Sisters Israel and Netsanet Alemayehu own Sheba Piano Lounge.
By ANTHONY TORRES
Years ago, when I first came to San Francisco, a friend took me to see live jazz at Rasselas, located at that time on the corner of Divisadero and California. That night, Robert Stewart played some incredibly hard R&B-inflected jazz that was incendiary.
In 1999, Rasselas moved to 1534 Fillmore Street, creating a new music venue out of an old fish market, with a second bar, stage and dance floor in a very large back room.
That was eight years before the massive Yoshi’s complex opened two blocks south on Fillmore to great fanfare. While Yoshi’s for a few years attracted the biggest and best nationally and internationally renowned players, Rasselas stayed true to its mission of showcasing some of the best R&B, soul and jazz musicians the Bay Area had to offer — and that was, and is, a lot.
Adding to the mix was the intimate and elegant Sheba Piano Lounge, which opened at 1419 Fillmore Street in 2006.
While Sheba and Rasselas were across the street from each other, and both served authentic Ethiopian food and offered live music, each managed to exude a distinctly different feel, and made the constellation of clubs in what was touted as the reborn Fillmore Jazz District one of the hippest sections for music and culture in San Francisco.
Sheba quickly became the go-to place for the Yoshi’s crew when their shifts ended and they wanted to hang out, decompress and hear music. Rasselas closed in 2013 and Yoshi’s shuttered two years later, after a brief and ill-fated attempt to continue as The Addition.
Sheba is still going strong. It remains a relaxed and casual space featuring live music every night from some of the area’s best players, doing what they do out of love for the music they play. Sheba presents a variety of genres anchored in musical forms derived from the African diaspora that vary from night to night and week to week, depending
on the musicians who show up to sit in and play.
Bohemian Knuckle Boogie has long been a mainstay at Sheba. The group has helped to anchor the local scene through its commitment to the historical tradition of Fillmore jazz as a living cultural phenomenon that nurtured a range of great musical spirits.
Originally led by Mike “Coffee Picasso” Pitre — who died unexpectedly a few years ago after suffering a heart attack — the group continues to hold court at Sheba on Sunday nights, playing a unique blend of soul, jazz and blues, creating a unique sound the band calls “good music for hard times.”
On Mondays, Sheba features an open jam session where musicians and vocalists are invited to sit in with the Larry Nelson Trio. The house band is great, whether people show up to sit in or not. But the night is usually full of surprises and patrons never know if the person sitting at the next table might stroll up to the stage and completely amaze the crowd.
Tuesdays and Wednesdays tend to be flexible, with rotating groups. On a recent evening, Barbara Ochoa opened with the jazz standard “Nature Boy,” joined only by a piano accompanist.
Thursdays are reserved for Latin Breeze, an international ensemble that plays a variety of musical styles including salsa, cha-cha and merengue. They lay down Latin rhythms that attract musicians including the legendary percussionist Louis Romero, who played in his native New York with the likes of Hector Lavoe, Celia Cruz, Ruben Blades, with seven-time Grammy nominated John Santos sitting in on congas. That gives music fans some indication of the caliber of musicians who frequent Sheba Piano Lounge. And recently, Wiley Coyotes was seen and heard playing some real “roots” reggae music, which is fairly rare, especially in such a small and cozy venue.
At Sheba, music serves as a catalyst for bringing different people together and breaking down barriers, bridging humanity through genuinely heartfelt music by deeply committed musicians who make this a true neighborhood cultural resource.
Filed under: Music