkeley-based writer, he contributes features on jazz and international music to numerous publications, including the San Jose Mercury News, Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, Seattle Times and Los Angeles Times. His column covering the Bay Area dance scene, Dance Card, runs monthly in the Contra Costa Times. And his CD reviews air regularly on KQED’s “California Report.”
Berkeley drummer Scott Amendola and pals to play Saturday at California Jazz Conservatory
After two years lying low, Amendola hit the road for a brief tour. Now he’s back in the Bay Area fray, starting with a performance of his trio SticklerPhonics.
It’s a new chapter for Charlie Winton, Berkeley book publisher turned rock ‘n’ roller
Winton’s songwriting ambitions remained dormant for decades, but he released his first album at age 66 and is now out with his second, ‘The Soul and the Shadow.’
Rhonda Benin’s all-women musical revue will ‘celebrate being alive’
‘Just Like a Woman,’ an annual showcase for female artists launched in 2014, is back after a two-year hiatus this Sunday at Freight & Salvage.
Berkeley-reared pianist Michael Wolff pens memoir of ‘jazz, tics and survival’
Wolff’s autobiography, out this week, shows how music served as salvation for a precociously gifted pianist with undiagnosed Tourette’s Syndrome.
Berkeley jazz scene gets boost from energy bar company
The 25-year-old California Jazz Conservancy is launching a major new concert series with help from energy bar maker JAMBAR.
Upcoming concerts showcase the East Bay’s thriving Brazilian music scene
Performances by Oakland Samba Revue, SambaDá, and others in Oakland and Berkeley highlight the region’s talent.
Berkeley musician’s drunken odyssey through ‘Russialand’ is amazing but alarming
The scion of an old Berkeley family, Alex Carlin comes off as a bit of a holy fool in his new documentary. The film shows the 64-year-old rock ‘n’ roller’s bacchanal by rail from Siberia to the Black Sea.
Berkeley Symphony’s first indoor concert in 2 years takes stock and seeks renewal
The concert this Sunday starts with a movement titled “Protest” and progresses, through cacophony, into the sounds of “rain and the cleansing of the land.”
Strong ticket sales, empty seats for Berkeley venues during omicron
With omicron cases on the rise, the local performing arts scene is once again experiencing a wave of cancelations and postponements.
Shotgun Players show that Malvina Reynolds’ music doesn’t fit in a little box
Created by actress Beth Wilmurt, ‘The Cassandra Sessions: Recording This World’ premieres on the Ashby Stage Dec. 2-26.
Berkeley-born trumpeter Erik Jekabson is suddenly ubiquitous
Jekabson is playing a series of gigs in San Jose, Oakland and San Francisco this weekend, celebrating a new album his quartet recorded nearly a decade ago at the Hillside Club.